REBELLION WILL CARRY US TO PLACES WE NEVER WANTED TO GO. 

SCRIPTURE | 2 Chronicles 36:11-23 

CENTRAL TRUTH 

God loves us through our rebellion, and He will use judgment and consequences to lead us to repentance. God’s aim is always to restore our broken relationship with Him. 

KEY QUESTION 

WHAT DOES JUDAH’S FALL SHOW YOU ABOUT REBELLION? 

KEEP IN MIND 

Culture often bends toward rebellion and struggles against authority. Honestly, this fight against authority is often celebrated in music and entertainment and bleeds into our spiritual lives. Some of your students have a genuine problem with authority, potentially stemming from them experiencing bad examples of authority. They may have even encountered emotional, physical, or sexual abuse from someone with power in their lives. We must strive to help these students see that God is good; His authority is good; He only does what is good. And though we may not always want to follow His commands, rebelling against Him will never end well because rebellion against God leads to separation from Him. For these students, they need to know that God’s authority is safe. Following Him may still lead us to walk down difficult paths, but we’re always held safely in His care. 

APPLICATION 

WHO DO YOU HAVE TO WARN YOU WHEN YOU’RE MOVING AWAY FROM THE LORD? WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? 

THE WIN 

FOR THE STUDENT: Giving someone access—someone who is godly, who is walking faithfully with the Lord, and who won’t lead them astray—is important for our students. This could be a mentor, minister, friend, or parent. Students need people who can hold them accountable. 

FOR THE LEADER: As leaders, we can’t always see our own faults. We have blind spots, so it’s critical to our walk with God to have people who are looking out for our spiritual wellbeing. We must give people access to our lives too, just like our students. These are the people who know us well enough to see when we’re slipping, and they love us enough to speak up.