A REBELLIOUS SPIRIT
1. A mother told her young son to sit down. He didn’t obey.
2. She again told him to take a seat but he still didn’t obey.
3. The mother then went to her son and helped him sit down in a chair.
4. This didn’t make the little fellow too happy.
5. He said, “I may be sitting down on the outside but not on the inside.”
6. At times we deal with people who are stubborn and rebellious.
7.
8. Many are resistant to authority and rules.
9. This problem existed in the days of Amos.
10. Let’s look at the scripture that was read, Amos 4:1-8.
11. God said that His people were guilty of many sins.
12. The
Hebrews went to places like
13. In these places God’s people engaged in idol worship.
14. The prophet knew this and he responded with sarcasm.
15. Let’s re-read verses 4-5
16. Amos
said, “Come to
17. Come
to the city of
18. This is a thought that deserves to studied by itself; maybe I will deal with it next week.
19. For now let’s just say that these people were bad.
20. Just as a bank may compound interest on a savings account so these people compounded their sins.
21. God tried to turn the Hebrews from the wrong way.
22. In Amos 4 the pronoun “I” is used several times.
23. God used this pronoun to say He did different things.
24. In fact, He did 5 different things to bring Israel back to the right way.
25. The first thing God did is stated in verse 6.
26. God gave His people cleanness of teeth (he punished them with a famine).
27. He took away their food supply.
28. When most people get hungry they sit up and took notice of things.
29. That didn’t happen with the children of Israel.
30. Those in this nation were stubborn and rebellious.
31. They persisted in sin even though God took away their food.
32. The 7th verse says that God withheld the rain.
33. A few months before harvest time rain is necessary for crops to reach maturity.
34. God stopped the rain so the crops withered in the Israelite fields.
35. To prove that this was not an accident God sent a little rain to a few cities.
36. Most cities didn’t get rain but a few did.
37. When people heard about or saw this rain they were desperate to get some of it.
38. Verse 8.
39. Those who lived in places affected by the drought heard about or saw it rain elsewhere.
40. These people wanted some water so they went to where it had rained.
41. One wonders if they were not hot, exhausted, and frustrated when they finally arrived.
42. When they asked about water they were turned away.
43. Others had taken the water or there wasn’t enough to spare.
44. Most of us have had someone say to us, “There is a store which is offering fantastic deals.”
45. “We got the deal of a lifetime; you should go too.” We went but the last one had been sold.
46. This is what happened to the Hebrews.
47. A famine didn’t turn the people back to God and neither did a drought.
48. The 9th verse tells us that God continued to punish His people and the punished worsened.
49. God sent blight (blasts of hot air) along with mildew upon the people’s crops (verse 9).
50. The crops growing in the land of Israel were scorched.
51. Some of us have seen the effects of mildew.
52. The produce in the farms and the vineyards was ruined.
53. The fig and the olive trees were destroyed by locusts.
54. God used pests to ravage the nation’s food supply.
55. The plagues were like the ones sent upon the Egyptians (10a).
56. God rained down punishment on His people but they were stubborn and rebellious.
57. The people were so bad that God allowed young men from the Hebrew nation to be killed in war.
58. God caused the people’s warhorses to be captured (verse 10).
59. There was a stench from the battles. The smell was awful.
60. When people start dying most turn their thoughts to God.
61. This was not the case for these Hebrews. They were too stubborn and rebellious to turn to God.
62. Even when their children died they did not submit themselves to God.
63. The next judgment is described in verse 11.
64. God destroyed cities as He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
65. This is an interesting statement.
66. Gen. 19:24 says that God rained fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrah.
67. Is this what God literally did to some of the cities where the Israelites lived?
68. There is no reason to make this statement figurative.
69. It appears that God incinerated some of the places where His people lived.
70.
If people have their
animals taken away, their children killed, their crops destroyed, no water, and
cities are being annihilated, one would think that people would have a
change of heart.
71. After all these punishments the Hebrews still refused to repent.
72. God even left some of the cities “half burned” (like a firebrand; like a stick burned in a fire).
73. A blackened and half burned stick is of little use or value.
74. Some of the Hebrews lived in cities that had been severely damaged by God.
75. Yet, the people would not return to their God.
76. THE BIBLE SAYS WE CAN LEARN FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT. THE BOOK OF AMOS TEACHES US SOMETHING ABOUT STUBBORNNESS AND REBELLION.
77. There are people in the world who are stubborn and rebellious.
78. Even in the church some are stubborn and rebellious.
79. Stubbornness and rebelliousness are seen in the workplace.
80. Some have children who are stubborn and rebellious.
81. Some are married to a spouse who is impossible.
82. We may try to convert someone who is inflexible and defiant.
83. When we meet people like Amos 4 describes God has some advice for us.
84. Heaven’s first piece of advice is: some people are this way.
85. There are some people who are going to do what they want no matter what.
86. We can beg, plead, reason, rebuke, and warn but our efforts fall on deaf ears.
87. This shouldn’t surprise us.
88. Listen to what Jesus said in Mt. 23:37.
89. This passage also describes the Hebrew people, though it was many years after Amos preached.
90. Jesus knew that the Hebrew people would face the destruction of another city—Jerusalem.
91. In Mt. 23:37 He explained why Jerusalem had to be ruined. READ.
92. God sent prophets (this word is plural) to the Hebrew nation.
93. Instead of receiving these prophets the Hebrew people rebelled.
94. God’s people killed the prophets. God’s spokesmen were stoned and rejected.
95. The Lord said He had often wanted to gather the Hebrews as a hen gathers its chicks.
96. God was willing but the people were not.
97. The text says, and ye would not (an exclamation mark is used in the KJV and ASV).
98. We are going to find rebellion in the world.
99. Some parents find themselves with one or more children who are rebellious.
100. We will work with people and be associated with people who are rebellious and stubborn.
101. When we find rebellion the Bible gives us some guidance.
102. Our first step in dealing with it is found in Amos 4 and Mt. 23.
103. People must be given an opportunity to change.
104. Jesus said many opportunities were given to the Jews (Mt. 23:37).
105. He said the Jews had often received invitations from God.
106. In Amos 4 many opportunities were provided but the people failed to repent.
107. If we are going to be like God we too must be patient and longsuffering with those who are stubborn.
108. Patience is a must, but patients are not eternal.
109. There comes a time when rebellious people must be punished.
110. The Hebrew nation was punished.
111. The people Amos preached to were punished.
112. Those described in Mt. 23 were also punished.
113. Even now those who are stubborn and rebellious must, at some point, be corrected.
114. In Lk. 19:10 we are told that Jesus came to seek and save the lost.
115. After this statement was made Jesus uttered a parable.
116. I want to read part of this parable – verses 11-13.
117. Most agree that the Nobleman represents Christ.
118. Jesus went to heaven to receive His kingdom.
119. Though Jesus is Lord of all, some do not want to submit to Him.
120. Some are too stubborn and rebellious to submit to Jesus Christ.
121. The parable in Lk. 19 shows that Jesus was patient with those who were stubborn.
122. Verse 14.
123. The parable says Jesus went to a “far country” (verse 13).
124. While Jesus was and is in the far country some have and continue to reject Him.
125. This rejection, for a long time, is permitted.
126. This parable pictures Jesus as returning.
127. His return is described in verse 27.
128. Rebellion against God is pointless.
129. To be rebel against God is to be lost.
130. When we deal with people who are rebellious and stubborn—whether adults or not, our patients are tested.
131. I am reminded of the flat earth society.
132. This is a real organization. Members of this group believe the earth is flat.
133. On March 19th of this year (’01) the President of this group died.
134. He seems to have died believing that the earth is flat.
135. He rebelled against the idea that the earth is round.
136. When we deal with people who are stubborn we must use patience, time, and prayer.
137. We must remember that some are stubborn that an inspired prophet could change them.
138. The Jews in Mt. 23 were so stubborn Jesus could get them to change.
139. Those described in Lk. 19 stubbornly refused to submit to the King of kings and Lord of lords.
140. If we are unsuccessful in dealing with those who are stubborn the blame is on them, not us.
141. Too, we may make a positive point about stubbornness.
142. Acts 2:25 is a quote from the Old Testament; part of this quote says, “I shall not be moved.”
143. People in both testaments understood the importance of knowing and doing what was right.
144. Some who learned the right way stubbornly refused to leave the truth.
145. Those who are members of the church need to know that not all stubbornness is bad.
146. We as God’s people need to be stubborn concerning what is right and rebel against error.
147. So many take pleasure in the fact they are stubborn and perhaps rebellious.
148. These qualities are only valuable if they are being used in the right way.
149. Are we someone who has been like the Israelites in Amos 4?
150. We have known the right way but we have refused to follow it.
151. Or, perhaps we have followed the right way but we were not stubborn convictions and we are faltering.
152. Tonight we can be stubborn for what is right and oppose what is wrong.