All right, so I hope you've guys been enjoying the study for the book of Hosea so far.
It is challenging to preach straight to a camera, so I'd much rather be with you guys
so I can see your faces.
You don't understand, like when a preacher gets behind the pulpit and he sees your faces,
like I kind of like bounce off the energy in the room, like, you know, we sing praises
to the Lord, you know, you get in the Spirit of God and you're preaching to God's people
and I can kind of tell by your face just by kind of looking at it whether you've got the
point and I can just move on or not.
When you just preach to a camera, you know, it's inanimate, like, you know, you don't know,
you can't tell behind the camera like if people are going to receive the word or not.
So, you know, you don't have the same sort of level of excitement or energy to preach
to a camera and so I'm really happy to be with you guys tonight.
So anyway, I hope it's been an interesting study so far and if you look at Hosea chapter
5 and verse number 4, it begins by saying, they will not frame their doings to turn unto
their God.
They will not frame their doings.
The title for the sermon this evening is frame your doings.
Frame your doings.
I don't know if that makes any sense to you just yet but as we go through this chapter,
it will make a lot of sense.
So let's start there in verse number 1, Hosea chapter 5 and verse number 1.
It says, hear ye this, O priests, so now we see Hosea is preaching to three different
groups of people.
In fact, he's preaching to the whole nation but he's just outlining these three groups.
He says, hear ye this, O priests, so that represents the religious leaders and then
he says, and hearken, ye house of Israel, so that's the general populace, right, that's
the general population in Israel and then it says, and give ye ear, O house of the king.
So again, he's also preaching to the politicians.
He's preaching to those that are in authority over the nation.
Those are the three groups.
The religious leaders, everybody but also the people in authority.
It says, for judgment is toward you because ye have been a snare on Mizpah and a net spread
upon Tabor.
Now Mizpah and Tabor, these are mountains, okay, these are mountains that are in the
northern kingdom of Israel and it says that they have been a snare on, a snare, what's
a snare?
It's a trap, okay.
And so upon these mountains, I assume, because many times when people would worship, you
know, false gods and create idols, they would put them in the high places.
So it looks likely very much so that in these mountains, they had set up these images and
they were worshiping and sacrificing toward these gods and so the snare there is the trap
where, you know, maybe there are people of God that are going about their business and
they see these places and they see the sacrifices going there and I guess they want to contribute
to society.
They think, well, this is what my nation's doing, you know, he's preaching to, as I said,
the religious leaders, the people in the land, the politicians, they're all doing the same
thing and then it becomes confusing to the believer, right, you know, and sometimes we
can be like this in church and we know what God says but then everybody's going a certain
way, everybody's believing a certain doctrine and you start scratching your head and go,
well, you know, is that right?
But then you kind of, it's like maybe the pre-tribulation rapture, you know, I always
knew there was an issue with that doctrine, hey, but all the pastors preached it, everybody
in the church believed it, well, I'm going to believe it too.
And so I was snared, I was entrapped by that doctrine for a period of time and, you know,
that's something minute compared to the sacrifices and the worship that were given to false gods
here, okay, but these places were a trap.
People would come past and be snared, being trapped and they too will worship, you know,
these false gods thinking that they are doing the right thing, okay.
Verse number 2, and the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebukah
of them all.
Now can you please keep your finger there and go to Proverbs chapter 4, go to Proverbs
chapter 4 and verse number 14, it said, and the revolters are profound to make slaughter,
though I have been a rebukah of them all.
And so the idea here is that these people, these revolters, these are the people that
are worshipping a false god, hey, they're kind of going to the slaughter in the sense
that they are murdering, they are killing people and, you know, I'm sure, if you look
at the whole context of this book, there's definitely murder going on, there's definitely
wicked things going on, but the idea here is that, you know, people want to worship
God, you'll see the comparison later with Judah, people are coming to worship God, but
then it's kind of like they're being slaughtered spiritually, right, they're being defrauded,
it's kind of like maybe, you know, somebody wants to go to church, they want to know more
about God, they want to love God, they want to learn the Bible, and they say, well, you
know, I guess I'll just go to some church, and they go to the local Pentecostal church,
and they think that's the experience, they start to learn that idea, you know, their
heart was in the right place, they wanted to worship God, but then they got treated
something false, you know, something that is not quite right, right, and so they, you
know, in a spiritual sense, they've been slaughtered from what they intentionally wanted
to do.
Look at Proverbs chapter 4 verse number 14, it says, enter not into the path of the wicked,
and go not in the way of evil men, avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away,
for they sleep not, except they have done mischief, and their sleep is taken away unless
they cause some to fall.
So the Bible's warning us here that there are some people that are in your life, these
could be friends, these could be religious leaders, these could be family members, they
want nothing more than just to cause you to fall, to cause you to stumble, to cause you
to turn your back against God, and so what we're seeing here in Hosea, the nation of
Israel was doing the same thing, the religious leaders, the government powers, they were
just making people turn their backs against God, right, going through these mountains
and worshiping these false gods, and that's what they wanted to do, they wanted to ensnare
people, they wanted to slaughter people, and you know, and the sad reality is that,
as I explained to you, this can happen in our day and age, where you're just seeking
the truth, you want to know God's truth, someone wants to come and give you what they believe,
and it could be completely false, it could lead you down a dark path.
You know, it's kind of like when I think about doctrines, and especially things that come
up on the internet these days, and even when this church started, we had this controversy
over oneness, and this terminology, this phrase, even though I never used it myself,
you know, well Jesus is the Father, and it sounds innocent in of itself, right, it sounds
like what's the big deal?
There's one God, God is Father, Son and Holy Ghost, what's the big deal?
Sometimes, you know, doctrines that are false, they're just a little crack, they're just
something that you can't even realise, but then when you walk down that path, it becomes
this great chasm, from truth to falsehood, you know, just that thing that's been going
on the internet lately, you know, Jesus Christ being fully God, and fully man, and listen,
he was fully God, 100% God, 100% man, but then when you go, well, let's divide what
part is God, and what part is man, you start to get yourself into major heresies, right,
it seems innocent, well what part was God, what part was man, he was all God, he was
all man, you don't have to come and start separating, you know, the flesh is this, and
the body, sorry, the soul is this, and the spirit is this, forget about it, the Bible
just tells us he's God manifest in the flesh, and just rest in that, you know, people start
to get themselves, you know, and they want answers, and people are sincere, people are
genuine, they want answers, but then when they find themselves under a false prophet,
that false prophet can lead them and ensnare them, right, and lead them to a dark path.
Look at verse number 3, Hosea chapter 5, verse number 3, it says, I know Ephraim, now Ephraim
once again is one of the largest tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel, and so quite
often God would just refer to the northern kingdom of Israel just as Ephraim, because
it was definitely one of the larger tribes. It says, I know Ephraim, and Israel is not
hid from me, for now, O Ephraim, thou comittest Hordom, and Israel is defiled. Now look at
verse number 4, they will not frame their doings to turn unto their God, for the spirit
of Hordom is in the midst of them, and they have not known the Lord. Now as you're reading
through these prophets quite often, they speak about spiritual Hordoms, where people
have turned against the Lord and gone to false gods in a spiritual adultery, but many times
that spiritual adultery also goes hand in hand with physical Hordoms, okay, and you
see here that these people are ensnaring God's people to commit all kinds of wicked acts,
such as Hordoms, okay, and listen, that's what happens, when you turn your back against
the Lord, you're going to find yourself doing all manner of crazy wicked sins, okay, and
so what are we commanded to do in this passage? How is it that we can stay close to God? How
is it that we can stay away from wicked sins like Hordoms, or other wicked things like
that? Well again, there in verse number 4, it says they will not frame their doings to
turn unto their God, and so what should they be doing? If they're not framing their doings,
what should they be doing? They should be framing their doings, and Brethren, that's
the title for the sermon, you know, frame your doings. Say, what does that mean? What
does it mean to frame? So I have to think about this a little bit, and read the context
of this chapter a few times, and it finally made sense to me, okay, and it's not all that
much different to a photo frame, okay, and so, you know, when you buy a photo frame,
you know, what's the point? You know, normally you just have a photograph, and people don't
just stick the photograph on the wall, they generally want a frame around it, right? They
generally want a border around it, it makes it prettier, you know, it kind of separates
the picture from the rest of the wall, right, and to frame something is to put a border
around it, right? Put a boundary around those things, and so what was happening here, Brethren,
is this nation had become so wicked, so sinful, they said, you know what, we're not going
to frame our doings, okay, what does that mean? You know what, there are boundaries
that God has given us in life, you know, those boundaries, we know the word of God, we know
what is right and what is wrong according to His word, and when you decide, you know
what, Lord, I'm not going to do what you want me to do, Lord, I'm going to just walk
in my own ways, I'm going to commit sin, you know, I'm just going to commit whoredoms,
I'm going to commit all kinds of manner of sin, what you're doing is, you're walking
past the boundary that God wanted in your life, and you're no longer framing your doings,
you're walking outside of the frame, you're walking outside of the borders, okay, that
God has given us. Now, you know, we have different thoughts when it comes to framing a picture,
as I said, it has that, the idea of a border or boundary limits, and you know what, when
you think about Adam and Eve, and actually, you know, just immediately, when you think
of boundaries, don't you think of restriction, you know, oh man, you know, there's a boundary
on this road, right, I can only drive 100 kilometres an hour, right, but listen, you
can drive 1 kilometre an hour, you can drive 20 kilometres an hour, 50 kilometres an hour,
it's not safe to do that, but you could, you could drive 80 kilometres an hour, 90 kilometres
an hour, listen, there's a boundary, there's a rule in place to keep you from danger, right,
and so, you know, in all our lives, we have certain boundaries, you know, it could be
driving on the road, it could be within your family, in your workplace, you know, I remember
when I would go to work, there was a, when you sign a contract, there was always an extra
document that explained how the employee of that company ought to behave, right, you know,
you couldn't, you know, sexually harass people, you know, there was all these things that
you couldn't do, right, and you had to be careful, especially if you were wearing, you
know, a company shirt, that, you know, it's basically, you know, when you finish work,
go straight home or take off that shirt, and I remember that in high school as well, when
I was dressed up in high school in my school uniform, we were only allowed after school
to go straight home, they did not want their students, because supposedly the students
represent the school, you know, going between places and causing all kinds of problems,
you know, there were rules, there were boundaries in place, right, for something like that not
to happen, and even my boys, when they were playing soccer here at Caloundra Soccer Club,
you know, because they were wearing their soccer jerseys, they were, look, you're not
allowed to wear those jerseys during your normal day, you're not allowed to just go
to the shops and wear those jerseys, that's only for game day, that's only for training,
because again, if those kids get up to trouble, you know, they're representing that soccer
club and it gives them a bad name, and so look, in our lives in general, we have boundaries,
and when it comes to God's boundaries, you know, again, it feels like it could be restriction,
but it's just keeping you safe, it's keeping you from whoredoms, it's keeping you from
spiritual wickedness, it's keeping you from worshipping false gods, as long as we frame
our doings, and Brevin, the challenge for us today, when we look through this chapter,
is just to work out, what am I doing with my life, Lord, am I doing what you want me
to do, Lord, or am I not doing, am I within the boundaries, Lord, am I within the frame,
am I framing my doings, or are some of my doings outside of the frame, okay, and this
is what we need to be careful of, because they were more than comfortable to step outside
of the borders that God allowed, and again, I mentioned Adam and Eve, listen, there's
a lot of liberty in God's ways, right, Adam and Eve, they had a boundary, they were allowed
to eat of every tree of the garden, every tree of the garden, except one, there was
one tree outside of the frame, outside of the boundary, and what do they do? They thought,
wow, let's try that tree, right, the devil came in tempted Eve, and she went there, she
stepped outside of the frame, she didn't frame her doings, and she took of that tree, okay,
and once again, Brevin, you know, we have the word of God here, can you please turn
to, turn to Ephesians chapter 2 for me, turn to Ephesians chapter 2, obviously Israel had
overstepped their boundaries, and this is why God's judgement was going to fall upon
them, and again, I'll just read verse number 4, it says, they will not frame their doings
to turn unto their God, when you walk outside of the frame, when you walk outside of the
boundary, you have turned away from God, turned away from the Lord, so Ephesians chapter 2
and verse number 20 please, Ephesians chapter 2 and verse number 20, speaking to us as New
Testament believers, as a church body, it says, and are built upon the foundation of
the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, look at verse
number 21, in whom all the building fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple
in the Lord, and so the Lord wants us to grow, right, he wants us to mature and become more
Christ like and become more knowledgeable, but we need to make sure as we grow that we're
fitly framed together, okay, there needs to be boundaries, what are those boundaries,
we just read them in verse number 20, upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets
with Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, so brethren, this is how we work
out the boundaries, we go to the prophets, we go to the apostles, we go to Jesus Christ,
that's the word of God, alright, and if the word of God allows us to do things, praise
God, hey, you're within the frame, but it's a word of God says, thou shalt not, hey, that's
outside of the frame, that's outside of the boundary, you're not allowed to cross that
border and when you do, you better be quick smart and get back in, you better reign that
back in, okay, because the last thing you want to do is, wow, there's freedom outside
of the boundaries and you know, God allows a certain liberties, right, I mean, you can
sin, you're still going to heaven, you're still saved, okay, but it's going to be detrimental
to you, it's going to hurt you, hey, you can get yourself in worse and worse and worse
sins, you know, even to the point of portems, alright, not being faithful to your spouse
or you know, sleeping around and doing all kind of carnal, wicked things and you know,
that's what happens when you step outside of the borders that Christ has for you, can
you please also go to 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse number 5, 2 Corinthians
chapter 10 and so the Lord wants us to be fitly framed together, the framing reverend
is the word of God, alright, we need to be consistent with the teachings that we see
in the word of God but 2 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse number 5, it reads casting down
imaginations and every high thing that exalts of itself against the knowledge of God and
bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ, you know what, sometimes
we think the wicked, the imaginations, the thoughts we have in our mind, oh man, that's
just ours, no one else knows about it, you know, I can think of wicked things but the
Bible is telling us here, listen, when your thoughts, when your imaginations go beyond
what the Lord wants, when they're outside of the frame, when they're outside of the
boundary, again you better react quickly and take that, bring that thought into captivity
unto the obedience of Christ, you need to cast down that wild imagination, that sinful
imagination, you know, you may not be playing it out in the body but it's playing out in
your mind and so it's not just what we do in our bodies that needs to be, that needs
to be framed but even our thoughts, even our imaginations, okay and boy, you know, I know
my heart, I know my heart's wicked, the Bible doesn't have to tell me that, you know,
and if my heart's wicked, that means your heart's wicked because we're made of the
same, you know, flesh and blood, okay, we all struggle with the same things, the same
problems, the same stresses, whatever it is brethren, we fail to have faith in the Lord,
we have crazy ideas, the Lord knows that we stepped outside of bounds, the Lord knows,
maybe your family doesn't know, maybe your parents don't know, you know, maybe your
wife or your husband don't know, the Lord knows, the Lord knows you stepped outside
of that, you know, and so we need to frame our doings, not just our doings but our thoughts
as well, our thought life and so, you know, if we don't have any boundaries, it creates
complete disorder, you know, one reason we enjoy watching sports, could you imagine like
if, you know, you're watching a sport game and like there's no rules, like there's
no referee, I mean, what are the rules then?
You know, you score a goal, well that was 20 points and then someone else scores a goal,
well that's 100 points, I mean, then it becomes boring, it becomes useless, it becomes
chaos without some rules, without some boundaries, right, the boundaries and the rules actually
make it enjoyable, it makes it competitive, it makes it so, you know, so people don't
cheat and step outside of the, outside of the blinds, right, and you know what else
needs a lot of boundaries, our children, our children growing up in a Christian home, they
need to be taught by mum and dad what is right and what is wrong, we can't just have this
attitude, well, I'll just let my kids run wild, you know, they can work it out for themselves,
now you know what, our children need boundaries, they need to know and they need to frame their
doings because foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, look, I know that if,
you know, I think my children are pretty good, I don't know if you guys agree with that,
I think they're alright but I know that if I didn't have any rules, they'll just
be as crazy as any other kid that you can find, you know, out there, okay, it's the
boundaries that help us to grow and to mature and to please the Lord and boundaries are
so important for children because in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 1, I'll just read it, it
says children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right, how can our children obey
parents if they don't know the rules, if they don't know what mum and dad is saying
that is good or, you know, right or wrong, if they don't know, how can they obey the
parents, why should they obey the parents, honour thy father and mother which is the
first commandment we've promised that it may be well with thee, that thou mayest live
long on the earth, parents, do you want your children to live long on the earth and for
it to be well with them, not just a long life but a happy life, I don't want that for
my kids but you know what, the only way they accomplish that is by obeying mum and dad
and the only way they can obey mum and dad is if mum and dad put some boundaries in place
and they say hey kids, you've got to frame your doings, this is the frame, these are
the rules, these are the boundaries, this is, hey, you can do as much as you want within
the boundaries, do whatever you like, we don't want to make you feel like you're in a prison
but you need to understand that there are things that if you cross that, you're going
to be disciplined by mum and dad, you know, you cross that and God is not going to necessarily
promise you to have a long and happy life, hey but if you obey mum and dad, you stay
within the rules, hey one day you're going to grow up and be an adult, okay and if you've
just been obedient to mum and dad, God promises you a long and happy life, long and happy
life.
Can you also turn to our 2 Peter chapter 2, 2 Peter chapter 2, frame your doings brethren,
frame your doings, figure it out what it is you're doing, you know, how are you living
your life, are you living a life that is within the will of God or have you stepped outside
the boundaries, you're going to 2 Peter chapter 2, let me read to you from Psalm 2 verse 2,
it says, the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against
the Lord and against his anointed saying, let us break their bands asunder and cast
away their cause from us.
You know what the politicians are doing these days, they're coming together, they're conspiring
against the Lord and saying look, you know, we know that God's put these boundaries, we
know that God has these laws in the Bible, we know that hey some of the laws of our land
are even built upon the word of God, hey even some of the commandments of God are
actually engraved in our hearts and we know what is right and wrong but we feel restricted
and so they say well let's break those bands asunder, you know, they don't want to be framed,
you know, they don't want to frame their doings, they want to do other things, you know, marriage
was framed between a man and a wife, till death do us part and our politicians said
you know what, we don't like that frame, we don't like that boundary, let's expand that
boundary, let's cross that boundary and let's let two men get married and two women get
married and let's just allow them to get divorced for whatever reason they want, okay and then
what do we have, broken homes, you know, broken marriages, children growing up without a mother
and father, you know, children who don't know how to socialise because they've not had that
family unit to grow up in, right, because people just don't want to frame their doings,
you know, our politicians have hurt our nation.
We're doing 2 Peter chapter 2 verse number 19, look at this, talking about the false
prophets, while they promise them liberty, liberty, that's what they think, they think
if we just break these bands, we just cast away the cords from us that we're going to
find liberty, no that's not liberty, okay, look at this, while they promise them liberty,
they themselves are the servants of corruption, for of whom a man is overcome, of the same
is he brought in bondage, what's it saying there, that if you're overcome by some type
of sin, some type of wicked behaviour, then of the same is he brought into bondage, you
know Brevin, if you have a sin that you struggle with every single day and you know it's just
some type of addiction that you have, you know why you're suffering the way you are,
it's because you've become a, what's it say there, so I lost the place, you've been held
under bondage by the power of that sin, okay, you thought well, you know what, I know what
God says, I know that he says this is right and this is wrong, but I kind of enjoy that
sin and so I'm going to, you know, I'm not going to frame my doings, I'm going to step
outside of the boundary and I'm going to enjoy that sin for a season, okay, and I'm going
to enjoy that sin again tomorrow and the day after, whatever that sin is, you know,
going back to the alcohol, looking at the pornography, you know, taking the drugs, you
know, filling your mind with worldly entertainment and just can't get your eyes off of the television
or of the YouTube, whatever it is, instead of picking up your Bible, you're just going
back and back and back to some sinful carnal pleasure, you eventually become under bondage,
you think there's liberty outside, but you walk outside of those boundaries, now you
become a servant of sin, okay, now you're a slave and slave to that sin and then people
struggle, they're so used to that sin and it's hard to, you know, have victory over
that sin because they didn't frame their doings, they thought they could get liberty elsewhere,
there's only liberty, brethren, in the laws of God, in what God tells us to do, there
is so much liberty in what, you know, what God tells us to do, there's so much we can
do for the Lord, there's so much, you know, God doesn't want us in a prison cell, he gives
us so much to enjoy, again, Adam and Eve, all the trees except one, okay, all the trees
except one, just keep that in mind, you know, I know sometimes Christians really struggle,
they think that it's just, and children grow up in a Christian home, maybe the things have
been too strict in the Christian house and they think of Christianity as this prison
cell and then they rebel, they become teenagers and they leave the house and they leave the
church and they're looking for liberty somewhere, sometimes parents can be a little bit too
restrictive, you know, God gives us a lot of liberty, a lot of freedom as long as we're
not sinning against him, you know, that's why I never expect anybody to be like me,
I never expect any woman to be like my wife, you know what, I just, you know, we're all
different, we're all different personalities, God's created each one of us, you know, he's
knitted us together in our mother's wombs, he's given us a personality, right and I never
expect people to be just like us, you know what, as long as you're not committing sin,
praise God, enjoy the liberty that you have but again, consider what you're doing and
is it within the framework that God has given us, is it within the boundaries that God has
given us.
Can you please now turn to Matthew chapter 5, we will come back to Hosea but I just wanted
to hit this topic, I thought it was a good one in this chapter, please go to Matthew
chapter 5 for me.
So we've seen what a frame is useful, it's to create a boundary but another reason why
you would, you know, put a photo in a photo frame is to put it on display, right, to put
it on display and in Matthew chapter 5 verse 14, Jesus says to us, ye are the light of
the world, a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, alright.
So a city on a hill, not a city in a valley, you know that means when you're passing by
and you look at that hill, you look at that mountain, you see that house or you see that
city on that hill, you can't hide it, it's up there, it's on show for everybody, you
know what brethren, because now that you're saved, you are set on the hill, you are set
up, you cannot hide anymore, okay, you're a saved child of God and you need to be put
on display, a nice photo frame on display, okay.
So we have to be careful, right, with our doings and make sure that our doings are within
the boundaries that God wants us to keep them, otherwise if we're outside of those boundaries,
we're still on display brethren, we can't hide but then we just put a, we just give
ourselves a bad testimony of a Christian, we give ourselves a bad testimony of members
of New Life Baptist Church, let's keep going there verse 15, neither do men light a candle
and put it under a bushel but on a candlestick and then give a flight unto all that are in
the house, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and
glorify your Father which is in heaven.
And so sometimes you might see a nice photograph with a nice boundary or a nice painting with
a nice frame, you know and that brings glory, wow that looks wonderful, right and when someone
looks at your Christianity that's within the frame, it's within the boundaries, they
say wow this is a great Christian life, it's going to cause the world to glorify God, to
glorify God because they see a Christian on display, you know a Christian that's keeping
himself framed, he's keeping his doings framed and not stepping out of lines.
Back to Hosea chapter 5 and verse number 5, Hosea chapter 5 and verse number 5.
So with that in mind you can see that the nation of Israel, they did not frame their
doings, they did whatever they wanted to do, they stepped outside of the boundaries that
God has given them and they're doing wicked sins and they're also a bad example of God's
people.
Verse number 5, it says and the pride of Israel doth testify to his face, therefore shall
Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity, Judah also shall fall with them.
And so when it says there and the pride of Israel doth testify to his face, the idea
there is that Israel is so prideful, like they don't want to admit that they're wrong
and like just like when someone is full of pride you can kind of see it on their face,
you know what I mean, like someone's face might get hardened and like you know you tell
them they're wrong and their face gets hardened, you don't need to, you can tell that they're
full of pride because of how they've hardened their face.
Well that's the idea with Israel, they had done the same thing to God and so they will
fall but then it says Judah, that's a southern kingdom, also shall fall with them.
And so we know that when the Assyrians came and took the northern kingdom into captivity
and dispersed the people that some, you know about 120 little bit more years after that
took place Judah itself fell as well and they were taken into captivity by the Chaldeans
or by the Babylonians, you know.
Verse number six, they shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord
but they shall not find him, he hath withdrawn himself from them.
That's a scary thought, okay because you know we want to take the idea here, we understand
that our church is a flock, is it not?
Are we not sheep and God has put a shepherd over the sheep, you know and the idea here
that you know we might potentially you know come to church, seek the Lord only to find
that he has withdrawn himself from us.
You know the only way that can happen brethren is if we step out of line, if we as a church
you know just seek after our own pleasures, we don't set crisis as the foundation and
the head of this church, the Lord can definitely withdraw his presence from them.
But the idea again that I have here brethren is you know as I said to you that there are
many churches on the Sunshine Coast that are not, there are many churches, there are many
churches that have more people than us, plenty of churches that have more people than us.
Plenty of flocks and guess what they want, they want to seek God, they go to church,
they have the idea that they're going to seek God, they worship God, they speak in
their tongues and they dance their dances and they sing their empty vain songs that
have no meaning, right.
They think they're doing some spiritual great work for God but God has, well God
is not there, okay.
They're worshiping God, they're seeking God, that's what they say, that's what
they think and so because God's presence is not there, they have to put in a show and
make it look like God's presence is there, they've got to fall over and froth at the
mouth and do some crazy things to say well look at God's power in this place.
You know they've got to start talking in their gibberish tongues, oh look at the power
that God has given, God is not there.
If God was there that would not be happening in that church and then they've got to put
the gold dust in the air conditioning filters right, oh look at God's presence, lift
up your hands quickly or you're going to miss out on the blessings of God, God's
not there, God's withdrawn himself from that.
You know I was out soul winning, was it yesterday, I think it was yesterday, I came across a
lady that goes to a Baptist church, not sure if she was saved, she kind of gave me the
right answer sometimes, you know I hope she's saved, let's put it that way but she explained
to me she was a Filipino lady and she explained to me that she grew up most of her life in
the Catholic church, you know she would go to church every Sunday, you know get on her
knees and they would pour in the Philippines and they would give whatever they could, whatever
money they could to the church right, you know to be right with God and they pray to
the statue of Mary and they pray to the saints, they do all these things and then she just
decided to tear up and cry and she said but it was for nothing, you know all that worship,
all that praise, all that service we did was for nothing and she was weeping about it okay,
well that's the same idea here right, they go to seek the Lord but they shall not find
him, he has withdrawn himself from them.
Can you please turn to John chapter 4 verse 23, John chapter 4 and verse number 23, John
chapter 4 and verse number 23, Jesus says but the hour cometh and now is when the true
worshippers, listen if there are true worshippers, isn't that saying that there are false worshippers
okay, well it says the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth
for the Father seeketh such to worship him, Reverend why do we come to church, I want
to worship God don't you, don't you want to go home on a Wednesday night knowing that
God's happy that you're in church and that he's happy that you know receive your songs
of praises and your thanksgiving, well we need to do it in spirit and in truth, you
know what if we're not preaching the truth of God's word that worship's not going anywhere
and if we're not filled with the Holy Spirit of God, you know if we're not listening to
the Spirit of God as we listen to the preaching it's all vain Reverend, you know I want you
to come to church knowing this is where I'm going to come for the truth and this is where
I'm going to come and interact with the Spirit of God so then God the Father can receive
worship, verse number 24, God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him
in spirit and in truth, hey there is a way that we must worship him, spirit and in truth
okay hey those Pentecostals as I was laughing and mocking Adam right, they've got another
spirit they don't have the truth okay but they've got the show, they've got the large
flocks they're seeking God alright well that's what they say okay but they're not doing it
in spirit and in truth so is God receiving anything from them, are they true worshipers
of God or are they false worshipers of God, false worshipers Reverend and so look you
know if ever in your heart you go well you know what why isn't New Life Baptist Church
growing as fast as I want it to grow, you know why is it that you know it seems like
these other churches are filled with all these people and man all these young people I want
you know and look I want my children to have a lot of friends but you know sometimes we're
limited in this church you know well it can be a good thing as well okay you can be in a big
church and not know anybody that happens to a lot of people alright and sometimes you might have
your mind you say well maybe the Lord's blessing those churches well if they're not preaching the
truth if they don't have the Spirit of God Reverend it's not going anywhere the Lord's not
receiving us okay and this is what's going on with Israel they think they're seeking God they
give him sacrifice to false gods God's presence is not there anymore he's withdrawn himself from
his people back to Hosea chapter 5 and verse number 7 Hosea chapter 5 verse number 7 they
have dealt treacherously against the Lord and they have begotten strange children now shall
a month devour them with their portions so look I don't know exactly what that is saying I'd be
honest with you my best guess is that when the Assyrians come to attack Israel that they're
going to be wiped out within a month okay now shall a month devour them with their portions
verse number 8 blow ye the corner in Gibeah and the trumpet in Ramah cry aloud at Beth-Avon after
thee O Benjamin Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke among the tribes of Israel have I
made known that which shall surely be and so in verse number 8 at the end of it says O Benjamin
again Benjamin is what a tribe in which nation the northern kingdom of the southern kingdom who knows
from the southern kingdom yeah so the southern kingdom was made up of two tribes that was Judah
and Benjamin the and the other ten tribes made up the northern kingdom okay okay so verse number 8
O Benjamin is referring to Judah the southern kingdom right and then it says in verse number
9 Ephraim so Ephraim was one of the tribe in the northern kingdom so Ephraim shall be desolate so
God is speaking to the southern kingdom and explaining what's going to happen in the northern
kingdom there right so he's telling the southern king look blow your corners blow the trumpets hey
wake everybody up because the Assyrians are coming to take out the northern kingdom okay you know
God's warning Judah and we've seen this already in the previous chapter if you can just go back to
chapter 4 verse number 15 just as a reminder Hosea chapter 4 verse number 15 it says though thou
Israel that's the northern kingdom play the harlot yet let not Judah offend and so what we saw in the
previous chapter is God is telling Judah look look what's happening to the northern kingdom
you know what they're going to be taken over their judgment's going to fall you know if you continue
down the same path the same is going to happen to you so he said look wake up right blow the
corner blow the trumpet cry aloud you say pastor Kevin why are you crying aloud sometimes we need
it sometimes we need to wake up and realize Lord I'm in sin Lord I'm not framing my doings Lord I'm
outside of the boundaries I'm outside of the borders I need to get back in Lord you know we
need to stand the trumpets you know I don't want to see you destroyed I don't want to see you
you know addicted to some sin that you have no power over you know I don't want to see you
you know I don't see my I want to see my children live a long life and a happy life
I want to see all the children of this church live a long and happy life and sometimes we just
need to cry aloud sometimes we just need to blow the trumpet right and warn and say look at the
judgment of God God's not going to be merciful forever you know God's not going to be long
suffering forever his judgment will fall in his right time. Verse number 10.
The princes of Judah were like them that removed the bound therefore I will pour out my wrath upon
them like water and so the princes of Judah were like them that them is the northern kingdom that
remove the the bound the boundaries remember they're not framing their doings they're not
keeping within the boundaries that God told them well God's telling Judah hey don't be like the
northern kingdom that remove the bounds right they they they break the cords of the Lord they
break the commandments of God God's saying listen don't do it don't do it stay within the boundaries
okay and when you step outside of the boundaries confess that sin to the Lord get yourself back
into the frame okay frame your doings because if you don't therefore I will pull out my wrath
upon them like water and so once again Judah is heading in the same direction as the northern
kingdom. Verse number 11. Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment because he willingly walked
after the commandments. Now this one made me think and scratch my head for a long time this verse
but it says I want to read again Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment so we know
that Ephraim northern kingdom they're going to be judged by God because he willingly walked after
the commandments. What does that mean? He walked after the commandment. Isn't that like we're
trying to do the commandments of God aren't we trying to walk up the God's commandments
so it's kind of you know scratching my head a little bit about this so I had to go back and
try to figure out roughly where this what the timing of this was when Hosea was preaching
and if you can quickly turn to our first kings chapter 12 for me first kings chapter 12
and while you're turning to first kings chapter 12 I'm going to read to you from Hosea 1 1
Hosea 1 1 just a reminder when Hosea was preaching remember those certain kings that were in place as
it was preaching it says the word of the lord that came unto Hosea the son of Birai in the days of
Uzziah Jotham Ahaz and Hezekiah kings of Judah and this is this and in the days of Jeroboam
the son of Joash king of Israel so we know that one of the kings was Jeroboam that was the king
of Israel the northern kingdom okay so I wanted to go back and see what what story took place
around this time and look at first kings chapter 12 verse number 25 first kings chapter 12 and
verse number 25 it says then Jeroboam so that's the king in the time of Hosea in in the northern
kingdom of Israel then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim now the fact that it says mount
Ephraim again makes sense why the lord's referring to Ephraim many times in the chapter here chapter
number five of Hosea and dwelt therein and went out from thence and built Penuel and Jeroboam
said in his heart now shall the kingdom return to the house of David if this people go up to
do sacrifice in the house of the lord at Jerusalem then shall the heart of this people turn again
unto their lord even unto Rehoboam king of Judah and they shall kill me and go again to Rehoboam
king of Judah and so Jeroboam had this problem the people of his land they wanted to go worship God
they wanted to go to the temple they wanted to go to Jerusalem which was in the southern kingdom
to worship God there and Jeroboam was thinking well if my people go down there they're going
to love you know the king of Judah and they're going to seek to kill me and so he comes up with
a plan what's his plan verse number 28 whereupon the king took counsel and made two calves of gold
that's Calvin's mechanical bull there the two calves of gold and said unto 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 the the king here he makes two golden calves hey it's better than one golden
calf which uh Aaron made hey he goes one step further and makes two golden calves
okay now drop down to verse number 32 and Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month
on the 15th day of the month like unto the feast that is in Judah and he offered upon the altar
so now he's sacrificing to these golden calves so did he in Bethel sacrificing unto the calves now
don't forget Bethel means the house of God so if you want to take this the idea you know this ought
to be church and he's offering sacrifices to a false god sacrificing unto the calves that he
had made and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made so he offered
upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the 15th day of the eighth month even in the month
which he had devised of his own heart and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel
and he offered upon the altar and burnt incense and so this is the commandment this is the
commandment that Hosea is preaching against hey they went and they went after this commandment
which brought upon the wrath of God what was the commandment hey let's go worship some other god
hey let's say these these golden calves they're the ones that delivered us out of Egypt hey let's
go sacrifice and and have a day of a holiday on the same day that they're meant to be worshiping
God in Jerusalem and let's go and offer some sacrifices and so they made a god of their own
imaginations and so this was the commandment that was passed in the days of Jeroboam which the
people of Israel were doing and so that's what you know Hosea chapter 5 is about the fact that
they're sacrificing idols to this false god verse number 12 back to Hosea chapter 5 verse number 12
Hosea chapter 5 verse number 12 and now you understand why God is so angry verse number 12
therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth and to the house of Judah as rottenness okay so the
Lord's obviously prophetically saying that Judah is going to fall in the same way you know I'm
preaching through Jeremiah for the church down there blessed up by this church I feel like it's
the same things okay just over a over a hundred years apart you know and Judah's got into the
same problems as the northern kingdom and so I found it quite interesting that the Lord says I'm
going to be like a moth you know what you want to worship false gods you want to step out outside of
the boundaries you want to do sinful things well I'm going to come as a moth I'm going to come as
rottenness I'm going to destroy the things that you you know the things that you value and you
know what just brings to my mind what Jesus Christ says in Matthew 6 19 lay up not for yourselves
treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust of corrupt and where
thieves do not break through nor steal for where your treasure is there will your heart be also
and so they had set up these treasures on the earth these golden calves hey that's where their
heart was their heart was away from the Lord you know it's so wonderful brethren that we have a
bank account in heaven in heaven I don't know what your bank account looks like it might be in
the negative I know mine is because I've got a mortgage it's in the negative but one thing I
know for sure that's in the positive are my treasures up in heaven but the moth is not the
moth's not going to corrupt it it's not going to be rotted away you know brethren and please think
about these things you know when you're stepping outside of your boundaries that means you're not
serving the Lord that means you're not laying up treasures in heaven you know you're seeking things
that a moth can easily corrupt and destroy you know when the Lord's judgment falls it can be
quite severe. Hosea 5 13 when Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah saw his wound they then went
Ephraim to the Assyrian and sent to king Jarab yet could he not heal you nor cure you of your wound
so Ephraim northern kingdoms Israel they see their sickness oh man judgment's coming God's
not happy with us and Judah saw his wound Judah's as well going wow we're not walking well with God
as well so do they try to seek do they go to God and sort it out I mean brethren when you see
sickness when you see sin and a wound in you who should you go to you go to the Lord you confess
it to the Lord and say Lord you're the great physician you can heal me Lord help me Lord
forgive me for my sins give me victory over this sin but what do they do they go to the Assyrian
they go to king Jarab they go to the same people that God's going to use to bring them into
captivity and so they send their ambassadors to make peace with that king but the Lord's just
using them to bring judgment upon them they're missing the points and because they go and that
instead of seeking the Lord they go and seek after the Assyrian it says that he could not cure
you of the wound so the Assyrians like you know what you can send your ambassadors you can try to
make peace with me I'm still going to come and take over your land I'm still going to come and
take your people into captivity okay because the Lord had said that in the heart of that man
because that was a judgment I was going to fall upon them verse number 14 for I will be unto
Ephraim as a lion and as a young lion to the house of Judah God's saying I'm going to be like a lion
now brethren I don't know I don't want to face a lion a young lion a strong young lion okay
not some old lion that's kind of lazy now the Lord's saying look I'm a young lion look at this
I even I will tear and go away I will take away and none shall rescue him you know just think
about the idea might be a bit gruesome but just some lion taking out a person just ripping that
person to shreds and devouring them God's saying you know what I'm going to act like a lion to
these nations because of their wickedness because of their sin you know I haven't got time to go
through this right now but you know the Assyrians would be the lions and again I've been going for
Jeremiah with the church down there and the Lord refers to Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians as
a young lion as well that that you know tore them to pieces verse number 15 and I will go and return
to my place till they acknowledge their offense and seek my face in their affliction they will
seek me early now we know that the northern kingdom of Israel they never recovered they
never came back really you know in the proper sense and so it says that they were acknowledged
your offense that was the Jews that was the southern kingdom you know when they were taken
to captivity by the Babylonians there are a lot of godly men that realize the errors of their ways
you know and the Lord after seven years allowed them to return back to the land after that nation
as a whole you know acknowledge the Lord acknowledge your offense but again let's take this
to our point of view you know brethren if you're not framing your doings if you're outside of the
boundaries okay God says I will go and return to my place you know we can lose the presence of God
in our life I'm not talking about salvation I'm just talking about our fellowship with the Lord
you know the Lord can seem so far away sometimes and when the Lord seems so far away it's usually
because you've got sin in your life you have unconfessed in your life it's usually because
you've not framed your doings and you're doing your own wicked devices and you're not seeking
the Lord and it says look here he will come back till they acknowledge their offense hey brethren
you're far from God today maybe you know what you do acknowledge your offense don't be stubborn
don't be prideful don't harden your face to God just acknowledge your offense seek my face in
their affliction they will seek me early not seek God quickly seek him early you know if you're far
from God tonight brethren as soon as you're ready you know maybe even now as we end in prayer you
know just acknowledge your offense to God sort it out seek him early you know and the Lord will give
you peace the Lord will bring you back you know the Lord will bring you back and help you frame
your doings so that you're not out of line okay let's pray heavenly father I just want to thank
you for your word