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No Worship in a Foreign Land (Hosea 9)
28 Plays1 year ago
Sunday Message recorded 10 March 2024
by Associate Pastor Josh Shell
First Baptist Church -- Columbus TX
1700 Milam St.
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
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Transcript
Introduction to Hosea Chapter 9
00:00:06
Speaker
Well, good morning, everyone. How are we doing? Man, that microphone's hot. I like it. All right, well, it's good to see you guys. I hope you guys have had a great weekend so far, and I hope you guys are ready to get back into God's Word this morning. Amen? All right, if you want to go ahead and get your bibles out, go ahead and open them up to the book of Hosea. We're going to be in Hosea chapter 9.
00:00:32
Speaker
We're going to be continuing this series, and again, I feel like I said this the last couple times, I've gotten the chance to preach through this, and Victor, I'm sure, has said the same thing. This has been an incredible journey so far as we've walked through Hosea. I don't know how many of you guys have actually ever studied the book of Hosea before we began this series, but this has been a humbling and super convicting book.
00:00:53
Speaker
And it's only going to continue to be that way.
Warnings of Judgment and Personal Reflections
00:00:57
Speaker
I wish I could say that the message of Hosea only gets brighter for the nation of Israel as we continue to walk through this, but the reality is, as we look at today, that it only gets more gloomy for them. I mean, after all, we already kind of know the result of their disobedience and the fact that they will eventually go into exile.
00:01:17
Speaker
But this is before that exile happens. So as we go through this chapter, we're going to continue to see this continual message that Hosea has been proclaiming throughout his entire ministry, but ultimately in this letter of coming judgment because of disobedience and unfaithfulness to their covenantal relationship with God.
00:01:38
Speaker
So, I do appreciate, though, how Victor has led us through these last two weeks through chapter eight, and he's brought us even closer to what we're going to be looking at chapter nine when it comes to this proclamation of Hosea, this warning, this alarm that was sounded. I loved how Victor brought us into like a courtroom setting with this in chapter eight, where he titled it, God is sounding the alarm.
00:02:04
Speaker
In other words, God was bringing through Hosea, bringing the nation of Israel into the courtroom and he was bringing this case against them of their unfaithfulness and the reason why there is coming judgment against them.
00:02:19
Speaker
And it's been a very humbling thing, and I pray that we all put ourselves in positions where we are no better than the nation of Israel, because the reality is that if we are all honest, we all have put things in our lives that take our attention away from who God is in our life.
00:02:35
Speaker
These are often referred to as idols. We all have idols in our lives. It doesn't matter how old you are, how old you are, if you place anything before God in your life, if you confess and believe that Jesus is Lord and God is your God, if you place anything before him, it is an idol. You are devoting your attention, your love, whatever that case may be, you're devoting those things to that thing before God, therefore you are worshiping something other than him.
00:03:05
Speaker
That's hard to sink in. I mean, that's hard to receive. That's hard for us to want to recognize in our own life. But again, as I said, Hosea, not only for the nation of Israel, but also for us today is sounding this alarm. He's warning us of these things in our lives so that way we can see them, we can recognize them, and we can turn away from them in repentance and come back before God with a pure heart.
00:03:36
Speaker
So, but this idea of warning, this idea of sounding the alarm, I feel like I've been walking through a season of this of my own. I feel like I can kind of relate to God a little bit. As many of you guys know, I have a two and a half year old daughter. You guys don't mind putting those pictures up there. That's her.
00:03:56
Speaker
Oh, Shiloh Grace. Many of you guys know who Shiloh Grace is. If you've been around the church long, you can't unhear her voice. She's very loud. She takes after her daddy in that regard. I'm sorry. But this is Shiloh. And as I said, she is going to be three in July, which is kind of crazy to think about. Many of you guys have been walking through this journey with Hannah and I with raising Shiloh. And it's crazy to think she's going to be three. But we are definitely in that season of the twos.
Historical Context and Israel's Disobedience
00:04:24
Speaker
and going into the threes, right? So what does that mean for us? The word no comes out of our mouth very often.
00:04:32
Speaker
And what typically follows after the no is, no, if you keep doing it, what's gonna happen? You're gonna get disciplines. You're gonna get a pop on the bottom, right? And that's the least favorite thing that I could say, and I'm sure I can speak for my wife when I say that. We do not enjoy disciplining our children, or our children. Our child, we don't have multiple, okay? We have one. It feels like we have multiple. But, we only have one. But,
00:05:03
Speaker
We don't enjoy disciplining her, but at the same time, we know that's what's best for her, right? And so God, throughout this time, with this message of Hosea, speaking through Hosea and bringing this sense of judgment to the nation of Israel because of their disobedience, God is sounding this alarm to them, no, don't do this, don't do that. Don't pursue these things. Stay focused, stay faithful, stay with me. I am your God, you will be my people. I have provided for you. I will continue to provide for you as long as you obey my commands.
00:05:34
Speaker
This has been a perpetual issue with the nation of Israel ever since they started, ever since the nation came about before going into Egypt. And after God brought them out of Egypt with the Exodus, the nation of Israel over and over and over again has remained disobedient and unfaithful. But yet God has remained steadfast in his mercy and his grace and his love towards his people.
00:06:00
Speaker
And though God is a very merciful, loving God, there comes a time where discipline has to be placed. Judgment has to come. And that's exactly where we are at in Hosea chapter nine. In Hosea chapter eight, he sounded the alarm. He brought the crime against them. He told them why they were arrested. He gave them their plea bargain. He gave them the indictment, ultimately their sentencing. And now the sentencing is about to happen.
00:06:30
Speaker
the nation of Israel is gonna face the one thing that they've been dreading. This one thing that God has been saying to them this whole time is that they're gonna be turned over and they're gonna be sent into exile. So, will you guys, as we go through this morning, the last thing I was gonna say before we read the passage is this, this is the main question that I want us to be thinking and pondering on is this, is how many times must we be warned before we listen and obey?
00:06:59
Speaker
How many times must we be warned before we listen and obey? Because again, the message in which Hosea is giving to the nation of Israel still holds true for us today. The Old Testament message, the Old Testament letters, they still apply to us today.
00:07:17
Speaker
We are not under the Old Testament covenant. We are under the New Testament covenant, but these, this message, these truths, these actions, these things that God demonstrated to the nation of Israel still actively applied to us today. Wonder why? It's because we are all sinful. We are all broken and needing of a savior. That was the purpose of the Old Testament law was to bring the people, the nation of Israel to their knees in recognition that they themselves cannot fulfill the law.
00:07:47
Speaker
but rather it was God, it only God, and that there's only one person who could fulfill the law, that was God's son, Jesus. So the law, the Old Testament law was pointing ahead to the one who would come to fulfill it, and that is Jesus, and that is where we now have hope today.
00:08:03
Speaker
That's where we find our comfort. That's where we find our peace. So again, as you read, do not disregard the
Reading and Reflection on Hosea 9
00:08:10
Speaker
Old Testament. Read it, study it, digest it, because as you read it, you'll have greater appreciation and understanding of why Jesus ultimately came. He didn't just come to be a loving man to heal people and to show kindness and to show grace, but no, he came to fulfill the righteous requirement for anybody to be able to go back into the presence of God.
00:08:34
Speaker
us included. The only way we can go into the presence of God is through the finished work of Jesus. And that's why I'm so excited about this season of Easter. Of course, it shouldn't just be a season. It should be a lifestyle of celebrating the resurrection. But that's a whole nother summer for a whole nother day. OK, so again, how much how many times must we be warned before we listen and obey?
00:08:58
Speaker
So let's read Hosea chapter nine together. It's a little bit longer of a chapter. We're gonna read the whole thing. The verses are gonna be up on the screen. But if you guys don't mind standing with me, I'd love to read these together. Hear these words. Verse one, chapter nine.
00:09:18
Speaker
Rejoice not, O Israel, exult not like the peoples, for you have played the whore, forsaking your God. You have loved a prostitute's wages on all the threshing floors. Threshing floor and wine vat shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail them.
00:09:37
Speaker
They shall not remain in the land of the Lord, but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean food into Syria. They shall not pour out or they shall not pour drink offerings of wine to the Lord, and their sacrifices shall not please him. It shall be like mourners bred to them. All who eat of it shall be defiled, for their bread shall be for their hunger only. It shall not come to the house of the Lord.
00:10:06
Speaker
What will ye do on the day of the appointed festivals, and on the day of the feasts of the Lord? For behold, they are going away from destruction. But Egypt shall gather them, Memphis shall bury them, Nettles shall possess the precious things of silver, Thorns shall be in their tents. The days of punishment have come. The days of recompense have come. Israel shall know it.
00:10:31
Speaker
The prophet is a fool. The man of the Spirit is mad because of your great iniquity and great hatred. The prophet is the watchman of Ephraim with my God. Yet a fowler's snare is on all his ways and hatred in the house of his God. They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah. He will remember their iniquity. He will punish their sins. Like grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel.
00:10:58
Speaker
Like the first fruit of the fig tree in its first season, I saw your fathers, but they came to Baal Peor and consecrated themselves to the things of shame and became detestable like the thing they loved. Ephraim's glory shall fly away like a bird, no birth, no pregnancy, no conception. Even if they bring up children, I will bereave them until none is left. Woe to them when I depart from them.
00:11:26
Speaker
Ephraim, as I've seen, was like a young palm planted in a meadow, but Ephraim must lead his children out to slaughter. Give them, O Lord. What will you give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.
00:11:41
Speaker
Every evil
Idolatry and its Consequences
00:11:42
Speaker
of theirs is in Gilgal. There I began to hate them because of the wickedness of their deeds. I will drive them out of my house. I will love them no more. All their princes are rebels. Ephraim is stricken. The root is dried up. They shall bear no fruit. Even though they give birth, I will put their beloved children to death.
00:12:03
Speaker
My God will reject them because they have not listened to them. They shall be wanderers among the nations." This is God's word. Will you pray with me? Lord God, this is a heavy passage. This is a heavy book. But God, we know that you are sovereignly in control, that you are righteous, that you are loving, you are merciful, you are gracious. But Lord, even within those things, there is a time and a place for judgment.
00:12:30
Speaker
Lord, we all have a day that is before us where we will be judged. Those of us who are in Christ will be judged according to our good works in Christ. But those of us who are outside of Christ will be judged according to our sins.
00:12:43
Speaker
And then, Lord, this passage that we're looking at is evidence of that. And so I pray that as we go through it, that you will open our eyes and open our ears to what you have to say and the things in our lives that we need to confess and repent of, that we need to surrender back to you so that we can live righteous, holy, pleasing lives for you while we still have breath in our lungs.
00:13:04
Speaker
God, we love you, we praise you, we thank you for this time. May you go before it, may your word speak. It's in Jesus' name, amen. Thank you guys, you may be seated. As I said, these words are not one that like, when you wake up and you're ready to be in God's word, you're ready to be in God's presence, you don't think of Hosea chapter nine, right? This is one of those chapters as you read, you're just like, man, this is God?
00:13:34
Speaker
like the all knowing, all righteous, all holy, all perfect God, but yet he's treating his people this way. But then again, when you go back, you look at the greater context of this passage, you put it into perspective. This is our loving God. This is our holy God.
00:13:55
Speaker
When we talk about holiness, right, it talks about being set apart for God's purposes. When we talk about God's righteousness, his glory, nothing can compel to it. So when it comes to God's relationship with his people, he expects nothing less but to live according to his ways. So if God was not loving, then God would not bring judgment.
00:14:20
Speaker
He would not bring discipline, does that make sense? Just like I love my daughter so much that I actually, I love her to the point to where discipline is needed because I desire her to walk in righteousness and holiness and in truth. I desire her to be respectful and I desire her to be a woman of great dignity. If I did not discipline my daughter or hold her to a standard, I would not be loving her the way that God loves me. This is all connecting.
00:14:50
Speaker
So as we read through this, I pray that you don't think of God as this mean God who's sitting up almost as if like he's the God of mythology like Zeus where he strikes you with lightning bolts because he just wants to have fun. That's not what God does. But rather he brings about judgment for his righteous purpose and righteous standard for his people. And again, like we've already discussed leading up to this is that God has given them ample opportunity
00:15:20
Speaker
Years of opportunity to turn away from their sin to turn away from the rebellious idolatrous ways and to return back to him And there have been times and seasons where they did do that But it was only for a moment, but yet God's grace and mercy remains steadfast But now has come to the point where God says enough is enough Enough is enough
00:15:45
Speaker
So here we go, verses one through three. What we're gonna see here is that as a result of their sin, as a result of their idolatrous ways, they are ultimately gonna lose their provisions of the Promised Land.
00:16:02
Speaker
You know, this promised land that God promised him as they were coming out of the nation of Egypt, this country, as they were bringing them out in the Exodus, God told them that they were going to take them to the promised land, this land flowing with milk and honey. And he was going to provide for them.
00:16:19
Speaker
And Moses brought them out, brought them to the border of this land. Obviously, because of Moses' actions, he was not allowed to the promised land. So Joshua led the nation of Israel into the promised land and it goes on from there. And there they dwell, but they remain unfaithful. This land at which God promised them that would provide all these things for them in the sense of an agricultural sense. They were never without one. They were never without need when it comes to this.
00:16:48
Speaker
But because of their ways, God is going to take away the promised land. Let's read this in verse one. It says, Rejoice not, O Israel, exalt not like the peoples. For you have played the whore, forsaking your God. You have loved the prostitutes, wages on all threshing floors.
00:17:04
Speaker
So this, because of the fact that they turned away from their God and they began to follow these other
Vigilance in Spiritual Life
00:17:10
Speaker
gods, so this goes back to Deuteronomy 23 verse 18, and then also in Numbers 25, we'll also see later, where they, when they come into, into
00:17:23
Speaker
the country of Shittim, I'm pretty sure that's how you say it, they turn away from their god, they intermarry into the the mobites, and as a result they ultimately fall under this idolatrous worship where they start worshiping the the mobite god Baal, which was this god of fertility, and they they start to bring these two types of worships together
00:17:49
Speaker
And God is very displeased with it. Because again, when you go back to the Ten Commandments, God is a jealous God. You shall have no other gods before him, right? So as a result of this, God is telling them, hey, rejoice not of Israel. The season of harvest is coming, but you will not rejoice like those people because of your unfaithfulness.
00:18:11
Speaker
You think you're going to go out and partake in what has been given to you in the Promised Land, but because of your actions, you will not partake. Verse 2, Thresh and Flora wine vash shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail them. They shall not remain in the land of the Lord, but Ephraim shall return to Egypt. They shall eat unclean food in Assyria.
00:18:36
Speaker
So they will not partake in the bountiful blessing of God and his harvest because of the lack of faithfulness. Does this sound familiar? Many of us in this room right now feel like we're in a valley of dryness right now. Nothing seems to be going the way that we desire it to go. What my question to you is, is where is your heart? What are you worshiping?
00:19:03
Speaker
What is driving you each day? Are you seeking to pursue the Lord, to live honorable lives for Him, to live holy, righteous, pleasing lives? Some of us in this room, you don't even have a relationship with God. You don't even know what that means. And so maybe the question you'd be asking yourself is, what do I need to do to come into this Promised Land?
00:19:29
Speaker
And it's simple, it means just to surrender yourself to the will of God by submitting yourself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Then you will be able to experience the blessing of being spiritual children in the house of God. That doesn't mean you're gonna get whatever you want, but what that does mean is that you're gonna be given the things that you need to experience peace, to experience the love, the goodness of the Father in this life when everything else around you feels like it's going down.
00:19:59
Speaker
And Hosea is reminding the people of this. He's saying, rejoice not over Israel. Exalt not like the peoples. Those who try to find joy in the things, the temporary things of this world, you will not find pleasure in because you have disobeyed. You are not walking faithfully. And as a result of that, you're going to lose the land. You're going to lose all the things in which it comes from this.
00:20:21
Speaker
He goes on in verses four and six, and it's not only that they will lose the provisions of the Promised Land, but verses four through six, God will reject Israel's offerings. You gotta remember, so the nation of Israel, their entire livelihoods surrounded around agriculture, okay? They relied on the harvest. So when God said that you're not gonna be able to reap up the harvest, that was a huge blow to the gut.
00:20:45
Speaker
And not only that, but now he's saying, I'm not going to just take away the land from you, but I'm not going to receive your offerings anymore. In the nation of Israel, the offerings, their religion was crucial. It was their main identity. They were the people of God, the chosen people. So for God not to accept their offerings, which is something that they did on a continual routine basis throughout the year, their identity is taken from them. They have no other purpose.
00:21:16
Speaker
And so when it says there that they shall not pour drink, or pour drink offerings of wine to the Lord, and their sacrifices shall not please him, they shall be like the mourners bred to them. In other words, this food, this worship that they're gonna be bringing to the Lord, it's only gonna be good for them and not to God. It's gonna be detestable to God.
00:21:38
Speaker
This idea of mourners' bread is for those who are mourning the lost ones. And when they touch the bread, it taints the bread to where it's not pure, to where you can't offer it to God. So the only purpose for it is to feed their hunger. And what God is saying here is that when it feeds your hunger, it's only going to be temporary. It's not going to be eternal compared to the love that I have for you.
00:22:05
Speaker
Does this make sense? This imagery here, for their bread shall be like for their hunger only, as it says in verse four, it shall not come to the house of the Lord. And it goes down in verses five and six, what will you do on the day of your appointed festivals? In other words, when those days do come around, the very thing that you find identity, what are you gonna do when God chooses not to receive it or choose to accept it? What are you gonna do then?
00:22:34
Speaker
And then it says here in verse six, for behold, they are going away from destruction, meaning that as a result of the fact that the Lord was not going to receive their offering, what are they going to do? They're going to try to flee. They're going to try to flee into the areas where they can find hope, where they can find purpose, where they can find security. Because during these days of Hosea, during these kings, the nation of Israel, another thing that they did that was detestable for the Lord was that they tried to find comfort, security in other nations.
00:23:04
Speaker
Whether it was a Syria, whether it was Egypt, they tried whenever the wars or battles came, they tried to find comfort outside of God. They didn't trust God to bring war or to bring victory to war, but rather they tried to find comfort in other nations. And so as a result of this, they're going to do the only thing that they know how to do. When all is taken away from them, they're going to flee. They're going to try to find peace in other places.
00:23:27
Speaker
And it says this, it says that Egypt, as they flee, will gather them. And this seems like a very good thing, right? I mean, like, because when you think about Egypt, when you think about the Exodus, when you think about the years of enslavement and captivity, and how Moses had to bring them out of captivity because of how bad it was. But yeah, right here, it seems like Egypt's doing them a favor. They're gonna bring them in. But the reality is, is that when Egypt brings them in, it's only gonna be for another enslavement.
00:23:58
Speaker
They're not worshiping them once you're God. And it goes on, it says, Memphis shall bury them. In other words, they're gonna lose their identity. They're gonna face extinction as a nation because of their unfaithfulness. These are heavy words. I mean, listen to the rest of verse six. Nettles shall possess their precious things as silver. Thorns shall be in their tents. This is like a post-apocalyptic style verbiage here.
00:24:25
Speaker
They're gonna be no more. God is gonna remove them from the land and they're not gonna be able to experience the bountiful blessings which God has for them because of this. I'm not trying to sound like a broken record, but I'm being like Hosea. I'm repeating myself, right? So that way this sinks in into the reality of what's happening. So God will reject their offerings and ultimately their identity is gonna be forgotten. When it goes on in verses seven through nine, Israel's iniquity will not be forgotten though.
00:24:55
Speaker
So though they will not be identified with God, their iniquity will not be forgotten. The days of punishment have come. The days of recompense have come. Israel shall know it. And then it goes on. It says, the prophet is a fool. The man of the spirit is mad because of their great iniquity and the great hatred. But this is where I want us to see here in verse 9. They have deeply corrupted themselves in the days of Gibeah. He will remember their iniquity, and he will punish their sins.
00:25:25
Speaker
The nation of Gibeah, this encounter that Hosea is referring to is back in Judges chapter 19. You guys recall this, anybody? How many of y'all actually just read through the book of Judges for fun? Right? So what happened in Judges chapter nine is that there is this encounter where this Levi and his cocky vine are coming back from the nation of Judah and they're coming back into the northern kingdom of Israel.
00:25:50
Speaker
And as they come back, they choose not to stay in Jerusalem, but rather they choose to go on to stay in the area of Gibeah. And when they get there, what happens? He comes in, he finds a man who's willing to bring him in. And when he brings him in that evening, the whole town of Gibeah, all the men of the town of Gibeah come and beg on the door. Bring the man out that you brought in, for we want to have our way with him.
00:26:19
Speaker
This isn't like a fun gesture. This isn't like, hey, we want to play board games. No, these men are wanting to come and they want to have sexual relations with this Levite man. They want to have their way with him. This is a detestable thing.
00:26:36
Speaker
And as a result, the man in which took the Levite man and his cocky bone in, he tries to push them away, but he can't resist because they start breaking in the door. So he says, hey, take this cocky bone in my young daughter, take their virginity, take them, do whatever you want with them. Just leave the man alone. So they do. This is, yeah, I know, I'm speechless too. This is pretty detestable, isn't it?
00:27:05
Speaker
God is comparing the nation of Israel and their actions right now to the nation of Gibeah and their actions. And as a result, the nation of Gibeah faced harsh judgment from the nation of Israel because of what they did to that Levite man and his concubine. And the same judgment is coming from the nation of Israel because of their unfaithfulness to God. Because of their corruption.
00:27:32
Speaker
And then the other thing that is also very interesting in this passage is what we saw there in verse 7, where it says, after he says, the day of recompense has come, Israel shall know. He says, the prophet is a fool. The man of the spirit is mad because of your great iniquity and great hatred. In other words, the nation of Israel, every time God sent a prophet to them, what do they do? They turn them away. Ah, you're mad. You don't know what you're talking about. You're just a righteous holy roller. Oh, that's today's words, right?
00:28:03
Speaker
Oh, you're just getting excited over nothing. This isn't a big deal. But yet, God sent these men over and over and over again to declare judgment upon their actions, and they yet did not receive it. They called him a fool. They called him a man who has a spirit that is mad. But yet, listen to how Hosea describes himself in verse eight. It says, the prophet is the watchman of his freedom.
00:28:30
Speaker
who is with, and he says, the prophets will watch me for him with my God. Yet a fowler snares on all his ways and hatred in the house of his God. Let me tell you something. Each of us in this room, we are called to be ambassadors for Christ. As a result of our salvation in Christ, we are his messengers. We are called to go out to all the nations, baptizing him in the name of the Father, name of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are called on this great commission
00:28:59
Speaker
And if we don't learn from the fact that from the prophets who went before us, the gospel message is not gonna be received well in certain areas. In America, we are blessed. The gospel message is received on a normal basis, or at least the people will listen to it. But the reality is that for any of us who is in Christ, who has our identity in him, there will be a day where we will face hardship because of the gospel. People will reject it. We cannot be afraid of that.
00:29:28
Speaker
We all have a calling in our life to go to share this good news, to be a watchman for God. When we see our brothers and sisters stepping out of line, being unfaithful, being unruly, not honoring God and their actions, we can't be afraid to go step on toes. We can't neglect that. When we see our nation, when we see this world going against the ways of God, we can't sit back idly. We can't sit back and just think, oh, it's going to be OK. Just let time go by. No.
00:29:58
Speaker
Now there's a way and a plan to do or to approach that behavior. We don't do it pridefully. We don't do it out of arrogance.
Hope and Redemption through Christ
00:30:06
Speaker
We don't do it out of the sense of entitlement, but rather we do it out of the great love of which the God, which the father gave to us by sending his son Jesus.
00:30:14
Speaker
Jesus came into the world to serve the world. He came in and served the world to love him and to love the world, to heal the blind or to heal the sick, to bring sight to the blind, all these things. But yet, one thing Jesus did do is that he remained steadfast in his righteousness and his holiness and his truth. And when truth was being but up against, Jesus stood his ground. He did not let people have their way.
00:30:37
Speaker
When it came down to the Pharisees and Sadducees, he stood his ground with them. He caught, I mean, in the same passion, same fervency of John the Baptist, when John the Baptist called them a brood of lipers. Jesus, in his own way, stood his ground and did not let them come against him. Does this make sense? So as we, again, walk through these passages, we need to feel the urgency and the sense of desire to become more like Hosea.
00:31:07
Speaker
to be the ambassadors for Christ and what she's called us to be. But going on to verses 10 through 14, I know we're running out of time. I'm gonna get through these last two sections faster. 10 through 14, it says, Israel will lose its heritage and its glory. So again, not only are they gonna lose our provisions of the Promised Land, not only will God reject their offerings, their iniquity will not be forgotten, judgment will come against it,
00:31:35
Speaker
but Israel will lose its heritage and its glory. What does that mean? Well, when we see here in verses 10 through 14, we see this picture where God, when he first finds Israel, it was a joyful day. Listen to these words in verse 10. Like grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel. What a joyful day that was when he found his people. Like the first shoot on the fig tree in his first season, I saw your fathers, but,
00:32:05
Speaker
they came to Baal Payer, right? So again, going back to Numbers 25, where they intermere with the Moabites and they yoked themselves to their Baal, their false God. As a result of this, it goes on, it says, and they consecrated themselves to the thing of shame, it became detestable like the thing they loved. So as a result of this, God will go on and he will say, Ephraim's glory shall fly away like a bird.
00:32:34
Speaker
All the things in which God has promised them as a result of this are gonna fly away. There's gonna be no birth, there's gonna be no pregnancy, there's gonna be no conception. God is gonna take them away. And for anybody who does have birth, anybody who does have children, he says, even when they bring up children, I will bereave them till none is left. God is going to give a great reset for the nation of Israel because of their detestable ways.
00:33:09
Speaker
And in verse 14 it says, give them, oh Lord, what will you give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. This was a shameful thing for the nation of Israel to hear. For God to give them a barren womb, for God to bring miscarriage wombs to the nation of Israel. I know for, I can only imagine, so my wife and I, we, early on in our marriage, we actually experienced one miscarriage.
00:33:38
Speaker
That was the hardest thing I've ever seen my wife go through. Hardest thing for us to go through, especially early on in our marriage. And to think about all the things that tie together with that. What did we do wrong? What could I have done different? Why did this happen to me? But for the entire nation of Israel, God's chosen people, for them to walk this path, this judgment, you can only imagine what they're experiencing.
00:34:05
Speaker
And I pray that for any of us in this room today who feel like that is happening to us right now, that you will fall in repentance and submission back before the righteous holy presence of God and allow Him to restore you. Because that's what He desires. He desires to restore us, to bring reconciliation. But the last thing I want to see here in verses 15 through 17 is this. It says, Israel will be subjected to exile. So that's their final verdict.
00:34:32
Speaker
As a result of their behavior, they're gonna be cast out in the land. They're gonna be wanderers among the nations. Ephraim will be stricken, verse 16, the root is dried up. They shall bear no fruit. Even though they give birth, I will put their beloved children to death. My God will reject them because they have not listened to him. They shall be wanderers among the nations. And we know how the story plays out. The nation of Israel goes into exile.
00:35:00
Speaker
And then soon after the nation of Israel, the northern kingdom is in exile. Judah will soon fall in their path and they will also go in exile. And they will remain in exile until Jesus comes in the New Testament.
00:35:17
Speaker
And that's when God will bring and restore people back to Himself. But in this case, it's not just the congregational members of the nation of Israel, right? But in this sense, when Jesus comes, He's bringing repentance and restoration back to all those who believe and confess Him as Jesus, as Lord. That becomes the new nation of Israel.
00:35:39
Speaker
For those of us in this room who believe in our hearts, confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, we are part of the greater congregation of Israel. We are God's family. That is a beautiful thing.
00:35:55
Speaker
And that's why I wanna say this as we wrap up. Not all hope is lost, right? So it's easy to take passages like this and to be defeated, to feel like, man, like what is God doing? But the reality is when you look at the New Testament gospel, the hope of Jesus Christ, the hope is not lost. It can be found. If you're in this room and you feel like you're wandering around senseless and darkness, blind, whatever the case may be, and you feel like that you're just like how the nation of Israel is,
00:36:24
Speaker
Not all hope is lost. You can encounter the true hope today. You can encounter Jesus. He desires to come into our lives to bring us back into reconciliation and restoration so that when we can live a wholly pleasing life, all you have to do is recognize and submit yourself to his Lordship as Messiah, as Savior, as King of kings and Lord of lords.
00:36:52
Speaker
So again, this question that I asked you in the beginning that we're gonna conclude with is, how many times must we be warned before we listen and or obey? I wanna take it even further. How many times must we be warned in order for us to finally submit to the authority of God? Because right now, we live in a period of great grace.
00:37:19
Speaker
The moment Jesus died on the cross, rose from the grave, ascended back into heaven, we have been living in a time of great grace. He's given us opportunity after opportunity to turn away from our sin and to come back into him. But sooner or later, that day will come to a close. We all will face judgment. The question is, is how are you gonna face judgment? Are you gonna face it through the blood of Jesus?
Conclusion and Prayer
00:37:50
Speaker
When God looks at you, he's going to see not a sinner broken, but rather a sinner saved by the blood of Christ. Or is he going to look at you, and he's going to count you according to your ways, according to your sinfulness, because you are outside of that love of Christ. That's my question for us. There's one last thing I wanted to read to us before we wrap up. There's a song. There's these verses I want to read to us. Because when I think about chapters like this, and I think about the issue at hand,
00:38:20
Speaker
the adulterous, idolatrous ways of the nation of Israel. And how I can, and how, in my own brokenness, in my own sinfulness, how I too have idols in my life that I need to surrender at the foot of the cross daily. It's not just a one-time thing, it's a daily thing. I think of songs like this one. It's by a guy named Jimmy Needham. Anybody know who Jimmy Needham is? Anybody? Well, you're about to be introduced to him. So, the song is called Clear the Stage. Clear the stage.
00:38:50
Speaker
Verse one goes like this, says, clear the stage and let the sound and lights ablaze. If that's the measure you must take to crush the idols. Jerk the pews and all the decorations too until the congregations few then have revival. Tell your friends that this is where the party ends until you're broken for your sins. You can't be social.
00:39:13
Speaker
then seek the Lord and wait for what he has in store and know that great is your reward, so just be hopeful. The chorus goes like this, because you can sing all you want to. Fill that gap of seeing. Fill that with anything you want. You can play sports all you want to. You can do good works all you want to. You can do whatever the fill in the blank is, all you want to. Yes, you can sing all you want to. You can sing all you want to and still get it wrong.
00:39:44
Speaker
Worship is more than just a song. How are we living our lives with worship? Verse two says this, and I'm almost done. Take a break from all the plans that you have made and sit at home alone and wait for God to whisper. Beg him please to open up his mouth and speak and pray for real upon your knees until they blister. Shine the light on every corner of your life until the pride and lust and lies are in the open.
00:40:14
Speaker
then read the word and put to test the things you've heard until your heart and soul are stirred and rocked and broken. And he goes back into the chorus, because you can sing all you want to, you can sing all you want to, you can sing all you want to and still get it wrong, because worship is more than a song. And this is the bridge, you ready? This is the best, this is my favorite part of the song. So, anything I put before my God is an idol.
00:40:49
Speaker
Sorry. Anything I want with all my heart is an idol. Anything I can't stop thinking of is an idol. Anything I give all my love is an idol. Then he finishes with the verse. Because you can sing all you want to. You can sing all you want to. You can sing all you want to and still get it wrong. Because worship is more than a song.
00:41:17
Speaker
So what are the idols in our lives that we need to lay before the throne of God today? What are the things that we are doing now that is holding us back from fulfilling the righteous requirement that God has for us as His people? Again, for those of us who are in Christ, this is the question we need to ask. For anyone who's outside of Christ, who does not have a relationship with Jesus,
00:41:41
Speaker
The question is, what can you do to come back into His presence forever? It is simple, believe in your heart, confess with your mouth, surrender to His Lordship and allow Him to work in you. So that way you can experience the freedom of sin and experience this full forgiveness for eternity.
00:42:02
Speaker
So if that's you today and you want to surrender your life to Jesus, come talk to me, come talk to Victor, come talk to whoever that you know for sure without a doubt is a believer in Jesus and we can walk you down that path. We can lead you to Jesus. But for the rest of us, I do pray though that we will seriously take these questions to heart. How many times must we be warned before we listen and obey?
00:42:27
Speaker
What are the things in our lives that are holding us back from listening and obeying? What are our idols? Will you pray with me? God, we thank you so much for your word today. I don't think it's by mistake. I don't think it's by chance that we are going through this letter, through this book of Hosea.
00:42:45
Speaker
We live in a world right now, Father, where idolatry, covetousness, adultery, whatever the blank is, Father, it's running rampant. Again, this isn't a new thing. Sin has been in humanity from the beginning of time since Adam and Eve. But God, more than ever right now, though, we as people, as human race, are turning away from you. We are following after our own gods, our own bellies. And I pray, Father, that if anyone in this room is doing that, that you will reveal it in us
00:43:16
Speaker
that we will surrender it back to you and we'll submit it back to you wholeheartedly and allow you to be the king of kings and Lord of lords and be the one who's sitting on the throne of our hearts forevermore. So God, please work on us. May we draw back to you and say Jesus' name, amen.
00:43:41
Speaker
This is a ministry of First Baptist Church, located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.