OBC ATT 5 ATTITUDES OF THE HEART NOV / DEC 2007
LESSON FIVE
Attitudes: Stubbornness and Envy
Stubbornness is a determination not to change one’s attitude or position. Stubbornness may be unreasonableness to yield or a justifiable unyielding, depending upon the situation.
In the matter of standing fast for the truth contained in God’s word, stubbornness is a positive trait, if it is accompanied by the desire to "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
In the negative sense, stubbornness creates many problems. Obstinacy is the stubborn refusal to change one’s opinion or course of action. Obstinacy causes disobedience toward God. Let’s look at examples of this from God’s word.
1. God sent Moses back to Egypt to bring the descendants of Jacob, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. However, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, was unwilling to allow God’s people to leave Egypt. We can read of the oppression Pharaoh imposed upon the children of Israel, Pharaoh’s stubbornness to allow God’s people to leave Egypt, and the great plagues God sent upon Egypt because of the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart in the first 12 chapters of Exodus.
Exodus 10:3, "So _______ and _______ came in to __________ and said to him, ‘Thus says the ______ ____ of the Hebrews: How long will you _______ to _________ yourself before _____ ? Let My people ____, that they may serve Me."
2. After Pharaoh finally allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt, we read of many occasions of stubbornness and disobedience of the children of Israel and the resulting punishment. Moses often interceded to God on behalf of the children of Israel.
Deuteronomy 9:26-27, "Therefore I ___________ to the ______, and said: 'O Lord GOD, do not _______ Your _______ and Your inheritance whom You have ____________ through Your ______________, whom You have brought out of _________ with a ________ hand. Remember Your ________, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; do not look on the _________________ of this _________, or on their ______________ or their _____,"
3. Read Psalm 81:10-12. Fill in the blanks:
God brought His people, the Israelites, out of _______.
Did these people listen to God? ____
To what did God give them over? ______________________________________________________
4. This stubbornness and disobedience continued during the period of the judges. We will consider one example, but if you read the entire book of Judges, you will see this recurring pattern.
Judges 2:19, "And it came to pass, when the _______ was dead, that they ___________ and ___________ more ___________ than their fathers, by following other _____, to serve them and bow down to them. They ___ ___ _______ from their ____ doings ___ from ______ ________ ____."
5. Even Saul, the first king of Israel became stubborn. Read 1 Samuel 15:1-29.
How did Saul disobey God?
When questioned by Samuel, what was Saul’s excuse for what he did?
1 Samuel 15:22, What did Samuel say was better than sacrifice?
1 Samuel 15:23, To what does God’s word equate rebellion?
To what does God’s word equate stubbornness?
What punishment did King Saul receive because of his rebellion and stubbornness?
6. Today, we also face punishment from God, the Righteous Judge, if we are rebellious and stubborn and do not obey His commands.
John 5:38-40, "But you do not have ____ _____ _______ in you, because ______ He sent, ____ you do ___ believe. You _______ the Scriptures, for in them you ______ you have _________ _____; and these are they which testify of _____. But ____ ___ ___ _________ to come to ___ that you may have life."
7. Romans 10:1-3, "Brethren, my heart's ________ and ________ to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a ____ ___ _____, but ___ according to ____________. For they _______ ___________ of _____ _____________, and seeking to _________________ _______ ____ _______________, have ____ ___________ to the _________________ ___ _____."
Today, the attitude of stubbornness can cause us to be ________________ of God’s _________________ and to seek to ________________ ____ ____ _____________________.
No matter how much zeal for Him we may have, unless we submit to God’s righteousness and obey HIS PLAN, we will not receive the gift of salvation.
The attitude of envy:
Envy is defined in the dictionary as "painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage."
8. In Proverbs 14:30, envy is described how?
How does this verse describe a sound heart?
9. Proverbs 24:1-2, "Do ____ be ___________ of ____ men, Nor desire to ___ _____ _____; For their _________ devises violence, And their lips talk of troublemaking."
What is the importance of this command concerning envy?
10. List the things Christians are commanded to lay aside in 1 Peter 2:1.
Tell what Christians are compared to, what Christians are to desire and why in 1 Peter 2:2.
11. James 3:14-17, "But if you have ________ _____ and _______________ in your _________, do not boast and lie against the truth. ____ _______ does ___ descend from _________, but is ______, __________, __________. For where ____ and _____________ exist, ______________ and _____ ____ ______ are there. But the _______ that is from _______ is first ____, then ____________, ___________, _______________ to yield, full of ______ and ______ _______, without _________________ and without _________________."
12. Read Galatians 5:19-21 and list the works of the flesh.
Will those who practice such things inherit the kingdom of God?
Did you notice envy in this list of sins?
13. Read 1 Corinthians 13 and write the verse that speaks of envy.
14. Thought question: Share a verse or verses that would help one to overcome envy.
"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having
all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work."
(2 Corinthians 9:8)