By Kevin Harris, pastor of the Illawarra Community Baptist Church in Wollongong, NSW
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
Stephen is concluding his sermon to the Jews of his day. He has shown that their parents have a history of repaying the goodness of the Lord with disobedience and idolatry. Here he gives it to them straight, saying, ‘You are just like them!’
He describes them as ‘stiffnecked.’ An ox who wore the yoke might not want to follow the commands of his master, so he would stiffen his neck and pull against his yoke. In that agricultural society, this phenomenon was so common that it became a metaphor for a stubborn person.
From childhood, stubbornness marks us. Even an infant arches his back on the changing table, and the sound of their cry changes pitch, indicating that he wants to engage in a battle of the wills. A parent who continually lets a child have his own way is not doing the child any favours, and is creating a rod for his own back.
Stubborn children grow up to become stubborn adults who yoke up with a spouse to share life’s journey. The battle of the wills continues, the only difference being who they are resisting. Instead of fighting over toys, they fight over money or irksome habits or ideologies. Sadly, frequent clashes often lead to divorce and other wrecked relationships.
Stubbornness is a problem because it says, ‘I will have my way! You won’t tell me what to do!’ It essentially is a claim to the throne. ‘Bow to me,’ it says.
It’s only cure is death to self. Our Saviour said in Luke 9:23, ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’
Philippians 2:3 commands, ‘Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.’ This was modelled by the Lord Jesus when He voluntarily gave His life for us on the cross.
However, there is a flip side to stubbornness that is righteous. The same character trait sanctified is persistence. Our memory verse this week (1 Corinthians 15:58) reminds us to be stedfast and unmoveable.
Persistence in the face of adversity, when done to the glory of God, displays death to self. Rather than taking the easy route, it submits the will to that of the Heavenly Father and persists. This was displayed every time a Christian went to the stake to be burned rather than recant.
Father, I find my heart is naturally bent toward wilfulness and stubbornness. Help me to deny my will, and yield to Yours and that of others. Help me only to resist evil, first in myself, and elsewhere too. Thank You for the Lord Jesus who shows me how to do this, and for the Holy Spirit who provides enablement to submit to Your will. I ask this in the Name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
This article was written by Kevin Harris Dapto pastor of Illawarra Community Baptist Church.