Rebellious Generation Against God
An all-creatures Bible Message

Rebellious Generation Against God
 
A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church
 
28 September 2014
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Psalm 78:1–8
Matthew 21:23–32

A rebellious generation against God has been a constant problem throughout recorded history, and most likely well before then.
 
A rebellious generation describes the majority of the people following the ungodly ways of the world rather than the heavenly will of God.
 
The rebellious generation throughout time describes the people who enjoy eating the body parts of once living beings who unwillingly suffered and died for these evil peoples’ lust.
 
These are also the people who promote terrorism, war, violence, bloodshed, and death against both our fellow humans and the animals.
 
In Psalm 78:1-8, we are told of the difference between how God wants us to live as opposed to the rebellious generation who is against God.

1. Listen, O my people, to my instruction;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

God wants us to listen to Him and not the hard of heart and evil ways of the world around us.

2. I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
 
3. Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.

And, we don’t just need parables to learn from, for if we truly open our eyes, hearts, and souls to the suffering and warring madness in the world around us, we should easily recognize that these things are ungodly and not the way the Lord wants us to be.
 
We are to have soft hearts and souls so…

4. We will not conceal them from their children,
But tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD,
And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.
 
5. For He established a testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers,
That they should teach them to their children,
 
6. That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born,
That they may arise and tell them to their children,

God understands that the future of His heavenly kingdom on earth rests in the compassionate hearts and souls of our children.
 
We need to stop hardening their hearts and souls by teaching them to be indifferent to the suffering of animals, particularly so-called food animals.

7. That they should put their confidence in God,
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments,

This is all part of being the peacemaking children of God that Jesus calls us to be (Matthew 5:9); the same children of God that Paul tells us will help free creation from its present corruption (Romans 8:19).

8. And not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not prepare its heart,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
NASB

This is exactly what is happening in the world today; the majority of the people are part of the rebellious generation.
 
People demonize and scapegoat deer and geese and want to kill them just because these people encroach on the animals’ territory; for these animals try to live as God intended them to live, but now these animals are forced to live in the presence of humans.
 
This is the way of a rebellious generation.
 
People march for climate change, but because of their lust for eating animal flesh and their indifference to the suffering of the animals, they ignore the largest contributor to global warming…the animal agriculture industry. They’ll suggest changing light bulbs as a way of saving energy, but rarely say anything about changing to a whole plant food diet instead of eating animal products, which would save hundreds of times more energy.
 
This is the way of a rebellious generation.
 
The University of Wisconsin, Madison, and their researchers are planning to revive the controversial maternal deprivation studies on monkeys, which they already know will cause anxiety and depression in both mothers and children. Murry J. Cohen, M.D. says, “UW's monkey maternal deprivation studies are a farce,” which he and we know is part of the ways of a rebellious generation.
 
This is the same thing that has been happening on dairy farms for many years; the calves are stolen from their mothers after only 1 or 2 days, which causes both mother and child to suffer horribly, but the farmers don’t care because they are also stealing the babies’ milk to sell to other uncaring humans who turn a blind eye to all the suffering to which they are contributing.
 
What these things show is how hard-hearted and ungodly these people really are, which is exactly the opposite of the way God wants us to be.
 
They are showing that they are still part of a stubborn and rebellious generation that is not faithful to God.
 
Note that this rebellious generation is also described in Matthew 21:23-32…

23. And when He had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?"

The chief priests and religious leaders definitely knew where Jesus’ authority came from, but because they were part of the rebellious generation, they denied the truth and asked Jesus this question.
 
This is why Jesus responded as He did.

24. And Jesus answered and said to them, "I will ask you one thing too, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.
 
25. "The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?" And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?'
 
26. "But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude; for they all hold John to be a prophet."

These statements prove that the rebellious generation really knows the truth about God’s heavenly will, but deliberately choose to follow the evil ways of the world.

27. And answering Jesus, they said, "We do not know." He also said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

So Jesus goes on…

28. "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go work today in the vineyard.'
 
29. "And he answered and said, 'I will, sir'; and he did not go.
 
30. "And he came to the second and said the same thing. But he answered and said, 'I will not'; yet he afterward regretted it and went.

So Jesus asks them another question because He understood that they knew the truth, but denied it.

31. "Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The latter." Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you that the tax-gatherers and harlots will get into the kingdom of God before you.
 
32. "For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax-gatherers and harlots did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him. 
NASB

Unfortunately, even to this very day most of our religious and secular leaders are part of the rebellious generation who are against the heavenly will of God, and try to force the peacemaking children of God to follow their evil ways.
 
But one day in the not too distant future, they will have to answer to God for their ungodly ways.
 
Amen.

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