DANGERS OF FREEDOM

MEMORY VERSE: take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls, Matthew 11:29

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Sam 11, 2 Cor 4, Ezek 18, John 19 

BIBLE STUDY: Genesis 34:1-2

BACKGROUND: Dinah was bored at home; there was no one to play with, no one to chat with, and no one to have fun with so she decided to go out to see the daughters of the land. On her way Shechem took her and raped her. Later Shechem was killed. 

ANALYSIS: Dinah was safe at home. Her Dad had several guards who watched after her and the family. If she had remained at home, she would not have become a victim of rape. Because she wanted a bit of fun, she left home (a safe territory) to see the daughters of the land (an unsafe territory) and was attacked. Dinah saw staying at home as living under a yoke, but she failed to realize that living under that yoke afforded her safety.

The day you give your life to Christ, He puts His yoke on your neck. You are no longer free to do whatever you want to do. You are no longer free to dress the way you want to dress. You are no longer free to say the things you want to say. At times people will talk to you rudely and you want to respond but you can’t because of the yoke of Christ on you. You know as a Christian you are not allowed to be rude. At times you want to take revenge but you can’t because of the yoke of Christ on you. You know as a Christian you are not allowed to take revenge. At times you want to relax with a pint of beer but you can’t because you know Christians don’t drink beer. At times you are so stressed and you desperately need a fag or smoke a cigarette but can’t because you know Christians don’t smoke. The yoke of Christ restricts in a lot of ways. You want to go to clubs but you cannot. You want to do the things your friends do but you cannot. Brethren, I want you to know that the yoke of Christ may restrict you but it keeps you from a lot of harm. The Christian life maybe boring, but it keeps you safe. That is why you will never hear that the police arrested a believer for a drink driving offense because a true Christian does not consume alcohol. That is why you will never hear a true Christian having sexually transmitted diseases because a true Christian will not fornicate. You will never hear that a true Christian was stabbed at the club because he won’t be there in the first place. It is impossible to hear that a Christian lady got pregnant and the man refused to accept the baby because a Christian lady will not have sex until she is married. Inside Christ your marriage is safe and it is almost impossible for the man to cheat. Where is the time to cheat? He will go to work, attend all the church programs and come back home tired. Where is the time to cheat when he is concentrating on winning souls for Christ?

POINT: The Christian life maybe boring but it gives peace of mind.

Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus.

DANGERS OF REBELLION

MEMORY VERSE: 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, 1 Samuel 15:23.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 16, Ps 103, Isa 43, Rev 13

BIBLE STUDIES: Jonah 1:1-7

What is rebellion? Rebellion is simply resisting authority or any kind of control. God does not condone rebellion of any kind. He frowns at rebellion to parents (spiritual or physical); rebellion to authority (government, work, church) e.t.c. When a fellow rebels against an authority, the fellow is rebelling against God who is the author of that authority. As hard as it is to believe, do you know that none of the world leaders today or in the past got into power without God’s consent? John 3:27 says a man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. No one in the world today got into power without God’s knowledge; this is why instead of complaining about a leader you report him to God.

People rarely get away with rebellion against human authority but the One you cannot afford to rebel against is the Most High. Hebrew 10:31 says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of God. When a fellow rebel against God, everything God created begins to work against such fellow. In Jonah 1:1-7, God told Jonah to go and witness to the people of Nineveh. Jonah refused and boarded a ship to Tarshish. On his way everything God created began to work against him. First it was the great wind on the sea; this wind almost broke the ship into two. When the men on-board found that Jonah was the source of the problem, they bundled him and threw him into the sea. As if that was enough, a big fish swallowed him and tried to digest Jonah. It was while this fish was trying to digest Jonah that he came back to his senses; he repented and asked for mercy.

It does not pay to rebel against God. A popular type of rebellion is refusal to evangelize. Matthew 12:30 says he who is not with is against me. If Jesus says go into the world and preach the good news (Mark 16:15) and you refuse, you are rebelling against God. I feel pity for young boys and girls who rebel against their parents, what they do not know is that they are not rebelling against their parents but God who gave them to their parents. I strongly believe there is someone the Lord wants to show mercy too. Ezekiel 18:23 says He does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked, rather that they should return from their ways and live. If you have been rebellious against authority or Jesus please go to Him now and ask for the forgiveness of sin.

TO PONDER: Has the Lord given you an instruction that you are yet to carry out?