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Three Kinds of RebellionText: Book of Jonah

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• Rebellion = resistance to authority

• Mt. 28:20

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Book of Jonah

• Theme – Mercy of God• Purpose – To show the love of

God and the fact that God wants all to be saved

• Key Word - repentance

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Book of Jonah

• I. Jonah’s disobedience – 1• II. Jonah’s prayer – 2• III. Jonah’s preaching – 3• IV. Jonah’s complaint - 4

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Introduction

• The thought that anyone would rebel against God in light of the consequences is remarkable

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1 Sam. 15:23

• 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.

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• In the book of Jonah we find 3 different ways that man may rebel against God

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• Discussion

9I. The obvious rebellion of the citizens of Nineveh

• Jonah 1:2• “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great

city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.”

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Romans 1:29-31

• 23 Specific sins mentioned• Some of them were – fornication,

covetousness, envy, murder, deceit, backbiters, haters of God, proud, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents …

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Titus 3:3

• “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.”

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• Rebellion is obvious today –• Ungodly lives, pleasure worship,

crime, oppression, abortion, homosexuality, disobedience, etc.

• To rebel against the will of God is sin

13II. The outward rebellion of Jonah in his disobedience

• He was not an immoral person • His record to this time may have

been good

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2 Kings 14:25

• He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher

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Jonah 1:3

• But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

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• We cannot pick and choose which commands we will obey and which we will not obey

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Js. 2:10-11

• For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

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Daniel 9:5

• We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:

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• It is rebellion to refuse to obey the gospel, to worship, to give, to be faithful, etc.

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2 Th. 1:8

• In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ

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Js. 4:17

• Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

22III. The inward rebellion of Jonah in his attitude

• Chapter 4 shows that Jonah has successfully completed his mission

• Outwardly he was obeying but not from the heart

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Rom. 6:17

• But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

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Mt. 15:8

• This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

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• Some Christians, because of fear, shame, etc. may outwardly obey, but still they have no joy in it and may even resent it

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• “Our greatest need is illustrated in Jonah --- we need to learn to have hearts both submissive to and pleased with the will of God”

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• “Jonah did not love Nineveh because he did not fully appreciate how much God loved them”

• “All our inner rebellion will be traced to a failure to grasp the significance of God’s love for us”

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Conclusion

• Rebellion is a strong word and most sinners would probably not appreciate being called a rebel

• However, God always views the sinner as a traitor against His divine will

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1 Sam. 15:22-23

• 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.

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• [23] 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.

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• The gospel invitation is more than just an offer

• It is God’s demand that you submit to His commands

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References

• The heart of this lesson is from Three Kinds of Rebellion, by David Pharr, in his book, Modern Messages From The Minor Prophets, Quality Publications, 1986 (Quotes in lesson from David Pharr)