IS REBELLION SIN?
IS STUBBORNNESS SIN
(REBELLION IS WITCHCRAFT)
(STUBBORNNESS IS IDOLATRY)
Do you think much about REBELLION and its consequences today? Have you ever stopped and been very honest with yourself and thought about how stubborn we often are – and how much it hurts us? STUBBORNNESS: makes us do things we shouldn’t do, and cuts us off from others (even those who want to help us) – simply because we insist on our own way and won’t admit we might be wrong. But STUBBORNNESS: also cuts us off from God, because it makes us refuse to seek His will or listen to His Word. Instead, we insist on going our own way – regardless of the consequences. Read in the scripture of the people of Jeremiah’s day, who stubbornly refused to listen to God’s warnings and told him: – we will continue with our own plans; each of us will follow the STUBBORNNESS of heart” (Jeremiah 18:12). STUBBORNNESS has its roots in pride – and because of this, it’s a spiritual problem.
Q. Why did God remove King Saul from the throne? (see 1 Samuel 15)
In scripture we learn that King David deliberately plotted murder against one of his loyal subjects in order to cover-up his sin of adultery, yet God forgave him. But God did not forgive King Saul! Why was King Saul not forgiven by the Lord God?
A. King Saul wasn’t rejected because of his sin; it was because of his REBELLION and STUBBORNNESS:
*1 Samuel 15:22-23 says And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
Mark it down on the table of your heart, the fore front of your mind: GOD CALLS REBELLION WITCHCRAFT – STUBBORNNESS IDOLATRY. That is, STUBBORNNESS is idol witchcraft worship, and idol worship is a complete breakage of the 1st commandment. That’s why God hates STUBBORNNESS, yes God hates it. As Christians we don’t want to be a part of ANYTHING God hates!
On the surface, at face value King Saul didn’t look rebellious and stubborn. He didn’t seem to have done anything really bad. It didn’t really come out until Samuel – the spiritual authority addressed it and confronted it to see what would come out. God’s Word is clear that REBELLION is a great way to find yourself in dry land spiritually:
*Psalms 68:6, “...the REBELLIOUS dwell in a dry land.”
REBELLION is an open door to demonic bondage, REBELLION is an open door to the demonic in a person’s life – sadly the last act of King Saul before committing suicide was to go see a witch (see 1 Samuel 28:11-20).
Q. Define STUBBORNNESS:
A. STUBBORNNESS it judges and ridicules other people’s weaknesses, it can’t be told, it is fixed in its own opinion, it is head-strong, and stiff-necked.
Q. How does STUBBORNNESS come forth?
A. Like King Saul, STUBBORNNESS blames others for its own irresponsibility, it’s proud of its own achievements, it doesn’t do what the authority says but it thinks it does, it disrespects the opinion or advice of the authority but it thinks it’s doing what the authority says, it argues the point, it seeks promotion in the eyes of others, it envies others’ promotion. It tells God what His responsibility is, it can take on the role of the authority (king Saul offered the sacrifice in the priest’s Samuel’s place – see 1 Samuel 13:1-14), it uses people for its own gain, it tries to repent but it’s unable to repent, it worships the Lord in front of the people (see 1 Samuel 15:25-31 ), it uses its position of authority to abuse others and especially the righteous.
It says … you won’t tell me!, why should I?, who do you think you are?, I’m doing the best I can, I’ve done what I can now I expect God to do the rest, you don’t understand, I’m right you’re wrong, it’s unfair, I’ll believe it when God tells me (it ignores being told via another person), it doesn’t really listen because it has its own mind, but it can act agreeable and says it’s willing, but it always has an inner stiffness and unwillingness to change one’s mind by setting itself up as the judge of right and wrong. Ultimately, having a mood is just the expression of your STUBBORNNESS.
Q. Does STUBBORNNESS know it’s stubborn?
A. On the surface, a person doesn’t know they’re stubborn, but in their heart they know. Therefore, God calls STUBBORNNESS, iniquity.
There are of sin
1. Trespass = crossing the limit without knowing it; we could say ignorant sin
2. Transgression = sinning against your conscience and knowing that you’ve sinned
3. Iniquity = willingly sinning; making preparation to sin
God says STUBBORNNESS is iniquity, the most horrible level of sin. Therefore, a stubborn person really does know he’s sinning but pretends he is not.
Q. What keeps people from seeing and repenting of their own STUBBORNNESS?
A. STUBBORNNESS is only interested in boosting of self and it usually uses good works to achieve its objective to camouflage its hidden agenda. When your motivation is on achieving favor in the eyes of others, you can’t see your STUBBORNNESS. When your motivation is on self-promotion, you won’t see your STUBBORNNESS. That’s because STUBBORNNESS is linked with covetous and both are idol worship:
Covetous = idolatry (see Colossians 3:5) – Stubbornness = idolatry, (see 1 Samuel 15:23)
Once you allow STUBBORNNESS to rule you, you add the breaking of the 10th commandment to the existing breaking of the 1st, and you harden your spirit even to the point of REBELLION, and in REBELLION you open yourself to demons, just like King Saul. No one believes they worship themselves as god, but that’s because you don’t want to know because we’re more stubborn than we like to admit and STUBBORNNESS blinds you.
Q. What’s the costs of STUBBORNNESS?
A. Hardening your heart, stiff-necked, inability to repent, inability to forgive, separation from God and His righteous servants, lives in constant fear of what people think, insanely jealous, insanity, demon possession, eternal death (see Deuteronomy 21:18) need to examine themselves and see through the eyes of the Holy Spirit just exactly where they are at:
There are 2 levels of STUBBORNNESS people
1. Cooperative STUBBORNNESS = doing what the authority says but thinking the authority is wrong, but doesn’t believe the person in authority, keeps the commandments but doesn’t honor them, acknowledges the authority as long as the authority doesn’t tell it off or instruct it to do what it doesn’t want.
2. Uncooperative STUBBORNNESS = you won’t tell me, I won’t = rebellion = witchcraft, and thus exposure to demons and finally if one continues in this state become oppressed and finally possessed (not in the spirit but in the body and or soul).
The reason God separates Himself from rebellious and stubborn people is because He will not tolerate the worship of other gods. STUBBORNNESS is really the refusal to worship anything but yourself, and God hates it.
THE REALITY IS, EVERYONE IS BORN STUBBORN. You can see it in the attitude of even a baby. To become an overcoming, destiny fulfilling Christian you have to recognize this self-centeredness that dwells inside you crucify yourself daily. You have to commit yourself to loving the Lord God only and you can’t do it by loving yourself at the same time! It’s a battle of wills, but that’s the fight of faith that God is actually referring to. It’s a fight against your will in order to surrender to God’s will alone, and that’s the abundant life of Jesus, and it can never be attained in the face of STUBBORNNESS.
You might think and say ” I’m not stubborn” … then why don’t you stop your covetousness? Because you can’t, you’re too stubborn. STUBBORNNESS inhibits repentance. STUBBORNNESS can’t be told it’s stubborn. STUBBORNNESS is a mule that doesn’t appreciate having a bridle and doesn’t appreciate being led where it doesn’t want to go. STUBBORNNESS lets its feelings dictate its thinking and then speaking which turn the rudder on your ship of life – YOUR ACTIONS!
STUBBORNNESS is the consequence of valuing self, more than loving God, of placing blame upon others when you DON’T get your way. AS SOON AS YOU BLAME SOMEONE, YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY KNOW YOU ARE INHERENTLY STUBBORN.
When we love God, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15). If you love yourself, you keep your will and not His commandments. If you love God you repetitively fight yourself for His will, not thine as Jesus’ example! You can fight yourself if you really want to; you can stop yourself from talking against whoever opposes or disagrees with you. With your spouse, your parents, your children; you can stop yourself from elevating yourself above your brothers and sisters. If you don’t fight yourself it’s because you don’t want to … you’re stubborn.
In closing meditate upon Romans 1:28-32 notice the direct link between refusing to “acknowledge and submit to God any longer” and the following results. Note V. 32 mentions those who “but have pleasure in them that do them” – rebellious deeds. So in all reality we be “passive rebels” in God’s eyes!
Don’t try and stop your STUBBORNNESS, but rather first stop REBELLION and then submit to God and HUMBLE yourself… then God can start to move in your life with power and deliver you from the sin of being stubborn. May God teach us and led us deeper into humility for His glory.
Pastor Greg Proctor