Rebellion 1 Sam.15:23 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

The subject of rebellion is a subject that must be addressed today because there are so many rebels among us.  Furthermore, rebels find a lot of support today among musicians, actors, athletes, peers, and other influential people.  You must understand from the Bible what’s going on when children are rebellious.

Rebellion is against the Lord – Deut 9:7, 24.  Rebellion is a spiritual problem with authority.  Rebels disobey God [1 Sam 15:22], God’s words [1 Sam 15:23] and God’s authorities [parents, pastors, police].  Ultimately a rebel needs to reconcile with God.  The best way for him to do this is to get saved if he isn’t and then to obey the Lord.

Rebellion is like witchcraft – 1 Sam 15:23.  That is when a rebel comes out from under his proper spiritual authorities he then goes under the authority of the devil [whether he recognizes this or not].  2 Tim 2:25-26 addresses the Satanic influence in the life of a rebel.  Like the Pharisees, a rebel is the child of the devil [Jn 8:44; 1 Jn 3:10].

A rebellious person is usually a stubborn person – Ps 78:8.  Rebellion and stubbornness go together, Deut 21:18-20.  A stubborn person refuses to yield, obey or comply; he is obstinate.  By the time you see all of this outward behavior in a person, you can be sure that there has been a good deal of rebellion already working on the inside.  Stricter rules won’t change the behavior.  Neither will coaxing, loving, disciplining or restraining the rebel.  He only becomes more stubbornly determined to have his own way.

Rebellion is a problem in the heart – Jer 5:23.  A rebellious heart.  The rebel has to change from the inside out.  So he may comply with outward measures for a while [like a young man in a boys home or in the juvenile detention center].  But he is going to keep being rebellious until his heart changes.  If he doesn’t want to change no one is going to be able to change him.  When he wants to change, he can surrender to the Lord and he will begin to improve immediately.  Over time you will probably never know that he was once a rebel.

What should you do if you are dealing with a rebel?

You must be adamant – Ezek 3:9.  You cannot be afraid.  And you must not provoke him.  Being adamant means that you hold your ground and don’t let him move you off of the truth or out of your boundary.  You stay put; he is the one who is out of line.

You must speak God’s words – Ezek 2:7.  You tell him what God said whether he will listen to you or not.  He does not need your opinions or your angry reactions.  Just tell him straight up what the Lord said.

You might have to keep silent – Ezek 3:26.  Sometimes there is just nothing that you can say or do and you must then let him bear the fruit of his rebellion.  You cannot change his heart, that’s for sure.  And if he defies authority, more rules and restrictions will only result in more outward rebellion.  So he leaves you no option but to leave his rebellion to him and God.  If this means that he walks out, then you’ll have to let him go.