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All right, we're here in Hosea chapter 11
we're continuing through the book of Hosea and we'll finish the entire chapter here tonight and
You know the name of the sermon is what God requires from his people what God requires from his people
And we got three points here tonight in the first serve
The first point is obedience one thing God requires from his people is to be obedient
Okay, notice verse number one when Israel was a child then I loved him and called my son out of Egypt
So you have to ask yourself what time period is the Bible talking about when he says when Israel was a child?
Then I loved him and called my son out of Egypt. Well, when was Israel called out of Egypt?
Well when the book of Exodus so it's referring to when they left in the book of Exodus and Moses led them out and when you
Think about it when it says when Israel was a child
Okay, so this is not the birth of Israel because that started with Jacob earlier in the book of Genesis
And then we get to the beginning of Exodus have a deliverer when you think about a child a child needs a father
Around to help them right a child can't do things on their own and really that's what Israel was before Moses led them out of
The problem led them into the promised land once he led them out of Egypt. They needed some Israel
You know, they were kind of going through this bondage and everything like that
But they just didn't have any way to pray for a deliverer
Moses comes their child and he called in God Egypt
Okay now go to Genesis 13 Genesis 13 Genesis 13
Genesis 13
And
I want you to realize you say what took so long
Why is it that God took so long to lead his people out of Egypt?
Well, if you read closely it's simply because they didn't cry for a deliverer, right?
They're going through all this trauma and they were frustrated and everything
but it's like once they rose up and prayed for deliverer God answered and
Isn't that the pattern you see throughout the book of Judges and throughout the Bible?
That when God's people come to him and cry for a deliverer God says here you go
And he was waiting on them when they're in Egypt and they just weren't crying out to God for a deliverer
Okay
Now I do believe that there's a literal and a symbolic aspect of being called out of Egypt because they were literally
Called out of Egypt when they were children
Okay
When you know that at the end of the book of Genesis, you know
Israel had been around for a little while from Jacob being renamed to Israel
But you know in terms of actually, you know being called out of Egypt
There's a literal aspect where they left the land of Egypt, but Egypt in the Bible represents worldliness
Egypt in the Bible represents sin
So it's not just that they literally left Egypt
But the fact is as God's people were supposed to leave Egypt in a symbolic sense even in today's world
Okay, let me give you an example Genesis 13 verse 9
Genesis 13 verse the scene here if you remember, you know Abraham when a famine came he went down to the land of Egypt
You know, he was concerned. He was worried and it caused a lot of problems in his life notice Genesis 13 verse 9 is
Not the whole land before thee
Separate thyself I pray thee for me if thou wilt take the left hand and I will go to the right or if thou
Departs the right hand and I will go to the left and lot lifted up his eyes and be held all the plane of Jordan
That it was well watered everywhere before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah
Even as the garden of the Lord notices like the land of Egypt as they'll come us on to Zohar
so Abraham gets very rich in Egypt and they have too much and then Abraham and lot have basically gives a lot of choice and
Lot decides in this location because it's it's well watered. It's very rich the garden of the Lord
It's like the land of it means it was prosperous
It means right he looked at and said that looks like such a great place to live
They're just bled everything that they could possibly want. He's like I want to go to that location
Now look lot doesn't say I want to cuz I can serve God there. No. No, I mean he says, you know
I want to go to Sodom because it's like the land of Egypt
It's very prosperous not because I'm gonna be able to serve God there because it literally was like the land of Egypt, right?
It's just like it was a wicked area and it was
Prosperous, but it didn't mean that you could serve God there Titus chapter 2 Titus 2 Titus 2
We need to be very careful
We don't make our choices based on the fact that something is like the land of Egypt like man
This is such a great thing prosperous wiseness gonna make me so rich and everything in my life is gonna be so great
But you don't be able to actually serve God there because as believers that should be our number one consideration
Are we gonna be able to serve God you say brother Stuckey, you know, I got a job offer in this location
But you know what? I'm gonna make five times as much money, but I'll never be at church ever again
I'm not gonna be able to read the Bible then consider the job and
Here's the thing you might make a lot of money
But that doesn't mean it's gonna be better for you in the latter end because here's the thing
Abraham became rich in Egypt when you read that it wasn't a good thing for him, right?
That's why Lot has to go to the land of Sodom and Gomorrah and that's also where you know
The mistress comes from and so here's the thing if if he had not made that choice, you know, then
You know, he wouldn't have destroyed his life
Money is not always the correct answer go to Titus 2 verse 11 Titus 2 verse 11 Titus 2 verse 11
It says but the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Okay. God's grace has appeared to everybody
Jesus died for everybody that's very clear, but notice this teaching us
They teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts
We should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world, you know being a saved person
It teaches us that we should live godly in this present world
It doesn't mean that we will but it means that we know that we should
Now here's the thing about this if you make decisions to serve God the world will often look at you and say
That person's kind of crazy
It's like what are you doing? It's like, you know, you're changing countries like what in the world?
I mean, there's a million Baptist churches or a million Protestant churches, you know in Europe what you're going to another country
Or it's like, you know, you're you're you're moving
I mean my my I took my family and moved across the country and just kind of threw away my career and just moved to
California and just said well, I mean God's gonna provide financially
We'll see what happens and it's just like, you know people look at that. They're just like, what are you doing?
It's like you spend all this time. You got the degree you spend all this time
It's like what are you doing with your life?
But here's the thing the world is gonna look at the decisions we make and think it's crazy because we're not basing them based on
Financial benefits we're basing them based on what does God want and can I serve God?
Hopefully that's what you're doing
Okay, and look there's many people at our church that that are currently making sacrifice looking for maybe different careers because they say you know
What I'm just not gonna be out of the things of God and you know what God promised to provide our needs
He didn't promise to make us rich though and see the world might look at that look at that like we're crazy
But the Bible says we're here in this present world to serve God. That is what our purpose is
verse 13
Looking for that blessed
Hope in the a glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us
from all iniquity and
Purifying to himself of peculiar people zealous of good works. See the Bible says we're to be a peculiar people
Now peculiar means that you seem a little bit strange. Okay. Now this does not mean that we're just
Intentionally weird people that's not what it's saying
But what it's saying is that when we're serving God the world's gonna look at us and think that we're a little bit strange
Right. I mean it ought to be that your co-workers look at you and think man
This person's really nice really respectful, but it's like what's this thing with like Christianity?
He's like always going to church and reading the Bible and he doesn't have time to hang out
I mean, we're not asking him to drink alcohol, but he can't come and hang out with us
He doesn't want to have a good time. They don't understand why we make these choices
But see when you're serving God the world is gonna just look at you and just think that you're a little bit strange
They're not gonna understand the decisions that you make okay go to first Peter to first Peter to first Peter to
Need to just decide in life not to make your decisions based on what other people think
Because here's the thing about this, you know, is it really strange to make decisions to have you know
to serve God better and to do a better job raising your kids and
Sacrifice some financially for that purpose. Is that really strange?
I mean, it doesn't really seem strange to me the world might look at it like it's crazy
But you know, we have a clear head when you're basing things based on the Bible and to us
It's like man, it logically does make sense to us. They're not gonna get it
So here's the thing don't make your choices based on what other people think
Don't allow yourself to get bullied into doing things that you don't want to do, right?
I mean oftentimes people get bullied in by other people and they're just like embarrassed or shy to do what's right because they're just simply
Worried about what other people think
Why do you care what other people think?
Right, what's gonna end up better for you? What does God want you to do? That should be what you consider?
Okay, God requires obedience from his people first Peter 2 verse 9
But ye are chosen generation a royal priesthood in holy nation of peculiar people
They should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light
And once again, you know
The Bible says that we're supposed to be a peculiar people
Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father
Which is in heaven your light supposed to shine before men and the world is just gonna look at you like you're strange
Right. I remember when I was working at a restaurant and you know when when I was the
Highest person in terms of the work in terms of being responsible for the restaurant
I would pick the music that was played and you know went from being rock and roll music to hymns
Right and then like the the co-workers are like what what in the world, right?
They just thought it was strange, but it's like I don't want to hear people blaspheme God
Right. I mean I'd be okay with no music
But it's like if I get to pick the music
I'm certainly not gonna allow it to stay rock and roll and they might think it's strange
But it's just like I want to sing praises to God now that the world's gonna look at that like it's a peculiar
But when you really think about it the songs that the world sings, I mean, it's it's shocking
It's shocking that that's allowed to go on and people don't think anything of it
And look I know what it's like for rock music because I used to listen to rock music and what happens is you sing words
And you never even think about what you're saying
And then all of a sudden now that you're saved you start thinking about those songs. Like what in the world was I singing?
It's like I'm blaspheming God. I'm mocking God. I'm
Glorifying drinking and drugs. It's like why would you want to do that?
Right, and so here's the thing the world might look at you like God says he wants us to be obedient people
That's what the Bible says
Go in your Bible to Hosea 11, Hosea 11, Hosea 11, Hosea 11
So here's the thing, I mean you might have been Israel for a while
But you know, it's time that you get called out of Egypt symbolically
Meaning you might have been saved for a long time. It's time you depart from Egypt
It's time you quit having like half of your life in the world and a half of your life
Serving God right doing this in-between thing where it's like do I want to go to Egypt and today?
I'll go to Egypt and tomorrow. I'll serve God and we go back and forth Sunday's a day of church
So I'm serving God Wednesday's a day of church. I'm serving God, but the other days of the week, you know
I want to you know, do some worldly things watch some movies, you know, listen to some things maybe God
I'm trying to serve no, it's it's time you left Egypt
Right as say people God has called us out of Egypt to quit living for the world and to start serving God
And you know what? Yes, that does make you a very peculiar person in 2021
Because last I checked the world is getting crazier every single year and last I checked the Bible
Has not changed in the last 50 years. The world has changed quite a bit
So here's the thing it used to be this is God and here's the world and they thought we were a little bit strange
But now the world's going all the way over here, right?
So here's the thing if you're serving God, it's like man. You're really starting to look peculiar
Look, I think it's weird that people laugh at a dude. I don't care if they think that that's strange, you know to me
It's strange that you think it's funny that a guy is wearing a dress and making just disgusting perverted jokes. That's strange to me
Okay, the world is crazy. And if you're a Bible believing Christian that is following the things of God, you're not crazy
You're serving God you're doing what's right?
Hosea 11 verse 2 Hosea 11 verse 2
Hosea 11 verse 2 as
They called them so they went from them now
This verse is kind of tricky and I'll just give you my opinion of this because in verse number one
What the Bible said is when Israel was a child, then I loved him and called my God called Israel out of Egypt
But here it says as they called them so they went from them
I believe that they is probably referring to like the prophets and the preachers of that day
Where basically God called them out of Egypt and how exactly did he do that?
Well, he did it through people preaching the Word of God
Saying you need to serve God and as they called them as the prophets and preachers are preaching to them
So they went from them. So basically Israel heard the message and they went the other direction
Okay, so I believe what he's saying is there's prophets and preachers that are preaching the truth and yet Israel departed from those people
Preaching the truth they sacrificed on to Balaam and burn incense to graven images
So just taking and embracing the gods of the heathen and burning incense to graven images
Having idolatry going exactly what the Bible says. I
Taught Ephraim also to go taking them by their arms, but they knew not that I healed them
When you think of taking them by their arms, you think of just kind of like, you know
I don't know like a little child that you got to just take
By the arms, you know what I mean? Like
both my kids are pretty young and
the reality is sometimes they get tired and I got to just pick Zeph up and take him by the arms and just
Take him wherever and you know what the Bible saying is this is what God did to us
He's like I looked at you as a child
Just like it said in verse 1 that needed to be taken by the arms and taken to wherever we're going because you're just not
Gonna be independent all the time on your own. So he's saying I took them by the arms. I helped them
I was like a father to a child that was bringing them along that was maturing them, but they knew not that I healed them
They weren't aware of the fact that God was actually protecting them and had his arms around them, right?
Now I've heard it said before with children and this is true, you know when children are at a young age
You know, that's when they're really dependent on their parents
And it's also the thing that they completely forget about when they get older right when my son's 20 years old
He's not gonna remember when he was 2 years old and I've got him in one arm and I'm taking a stroller or whatever
But that's when your kids actually really need right more so than any other time and that is how Israel was with God
God was taking them by the arms and he was protecting them. He was healing them
He was answering their prayers when they asked for a deliverer and it's like they were not aware that they were actually healed by God
okay verse 4 I
drew them with cords of a man with bands of love and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their
Jaws, and I laid meat on to them. So point number one is obedience. That is what God requires from his people
God requires us to obey
Okay point number two
Obligation point number two obligation. Not only should it be obedient. There is an obligation from God to us verse 5
He shall not return into the land of Egypt and the Assyrians shall be his king because they refuse to return
So here's the thing they wanted to return into Egypt
They're actually trying to link up physically literally with Egypt and the Bible says but the Assyrians gonna be his king
Why is this because they refuse to return to God? Okay
It's a tricky verse because it mentions the word return a couple different times
But they wanted to physically return to Egypt and God says that's not going to happen
Because of the fact you didn't return to me because of that the most wicked Empire in the world Assyria
They're gonna be your rulers. Okay now go to second Kings 17. I'll show this to you second Kings 17 second Kings 17
Second Kings chapter 17
And
In second Kings chapter 17 second Kings 17 notice what it says in verse number one second Kings chapter 17 verse number one
in
The 12th year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshia the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years
So she is the king of Israel verse 2 and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord
But not as the kings of Israel that were before him
So it says in verse 2 that he is evil, but it wasn't in the same way as previous Kings
So what I think it's saying is well, we're certainly not gonna call this guy a good guy
He still did evil but not quite as bad. Okay verse 3
Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria and Hoshia became his servant and gave him presents
And so basically Hoshia as the king, what does he do? He gives presents
He gives a financial benefit to Shalmaneser because they're afraid of Assyria
They don't want to get destroyed by Assyria because Assyria is wiping everybody out and they're taking pleasure in doing this
Just give money and presents to Assyria and then they won't destroy us verse 4 and the king of
Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshia
For he had sent messengers to sow king of Egypt and brought no present to the king of Assyria as he had done year by
Year and so this plan of the king Hoshia is
He decides I'm gonna stop giving money and stop giving presents to Assyria. Okay, we can't beat Assyria
We're afraid they're gonna take us over
And so what his plan was we're gonna become best friends with Egypt and we're gonna become servants to Egypt
Hoping Egypt is gonna bail us out and it's just like, you know, you're giving money
Every single year to Assyria and your plan is we'll just give money to somebody else and that's gonna make it better
Right. I mean it doesn't make sense when you're reading this, but basically they're they're they're just afraid of Assyria
They're sick of Assyria rolling over them. So they go to Egypt and they try to and a king of Assyria
He's aware of this it says he found conspiracy in Hoshia. So he realized that they were against Assyria
They're trying to take down Assyria
Now look Assyria was by no means a godly country
But they were the country that God allowed to have power and allowed to have rain and to pour out his judgment on the world
Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison
so once the king of Assyria finds out that they're not giving him any money, he just throws him in prison just
Throws him in jail and look this shows you the downfall of trying to side with the world
Because here's the thing instead of actually standing up to Assyria
What the king of Israel decided to do was well, let's just give him money and kind of meet the world halfway
Right. We don't want to stand completely against Assyria because we're scared of that
Instead we're gonna kind of go halfway where we're not really friends
But it's kind of like this agreement and everything and a lot of people do this with Christianity where they sort of leave Egypt
But they sort of don't sort of worldly and they're sort of not worldly and it's like on Sunday
I'm a Bible believing Christian, but my co-workers I can't tell them about it, right?
It's like I got to pretend like, you know, I still drink and it's like and you even lie about it
I like to party and stuff like that and it's just like you're kind of going in between it's like figure out what what you
Are figure out what you believe in figure out what you stand for, right?
But the king of Israel is kind of going both ways and the result is he gets thrown in prison
Okay, you cannot meet the world halfway. It never works. Okay verse 5
Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land and went up to Samaria and besieged it three years in
The ninth year of Hoshea the king of the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away into Assyria and
placed them in halah and in haber by the river of Gozan and in the cities of the meets and so here we see the
captivity of Israel and what you is that Israel was trying to link up with Egypt as it said in Hosea chapter 11
That's what is referring to it's like they're not going to return into Egypt, right?
They're trying to link up with Egypt to try to make this agreement and everything to fight against Assyria
And they're like, I'd rather be part of Egypt than be a part of Assyria and God says you're not going to return into Egypt
Right. This is true from a literal standpoint where they're not going to be able to return into Egypt
But the Assyrian shall be his king
But it's also true from a symbolic standpoint as well that look when when you leave Egypt
After you get saved and you make a decision after you're saved to start serving God
God's like I don't want you to return to Egypt
And look if you do that your life's going to be destroyed if you do that
The Assyrian is going to be your king so to speak. Okay, but that is what Israel is trying to do here verse 7
For so was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God
Which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt and had feared other gods
verse 8 and
walked in the statutes of the heathen whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel and of the kings of Israel which
They made and the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the Lord their God and they built them high
Places in all their cities from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city and they set them up
images and groves in every high hill and under every green tree and
Look whenever you're reading these these verses in these chapters through Hosea and other parts of the Bible
Do you see how idolatry is like the main focus of the wickedness that's taking place?
I mean, it's like chapter after chapter after chapter and it's like we see it
So much that we just kind of get desensitized to it. Like it's no big deal and you say brother suck
You don't understand though because in these other cultures
Those are gods but here they're just saints, right?
It's not a god
It's a saint but you know, I would say this that if the Bible were to define the idolatry out there
They probably call them gods because there's really no difference
It's the exact same thing as the Hindus having all these statues. Those are gods to them
Right, just because the Catholics believe in one God when they're praying to saints
It's like that's their God
Right. I mean you it's it's laughable to me you read this stuff and it's like hey
If you got this problem in life go to Joseph
If you got this problem go to Mary if you got this problem go to Elijah
If you got this problem go to Padre Pio, right?
And it's just like and look then Padre Pio just looks like a disturbing pervert
Just so that's the last that's the last
Saint I would pray to right, but it's just like you got this problem, you know, just go to this
I and you know
Sometimes it's just just funny like I remember reading the one on Joseph and they talked about how Joseph was a man
Who got married but then his wife made a vow of celibacy Mary according to the Catholic Church, right?
And he was never actually with her and everything
So if you're a single guy out there that's struggling you want to get married one day pray to Joseph, right?
Because he knows how it feels it's like what in the world it's like Jesus had brothers and sisters
like what part of that do Catholics and
Not understand because every single one of them say Mary was perpetually a virgin John Wesley Martin Luther all of them say that
Right. They're just like gods in here in the Philippines
These are their gods of the nations these Saints are their gods verse 11 and there they burnt
Incense in all the high places as did the heat in whom the Lord carried away before them and wrought wicked things to provoke
The Lord to anger for they served idols where of the Lord had said unto them ye shall not do this thing
Okay, go back to Hosea chapter 11 Hosea 11 Hosea 11
Hosea chapter 11
And look idolatry is a common thing and you know, there's a son according to the Bible right most of this world is
Idolatrous it's it's not just here in the Philippines now
This is really kind of the tip of the spear when it comes to Catholicism in terms of idolatry, I would say
But you look at other countries any Buddhist country is gonna have a lot of idolatry
You have Buddhist statues everywhere and then like any any Hindu country good night
They're certainly gonna have a lot of idolatry and then you look at most religions of this world
They just have a lot of idolatry whether they call them figurines or they they call them images grow whatever
They have their thing that they pants what the Bible says. Okay, Hosea 11 verse 5
Let's go back to verse 5 Hosea 11 verse 5
He shall not return into the land of Egypt what they wanted to do in second King 17
They wanted to go back to Egypt and the Assyrians shall be as king why because they refused to return
They refused to return when God is warning them by prophets over and over again return to me come back
Get rid of your sin. I'll give you another chance and they refused to return
They refused to accept the rebuke for men of God and what ends up happening. Well, the Assyrian becomes their king
Look, I don't believe our country is going to be taken over by another country
What's gonna happen in the future?
But the reality is in a symbolic sense the same is true as you reject God
You're going to become in captivity
Whether it's of some sin or whether it's of some bondage you're going to destroy your life
Okay
So in verse 5 it said he shall not return into the land of Egypt in the Assyrian shall be his king
because they refused to return now go back to verse 2 verse 2 and
It says as they called them
So they went from them they sacrificed on the Balaam and burn incense to graven images
So I I believe you can see when you're linking these together when it says they called them
It's referring to the prophets preaching the Word of God, but they refused to return
they refused to return when they heard the Word of God preached verse 6 and
the sword
shall abide on his cities and shall consume his branches and devour them because of their own councils and
My people are bent to backsliding from me though. They call them to the Most High none at all would exalt him
And so God says his people are bent to backslide and the same is true in today's world as well
God's people are bent to backslide
People know the Word of God people maybe grow up in church
They hear the Word of God preached and yet they just turn from God they rebel against God and many people in their lives
They kind of do this this tennis ball thing where they're on both sides of the court every other second
It's like right now you're serving God now
You're serving the world now you're serving and you just get you do this yo-yo thing back and forth back and forth
it's like just make up your mind what you're gonna do and
It's really evident, you know at older calls, which we're never gonna have but it's just like, you know people really decide
I'm gonna start serving God right they come down to that old-fashioned older right that makalu among older
That's so old-fashioned. It predates the Bible because it's not in there, right?
And it's just like they decide they're gonna serve God and then on on Monday morning
Maybe they start serving God a little bit, but then it just kind of fades out because they're doing this yo-yo thing
They're going back and forth because they're living their lives based on emotion
They live their lives based on emotion rather than just having a set schedule and being wise look it's it's it's it's not that complicated
Just write down. Here's my schedule tomorrow morning
Six to six thirty in the morning is when I do my Bible reading
Six thirty to seven is when I do my Bible reading after my Bible reading six thirty to six forty five is my prayer time
And you have a prayer list and you know what you just go through it
And so when you feel like doing it you do it when you don't feel like doing it you do it why it's just a routine
that you do I
Mean think about your personal lives with your jobs
Look most of us probably don't enjoy our jobs
Right I mean most of you if you could make the same amount of money and not work
You'd probably just do something else right you probably don't always enjoy
Just waking up and going to work and doing whatever, but you do it routinely. Why you need the money
right
Well in a spiritual standpoint you need the Word of God every morning
I mean do you go to work in the morning without eating any food, and then just I'll just skip lunch I
Just skip dinner. I'm doing all right. I'm just trying to lose some weight, so I'm just I just didn't eat today
And then the next day
I just I don't feel like eating and then it's like you just eat every four days or something or on
Sunday you eat two chapters of the Bible and
Then on Wednesday you eat one chapter of the Bible, and it's like that's my that's my
You know my spiritual nourishment right and it's like you don't do that physically
But yet people do that spiritually all the time where they basically just drain themselves spiritually
And they're just like it's so hard serving God. I don't think I can make it right now look
Serving God is not easy
but it's especially not easy if you don't get your spiritual nourishment from reading the Bible and
When people fade out of the Christian life the reality is that there's obviously something that they're doing wrong now people go through
obstacles and trials and we're all gonna have that but that's especially why you need to be founded on the rock as
Jesus said at the end of Matthew chapter 7 because here's the thing the storms come whether you're founded on the rock or not
The difference is when the storm comes those that are founded on the rock they last
Through that storm and those that are not they fade away every single one of us is going to go through storms in your life
And we're all gonna have foolish thoughts where we think maybe my life would be better if
I
Quit reading the Bible and just calm down all of us are gonna have those foolish thoughts, right?
I mean, I'm not naive it happens. I mean look it happens to me where sometimes
I'm just like man
You know is it really worth doing this would I be better off doing something?
Here's the difference so when you're founded on the rock when that storm comes you're gonna last through it according to the end of
Matthew chapter 7 if you're not found on that rock you're just gonna fold immediately
It's just all depends on are you prepared for that battle because the battle is gonna come
There's no secret formula to avoiding that battle
Brother Stuckey you know my goal is just to avoid any problems in any battles and any strife and anything coming up in my life
I just want to avoid it. What's the magic formula?
There is no magic formula, and here's the thing if you don't serve God you're gonna have storms, too. I
Mean unsaved people have financial problems save people that are not serving God have financial problems save people that are serving
God have financial problems. It's like Abraham. Yes, you're going through a famine everybody goes through famines
Right all of us go through storms in life. It's a matter of are you prepared for that battle?
Well look God is a jealous God he demands our admiration
He demands you to be obedient and your obligation is to serve him and forsake Egypt
But lastly I want to look at this the obscenity of others, okay, we had obedience
obligation obscenity of others
And I want to show you that the people around Israel are the problem okay verse 8
How shall I give thee up Ephraim? How shall I deliver the Israel and here at the beginning of verse 8?
We're kind of seeing God's heart
He's like I don't want to give you up Ephraim. I don't want to deliver you over Israel
He's like I don't want your life to be destroyed. I don't want to pour out this. Do you think God it just enjoys man?
I want to just harm
People right no I mean he has a heart for them
He cares about them because it's a personal God that loves us and has compassion on us
And what he's saying is how shall I give thee up Ephraim? I don't want to give you up
I don't want you to be in captivity. I mean how shall I deliver the Israel?
How shall I make thee as Admah?
How shall I set thee as Zebom? You say Admah, Zebom. What is that referring to okay?
Well go to Genesis chapter 10, Genesis chapter 10, Genesis 10
Genesis chapter 10
How shall I make thee as Admah, and how shall I set thee as Zebom?
I have no idea if I'm pronouncing that correctly
I don't I don't think you ever hear sermons on Admah and Zebom or whatever right I'll have to listen to Alexander Scorby
You know in the morning or whatever
Genesis 10 verse 19 and
The border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as thou comest to Gerar on to Gaza as a ghost on to Sodom and Gomorrah
and
Admah and Zebom
Even on to Laysha, so what are Admah and Zebom? Those are the locations that are just outside
of
Sodom and Gomorrah
Okay, when we think of Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed the primary place you think of is Sodom because that's where you get the term
Sodomites, but generally you say Sodom and Gomorrah. They're together. They're just kind of mentioned Sodom
Those aren't the only two areas that were destroyed though. Okay, go to Deuteronomy 29, Deuteronomy 29, Deuteronomy 29
Deuteronomy chapter 29, Deuteronomy 29
Brother Sucky, you're always preaching against the homos. Well, it's always coming up in the Bible, right?
I mean show me another place where Admah and Zebom are mentioned
It's like it's kind of hard because it's it's I'm showing you I believe these are all the verses that it's only mentioned a couple
Times and it's linked with Sodom and Gomorrah because it was right outside of Sodom and Gomorrah
Okay
Deuteronomy 29 verse 23 and that the whole land thereof is brimstone and salt and burning that it is not sown nor beareth
Nor nor any grass growth therein like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah
Admah and
Zebom which the Lord overthrew in his anger and in his wrath
So do you see how they were also destroyed when Sodom and Gomorrah is destroyed?
now why is it that Israel's mentioned as Admah and Zebom and not as Sodom and
Not as Gomorrah because of the fact Israel wasn't as bad as the heathen nations whose practices they were adopting
But the same thing is gonna happen to them as is gonna happen to the heathen nations
They're all gonna be judged. They're all gonna be destroyed
Admah was not as bad as Sodom
Zebom was not as bad as Sodom
But the same thing happened to Admah and Zebom as did Sodom and Gomorrah and see what the Bible is trying to say is
Yeah, I hope you're not as bad as a filthy pedophile
homo, but at the same time when you go half way half way with God and
Halfway with them the same thing is probably gonna happen to you in your life
It's gonna destroy your life, and that's what happened to Israel Israel was destroyed
Where were they as bad as Assyria of course not I mean Assyria was the most wicked nation there was
Were they as bad as Egypt no?
But they were adopting the same heathen gods in the same practices and the same thing ends up happening to them as happens
To all of them because here's the thing all countries end up getting judged when they become wicked
You say but Assyria was so powerful well, where's Assyria today?
There's like a remnant of like what a hundred fifty thousand people that say oh, you know we're Assyrian
We have that heritage and everything and then they really they really hate the Bible's depiction of them, right?
I watched a documentary on that like the Assyrian people today
They're like an Orthodox religion, which is completely different, and they're like no Assyria wasn't that bad. It's like oh, yeah, you were
Right okay. I'll be honest with you. I don't really care. What about my heritage from 4,000 years ago
I mean, it's okay if they were wicked right. It's like they don't have if you read from the Bible
Oh, they were wicked. They were a heathen people
They're wicked people
But see Israel they go halfway in pleasing the world and then pleasing God and they end up as Admah and Zebom
They're destroyed. That's what happens go to Hosea 11 Hosea 11 Hosea 11
I
Mean God warns not to learn the way of the heathen
Now are the heathen worse than God's people well, yeah, did the heathen do more human sacrifice
Probably more abortion more drunkenness
Sodomy and I'm sure they did
But when you're adopting what the heathen does then you're still going to be held accountable for it
And you're still going to be destroyed and the reality is since God expects his people to be peculiar if
You're representing God and you don't fit that at all. Then God's like man
I don't want to have anything to do with this person and
As a nation and obviously as safe people we can never lose our salvation
But as a nation Israel God's like I'm just done with them because I didn't give them an everlasting covenant
And these are supposed to be my people and look at how filthy and wicked they are. He's like I'm done with them
I don't want to have anything to do with them. The same would be true of a church
can you imagine if you're a church and we were like the church of Corinth and
We did nothing about it
God would be like I'm gonna remove that candlestick pretty quickly and move all the good people to another place
It is not infiltrated with this disgusting
Right, and so I want you to realize this that as God's people if we try to go halfway to the world
We're gonna destroy our lives. We're gonna be like Adama and Zebom as the Bible says
Hosea 11 verse 8 Hosea 11 verse 8
He says how shall I give thee up Ephraim how shall I deliver the Israel?
Right and then how shall I make thee as Admah?
how shall I set thee as a bone mine heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together and
So I want you to see that it says here mine heart is turned within me
My repentings are kindled together now look obviously God cannot repent of his sins because he's sinless, okay?
But you do see how repentings are linked with a
Turning and that's all that repent means to turn or to change you got to look at the context to figure out
What is being repented up? Okay now obviously when it comes to God God is sinless
So he's never gonna repent of his sins
There's nothing wrong though with saying repentance of sins the problem is when people attach that to salvation
Okay, I mean because a sermon like this. What am I telling you to do?
I'm saying repent of your worldliness repent of your sins right, but not to be saved
Because you got saved a long time ago, and so you have eternal life. I'm not telling you to repent of your sin
There's nothing wrong with using the word repent
And it's sort of a shame in today's world because every time you preach about repentance
It's like you have to clarify what you mean by that
Because somebody could hear the sermon and say oh yeah, I agree with that pastor you got to repent right he said
It's like what we should repent, but it has nothing to do with salvation meaning repenting of your sins
the only repentance in terms of salvation is change what you believe and
believe on Jesus Christ
But then a sermon like this what am I telling you? I'm saying repent of your sins. Why well you're already saved
I'm telling you to get rid of your worldliness
You don't have to do that to get saved or to prove your salvation or to keep your salvation
because there's nothing to do with salvation, but
We should repent of our sins
But here what it's saying is that God says my repentings are kindled together
Meaning God's like I don't want to destroy you right
I don't want to destroy you, but I'm gonna have to destroy you and God's like I'm holy
Meaning I have to destroy you
But I have compassion because Israel was my people and he says my repentings are kindled together. God's like I'm loved
I'm compassionate, but I'm also holy
Because people have this idea. God is just love love love no. He's also holy
And he's in a position where he's like these are my people. I want to give them another chance. I love them
I'm long-suffering
But I'm also holy and
He's like unfortunately you're like Adma and Zeboam
You weren't Sodom and Gomorrah
But you're right on the outside and you're getting destroyed as well
And I don't want to do this because I love you. I have compassion my repentings are kindled together
But unfortunately my holiness demands the fact and I want you to realize it
This is the reason why there's a hell
Because God is holy
God is loving but at the same time God is also just and fair God's holy and then because of his attributes
That's why hell exists. That's why people go to hell. It's also the reason why nations are judged because God is holy
Verse number nine. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger
I will not return to destroy Ephraim for I am God and not man
The holy one in the midst of thee and I will not enter into the city you say brother Stuckey
I'm confused because he just talks about how you know, they're gonna be like admins of bone
But now he's saying I'm not gonna execute the fierceness of mine anger. I'm not gonna destroy Ephraim
Crying God and not man, but then he says this
The holy one in the midst of thee God is like I am actually too holy
To come and destroy you because there's all this sin and this wickedness and what happened is Israel just got assimilated
with the rest of the nations
It wasn't like Nineveh where boom they're just destroyed they just got assimilated with
Everybody and so instead of God just coming and just pouring out his wrath and destroying them like he did to Nineveh
They just got assimilated into the nation
So he says I'm not gonna execute the fierceness of mine anger, but basically you're just gonna be scattered abroad
Right and isn't this how the book of James starts off. It says to the twelve tribes which are
scattered abroad
Because Israel got scattered abroad and in Judah the same thing ends up happening and they just got scattered abroad
So if you run into someone who's a Jew today
They're not going to be able to tell you which one of the twelve tribes are from
Now from my perspective, I'm thinking if you're a Jew, it's got to be Judah or Benjamin, right?
I mean, it's just like I got to narrow down to two, but they got it narrowed down to twelve
They have no idea what tribe they're from you say why is that? Well, because they were just
Assimilated throughout the entire world and so honestly in today's world if you look at the religion of Judaism
Okay, we know who's a Jewish person based on if they say they believe in Judaism. We don't know in terms of ethnically
We have no idea who were the people from thousands of years ago because they just got assimilated into the nation's now the people that
Are in Israel today? They will say that they're of that ethnicity, but where is their proof?
There is no proof
Because it used to be they knew exactly which I mean in the Bible you're reading it's like I'm of the tribe of Benjamin
Paul the Apostle knew that right but then after that time period nobody knew it anymore because it just got passed down so long
Nobody knew where their heritage was from and they've been kicked out of so many countries that they couldn't
Tell you where they come from or who they were with and everything. It's like they're just assimilated amongst all the nations
They have absolutely no idea, but God didn't go and destroy them. He says I'm not going to enter into the city
You're just going to be assimilated and taken over by Assyria, okay?
Now I think when he says for I am God and not man like what he's really trying to highlight
Is this that a normal person would be so angry by Israel just whoring around on them
I mean if you can think of somebody who's married and then like their wife just whores around
I mean they would be so angry and so mad and God's like I'm just gonna assimilate you amongst the nation, okay?
Then it says here in verse 10
I think after verse 9 we start to transition to end times references and end times prophecy and to be honest
You know, I'm not really preaching so much in these verses because of the fact, you know
We already have a fooling sermon and with the end time stuff people could have different opinions
But here's what it says in verse 10
They shall walk after the Lord
He shall roar like a lion when he shall roar then the children shall tremble from the west
They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt and as a dove out of the land of Assyria
And I'll place him in their house to sayeth the Lord
Ephraim compass me about with lies in the house of Israel with deceit
But Judah yet ruleth with God and is faithful with the Saints now
Here's what I'm saying. I believe this is kind of end times references because in verses 10 and 11
It's it's pretty deep but then in verse 12 when it says Judah yet ruleth with God
Well, I mean Judah is already being rebuked at this point as well
It's not like God really has nice things to say about Judah. He just says I'm still giving them a time
We're going to give him more of a chance. And so I think we're transitioning to end times prophecy there
But the three points we had are this point. Number one is obedience
Okay, God expects his people to be obedience point number two obligation
There are things that we are expected and obliged to do
Obligated to do because of what God tells us in his word and point three
We see the obscenity of others meaning when you're close to the Sodom and Gomorrah
It's going to affect you and you're gonna go down the same road as them and let me tell you something
Maybe 50 years ago preaching about Admah and Zebom wouldn't have you're like, well, it doesn't really apply
I mean, what do you mean Sodom and Gomorrah, but Sodom and Gomorrah is everywhere around us and
You say what's an accurate? What's an accurate comparison?
Well, here's an accurate comparison because here's the thing if you're saved you're never becoming a homo, right?
You're never gonna literally be Sodom and Gomorrah and hopefully everybody here is saved
But but when you start just, you know, enjoying the world's entertainment
That is just filled with a bunch of homos and perverts
It's like you're going down that road and let me tell you something all the actors and actresses
You're just like well this person's a home not a homo. We'll wait 20 years and we'll find out
Because like good night in the United States every single one is just like oh it turns out he was a homo
It's like yeah, well, we kind of figured that 20 years ago
Right, you got on and you know, they always get away with it to
John Travolta like who knows John Travolta. I'm trying to get famous American name John Travolta who was in
What's that dancing movie for my staying alive? Is that the name of the movie or Saturday Night Fever, right?
Saturday Night Fever and I used to love Pulp Fiction. I'll admit my sins one to another that was my favorite movie, right?
Before, you know, I got saved I was like man, right when they use the Lord's name in vain so much
John Travolta has molested multiple men
Multiple men have had harassment on him that they were molested and raped by John Travolta
I mean even the co-star even the co-star is in
Greece not Saturday Night Fever, but Greece the other guy who was the co-star
He talked about how it's like John Travolta was always trying to attack him, you know, like at night and stuff like that
He was trying to catch him and rape him and everything. It's just like good night
That's the actors and actor and look you can look that up
All right, Kevin Spacey another famous actor from the US, you know
I mean all these people it's just like comes out of them being molesters and perverts and you say why is that?
Well because of the fact Satan's the god of this world and
When there's a really famous actor and actress you can pretty much guarantee. They're probably not a Bible believing
Christian
Soul winner that loves God because the devil is gonna promote his own
It's the same thing in the music industry because honestly, I believe that in today's world you could be the world's greatest singer
But if you're a godly person, you're never gonna make it in the music industry
Because it's it's not God's industry and look praise the Lord if you have those musical abilities
We'll use them for the Lord. But here's the thing when you go part way and say well, you know
I'm never gonna be a homo so I'm okay
Well, I hope I hope you're saved if you're saved you're never gonna become a homo
But when you embrace the world's entertainment
You gotta ask yourself which side are you on because throughout the Bible it condemns the Sodom and Gomorrah
But then there's admins of bone that also get destroyed and it's like there's a lot of Christians that are like this
They're just like well, you know, this is bad. It's wrong. You know gay marriage is bad at everything, but this Baptist preacher
I mean, he really shouldn't have said that
It's I mean he started the fight
It's like that's those are the molesters and then you're mad at the Baptist preacher that preaches against it
It's like you know what?
You need to get in the Word of God and get out of the world's entertainment because you're getting brainwashed by the world
Let's close an order prayer your heavenly father
Thank you for allowing us be here today and getting to see your word on this topic God and help us to try to serve
You help us to not just be safe people here
But let us you know go out of Egypt symbolically and not try to meet the world halfway
But just serve you and forget those things which are behind and press forth to those things
Which are before we pray this in Jesus name and brother Prince will sing song number 30 to close
What can wash away my fear? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make Him whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh, precious is the most that makes me want to know.
No other sound I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my pardon did not cease. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my cleansing did not cease. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh, precious is the most that makes me want to know.
No other sound I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Nothing came forth in our soul. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What are we then? I now come. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh, precious is the most that makes me want to know.
No other sound I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
This is all my hope and peace. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
This is all my right to stand. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh, precious is the most that makes me want to know.
No other sound I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
you