11.1.8 "The Root of Rebellion"

"The Root of Rebellion"

Ezekiel 1:1-3:15
Hebrews 3:1-19
Psalm 104:1-24
Proverbs 26:24-26

Are you a rebel? What is a rebel? We think of rebellious children who thumb their nose at their parent and do their own thing. I think of a time when I thought I'd impress my dad by putting my hair in a ponytail and putting on a gaudy clip-on earring. He looked up from his desk and said. "You look stupid." That was pretty much the end of that. What is rebellion? Well, we know it has something to do with an attitude toward authority.

"But now is the time. Never forget the warning, 'Today if you hear God's voice speaking to you, do not harden your hearts against him, as the people of Israel did when they rebelled against him in the desert.'" Hebrews 3:15

Those rebels in the desert. Remember that? From this verse we see that the people rebelled against God by hardening their hearts when he would speak to them. We live in quite a rebellious age. Hundreds and thousands of people hear the good news each week, and yet live their lives unchanged. Their hearts become hardened.

How does the heart become hard? Is it a conscious thought? "You know what? Today I'm going to harden my heart." Where does it come from?

Let's look at where it came from in the "Desert Rebels":

"And who were those people I speak of, who heard God's voice speaking to them, but then rebelled against him? They were the ones who came out of Egypt with Moses their leader." vs. 16

Can you imagine walking across the Red Sea? That would be pretty unforgettable. Most of us have seen some kind of depiction of it through the special effects of a movie and we have some context to compare it to. But these people couldn't have seen anything close to this. It was absolutely AMAZING! How Awesome!!! But... it was these people who rebelled.

Vs 17-20: "And who was it who made God angry for all those forty years? These same people who sinned and as a result died in the wilderness. And to whom was God speaking when he swore an oath that they could never go into the land he had promised his people? He was speaking to all those who disobeyed him. And why couldn't they go in?..."

You ready? Here's the root of rebellion... it's coming...

Can you imagine making God angry for forty years? Walking through the Red Sea, and then dying in the desert because of your sin? What could cause this? What horrible act???? What could enter the heart of a man that could cause him to be so foolish??

Here it is. Verse 19: "And why couldn't they go in? Because they didn't trust him."

The root of rebellion is a lack of trust. Lack of trust is the door through which the awful stench of rebellion comes in.

Why is it that so many hear the Good News, and walk away unchanged? Because they don't trust God. They perceive that there is some flaw in this great plan of His. Lack of trust is the first step in the hardening of the heart.

What about me? I know God has told me to do something. I'm hesitant though. I don't feel like I can do it. I feel like I don't have the skills. I'm worried about what people will think. Guess what these excuses are: Lack of trust.

Living a life of radical trust would be an awesome thing. To know each day that when God speaks to our heart, we jump headlong into what he commands. But, we tend to be a hard hearted people.

This lack of trust in God is one of the greatest hinderances to the Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship. Lack of trust causes us to worry. It causes us to try to mathematically figure things out on our own. All of that clogs the communication lines of heaven. It separates us from God. It is sin.

Lord, forgive me for my lack of trust in you. You've done awesome things in my life. In salvation you brought me through the Red Sea and out of the Slavery of my sin. That is an incredible miracle, one far greater than anything I can imagine. Help me to trust you more. Help me to recognize that my excuses open the door to my rebellion. Forgive me Lord. Help me to realize that when I don't trust those you've placed in authority over me, I'm opening the door to rebellion as well. Help me to radically live for you!



Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

P Greg


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