This sermon is the hypocrisy of Israel the hypocrisy of Israel another name could be the fake
Spirituality of Israel and so point number one here starting verse one
We see the advance of the enemy the advance of the enemy notice what it says in verse one
Set the trumpet to thy mouth set the trumpet to thy mouth now
Why is he saying that set the trumpet to thy mouth keep your finger in Hosea chapter 8 go to numbers chapter 10 in your Bible
Go to the Old Testament number chapter 10
numbers chapter 10
Numbers chapter 10 verse 9
Numbers chapter 10 verse 9 and what God's basically doing is he's kind of warning Israel
God is sending destruction to Israel, but he kind of still gives them a warning
He says, you know set the trumpet to thy mouth
Basically prepare for battle the advance of the enemy is coming. Okay numbers 10 verse 9
And
If you go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you then you shall blow an alarm
With the trumpets and he shall be remembered before the Lord your God and you shall be saved from your enemies
So you see that before you go to battle you would blow a trumpet, right?
And that makes sense because you're trying to rally the troops up and everything and then God's basically telling them
You know what? I'm sending you an enemy. I'm sending you destruction
He said set the trumpet to thy mouth go back to Hosea 8 Hosea 8 Hosea chapter 8
Hosea chapter 8 verse 1
Hosea 8 verse 1 so basically what he's doing is he's warning them that they are going to be destroyed now the enemy that's gonna destroy
Them it's actually sent from the Lord, but he still gives them a warning here Hosea 8 verse 1 set the trumpet to thy mouth
He shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord notice
How it says he shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord go to verse 3
Israel hath cast off the thing that is good the enemy shall pursue him
So what you're seeing is he's telling them to blow the trumpet because the enemy is coming after you you're getting ready for battle
And what he said is he shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord now
Go to Joel chapter 2 the next book in your Bible you got Hosea, then you got the book of Joel
Joel chapter 2
And I'll give you another example about how blowing a trumpet is basically sounding the alarm that the battle is about to take place
Joel chapter 2 verse 1
Joel 2 verse 1
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion and sound an alarm in my holy mountain
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble for the day of the Lord cometh for it is nigh at hand
So he says blow ye the trumpet in Zion sound an alarm
Why the enemy is advancing the battle is about to take place
That's what he's saying in Hosea 8 go to Deuteronomy chapter 28 Deuteronomy 28
Deuteronomy 28 and the other thing he said was this he shall come as an eagle
Against the house of the Lord he shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord
Notice what it says in Deuteronomy 28 verse 49
Deuteronomy 28 verse 49 and this is kind of part of the warnings here in Deuteronomy 28 where if you rebel against me
Okay, and he's gonna say in Deuteronomy 28 verse 49
Here are all the curses that are gonna come if you rebel against me now if we remember it said in Hosea
He shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord
Deuteronomy 28 verse 49 the Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far from the end of the earth as
Swift as the eagle flyeth a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand
So when you're cross referencing here in the Bible
What he's saying is blow the trumpet the enemy's coming and these are part of the curses
He warned them about a long time ago if you rebel against me if you break the Covenant because it's not an everlasting covenant
If you break it, you're gonna have destruction and he's gonna send send an army as swift as the eagle flyeth
Right. So in Hosea chapter 8 he's telling them that you know what? I'm sending this army to destroy you
But he's sending them out a warning there in verse number one. He's letting them know this go back to Hosea 8
I know we're jumping around a lot at the beginning trying to cross last week. The sermon was almost 80 minutes long, right?
So I'm trying not to go 80 minutes
So if I go a little bit shorter tonight then balances out to just over an hour
So that's okay, right? And so
He said he's gonna send a nation against you if you rebel against me as swift as the eagle flyeth
So Hosea chapter 8 verse 1 Hosea 8 verse 1
Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord
He shall come he's sending the enemy in to destroy them
Because they have transgressed my covenant and trespassed against my law, right? He didn't give them an everlasting covenant
He said I've got this covenant with you
But if you break it, I'm gonna send a nation against you as swift as an eagle and that's exactly what takes place
Hosea 8 verse 2 notice the plea of Israel
Israel shall cry unto me
My God, we know thee
My God, we know thee so they're crying out to God. How can you destroy us?
Because we know you we're your people you love us. We got this covenant, right? We know you God. We love you
Why are you doing this to us? We know thee. Okay now go to Galatians chapter 4
Okay, Galatians chapter 4 because I want you to realize something
Everybody will say that they know God
Everybody will say that they love God, right?
I mean if you were to go out soul winning and I don't do this when I'm soul winning because the purpose of soul winning
Is to win souls obviously, but if you were to go out soul winning and just ask people. Hey, do you love God?
You know what? Everybody's gonna tell you
Yes
Every I mean, do you know a lot about God? Do you know about God's character?
You know what the Bible says about God? Yeah, you know, I know about God right then you're telling them about stories of the Bible
Right, you try to explain something like oh, you know Samson. Hey, who's Samson, right?
Noah it's like Noah, you know, is that the one married to Eve? It's like no it wasn't right
It's like they don't know anything about the Bible, but everybody feels like they know God
I mean, it's it's it's in and brother Jared said this in California. This is so true
This is like the only book in the world where people will know absolutely nothing about it. And yet they think they know a lot
Right. I mean if you've never taken a math class or you never taken count, you're not gonna say man
I I understand this calculus book
I understand everything about calculus if you've never taken a calculus class, but with the Bible people have never read it
They don't go to church. They don't memorize the Bible, but yet they know God
It's like I know God I know what the Bible says it's like the only book in the world
I haven't figured out exactly why that is
But you know what the amazing thing about the Bible is the more you read it the less like you feel, you know
Right. I remember when I first heard the gospel I thought in my head man
I know what the Bible says and I was arguing about how hey the Bible says if you commit suicide you're going to hell
Right because I wasn't saved. So I'm the person who's getting saved during the conversation. I was like, no, I don't care
I was like Mike you don't know what you're talking about
I said the Bible teaches that if you commit suicide you go to hell, right and then I realized during the conversation
I don't know what I'm talking about
You know what?
I've learned through the the time I've been saved in 18 years of being saved almost 18 years
The more I read this book the more I realize you know what? I'm barely scratching the surface
There's so much. I don't know we're going through the book of Hosea here, you know in Wednesdays
And I've learned a lot memorizing Hosea and and and studying and preparing these sermons
But I'll be the first to tell you there's a lot of verses in the first half of Hosea where I'm just still kind of
like
Not sure
I'm not sure the exact connotation and I'm sure there's things that I preach where maybe I'm getting some of what God's trying to say
But you know if the Holy Spirit was here just to just open up his mouth and tell me he'd be like, okay this this this
It's like I'm really barely scratching the surface of it, right?
But this is the one book where people feel like they know God and they feel like they know this book even though they've never
Read it, right?
So Hosea chapter 8 verse 2 what they said is we know that what is saying Galatians 4 Galatians chapter 4 verse 8
Galatians 4 verse 8
How be it then when ye knew not God ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods, right?
He says when he didn't know God you were worshiping idols and false gods
But notice verse 9 notice this but now after that ye have known God
But notice or rather are known of God. You know what Paul's saying there
He's saying because here's the thing people use this terminology
Yeah
I know God and they try to link in it
Liking it to salvation Paul says after you that you knew God or rather are known of God because what is salvation?
When God knows you that's what salvation is my sheep hear my voice and they know me
No, no my sheep hear my voice and I know them. That's what salvation is
Here's the thing to be saved. You must understand salvation. That doesn't mean that you really know God though
Right. I mean if you want to know God
That's a lifetime of studying the Bible and getting close to God to say that you actually
Know God and yet Israel was saying in Hosea chapter 8 we know thee and God's like, you know me
It's like I don't even know you
Because here's the thing, you know, but before we know God first we he needs to know us we need to get saved
We need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
And then we got to actually study his word and start living for God and until we do that
We can't say that we know God
Right me even even Paul talked about how he's pressing on the upward way that I may know him is what he said now was
Paul already saved. Yes, he was but here's the thing. He still was getting to know God and getting close to God, right?
I mean if you want to know God that takes a lifetime
Yes, you know what if you get saved God knows you my sheep her my voice and I know them that doesn't mean that you know
God, but it's funny how we go soul winning and everybody says that they know God and
You know God's thinking man. I don't even know you you're not even saved go to Hosea 8 Hosea chapter 8 Hosea chapter 8
I
Mean and here's the thing. I don't try to use like, you know examples always to prove what we believe
I mean, it's better just to use verses but here's the thing
I mean in in some ways the Bible says that we're married unto Christ, you know, that's an analogy given right?
Obviously, it's not a perfect analogy. It's it's just symbolism. Here's the thing though when you get married. You can't really say
Oh, I know everything about my spouse now now you might feel that way when you get married
But then it's like no you're learning your entire lifetime, right?
I mean, it's just like you can't say I know everything about them right now when you get saved though
I mean God yeah, he knows he knows you but you're still getting to know him just like when you get married
You're still getting to know your spouse for the decades that you're married right until you die
You're still learning about him and still getting to know them, right? And so notice what it says in Hosea 8 verse 3
Israel hath cast off the thing that is good the enemy shall pursue him
So what are we seeing in these first few verses? We're seeing the advance of the enemy. God's warning them sound the trumpet
It's gonna come as an eagle as I warned you about in Deuteronomy chapter 28 and he's giving them a heads up
Why because they broke the Covenant and they're crying out. Well, we know the God God's like no
He's just like I don't know you you're not even saved. Okay, so we see the advance of the enemy
That's point number one point number two
We see an adoration
For idols we see an
Adoration for idols a love of idols. Okay Hosea 8 verse 4
They have set up kings but not by me
They have made princes and I knew it not of their silver and their gold have they made them idols that they may be cut
off now
Notice that they have silver and and gold and what do they do with that silver and gold they make idols out of it
Look there's nothing dumber to do with silver and gold then make an idol. I
Mean, there's literally nothing dumber. It's like that. That's that's a lot of money you're wasting
Right. Sometimes I think you know whenever I walk down to the riverbanks
They're they're always like selling idols on the side of the street
They're not using gold and silver but there and I'm just thinking man so much time is being invested in so much money and effort
And it's just like, you know, what what what are they doing?
It's like and I get tempted as I'm going by that one little store on the side
I just want to smash all those idols, right?
It's like of course, I'm not gonna do that. But here's the thing
It's just like, you know of their silver and their gold have they made them idols
It's not like Israel could say you haven't provided us the corn and the wine that they were just worshiping other idols
No, it's like God gave you money and then you're using it on idolatry
What I found in idolatrous countries you might have this big
You know festival of idolatry or this big statue that that people worship like there's certain places here in the Philippines
Feast of the black Nazarene things such as that but then people also make a lot of little idols as well
And I'll tell you what, there's a lot of Catholics here that have idols in their house, right?
I mean my wife's relatives. It's like they got Buddha statues
They got Joseph and Mary and all these statues and statues and all this idolatry and everything
It's like man if you had just used that money to like buy a car
Or a down payment on a house. I mean, it's like they spend a lot of money on idolatry and
It's crazy how people will spend all of their money to buy an idol to buy something that the Bible says can't see
can't hear
Can't speak and it's like you're spending all your money on something that has no value
And the only thing you're getting is the curse of God upon your life, right?
And so they of silver and gold have they made them idols that they may be cut off
What does be cut off mean? Well, it means to be killed or to be destroyed, right?
That's what cut off means in the Bible. Hosea verse 5 thy calf
O Samaria hath cast thee off. So they're crying out. Why are we being destroyed?
Well, it's because of the golden calf you're worshiping
That's what the Bible saying thy calf O Samaria hath cast thee off, right?
Don't blame God for getting rid of you
Don't blame the enemy for destroying you that is taking place because of the golden calf that you're worshiping
The same thing they're wasting their money on that is also what brings destruction upon them thy calf
O Samaria hath cast thee off mine anger is kindled against them
How long it will it be ere they attain to innocency they claim innocency?
We've done nothing wrong, but God's anger is kindled against them for that idol that they're worshiping, right?
But what is that referring to thy calf O Samaria? Okay, go to first Kings 12 first Kings 12
Let's go back and see what this is actually talking about first Kings 12 first Kings 12
Now if you remember the story of Solomon Solomon ends up marrying a lot of women and he ends up
you know having all these idols because of his wife and
Solomon basically has the kingdom taken from or most of it after he's gone
Like basically he's told how it's gonna be taken from him and then you know
You have Jeroboam who's actually one of the right-hand men of Solomon and then Jeroboam's gonna get ten of the twelve tribes
And then all of a sudden, you know Solomon finds out he wants to kill Jeroboam Jeroboam's on the run
Then all of a sudden he comes back the kingdom goes to Rehoboam Solomon's son
Right and then all of a sudden they come to him Jeroboam is with the other people and then they said your dad
Your father made the yoke really difficult. He made it so difficult on us
And then it's like can you just make it a little bit less and then we're gonna serve you now my opinion
Is that Jeroboam was a very smart guy who's just a phony because he already knows it's been promised to him, right?
It's just kind of his plan where he knows what's gonna take place. He's a smart guy
Okay, and then Rehoboam gets advice from the old man and the young man and the old men say hey
Yeah, make it a little bit easier and everything like that on them and then the young people say hey just go to town
on these people just make it really difficult and look that makes perfect sense because
That's the difference between people that are younger and older young people want to go to war and then older people have a little bit
More wisdom, right? That's just kind of the way it is. Okay, you say brother suck. Yeah, I still want to go to war
It's like well once you get older and you know, the wisdom will come right and so
That's what takes place and then Jeroboam's told he's gonna get get most of the twelve tribes
But then all of a sudden Jeroboam later on he doubts after he's already gotten ten of the tribes
He starts to doubt that they're gonna follow. He's afraid they're gonna go and start going back to Rehoboam, right?
Now he shouldn't have that fear because he was already told that this belongs to you, but he has that fear
So in first Kings 12 verse 26 notice this this is Jeroboam. This is not Solomon's son
Rehoboam is Solomon's son
but Jeroboam
said in his heart and this is the one who's the leader of the kingdom of Israel as the kingdoms have been divided and
Jeroboam said in his heart now shall the kingdom return to the house of David
So inside of his heart he said, you know what?
I
believe these ten tribes are gonna go back to the southern kingdom of Judah and Rehoboam's gonna get all twelve tribes because what was
Taking place was God said, you know, I don't have a system of a king
But then the people beg for a king King Saul becomes the king, right? He ends up becoming bad
He persecutes David David gets the kingdom David passes it on to a son Solomon
And so now they have this system of kings where it's gonna be passed on to one of the sons, right?
So Solomon's gonna pass it on to Rehoboam
But Solomon sinned and so most of that kingdoms taken away
Most of it goes to Jeroboam but Jeroboam afterwards in first Kings 12
He said in his heart now shall the kingdom return to the house of David
So he's afraid those ten tribes are going to depart from him verse 27
If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem
Which is in the southern kingdom of Judah then shall the heart of this people turn again on to their Lord
Even on a Rehoboam king of Judah and they shall kill me and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah
So what he says in verse 27 is what I'm worried about is this that these ten tribes
They're gonna worship God in the southern kingdom of Judah and their hearts gonna make them want to go back
To Rehoboam. They're gonna leave me because they're worshiping in the southern kingdom. And so he's worried about that
I cannot have them worshiping God in the southern kingdom of Judah
I need them worshiping God here and not in Jerusalem. That's what he's saying
So what's his plan verse 28 where upon the king took counsel and made two calves of gold and said on to them?
It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem
Behold thy gods of Israel which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt
And so so so what you see Jeroboam saying is this he's like, you know
It's just too far to go to Jerusalem to worship God. I don't want it to be too difficult on you to worship God
So here's the thing. I'm gonna create these two calves for you and you can just worship God right here, right?
You don't have to go all the way to Jerusalem to worship God because here is your God that brought you out of the land
Of Egypt, right? I mean, there's no new thing under the Sun. I mean the golden calf in Exodus
32 right and he's like but here are your gods and and and and here's the thing about this, you know
It's it's not really all that shocking that they went into idolatry because many Christian people are in idolatry and
they're worshipping the the creature rather than the creator or they're worshipping just a graven statue and
Rehoboam basically, he creates these calves. So that way the people would not go to Jerusalem to worship. It's like oh man
I got God right over here and you have to understand something people want to feel spiritual
Everybody wants to be spiritual even if they're ungodly. I mean, have you noticed that?
Everybody wants to be spiritual right? They'll worship something in it, but still commit their same sins
See that's different than the Bible because the Bible expects you to change to meet who God is, right?
You can't live a wicked life and then say you're close to God, but people want to be spiritual
Okay, so these two calves are made and notice what it says in verse 29 and he set the one in Bethel and the other
Put he in Dan the one in Bethel and then the other he puts in Dan now Bethel was you know
Basically known as the place where he worshiped God the house of God
Dan
Was one of the twelve tribes and if you remember in the book of Revelation
Well, actually you don't remember because Dan's gone
That's that's what you remember that no, wait a minute. I don't remember Dan at all. That's right
I mean you're paying attention cuz why Dan was removed
Right twelve tribes and Dan got removed. Why? Well, they are the most wicked they spiritually separated from God
They also physically just geographically separated from where God wanted them to be and they got removed and you say why well
You can point back to this verse because they got a golden calf
They're worshiping and they were already bad and they got worse and worse and worse and worse
Make no mistake about it when you got a lot of idols around is an ungodly area
That's reality. You want to look at the place that are the most dangerous where there's a lot of idolatry
Right. Yeah, I've said it before, you know
I read that book that that president Duterte
recommended on the Catholic Church when I preached through the dark history of the Catholic Church and
You know you think of the areas of the Philippines or the area which is probably the most zealous the most religious
You're probably gonna say Pampanga. That's where they're crucifying themselves and beating themselves and everything like that
You know, it also has the highest percentage of pedophilia cases with the Catholic Church of any area
Almost one-third of them have actually been under the investigation. I the altar of secrets
I think was a book that he recommended and I was like that is the area that has the highest percentage
I'm not shocked. It's the most religious area of the Philippines
Right. That's just the way it works
If there's a lot of idolatry around it's gonna actually be a dangerous area because people are spiritual and they'll they'll think that
They're godly because they're spiritual and then they can still do ungodly things. That's reality, right?
You know, I'm sure that if you look at that big what are that big Jesus statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, right?
That's probably one of the most it is one of the most dangerous places
Rio de Janeiro is in like the top five in sodomite percentage in this world, but they got that big statue of Jesus
They must be godly right now actually the opposite
That's the way it works and with the idol being set up in Dan Dan became a wicked location
Dan became a wicked location. They end up being rejected as one of the twelve tribes
Go to Amos 8 Amos 8 Amos 8
Amos chapter 8
And so here's the thing about this, you know, what was it talking about in Hosea 8 where it said thy calf
Oh Samaria, what was that referring to? Okay
Well, what does it say in Amos 8 verse 14 they that swear by the sin of Samaria remember the calf? Oh Samaria
Amos 8 verse 14 they that swear by the sin of Samaria and say thy God. Oh
Dan right
What's that referring to it's referring to the golden calf that they were worshiping
Jeroboam says I'm gonna make these golden calves
Here's gonna be your gods and then that's exactly what it's referring to in Amos 8 verse 14, right?
They that swear by the sin of Samaria and say by God. Oh
Dan right notice the lowercase G there thy God. Oh, Dan. That's the idol that they're worshiping, right?
So that's what's being referenced in Hosea chapter 8 are the idols that Jeroboam made. Okay, go back to Hosea 8
Hosea 8 Hosea chapter 8 Hosea chapter 8
You say brother stuck you we're looking at so much Bible here tonight
Well, I mean this is Wednesday night Bible study, right?
I mean you're going we're going to a book of the Bible minor prophet
You got to dig up the interim and you know
The stuff isn't exactly as much on the surface as when we went go through Romans, right?
So you got to kind of dig in here and figure out what phrase is talking about
That's what it's referring to in Hosea 8 verse 5 and this shows you how bad
Idolatry is because God says this is the reason that you got cast off
It traces back to Jeroboam making these golden calves and that's why they end up getting destroyed, right?
So here's the thing. We don't just you know, mock these things like the Feast of the Black Nazarene. It's actually very wicked
It's not just it's not just stupid, right? I mean it is it is dumb
It is ridiculous to think that you're gonna rub the feet or whatever and you're gonna get healed
But you know, it's also wicked, right?
I mean
this is actually why Israel gets destroyed because they get into sin and then all of a sudden these idols are created and
These idols are created and they just want to feel spiritual, but they don't want to be spiritual
So, you know what you can do you can just worship a golden calf and you don't have to change anything because here's the thing
You can worship something like this and just make up your own rules and you can feel spiritual
Here's the problem though if you're worshipping God
You got to go by his rules, which means you got to change right? And so that's what took place in Israel
Notice what it says in Hosea 8 verse 6
For from Israel was it also the workmen made it right the workmen fashioned it with his hands
He made that idol therefore it is not God
Right. Well, obviously, you know, it's not God
I mean it's made with hands
But the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces that kind of reminds me of that verse in in acts, right?
I can't remember how exactly it goes
I preached through it a couple months ago, but basically what he's saying in Hosea 8 is if you made it with your own hands
How can you say that's God?
It doesn't make any sense, right? I mean if I make something well, this is God
I mean you just created it. So if you're the one who created it, then how could that be God?
It doesn't make any sense and any idol and any statue that's made that was made by a man
So that man's above the statue. So how could the statue end up being God?
It doesn't it doesn't make any sense, right and it's clear as day
But that's what he's saying there where it says, you know, it's made by somebody therefore it is not God
Right, but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces, you know, the Bible says the calf is going to be destroyed
It's gonna be broken in pieces
Right Exodus 32 for some reason they went to the golden calf
Here that's what they make
Right. It just seems to be the thing that people like to worship you say well, it's just a coincidence
Well, why is it that the animal of worship in India is the cow?
It doesn't seem like it's a coincidence it seems like just what people like to worship
I mean, I don't know. I mean the white and black combination pretty animal I guess I don't know
It's like here's why I think that the cow is worshipped why they pick it because a cow is very valuable
The milk and the meat is extremely valuable. I
Mean, it's a lot more
I mean, I personally like chicken more than beef but a cow is more valuable than chicken unless it's a super huge chicken
Right and my cow is a very valuable animal and you know milk
Here's the thing in India for most of their history, right?
I mean go back to the Vedic religion which supposedly they're based on the Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita in those books
You go back to the Vedas though, and and the the gods are eating cows, right?
It's like their favorite food and it was a delicacy and then somewhere along the line. They changed it now
It's like a terrible sin. It's like in the Catholic Church is committing suicide in India. It's eating cows
That's like the sin that will you know curse you or whatever, but here's the thing though
They still use cows for milk and milk is extremely valuable and especially if you're in a in a poor country
That milk is going to be extremely valuable, right?
And so I believe that's why cows are really the animal of worship from people that are just not worshiping God
But it is the choice you see this in the Bible. You see it in secular history with India. That is the animal
It's not the only animal that they worship
It's not the I mean
I know the monkey gods big in China and some other areas and and you know
But the cow seems to be the biggest one
I would say that's the reason why because it's a very valuable animal in terms of
financially, okay
Jose 8 verse 7
For they have sown the wind and they shall reap the whirlwind
It hath no stock the bud shall yield no meal if so be it yield the stranger shall swallow it up
And so notice how it says you've sown the wind and you're gonna reap the whirlwind and what he's saying is this
You basically committed sins
But what you're gonna reap is gonna be a lot bigger than what you commit committed, right?
You've sown the wind but you're gonna reap the whirlwind right and God was very very long suffering for Israel
And they were his people
The Word of God was poured out there and to whom much is given much is required and it's like you've sown the wind
You know what? You're gonna reap the whirlwind because here's the thing. It's expected that Assyria and Egypt
They're gonna have false gods that they worship. They're gonna have idols that they worship but God's people
Because I guarantee you during this time period people would say well, you know what? Yeah, I believe in Jehovah God
While they're worshiping idols
Right, so don't try to mix in worshiping a false religion with God right like people today
I saw this post here today because people commented on it and it was it was someone who was like really defending the LGBT
It's like well, I'm appalled I'm a Christian and I'm appalled at the hate
Of people that are saying, you know that the LGBT that that's sinful. I'm a Christian. I can't believe it. It's appalling, right?
It's like don't attach
Something that's not attached to God and then say you're a Christian and say that's in the Bible and say that Jesus Christ said
That's okay. That's what I mean when people say they're Christian and then they just believe the exact opposite of the Bible
It's like well, I'm a Christian but how dare you judge a woman who got an abortion
Really? Is that what the Bible says? I mean, I'm pretty sure the Bible says abortions murder
So why are you trying to attach Jesus Christ to something that's ungodly, right?
I mean if you're gonna say you believe the Bible you need to believe the Bible and here's the thing
You can preach this and you can follow this and realize you know what? I'm not perfect
I make mistakes, but you know, I still believe what this book says and just because I commit a sin that doesn't make it
Okay, right Noah got drunk. That doesn't mean it was okay, though. It means he sinned
right
People commit sins. We can't blame God or try to say well, you know, I'm God's okay with it. No, he's not
Right, and this is what Israel was doing, right?
They're worshipping a golden calf and I'm sure they'd say well we believe in Jehovah God
So is that cow that golden calf is that Jehovah God
Right. I mean it's a shame to God
Right. I mean and it's the same thing here people that say they're Christians and they got every idol under the Sun
It's like well, where is that in the Bible? Is God okay with that?
Because in Hosea 8 it looks like the idolatry is what got them destroyed
Hosea 8 verse 7 for they have sown the wind and they shall reap the whirlwind and this is the way it works
Right, you're gonna reap the whirlwind so point number one we see the advance of the enemy point two
We see an adoration for idols point three
We see adultery on God we see spiritual adultery adultery on God Hosea 8 verse 8
Israel is swallowed up now that shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure
For they are gone up to Assyria a wild ass alone by himself
Ephraim hath hired lovers, right now Ephraim referencing Israel in verse 9 when it says Ephraim hath hired lovers
It's referring to Assyria as one of the lovers
It doesn't mention the other ones
I'm sure Egypt is one that it's referring to when it says lovers, but it's saying Assyria is one of its
Lovers and realize this is in the same chapter where it talks about idolatry and it's talking about committing adultery
Spiritually on God. So what it's saying is they're basically
Worshipping the gods of Assyria
They're basically taking the customs of Assyria and not taking what the Bible says when they're hiring lovers
Basically, they're committing spiritual adultery on God. They're worshipping gods that are not the God of the Bible
So when it comes to Assyria, here's just an article I I I I have written here
Let me read it to you about the main God in Assyria. Okay, the main God Asher
Asher, A-S-H-U-R, otherwise A-S-S-U-R and it says about this God
Some scholars have claimed that Asher was represented as the winged son that appears frequently in Assyrian iconography, right?
You sometimes you see that winged son
You know what I'm talking about? You see the son and then it's you know, I've seen that that kind of image before
It's not just isolated to Assyria
Because like these nations they pass around their gods
Right. I mean like, you know the Greek gods and the Roman gods
It's like I don't really see much of a difference there
You know, then the the the the the Catholic saints and the Roman gods is pretty much one in the same, right?
It just gets these these gods just get passed around in these other areas, right?
They're not isolated to one area
Then it says many Assyrian kings had names that included the name Asher included above all Asher-Ubalit
Asher-Nesirpal
Ezra-Hadon, right? You recognize that name from the Bible, Ezra-Hadon and
Asher-Bnipul, right?
Epitaphs include great lord, father of gods, great mountain, god of Asher
This and so basically what what you're seeing is these names of these gods
They actually had the name of God in their names, right?
It'd be like if I renamed myself if I became the president and I just said, you know
My new name is Jesus Matt instead of Matt, right? Where I gave myself a new name with the name Jesus in it
It's like that's what Assyria was doing because with many of these cultures
When people become the king in a lot of ways they look at them almost like they are God
Right, you kind of see that with a serious culture in the Bible where basically the leaders of the country
It's almost like they are God or they're almost a manifestation of God, right?
Julius Caesar wanted to get crowned as like the king but he literally believed he was was basically like God or God's representative on earth
King Henry the eighth kind of leaned that way in certain times and until recently in Japan for
They always said that the leader was basically like God the Emperor was sort of like, you know
The the almost like God or almost like his representative of an earth almost one in the same. It seems crazy to us
But that's how in a lot of areas they look at their kings almost like their gods, right?
And so they a lot of the kings they put the name of Asher in their name when they became king
Okay
And it says about this God the symbols of Asher include a winged disc with horns
Enclosing four circles revolving around a middle circle rippling rays fall down from either side of the disc a circle or wheel
Suspended from wings and enclosing a warrior drawing his bow to discharge an arrow the same circle the Warriors bow
However is carried in his left hand
Well, the right hand is lifted uplifted as if to bless his worshippers and it's you have like a bow
You have a warrior and one thing you're gonna see with a serious culture and you see this in the Bible
And I preached on it is that they were a country of war more than any country
They considered war a really good thing. I remember the first time I preached on Assyria
I think it was called the pride of Assyria, but it might have been another sermon brother
Matt was visiting us from Hong Kong and I was preaching against Assyria and saying how in their
Architecture and in their designs and and basically what they left of us when the civilization was dug up. It shows them brutally
Murdering and harming people and torturing them and he was here and he said yeah, I went to a big museum
I think it was in the UK and he said yeah
I saw it in person like they literally what they have about themselves is like torturing people that they took over
That's not what people you know, basically sculpted of them. That's what they sculpted for themselves
Why because their God was a God of War that's what you're seeing what I read with a bow
He's a warrior and so basically when they would take over an enemy they considered it glory when they would just
Destroy them and kill them and torture them. They considered that a good thing
Right and you see that in the Bible with and it's just like what are you doing Israel?
Do you not remember what happened in the past where they're mocking you remember rapshackie, right?
They're really funny interesting entertaining story in the Bible and it's just like but now they're going after
The same gods as Assyria, right? It's like well, yeah God's really gonna be kind to you when you start worshipping a false god
Right. And so that's what it says in in in Hosea 8 verse 9
Ephraim have hired lovers one of them being Assyria go to Jeremiah chapter 3 Jeremiah 3 Jeremiah 3
Now look any any idol that you're gonna worship is bad
But that's probably the worst one you could because Assyria is by far
It's not even close of all the empires
They are by far the worst so much worse than Egypt so much worse than Rome or Greece
I mean when you're reading the Bible, there's there's no other conclusion that you can come to I mean and and and here's the thing
It's not just the wicked things that they did think about this Nineveh was destroyed
Greece wasn't destroyed
Rome wasn't destroyed and look they're filled full of sodomy, but Assyria was destroyed
Egypt wasn't destroyed. But you know what Assyria was worse
They were far worse
They were so arrogant and so wicked you see that throughout the Bible and what's interesting about this because Assyria is one of the great
Six empires when I when I say great, I mean like powerful. I don't mean great as an oh, man
They're awesome, right?
but one of the six great empires that have ever existed Egypt in Assyria being kind of the forerunners and then the big four that's
Mentioned in Babylon with you know Babylon and Persia and Rome and Greece and then of course
There's gonna be a seventh end times Empire which we believe in teaches the United States
But in terms of the ones before that it's one of the six big empires and yet it's the one that we don't really hear
Anything or know anything about in the secular world why God wiped them out you always hear about Egypt you always hear about Rome
You always hear about Greece
Everybody knows Nebuchadnezzar
Nobody knows any of the leaders of Assyria
Right people know King Tut
People know Julius Caesar people know Alexander the Great
Assyria
Sennacherib is that really a name that rolls off the tongue in the secular? Nobody knows why God destroyed them
He wiped them out because they were so wicked and that's who Israel is going after to worship Jeremiah 3 verse 8 now
I want to I want to explain something to you though because
Israel commits adultery on God the Bible says
The Bible teaches against divorce right no question about it. You're married you stay married
That's what the Bible teaches the one exception is except it be for fornication, right?
That's not the same thing as idolatry or as a well certainly not the same thing as idolatry
It's not the same thing as adultery either. Okay fornication is before you're married and adultery is after you're married now
If you had somebody who was single and they get involved with someone who's married then I guess you could say that it's dual
Both fornication and adultery, but basically adultery is in reference to when somebody's married and fornication is when they're not married
Okay
Now here's the thing about this the Bible says except to be for fornication and what it's saying is when you have a really rare
situation like Joseph who's married to marry and he's waiting and
Then all of a sudden he hasn't been with her yet because basically in the Bible
You usually see like kind of two stages to marriage
There's kind of like the legal aspect and then there's the consummation of the marriage and he hasn't consummated the marriage even though it says
He's espoused to her they're married right and then all of a sudden she ends up being pregnant
So, of course Joseph is thinking well, obviously some she you know
Cheated on me. That's a that's a bad sin, right? And so he's thinking man. She's not pure
Well, see that is the rare situation where excepted be for fornication when you're married
legally, but you haven't come together and
You know what in in that story, they're not immediately together
They do the legal aspect that there's kind of a delay when they actually come together
So that's the example of excepted be for fornication pretty rare situation, right?
We're basically you get married, but you haven't actually come together as husband and wife yet
That's the only grounds for divorce in the Bible, right? It doesn't say well if adultery is committed then you can get a divorce
No, it says except to be for fornication
Well people think though well if somebody commits adultery then you're allowed to get a divorce
That's not what the Bible teaches and they're gonna take Jeremiah chapter 3 out of context
Okay, and I need to explain this to you as we're talking about this. I want to show you the difference here
Jeremiah 3 verse 8 Jeremiah 3 verse 8 and
I saw when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery
I had put her away and given her a bill of divorce now putting away is
Basically the legal aspect of getting a divorce right and it clarifies and given her a bill of divorce
So basically God's married on to Israel
Israel commits adultery and then God divorces Israel and see people try to use this and say we'll see this makes you know
Divorce, okay for adultery. Well that would contradict where it said excepted be for fornication
Right, we're basically that's the only situation you would be able to get a divorce you say well
Here's what's the difference between this?
Why does it say?
You know, he divorced when adultery was committed and how come that's not acceptable with two people being married
Here's the difference when you get married you say till death do us part
What did God say to Israel as long as you keep your end of the bargain then I'm gonna
Stay with you. It wasn't an everlasting covenant. See marriage is till death do us part till the very end
We're staying married that isn't what God said to Israel though, is it I know that's what Baptist churches say
That's not what the Bible says though. He says you're mine as long as you don't break the Covenant
They broke the Covenant. They're worshipping another God
Right. And so here's the thing God didn't give them an everlasting covenant
And the other thing is this when you're looking at a story when there's when there's clear verses
That's what you base your doctrine on
Right people want to go to the book of Ezekiel
I can prove you can you can lose your salvation because in the book of Ezekiel chapter 22 when he's prophesying
It's like yeah go to the most confusing book of the Bible and pull out a verse, right?
Why not John 3 16 where it says everlasting life and it's really clear
Right and they go to a story and they try to use this story to say we'll see when adultery is committed
Then you're allowed to get a divorce. Well, this is God married to a nation
That's not the same thing as two individuals being married and the difference is when two people get married. It's till death do us part
That is not the Covenant that God made with Israel
He said you are mine as long as you stay faithful. That was part of the agreement. It was like a prenuptial
Agreement sort of right and it's like that's what God said to them
So he gave them a bill of divorce because they committed adultery and this was part of the rules that they already knew
Yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not but went and played the harlot also and it's like what are you doing Judah?
It's just like you know
You just saw Israel get destroyed the book of Hosea talks about the destruction of Israel with some warnings to Judah
Hey Judah, I don't want to have to divorce you too. I mean keep this in mind
What's happening to Israel and yet they don't pay attention to it yet our treacherous sister Judah feared not
But went and played the harlot also and it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom that she defiled the land and
Committed adultery with stones and stocks and yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned on me with her whole heart
But faintedly right but basically fake
Judah turned on to God but not with their whole heart as we talked about last week, but it was just kind of fake
Faintedly saith the Lord and the Lord said on to me the backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous
Judah go and proclaim these words toward the north, which is the northern kingdom of Israel and say return now
Backsliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful saith the Lord and I
Will not keep anger for ever now
Isaiah and Hosea are contemporary prophets and then Jeremiah comes after Isaiah and
You know Isaiah and Jeremiah those are primarily written to the southern kingdom of Judah
But Judah's basically being reminded. Hey, this is what happened to Israel
Don't go down the same road and it's while they're going through this transition and they should be able to figure this out
But somehow oftentimes when people go through problems, they don't realize all you know, it's because of my sin
I mean you're worshipping golden calfs
It's like you should be able to figure out that's why our nation's being destroyed go back to Hosea 8 Hosea 8
All right, I guess I lied. It's not gonna be a short sermon. I thought it was but
I tried to go fast. I already preached fast enough. I can't make it faster, right?
Hey, at least I'm not preaching a 50-point sermon like Pastor Jimenez did because then we'd be here till like midnight or something like that
right
Hosea chapter 8 verse 10
Yea, though they have hired among the nations now
I gather them and they shall sorrow little for the burden of the king of princes and it's saying, you know
They hired among the nations. They basically
Hired among the nations. They're worshipping false gods. They're linking up with Assyria and Egypt. They've got all these lovers
God's like hire whoever you want
Right hire 1 million bodyguards and you'll still be destroyed is what he's basically saying
You can hire among the nations all you want. Just keep wasting all your money. It's not gonna do you any good
Right. I mean the same thing is true for us in a spiritual standpoint that you know
God can protect us especially from dangers that take place
But that hedge of protection can be gone if we live a wicked lifestyle and that's what we're seeing here in in Hosea chapter 8
Verse 10 right you can hire among the nations. It's not gonna protect you right? You're gonna be okay, right Hosea
Or you're you're not gonna be okay Hosea 8 verse 11 point one advance of the enemy
Point two an adoration for idols point three adultery on God, but they notice this point for adorning spirituality
Adorning spirituality and what I mean by that is
Even though that they're wicked they are are trying to act spiritual
They're trying to look the part and still be spiritual while they are wicked
Right and we kind of cover that earlier with the idols and it kind of goes back into it here Hosea 8 verse 11
Because Ephraim hath made many elders to sin
elders shall be on to him to sin and so Ephraim had created a lot of elders to do
Sacrifices and to do spiritual things and yet it wasn't used in a godly way
Right Ephraim hath made many elders to sin
Alders shall be on to him to sin what we're seeing is even when a nation gets wicked. They still like to act spiritual
Right, that's just the way people are they like to act like they're spiritual and look the part
Even if they're ungodly
Hosea 8 verse 12. I've written to him the great things in my law, but they were counted as a strange thing
Israel rejected what was written in God's Word
Verse 13 they sacrificed flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings and eat it. So they're doing offerings
But the Lord accepted them not
God did not accept their sacrifices
Why would God not accept their sacrifices go to the last book of the Old Testament the book of Malachi Malachi chapter 1 Malachi 1
Malachi chapter 1
Malachi chapter 1 we're almost done. We'll go to Malachi 1 then we're gonna go back to Hosea 8. We'll finish up Malachi chapter 1
Verse 11 for from the rising of the Sun even on the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles
And in every place incense shall be offered on my name and a pure offering for my name shall be great among the heat
And saith the Lord of hosts
But you have profaned it in that you say the table the Lord is polluted and the fruit thereof even as meat is contemptible
He said also behold. What a weariness is it and you have snuffed out as saith the Lord of hosts when they're saying
What what a weariness is it? They're basically complaining. It's just so hard to serve God. Oh, what a weariness it is
It's so difficult. It's so hard
Then it says here and he brought that which was torn and the lame and the sick
Thus he brought an offering shall I accept this of your hand saith the Lord so it says here in Malachi 1 verse 13
They're bringing an offering to God
but
It's lame. It's sick. It's torn, right?
It'd be like for example if you had 20 cows and then one of the cows had three broken legs and couldn't walk and you're like
Hey, that's the one I'm gonna offer a guy. That's what they were doing
It's like let us find the absolute worst one and that's gonna be our offering
Is that gonna be accepted by God?
Because I mean and and and and here's the thing
It's not that God was demanding too much because even we looked at at tithing in a sense of having animals
It's just what the tenth was you didn't have to pick the best but when you intentionally pick the worst
That's what angers God and that's what they were doing. They found the one that was sick. It's like oh man this cows got COVID
It's like that's the one that's the one that we're gonna sacrifice to God, right? I think this one's gonna die
It's like your animals about to die. It's like, okay
Well, let's just do it as an offering to God. So at least we get some use out of it
I mean, that's the sort of attitude that they had right?
They brought that was what was lame and sick then it says in verse 14
but cursed be the deceiver which hath in his flock a male and
Voweth and sacrificed on the Lord a corrupt thing
From a great King saith the Lord of hosts and my name is dreadful among the heathen and he says you've got a good
male to sacrifice
animal and you vowed
You've agreed to do he made a vow to God and then you sacrifice a bad one, but you're pretending it's your best, right?
What are they trying to do? Well, they're trying to look spiritual adorning spirituality look like you're spiritual when you're not spiritual
They're fake. That's the same thing. We see with Israel and Hosea go back to Hosea 8 Hosea 8
Hosea chapter 8
Verse 13 they sacrifice flesh for the sacrifice of mine offerings and eat it but the Lord accepted them not now
Will he remember their iniquity and visit their sins they shall return to Egypt which I believe is saying they're gonna return back into bondage
Okay, they're gonna return into Egypt then verse 14
for Israel hath forgotten his maker and
buildeth temples and
Judah hath multiplied fence cities, but I will send a fire upon his cities and it shall devour the palaces thereof
And see the Bible gives us indication in verse 14 that you can forget God and still be building temples
Right, you can forget God and still feel like you're spiritual. They had altars. They're doing sacrifices
But they weren't godly at all. It was just fake right and and and the closing thought
I want to give you here in regards to this
You have to understand this that Israel when they became very wicked. They still wanted to look like they were spiritual
And I thought about this a couple years ago
I was thinking about four really key areas the Christian life from my perspective one area
I would say is you know going to church
I think that's probably the most fundamental basic aspect of being a Christian is just going to church, right?
One thing is you know reading the Bible right? Another thing is you know soul winning
Okay, and just you know reading the Bible and prayer are the two but you can almost link those together as you're there your personal
But I was thinking about reading the Bible prayer soul winning and going to church
What's interesting is two of those things are visible they can be seen
Two of them cannot be seen the two that can be seen are soul winning and coming to church, right?
I mean if somebody's not at church
will notice
Right if somebody doesn't come soul winning. I mean it's gonna be noticed
But you know the things that are not noticed are the Bible reading and the prayer
Right like I don't know whether you prayed this morning. You don't know whether I pray this morning
I don't know whether you read the Bible. You don't know whether I read the Bible your name might be on the chart
I mean, I'm assuming you're not lying when you say I did the nine chapters a day, right?
I'm assuming you're telling the truth, but it's not really something that's visible, right?
We don't really know how much somebody's reading the Bible. We don't know how much someone's praying
We do know if they're coming to church and going so and and I realized this and I was I was thinking about this because I've
Seen a lot of people drop out of church through the years and drop out of serving God and sometimes people will seem like they're
Really serving God they're coming to church and then just out of nowhere. They're gone
And it was just like how is this possible because they were just serving God and I realized this
People are gonna make sure they're doing the things on the outside to be seen of man until the very end
That would be the last thing to go
Right if somebody's serving God and then all of a sudden they just stop coming to church
What that tells you is they stopped reading the Bible a long time ago
It tells you they stopped having a personal walk with God a long time ago
Because the things that are seen this is just the way we are as people we're gonna want to do those to the very end
But the things that are not seen and that's why you've just got to make a decision in your life to have a personal walk
with God
Because it's not something that we can check in on you nor would I want to right?
But it's not gonna be like oh I can really check into someone's life and make sure they're in the Bible and every Facebook
And the group chat I'm gonna say all right. Here's your Bible reading schedule for today
I mean we try to encourage you for January, but it's really just up to you, right?
I mean, I don't have the time or energy nor do I want to
Try to force you to read the Bible and stuff like that
But the reality is that people will do things on the outside until the very end
But the reality is it means they probably stopped doing the stuff on the inside a long time ago
Because the personal walk with God probably was gone, and they were just doing the things the outside why adorning spirituality
That is what Israel did
I mean if you looked at Israel if you're just kind of going through the area
If you can avoid the idols, you'll still see the altars. They're doing sacrifices
Seems like nothing's different
but they had they had stopped serving God from the inside a long time ago and
That's the reason why they're still doing the things on the outside, but they're not actually godly, right?
So our four points here are this point number one. We see the advance of the enemy the advance of the enemy point number one
That's what he talks about the first several verses point number two the adoration for idols
The idolatry is the reason for the advance of the enemy right and so we see the advance of the enemy adoration
for idols
Adultery on God they're worshipping idols
They're committing adultery on God right and God divorces Israel because it was not an everlasting covenant
But point number four we see adorning spirituality even through all of this through all of their wickedness
They still want to pretend that they're spiritual they still want to pretend
That they're righteous and look you see this in countries around the world
I mean if you were to look at the people that seem to be the most
Zealous Catholics and what I mean are the people that crucify themselves. I
Mean they get drunk before they're crucifying themselves
Right. I mean are they are they godly?
That I mean they're doing the things on the outside, but you know, it's like, you know, how do they get through that pain?
Well, they get they get drunk right before they get crucified. That's how they get through the pain, but they look spiritual
Right. I mean, but they're not at all. You look at all these nations that look really spiritual
You look at the most spiritual nations India probably the number one most spiritual nation. Is that a godly nation?
No, but people like to look like they're spiritual without actually being spiritual
That's why all of us on an individual level on a church level an individual level make sure your heart's right with God
Make sure you have that personal walk with God. That's why we have those Bible reading charts not just for January
But we gave you
Five different options because option for three times through we gave you two options five different options for reading the Bible
From February to December from reading it once a year twice three times four times
Why I want you to have that personal walk with God
I don't want you to just grow in January and then all of a sudden in February to December
Oh, and then all of a sudden you're climbing that mountain in January
It's February and you just keep and you're just yo-yo in your whole life and it's like one month a year
You're really spiritual and then the last the next couple months
You still got a little bit of and then you're just kind of just hanging on for dear life
You got you're not reading any Bible and then all of a sudden I got to
Resuscitate you with the Word of God on Sundays and just like give you a million verses and preach like five million miles per
Second to get through it all and everything like that just to keep you alive
It's just like no just have that personal walk with God in the morning wake up take 30 minutes
Don't care about Facebook. Don't care about text messaging. Just open up the Word of God for 30 minutes
And it might not feel like you're making major changes
But you're gonna be able to look back six months and say man
And you're gonna see some major changes in your life. Why because of that personal daily walk with God. Let's close in a word of prayer
Dear Heavenly Father. Thank you for allowing us to be here today and and getting to see your word and apply it to our lives
God and and help us learn the lesson from Israel that did get destroyed and in the sin and the wickedness and obviously I would
Hope none of us go down the road of worshiping idols and things such as that God
But at the same time, you know
we can can stop serving you from the inside and only have this adorning spirituality and
Look like we're spiritual because we want to be seen of man or for whatever reason God help us
Just have that personal daily walk with you. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen