We Are Rebels

Believe it or not, we are all rebels!

· Have you ever done something foolish?

· Was there ever a time when you were alienated from family or friends?

· Did anyone ever condemn you?

When we find ourselves in conflict with others, where do we place the blame?  The one question everyone involved in the conflict should ask themselves:  Would the Father approve of our actions?

Truths to remember in life:

· Everyone has problems – our sin nature is the source of our problems.  When we rebel against God, we wallow in these problems still believing that we know best.  But even though we rebel, God accepts us in our sinfulness.

· God is the only one who can meet our needs - we must believe God’s son, Jesus, is our only hope for rescue and meeting our precise need.

· When we repent of our sin, God’s rescue plan begins - pride and ignorance hold us hostage and keep us from the truth:  our own wisdom and righteousness can’t stand up to the perfect standard of Jesus.  When we repent, we receive God’s forgiveness and are secure in knowing that God’s plan for eternal salvation is not earned by given to us by faith.  Repentance is evidence of our faith.

· Salvation is a gift from God - salvation is received by accepting the death of Jesus on the cross.  He paid for the sins of the world.  Anyone can receive God’s forgiveness by placing their trust and true faith in Jesus Christ.

· God cares about teeny-tiny little you - He still reigns as King of the Universe!  He loves you and wants to know your heart.  Going forward, we can follow Him by confronting the bad news of our sinfulness.  Then we come to God with the following prayer:

Heavenly Father,

I am so foolish.  I need your wisdom because I am full of guilt and I cannot stand up to the perfection of your Son Jesus Christ.  I trust in you your will and plan for my life.  Right now I am weak and ruled by sin.  I know pride and ignorance work against me.  Give me your power so I can use it to take over my life.  I accept Jesus as my Savior and I promise to follow you from this day forward.

In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

So now, in repentance rather than in rebellion, you can again ask yourself “Will the Father approve of my actions?” and you can be confident that the answer is “YES.”