What is 'Sanctified Rebellion'? It means disobeying any voice or law or authority that
contradicts the will of God anywhere and anytime. It means displeasing man
because you want to please God. That is the way to break free and loose from
anything that should not be over you. It is clearly revealed in the word of God
that YOU ARE A SERVANT TO THE VOICE
YOU OBEY. Whatever you should not serve, do not obey it.
Romans 6: 16
Do you not
know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's
slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading
to righteousness?
Every circumstance in life has a voice; and obedience
to that voice brings you under the control of that circumstance. Sin has a
voice. Habit has a voice. Addiction has a voice. Sickness has a voice. Poverty
has a voice. Each time and moment has its voice. You serve the voice you obey.
And if you will not serve any circumstance or environment, if you will not be
controlled and limited by any
circumstances or environment, the only thing to do is to rebel against the
contrary voices you hear from those circumstances; with the word of God. You
cannot rise above any circumstance whose voice you heed and obey. You cannot
influence any environment under whose influence and control you have come.
Impossible! The church cannot change any environment to which she conforms.
Reformers and transformers are not conformers! You
cannot reform or transform if you conform. But, If you refuse to conform, there
is hope you will transform. If you are
not reforming and transforming, you must be conforming. Wherever the church
enters and cannot reform or transform, she must have conformed. But whatever
the church will not conform to, she will certainly transform. This is why the
Bible says
Romans 12: 2
Do not conform
any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind.
Just as salt does not conform to food but
transforms food, and just as light transforms a dark place, so, should the
believer. We are born, not to conform, but to transform. The only way to begin
changing a circumstance is to come out its control. The only way to be free
from the control of a circumstance that limits you, is to rebel against the
voice of that circumstance. If it says ‘you can’t’, you say, ‘I can’. If it
says ‘you won’t’, you say, ‘I will. If it says ‘sit down’, you stand up. If it
says, ‘you must’, you say, ‘No way!’ That is the meaning of sanctified
rebellion. This is the way forward. This is the way to progress. No rebellion,
no freedom; no freedom, no progress. Sanctified Rebellion is rebellion against
the tyrannical influence of ungodly situations. It is rebellion against the
spirit that controls the children of disobedience and wrath. It is rebellion
that is rooted in the knowledge and fear of God. It is rebellion that stems
from obedience to God’s word.
JOSEPH REBELLED
Genesis
39: 7
And it came to pass after these things
that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie
with me. But he refused.
What Portiphar’s wife asked Joseph to do,
did not begin with Joseph. She was a female type of modern male employers, who
take turns with their female employees. Her whorish life-style had slain many,
who would have become mighty men, while they lived with her. With that kind of
life, she was able to control all the servants in her house. She had a
reputation for never taking no for an answer. She was a pestilent woman. She
even wielded influence over her Husband. But she was not to succeed where
Joseph was. The young man would not bury his destiny in Portiphar’s house. Now,
come to think of what would have happened if Joseph had not rebelled against
that woman, he would have died ‘a good slave’ in Portiphar’s house. He would
have spent all his days as Madam’s boy when God had destined him for the
throne. If he had not rebelled, he wouldn’t have been accused and imprisoned,
he wouldn’t have had the opportunity of interpreting the dreams that shot him
up. The only way to rise above your circumstance is to rebel against the
intimidating voice in that circumstance. Compromise retards progress. Many
young women have swerved from the path
to their destiny by submitting to a promiscuous employer or boss who
employed, retains and controls them. Their way forward in life might just be to
rebel against that. It may hurt today, but it will pay tomorrow and the rest of
the days. Whenever you face pressure to compromise God’s principle, you should
rebel against the pressure. You will lose face with the powers that be; but
that will mark the beginning of your separation for destiny.
MOSES
REBELLED
Hebrews 11: 24-27
By faith Moses, when he became of age,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the
wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.
There is hardly a corner of the civilized
world where the bible story of Moses is not known. But, he would have died an
unknown pharaoh. Moses spoke face to face with God as no man ever has or will
(Deuteronomy 34: 10-12). Compromising with Egypt would have robbed him those
experiences with the God of heaven. The first five books couldn’t have been
written by a son of pharaoh’s daughter or an Egyptian. He rose above, and
prevailed against Egypt because he first broke away from the control of Egypt
and pharaoh. He could not deliver his people from Egypt while he was in Egypt
and Egypt was in him. You cannot conquer a situation under whose control and
influence you choose to dwell.
DAVID REBELLED
He rebelled against the intimidating voice of Eliab
that would have driven him back to the sheep.
1 Samuel 17: 28-30
Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the
men; and Eliab's anger was aroused against David, and he said, "Why did
you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the
wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have
come down to see the battle." And
David said, "What have I done now? Is there not a cause?" Then he
turned from him toward another and said the same thing; and these people
answered him as the first ones did.
He rebelled against Saul’s voice of
unbelief. He rebelled against impossibility thinking.
1 Samuel 17: 33
And Saul said to David, "You are
not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth,
and he a man of war from his youth."
David rebelled against the intimidating appearance of Goliath.
You need to break from “cannot mentality” otherwise, your Goliath will remain.
You become enslaved by any voice you obey.
Philippians 4: 13-14
I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me.
David rebelled against the voice of human
viewpoint: that, you cannot defeat
Goliath unless you dress like Goliath. He put off the amour of flesh to
confront the enemy in the name of the Lord (1 Samuel 17: 47). It is not
true that we cannot influence the government unless we first get involved in politics
and feed in born-again people into government. Getting into politics to take
over politics is carnality. It will always fail. Those who went have been taken
over by politics. The church will dominate politics if we, first, exercise
influence through the prophetic ministry. We are to run the government.
Prophets have no need of human election. They speak and rule with the mandate of
heaven. The time is here.
MORDECAI REBELLED
Esther 3: 1-4
After these things King Ahasuerus
promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and set his
seat above all the princes who were with him. And all the king's servants who
were within the king's gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had
commanded concerning him. But Mordecai would not bow or pay homage. Then the
king's servants who were within the king's gate said to Mordecai, "Why do
you transgress the king's command?" Now it happened, when they spoke to
him daily and he would not listen to them, that they told it to Haman, to see
whether Mordecai's words would stand; for Mordecai had told them that he was a
Jew.
Haman was the controlling spirit at the
Persian court. He had every other person in his cage including the king. To
break lose from the spirit of Haman, somebody must begin to rebel. Mordecai
took the initiative. He rebelled against that spirit. It was not easy. All hell
may break lose the day you say No, to the controlling negative circumstance.
But that is when the freedom you need to make progress will come. If Mordecai
had not dared it, the diabolical spirit of Haman would have reigned still.
Read
how the ended:
Esther 8: 2
So the king took off his signet ring,
which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed
Mordecai over the house of Haman.
Esther 8:15-17
So Mordecai went out from the presence
of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and
a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was
glad. The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor. And in every province and
city, wherever the king's command and decree came, the Jews had joy and
gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews,
because fear of the Jews fell upon them.
Esther 9: 3-4
And
all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king's
administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them.
Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the
provinces, and he became more and more powerful.
If Mordecai had not rebelled, the
same old story would have continued. He would have remained with the king’s
servants at the gate. The Jews in Persia would have remained a despised and
persecuted people. If you compromise today, not only will you seal up your
progress, you will deprive generations, of joy and gladness. Israel was
delivered from Egypt because Moses refused to compromise. The blacks in South
Africa are rejoicing today because Nelson Mandela refused to compromise. What
began with rebellion ended in freedom- shot up from prison to presidency, he
has brought liberation for his people. If you will not rebel, the situation
will not change.
DANIEL
REBELLED
Daniel 1: 8
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not
defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine,
which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he
might not defile himself.
Daniel began to be respected in Babylon
from his decision never to eat the king’s food. He could have rationalized that
as a captive, the safest thing is to eat whatever is offered. But the safest
thing is not always the best. He had made up his mind that the earth is the
lord’s so, wherever he found himself, first allegiance belongs to God. He rebelled against the decree of king
Darius that no one in his kingdom should pray to any god, except the king for
one month.
Daniel 6: 10
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he
went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he
knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before
his God, as was his custom since early days.
If Daniel had not rebelled against that
decree, the God who can deliver from the mouth of lions would not have been
known in the kingdom. There wouldn’t have been a decree that the God of Daniel
be feared.
Daniel 6: 26
I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom
men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, And steadfast
forever; His kingdom is the one, which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion
shall endure to the end.
Daniel rose to dominate his environment
because he did not submit his spirit to its control. God’s destiny for you is honor.
In every good library, there are books and there are books. God wants you in
the reference section of life. The narrow path is the way. If you take the
popular road to life, you will end at the popular side of life. If you take the
uncommon road of living by godly convictions and principles you will arrive at
the uncommon place of honor.
Matthew 7:13-14
"Enter
by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to
destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is
the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
SHEDRACH, MESHACH AND ABEDNEGO REBELLED.
Daniel 3: 18
“...Be
known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the
gold image which you have set up."
Although this rebellion threw them into a
fiery furnace, it glorified and publicized the name of the God they served. It
brought them honor and promotion.
Daniel 3: 27
And the satraps, prefects, governors and royal
advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their
bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched,
and there was no smell of fire on them.
Now read the King’s decree:
Daniel 3: 29-30
Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or
language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap;
because there is no other God who can deliver like this." Then the king
promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the province of Babylon.
Promoted for rebellion! Have you ever seen
anything like that. We will never occupy our place of honor and dominion
neither will our nation see the power and glory of God if we bow to any god set
before us at the slightest threat or even without threat at all. When a nation
begins to fall out of line in rebellion against God, then, sanctified rebels
put their feet on the ground. This is how the glory returns. This is the way
forward.
OUR LORD JESUS REBELLED
He refused to submit his ministry to the
control or influence of the Pharisees and Sadducees of his day. He rebelled
against the whole system. His teachings were radical and revolutionary: “You
have heard that it was said...but, I say unto you...." His ministry prospered
because He resisted the religious spirit or mentality controlling His
environment:
He Did Not Submit to all Jewish Sabbath Regulations and
Would Not Strangulate
His Life and Ministry with Popular Legalism.
Mark 2: 23-24
Now
it happened that He went through the grain fields on the Sabbath; and as they
went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look,
why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"
He Did Not Conform to Pharisaic Pattern of Fasting
Mark 2: 18-19
The disciples of John and of the
Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the
disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not
fast?"
He answered that a marriage of the old and
new is not possible. A new thing cannot be done in an old way.
Mark 2: 21-22
No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on
an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is
made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine
bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But
new wine must be put into new wineskins."
If you have a new idea, do not follow old
patterns otherwise you return to old idea. If you have a new idea, do not
submit it to an old man, he will kill it.
Our lord said his disciple will fast, but
they are not to follow the way of the Pharisees (Matthew 6:16-18)
He Did Not Submit to the Criticisms of the Pharisees Who
Hated His Association with Sinners.
Mark 2:15-17
Now it happened,
as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat
together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed
Him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors
and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and
drinks with tax collectors and sinners?" When Jesus heard it, He said to
them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are
sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
The Pharisees said he had a worldly
congregation but he did not mind. The work must not cease because of
criticisms.
Our lord refused to submit to the tradition of the
elders.
Mark 7: 5-6
Then
the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk
according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed
hands?"
Our lord clarified that the commandments of
God are different from the tradition of men and are not to be mixed up. It is
not bad to keep tradition but it is not sinful to break them. Traditions are
not to be taught as the commandments of God and are not to be observed at the
expense of the commandments of God.
Our lord ministered with freedom. He had a
tough skin against legalism, popular religion, traditions and criticisms of the
Pharisees. The religious atmosphere of his time was dominated by the pharisaic
spirit; and He resisted it strongly. He did not conform at all. You cannot be
an influence in an environment that needs change, unless you break from the spirit
and mentality dominating that environment before your arrival. The church has
so much to learn from the ministry pattern of our Lord Jesus Christ.
THE
APOSTLES REBELLED
Acts 5: 26-30
.And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And
the high priest asked them, saying, "Did we not strictly command you not
to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine,
and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!" But Peter and the other apostles answered and
said: "We ought to obey God rather than men.
They rebelled against a constituted
authority that banned public preaching of the gospel. The mandate
of heaven supersedes every earthly prohibition. They were beaten and
imprisoned often but their persistence and God’s miraculous deliverances wore
the rulers out. Wherever the gospel has prevailed, it was preached there, in
defiance of prohibitions. Open-air preaching is banned in so many places in our
nation today. You couldn’t have succeeded in banning the early church from
preaching.
