THE SIN OF STUBBORNNESS

"[22] And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to
hearken than the fat of rams.
[23] 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." - I Samuel 15:22,23

STUBBORN,
1. Unreasonably obstinate; inflexibly fixed in opinion; not to be moved or persuaded by
reasons; inflexible; as a stubborn son; a stubborn mind or soul.
3. Stiff; not flexible
"and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry:
1.for a man, when he has committed a sin, to persist in it obstinately,
2.or to vindicate himself in it, and insist on his innocence, which was Saul's case, is as
hateful to God as any iniquity whatever;
3.yea, as bad as idolatry, or making use of the teraphim, as is the word here; of which see
( Hosea 3:4 ) than which nothing is more abominable to the Lord:" - John Gill

WHAT IS STUBBORNNESS
1.TO PERSIST IN SIN OBSTINATELY
"[1] And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the
people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods,
which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land
of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
[2] And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of
your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
[3] And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought
them unto Aaron.
[4] And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had
made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up
out of the land of Egypt.
[5] And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and
said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.
[6] And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace
offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
[7] And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou
broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
[8] They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have
made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said,
These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
[9] And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a
stiffnecked people:
[10] Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may
consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation." - Exodus 32:1-10
- Even after all the miracles God showed them with the 10 plagues and parting the Red
Sea, they still persisted in their sin and turned right back to idolatry.
SAVED PERSON: How much has God showed you in answering prayer and abundant
mercy and blessing yet you persist in your sin?
"[1] What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
[2] God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
[12] Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts
thereof.
[13] Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield
yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as
instruments of righteousness unto God.
[14] For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under
grace.
[15] What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God
forbid.
[16] Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are
to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" -
Romans 6:12-16
"[8] Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the
LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the
LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you." - II
Chronicles 30:8

LOST PERSON: How much has God blessed you with: food, a house, a job, children and
other things? And yet you stubbornly reject Him and continue in your rebellion?
"...for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just
and on the unjust." - Matthew 5:45
CREATION AND CONSCIENCE
God has given you all the evidence you need to know He exists and that He is a holy God
full of glory and yet you continue to be stubborn and reject Him?
CONSCIENCE
"[14] For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in
the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
[15] Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also
bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one
another;)" - Romans 2:14,15
CREATION
"[1] The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." -
Psalms 19:1
"[20] For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that
they are without excuse:
[21] Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were
thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
[22] Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools," - Romans 1:20-22
"[1] The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God..." - Psalms 14:1
A STUBBORN PERSON IS A FOOL
"[17] Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted." -
Psalms 107:17
- Stubborn fools always have problems, depression, anger, and frustration because of
their own sin. Yet they never take responsbiility and own up to the fact that their sin is
what causes most of the affliction in their life.
"[10] A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool." -
Proverbs 17:10
- Stubborn fools do not listen to correction. They don't care about facts and reasoning,
they will not listen no matter what you say.
"[7] The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and
instruction." - Proverbs 1:7
- Stubborn fools don't fear God. They hate the wisdom of the word of God and don't want
to learn from it.
"[23] It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom." -
Proverbs 10:23
- Sin is a game to the stubborn fool. They treat their life like a joke and don't take
seriously the things of eternity.
"[19] The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abomination to fools to depart
from evil." - Proverbs 13:19
- Fools are so stubborn that turning from their sin seems to them as the stench of a rotting
animal carcass on a hot summer day.
"[7] A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul." - Proverbs
18:7
- A fool has no control over their mouth. They pour out foolishness, cursing, and
worldliness. James 3 says no man can tame the tongue because it is a world of iniquity
and set on fire of hell. That is why you need to be born again because only the Holy
Ghost can tame that wicked tongue of yours.
"[3] In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve
them." - Proverbs 14:3
- The main cause of being a fool is pride. Pride is what causes fools to stubbornly reject
the truth and do things "their way".
STUBBORN FOOLS REJECT THE PREACHING OF THE WORD OF GOD
"[18] For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which
are saved it is the power of God." - I Corinthians 1:18
"[9] Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour." - Proverbs 14:9
- Stubborn fools think preaching is dumb and mock it.
"[21] For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased
God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." - I Corinthians 1:21
- Nevertheless preaching is the method God has chosen to bring the Gospel to the world.
THE END OF THE FOOL
"[1] He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and
that without remedy." - Proverbs 29:1
- God only gives the fool so many chances to hear the truth and reject it before his
destruction comes like a whirlwind.
"[20] He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be
destroyed." - Proverbs 13:20
- Don't be friends with a stubborn fool or you will suffer the same fate as them.
- The rich man was STILL stubborn in hell. He would not even listen to Abraham when
Abraham said that people on earth have the word of God to warn them and that the rich
man could not return to warn his friends and family about hell. The rich man was still
arguing while burning in hell.

2. TO JUSTIFY YOURSELF AND PROCLAIM INNOCENCE

"[15] And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God
knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the
sight of God." - Luke 16:15
- Stubborn people always have an excuse. There is always a justification for everything
they do. They will even twist the Bible to justify their sin. They will do and say anything
to avoid having to repent.
"[8] Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
[9] Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto
Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;
[10] And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say,
We are delivered to do all these abominations?" - Jeremiah 7:8-10
- Stubborn people sin their face off all week then come to church on Sunday act like it's
no big deal and make excuses for their sin even to the point of trying to use "grace" as a
license to sin.
"[15] The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is
wise." - Proverbs 12:15
- The stubborn fool thinks they are always right. They think they are right based on what
they think in their own heart instead of looking to the final authority of the word of God.
"[26] He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be
delivered." - Proverbs 28:26
- Stubborn fools continue to trust in their deceitful and desperately wicked heart no
matter where it leads them.
3. STUBBORNNESS IS AS BAD AS IDOLATRY
"Because it dethroneth God, as it were, and setteth up self in his place. For as the
covetous man’s god is his gold, the glutton’s his belly, the ambitionist’s honour; so the
obstinate sinner’s god is his own reason and will, which alone he serveth, seeketh, and
setteth up for his chiefest good. It is his pleasure, his profit, and his preferment, that is
every wicked man’s trinity: and his carnal self that is these in unity. What wonder then
that God so hateth such? [Deuteronomy 29:19-21] He cannot satisfy himself in saying
what he will do to them: but is absolute in threatening, to show that he will be resolute in
punishing. " - John Trapp
- Stubbornness is as idolatry because if you refuse to let something go that you should,
you are placing whatever that is, higher than God. You are saying, "I don't care what God
says, I'm going to so this anyway because I want to."
"[18] And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge,
and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it
repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them
and vexed them.
[19] And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted
themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow
down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn
way." - Judges 2:18,19

STEPHEN PREACHED TO THE STUBBORN

"[51] Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy
Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye." - Acts 7:51

THE ONLY WAY TO STOP BEING STIFFNECKED AND STUBBORN

"[16] Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.
[17] For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty,
and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:" - Deuteronomy 10:16,17
How do you do that?
"[11] In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in
putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:" - Colossians
2:11
"[28] For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is
outward in the flesh:
[29] But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the
spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." - Romans 2:28,29

LOST PEOPLE: Circumcision of the heart occurs when you are born again. Jesus said Ye
must be born again. You can only be born again through repentance and faith in Christ
alone.
SAVED: You need to repent of any stubbornness and the damage it has caused. Ask God
for grace to be submissive to His will and that you will not resist change.
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"[22] How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their
scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
[23] Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make
known my words unto you.
[24] Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man
regarded;
[25] But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
[26] I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
[27] When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind;
when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
[28] Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but
they shall not find me:
[29] For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
[30] They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
[31] Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own
devices.
[32] For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall
destroy them.
[33] But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of
evil." - Proverbs 1:22-33