3. Rebellious Generations! Psalm 78:8-11

Text: “And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.”  

Psalm 78:8.

Good morning, obedient Christian!  You seek to stay close to your Lord God daily: in close fellowship with Him through the Lord Jesus Christ, and God the Spirit Who lives within you and I and all who are born again in Christ. 

Our fellowship with the Lord God is a Spiritual exercise that other, unregenerate, souls cannot have; and it is a two-way fellowship at all times: we speak to the Lord God in sincere and reverent prayer, and the Lord God speaks to us through the pages of His Holy Word in our Bibles, and by the inner voice of God the Spirit.

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.  Which things also we speak not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing Spiritual things with Spiritual.  BUT the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are Spiritually discerned.”  (1 Corinthians 2:12-14)  

At all times our fellowship with the Living Lord God Jehovah, is a two-way fellowship.  One cannot ever have a one-way relationship, with God or man; it takes two parties.

Sadly, not all men/women are called to such obedience in the Spirit of God, the spirit of this world, Satan, has blinded these folk’s minds, and they have become increasingly more rebellious against the Living Lord God, and His blessed Son, Jesus Christ.

“But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.”  (2 Corinthians 4:3-5)

Apostasy, easy-believism, humanism, coupled with all varieties of false and pagan religions have, over the past number of generations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland, been permitted to grow and thrive throughout the land without much hindrance. 

‘Multi-faith’ tolerance has grown into, and promoted a stubborn rebellion against the founding religion of our British nation – Bible-based, born-again Christianity.

God’s Word clearly states: “Jesus answered and said unto him (Nicodemus), Verily (truly), verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (Spiritually regenerated by God), he cannot see the Kingdom of God…That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit (capital S.) is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN.”  (John 3:3-7)

Generations now, of our British nation have ignored Christ’s admonition to Nicodemus, and have gone their own way, forsaking the great Bible truths that made Britain to be GREAT Britain.

These rebellious generations have failed, miserably, to teach God’s great truths to their children – and now the nation reaps the harvest of corruption and unbelief.  God is angry with our nation, and our God is a consuming fire of wrath against all vile sin.  Take heed.

“Verse 8. “And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation. There was room for improvement.  Fathers stubborn in their own way, and rebellious against God’s way, are sorry examples for their children; and it is earnestly desired that better instruction may bring forth a better race.  It is common in some regions for men to count their family custom as the very best rule; but disobedience is not to be excused because it is hereditary.  The leprosy was none the less loathsome because it had been long in the family.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, page 333)

Verses 9-11. The Result of Disobedience to God:

Verse 9. “The children of Ephraim…armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.”  Without faith in God, through Jesus Christ’s Atonement Sacrifice for our sins, an army has no courage to do battle with a nation’s foes.  The Spiritual Battle today is for the precious souls of our British nation – rebellion against God’s Ten Commandments is undermining our power to prevail against all sin and the Spiritual decline of our nation.  Oh, for a return of the New Model Army of Cromwell’s Puritan Christian warriors!

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please Him Who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”  (2 Timothy 2:3-4)

Verse 10. “They kept not the Covenant of God, and refused to walk in His law.  When Israel under Joshua were faithful to the Living Lord God, they were blessed with great victories and as God’s face shone upon them, the very walls of great Jericho fell down.  When they permitted Achan to bring sin into the camp, “…the men of A`-I smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down; wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.” (Joshua 7:1-6)

“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”        (Proverbs 14:34)

Verse 11. “And forgat His works, and His wonders that He had shown them. Had the Lord God not delivered Britain from the Spanish armada; the great plagues of early centuries; the planned invasion of Hitler’s Nazi armies –we would not be a free nation today.  It is time to remember God’s faithfulness to us as a nation and as sinful individuals, and seriously repent.

Thought: Rebellion against God and against His Word, brings certain national doom.  Obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and God’s Commandments, exalts nations and precious souls.  Turn, turn now, to the Holy and risen Christ Jesus and be blessed.