Thank you for coming to Steadfast Baptist Church. We'll go ahead and take our seats for the evening and we're gonna turn
to our first song
We're gonna do
244
Amazing Grace song 244
Since I don't have any musicians I can pick whatever songs I want. All right, so there you go song
144 Amazing Grace
There on the first
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now
I'm found was blind but now I see
Twas grace that taught my heart
To fear and grace my fears relieved
How precious
Precious did that grace appear the
I first believed
Through many
Dangers soils and snares I have already
Gone
Tis grace
That brought me safe thus far and grace
Will lead me home
When we've been
there
10,000 years
bright shining
as the
Sun
We've no
last days to
sing
God's praise
then when
we first
Be gone
Let's start with the word of prayer
Thank You Heavenly Father for giving us this evening to be gathered to have church
I pray that you would just bless our service help our hearts to be
Convicted with the Word of God and that we would strive to be better Christians
I pray to keep us safe as we go home in Jesus name. We pray and man
Let's go to a song 66 for our next song
At Calvary
There's some there's the front row is open I know of y'all want to be really close to me up here
So you're always welcome if you need some more seats as the front row is open. All right
At Calvary
There on the first
Years I spent in vanity and pride
Caring not my lord was crucified
Knowing not it was for me died on
Calvary
Mercy there was great and grace was free
Pardon there was multiplied to me there my burden so found liberty
at Calvary
By God's Word at last my sin I learned then I trembled at the law
I'd spurned till my guilty soul
imploring turn to
Calvary
Mercy there was great and grace was free
Pardon there was multiplied to me
there my burden so found liberty at
Calvary
Oh
The love that drew salvation's plan. Oh
The grace that brought it down to man. Oh
the mighty gold that God did spend at
Calvary
Mercy there was great and grace was free
Pardon there was multiplied to me
there my burden so found liberty at
Calvary
Now I've given to Jesus everything
Now I gladly own him as my king
now my rapture soul can only sing of
Calvary
Mercy there was great and grace was free
Pardon there was multiplied to me
there my burden so found liberty at
Calvary
Good singing if you don't have a bulletin do we have extra bulletins back there?
Somewhere maybe okay. I might have to steal one does anybody have a bulletin that they can let me alright
I got you're my favorite, okay?
We have our Bible memory passage and
We are on I think we're on the last verse actually verse 10, and we have our service so winning times
This is this is last week's right, okay?
Does anybody have this week's is I want to make sure the prayer list is accurate on that no one?
Apparently you all destroy your your bulletins afterwards. Let me I can look at them on my phone. It's no problem
So we are on verse 10 for the week and
We have our service time so winning times we also have a prayer list and
If you'd continue to pray for miss nigira for a health we also have miss Lucy
We've been praying for our mother's tumors. We've been praying for brother Cameron Hall for his leg
We've been praying for brother Pendleton for his brain cancer
Also, we have the Goodwin son Daniel has surgery on February 6th, so we're praying for him
Also, the Garcia's were praying for their children that they would be stationed close by and we were praying for brother
Sue Hill, but I see our prayers came to life. I think Sue's hell's in the building right where you at somewhere there
he is all right glad to have him in the flesh and
Everything went well everything went good all right great, and then we've been praying for brother Wallach's friend
Juan who's having cancer treatment been praying for miss Cooper's back pain
We've been praying for the Scott family also. I guess you had mr.
Brother Wallach had his dad was we were in prayer for him for heart problems
And then we've been praying for Billy Day's family situation
So we have and I know we have some other prayer requests out there. I know brother Dylan's have been sick
And and a lot of other people have been sick, so let's keep them in our prayers as well
I
Know brother Richard Capito had asked for prayer for being sick as well and
So hopefully they will recover soon
Let's go ahead and say a quick word of prayer for our church family. Thank Heavenly Father for our church family
Thank you for expecting ladies. Please please be with them during their pregnancies
Please help them to have a timely delivery
I pray that you would also bless our church family that's struggling with health
We know that a lot of people have different illnesses sicknesses
Chronic issues. I pray that you would give them recovery. Please help them in this time of tribulation
Encourage them give them peace during this time of difficulty
I pray that you would help give favor unto our church family and our friends
Please also help those that need to hear the gospel that we've been praying for
To soften their hearts and that we could get them saved and we just thank you for all that you give us in
Jesus name we pray
Amen
As far as upcoming events next Monday is our theater
Premiere of the preserved Bible who now don't raise your hand yet
Who is planning on coming but has not emailed me is anybody coming that did not email me? Okay. All right, so
You guys you don't know if you did or not. All right, just making sure I think you guys are on the list
So I just wanted to I just want to make sure I think we're gonna we're gonna have a full house and I'm excited about it
We are also gonna still be releasing the film on
The following Tuesday, so that's the 31st
Online and of course, you know
We'd love for you to try and share this and and put it out there for you that actually have a Facebook or or have
social media accounts still I
Can't really share anything a lot of time so it helps if you guys can get it out there and spread the word and
Hopefully we'll I'll go ahead and get DVDs and stuff still ordered
But you know, obviously a lot of people don't use a DVD player that much anymore
And so there's still a lot of other great ways to share that information
Share it with groups share with friends, but we'll make
DVDs and and handouts and we'll have QR codes with that so people can still check it out on their phone and other things
Like that, but I'm very excited for the release of this project
Brother Ben worked really hard on it and brother Dylan also helped us a lot and when we took a lot of trips
We did a lot of interviews. We took a lot of trips
We spent a lot of money on equipment and it's been a long time coming a lot of work and effort
So if you don't like the film don't tell me no, I'm just kidding
Just blame Ben. Okay, actually, I'm really excited. I think you know, if you love the Bible
You're gonna get some good stuff out of it. We have some great interviews with Pastor Anderson Pastor Menes and
Even some other people that you probably wouldn't be as familiar with but some great guys. Dr
Phil stringer is one who's it was a great interview
Dr. Donald break has done a lot of research on just the history of the King James Bible and he even has a
lot of rare Bibles in a museum in
Houston so Houston has a Bible Museum at what used to be Houston Baptist University
I think they changed it to his the Houston Christian University and it didn't go over well with the students
But you know, either way I we went down there to visit. They have a free Bible Museum
It's called the dunham Bible Museum and you can take a tour of it for free and it was really cool
I you know highly recommend if you ever get a chance to go down there check it out and
But we'll be trying to release a lot of the information a lot of the footage and stuff that's post film as well
So, please just pray that people would be
You know convicted to use the right Bible and again my personal opinion is that
You can't really change people's doctrine if they're not King James only it's almost it's almost just a vain exercise
and so getting people to use a King James Bible is their first step is such an important step that I hope that
People will take these films seriously and we can share it and reach a lot of people. I was curious again who?
Who's like first experience with a church like ours is from a documentary like that was the first thing that you kind of saw
See, yeah
Lots of hands in the room and see that's why we make these films is to try and reach new people
And try to help them understand a lot of different things. So
Cleburne, Texas, we're gonna have a soloing marathon February 4th, March 15th is the Old West
Wednesday and
You know, I
We've been we've already started planning this and I think it's gonna be even greater than I thought so you better buckle up
All right cowboy and get your cowboy hat and get ready to rumble. So it's gonna be a lot of fun
It's gonna be a dinner and events and everything like that. So
Hopefully as many people as possible can participate since there's food I anticipate a lot of Sunday morning people will come so
April 1st, we have the Dallas Texas soul-winning marathon and then April 24th of the 29th is a Bahamas missions trip
I do want to make
Can you help me? I just want to make a few quick private announcements before I get into that
We can go ahead and turn to our next song. We're gonna go to it as well with my soul
I think it's 144
You
And death my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
My lord thou has taught me to say
It is well it is
well
With my soul ladies on the first
It
Is well
With my soul it is well it is well
with my soul
Though Satan
should
buff it though
trials should come
Let this blast the show
rent control
that Christ has
regarded my
Helpless estate and I've said his own blood
for my soul
It
Is well
With my soul it is well it is well
With my soul
My sin of the bliss of this glorious
Thought
My sin not in part, but the whole
is nailed
to the cross and I
Bury it no more
Praise the Lord
Oh my soul
It is well
With my soul it is well it is well
with my soul
And Lord is the day when my face
I'll be side
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll
the trump
Resound and the Lord shall descend
Even so it is well with my soul
It is well
With my soul it is well it is well
with my soul
Very good singing at this time if you'll turn in your Bibles of Hosea chapter number six brother Nick's gonna read for us Hosea
Chapter number six
Hosea chapter six Hosea chapter six the Bible reads
Come and let us return unto the Lord for he had torn and he will heal us
He has smitten and he will bind us up
After two days will he revive us in the third day?
He will raise us up and we shall live in his sight
Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord his going forth is prepared as the morning
And he shall come unto us as the rain as the ladder and former rain under the earth. Oh Ephraim
What shall I do unto thee Oh Judah?
What shall I do unto thee for your goodness is as a morning cloud and as the early dew it goeth away
Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets
I've slain them by the words of my mouth and my judgments are as the light that goeth forth
For I desired mercy and not sacrifice and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings
But they like men have transgressed the Covenant there have they dealt treacherously against me
Galat is a city of them that work iniquity and is polluted with blood and as troops of robbers wait for a man
So the company of priests murder in the way by consent for they commit lewdness
I've seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel. There is the whoredom of Ephraim Israel is defiled
Also, Judah, he has set a harvest for thee when I returned the captivity of my people. Let us pray father
Thank you for this great chapter. And I just pray that you fill pastor Shelley with your Holy Spirit
I pray that you'll lay in his heart the message you prepared for him and allow us to gain wisdom knowledge and understanding from your
Word tonight father and we pray these things in Jesus name. Amen
Amen we're in Hosea chapter number six and
If you kind of read a few verses back and we kind of just look back to get a little bit of context here in
chapter 5 in
verse 14 the Bible said for I will be unto Ephraim as a
Lion and as a young lion to the house of Judah. I even I will tear and go away
I will take away and none shall rescue him
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
God is describing how he's going to destroy
Israel is going to destroy
Ephraim and he's gonna take Judah along with them and this is a prophecy of the
impending Babylonian captivity when the Babylonians are going to ultimately come in and
And take them captive now
It's also reminiscent of the fact that or it's also
Prophesying the fact that Israel and Ephraim is going to be destroyed before that point. So before the Babylonian captivity
Israel is going to be dismantled and
essentially just completely destroyed and mixed amongst the heathen and they're gonna kind of be dispersed abroad at that point in time
It's gonna be a little bit of a dysphora
Meaning just they're scattered Jews or your so-called. It's really just Israel
Israelites are scattered throughout different nations and different areas and you had to have this northern part
Samaria is kind of a mixed. It's kind of a mingled group of people
Some are still the remnant of the children of Israel. Some are just heathens and it's just kind of a mixed type atmosphere
But then the Babylonians are eventually going to come in
They're gonna just wipe out everything I mean the Bible says when the Babylonians came
It was a garden before them and it's like a desert wilderness behind them
so the Babylonians are coming through and they're just wiping out every town and every village and
Essentially any kingdom that doesn't just bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar and become his servants immediately
He wipes them all out
Well, unfortunately
Almost everybody doesn't bow down and so Nebuchadnezzar just storming through just destroying everyone and he's gonna essentially destroy all of Israel
surround Jerusalem and Jerusalem's kind of a
strategic location
Geographically, it's historically been a difficult city to take it's got the big walls
and so they have to besiege it over and over and
They anticipate maybe the Egyptians even coming up and kind of keeping the Babylonians at bay
and of course that would be
Egypt's best interest because Egypt doesn't want them to take on Jerusalem and then be at their doorstep and eventually take them over
So that's kind of this back and forth and God's telling, you know, the children of Israel really the children of Judah
Hey don't trust in Egypt
Egypt's not gonna really help you and get you out of this this predicament
And of course, they kind of lean on Egypt and they lean on themselves and ultimately the Babylonians destroy them at that point in time
there's only a little group of people left over with Jeremiah and
They end up eventually just going down into Egypt
So basically just the whole land of Israel is just a is just a wilderness. There's just nobody virtually speaking
dwelling in this land for 70 years and that's kind of that
Babylonian captivity
period where the Jews are scattered in all places of the earth and
A lot of them are in Babylon specifically, but they're not all in Babylon
Some of them were taken to Babylon early such as we understand in the book of Daniel
Daniel and his brethren Shadrach Meshach and Abednego
Which is their you know carnal name or their their given name, but these three guys came with them and
They were kind of the children that were taken in the first few
Captivities of the Babylonians and then later more and more just kept coming and kept coming
But Jews were scattered literally everywhere in the whole earth
Okay, and that's even evidenced by the book of Esther, you know
You get to book of Esther which is a little bit further in the future from the Babylonian captivity
But even at that time Jews are everywhere and that's kind of the case
Well what the Bible is alluding to is that after they've been there for 70 years
If they seek the Lord and they pray
Then God could cause them to return back to the land. And of course, that's where we have the famous prayer by Daniel
acknowledging that
Israel has sinned and he counted Jeremiah
He read the book of Jeremiah and he understood that and he read Isaiah and he understood
hey, we're gonna be in captivity for 70 years, but we're coming back and
They eventually come back so God is basically saying hey, I'm gonna tear you guys
I'm gonna destroy you guys and then once you acknowledge what you did, then I'll let you come back
And it's it's a big picture to how we're supposed to live our lives
Where we transgress against God and what does God really want us to do? God wants us to acknowledge our sin and
Then to seek the Lord and then he can forgive us and give us mercy and grace
For that particular sin for that particular
Grievance or trespass that we've done unto him and in verse 6 verse 1
It says this come and let us return on a lord for he hath torn and he will heal us
He has smitten and he will bind us up
So according to the Bible is saying look obviously God caused evil to happen to us
But the same God that caused and allowed evil to happen to us is the same God that's willing
To also heal us and give us recovery
You know, this makes me think of anytime I have to discipline my children if I have to discipline them
It's grievous in the moment of discipline, but then immediately after the discipline, you know what they want
they want me to hug them and comfort them and
quote-unquote heal from that discipline and it's God's the same way that sometimes God will chastise us or
You know do something to us to get our attention
Punish us for what we've done
but at the same time he's still a loving father that
Wants us to come to him and allow him to heal us and allow us to
Recover through his graces and through his mercy
Now, of course it says in verse 2 after two days. Will he revive us in the third day?
He will raise us up and we shall live in his sight now
This is such an obvious prophecy Catholics are probably figured out
But I mean this this is a clear reference to the gospel of Jesus Christ notice he says after two days
Will he revive us in the third day? He will raise us up. What do you think? That's a prophecy up, of course
That's a prophecy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let's just go there go to 1st Corinthians 15 for a moment
go to 1st Corinthians chapter number 15, but
He's saying hey, you got two days where you kind of have to wait
and
He's gonna give you he says he's gonna revive you in this in this period. He says after two days. Will he revive us?
If it's after that means the first two days were not the reviving
So there was not anything good happening in those first two days
And of course when we think about the gospel the disciples were not revived in the two days
During Christ's death. In fact, they were very sad
The Lord Jesus Christ even alluded to that when they talked about how his disciples didn't fast and they
Weren't grieving and he's like, oh, well, they can't well the bridegroom's with them
But he'll be taken away and then they will fast. So of course that two days was a period of mourning a
period of fasting a period of prayer and seeking the Lord
But what happens after two days?
Then he'll revive us, you know, give us energy give us, you know the same type of increase our faith and encourage us
Well, the Bible tells us the gospel message is this kind of same pattern look at verse number three
for I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received how that Christ died for our sins according the scriptures and
That he was buried and that he rose again the third day
According to the scriptures and that he was seen of Cephas then of the twelve, you know
You have to realize what the Bible is saying here is it is saying in
Verse number four that he rose again the third day what?
According to the scriptures now when this is written, is he really you know, what is he really referring to?
He's referring to the Old Testament exactly
Of course, you know
I don't know the exact timeline of when first Corinthians is written and when Matthew Mark and Luke and John are written
however
It's obvious that what Paul is truly alluding to here is the Old Testament the fact that the Old Testament
Prophesied that Jesus Christ would be risen again the third day
Well, you say well, where's where's that at in Scripture? Well, what did we see in Hosea?
chapter number six verse
number two
In the third day, he will raise us up. So of course, this is that illusion
this is talking about us being risen up now, why is it like a
You know, he's being risen up. We're being risen up
Well, we get that same benefit of Christ being resurrected from the dead
spiritually, you know the Bible talks about how we share in his resurrection that we are
Resurrected and of course he is giving us that resurrection in Christ's
Resurrection and what he did for us. Not only that I mean the people that were saved in the Old Testament
They were benefiting from the resurrection before it even happened
And of course we benefit from the resurrection after it's happened and I love that we seeing it as well with my soul
Because in the third verse it talks about my sin is not in part but in whole
meaning it's it's
Absurd to think that an event that happened 2,000 years ago would only cover my sins of the past
Because my sins of the past we're still in the future in reference of the gospel
Just as the sin that I'm gonna commit tomorrow and the next day and until I die is
still in the future of the gospel because the gospel was a once-for-all sacrifice for my sin not in part but in whole and
He gave me
resurrection he gave me that new spirit
He revived me by me believing and his resurrection think about Romans 10
What is it that you must do to be saved? You must believe in the death barrel and
Resurrection of Jesus Christ and when we believe in the third day when we believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ
That's what gives us resurrection. That's what revives us. That's what quickens your spirit. That's what gives you eternal life
You know, it doesn't give you eternal life repenting of your sins, you know, it doesn't give you eternal life changing an over a new leaf
Being right with God you can't get right with God on your own
The only way to get revival
The only way to get resurrection is through the third day
And of course that third day is in clear reference to none other than the Lord Jesus Christ
I want to go to another place in Scripture go to Luke chapter 24 for a moment
Go to Luke chapter 24 and the reason why I like Luke chapter 24 is when Jesus Christ is going
and on the what's considered the
walk to Emmaus, you know, and this is this is what
Some people even do this this special walk to Emmaus or something event. I've heard that people walk
naked and I don't I've never understood that because I've read Luke 24 so many times and I've never gotten the fact that I
Should take my clothes off when I do this
Super bizarre why people would even do this
Additionally, you know way better than just making some random walk in the middle of in the Middle East or something like that
How about just reading Luke 24? It's like I want the walk to Emmaus. Okay, read it, you know
Just read the scripture and study what the Bible says, but I just like the way that these guys word things
And I just want to read a little portion of this look at verse 19
And he said to them what things so he's trying to they're trying to explain them Jesus
wouldn't that be fun to explain to Jesus what's going on about Jesus and
They said to them concerning Jesus of Nazareth
which was a prophet mighty indeed and word before God and all the people and now the chief priests and our rulers delivered and
Be condemned to death and have crucified him
But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel and beside all this
Today is the third day
Since these things were done. So what is it that he they brought up?
They brought up the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ and they said today is the third day now
Of course, we know that they're talking about the first day of the week here
Look at verse 1
It says in chapter 24 verse 1 now upon the first day of the week very early in the morning
So we're talking about what day Sunday, you know, why is it that we have Church on Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord?
Jesus Christ and
The Lord Jesus Christ was risen again and the thing about this. He gave us revival
He started the church and he gave revival on the third day and we celebrate church on
The first day which is the third day
Which gives us what revival because we go to church to be revived again
You know you go through the week and and sometimes you can get down and we go to church to get revived again, right?
now they keep
communicating here to the Lord Jesus Christ
It says in verse 22 yay and certain women also of her company made us astonished which were early at the sepulcher and
When they found not his body they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels
Which said that he was alive and
Certain of them which were with us went to the sepulcher and found that even so as the woman had said
But him they saw not then he said to them Oh fools and slow of heart to believe all
that what
The prophets have spoken now again. We saw in 1st Corinthians. He's saying the scripture
Could he be really referring to Matthew Mark and Luke and John maybe but in my opinion
He was referring to the Old Testament for sure, but isn't Jesus for sure. He's really for sure referring to these the Old Testament because
Matthew Mark and Luke John were not written when Jesus had risen again the first day. Okay that had not happened yet
So when Jesus Christ is bringing up the prophets, what is he bringing up Hosea?
He's bringing up the Old Testament pictures and he's saying why are you slow to believe the prophets?
You know some people
Have this weird idea like oh no one believed in Jesus or in the resurrection before the New Testament
Jesus is rebuking them for being stupid not believing it. I mean, wait, let's just read this again Oh
fools
Now is what does fool mean?
stupid
idiots
You know, I love how everybody thinks Jesus is just the nicest guy they've ever met or something
He never speaks poorly didn't you know, he's talking and think about this
These are two guys that said that they had trusted in Jesus, you know, what would you call someone that trusted in Jesus?
I call them a Christian. I would call them saved right these guys
Obviously were probably saved in my opinion if not, they were gonna get saved and they're really
You know, they care about the things of God. They had followed him around
They were paying attention and in fact, they are pretty knowledgeable about a lot of things in the Bible
But you know what? They didn't believe everything in the Bible had they and what was Jesus?
What it was his opinion of people who trust in Christ, but don't believe the prophets. He calls them stupid
I mean, that's what the Bible says, you know
It's it's frustrating to me when you read the Bible and then you talk to modern Christians today
Because it just seems like they don't know the Jesus of the Bible
But the Jesus of the Bible gets mad at you for being stupid
He gets mad at you for not believing the Bible and I'll say this he gets mad at you for not knowing what?
The Prophet said you say why do I come to church on a Wednesday night to learn what the Prophet said?
To have a Bible study and then not have Jesus look at you and say you stupid you fool
Why don't you believe the prophets? Why don't you understand the scripture?
You know Jesus going around he rebuked people for constantly not having read. Have you not read?
Have you not read you don't believe the prophets, you know, he's constantly trying to get people on one thing
What is the big rebuke of Jesus read the Bible
Read the Bible believe the Bible. Look at the scripture read about why because Jesus is the Bible
If Jesus is telling you follow me, you know, he's saying read the Bible
Abide in me, you know what he's saying read the Bible. You know what he's saying just over and over
It's it's reading the scripture. It's studying the Bible. It's memorizing scripture
You know, that's why people who don't know the Bible don't know Jesus
They love to walk around and tell me how much of a relationship they have and then I would love to say, okay
How much how much of the Bible you've memorized none? How much do you read none? So your relationships about it is zero
You know, what kind of relationship do you think you have with someone when you never hang out? I
Mean if I said hey me and this guy are best buds. Oh, yeah, how much do you hang out?
Well, I don't really hang out with them
Okay, well do y'all talk on the phone no
You how are you buddies?
Well, there's this book about him that I read
It's not it's not him
But it's just a book about him and every once in a while. It has a tiny little quote from him
This is called a devotional right how many Christians they use is a devotional. They're not talking to Jesus
They're not hanging out with Jesus. They're hanging out with some other dude that wrote about Jesus
It but maybe they'll put like they'll sprinkle like one tiny little verse in there Jesus
Well, you know just so you get a little bit in there. It's like that's ridiculous folks
That's not the relationship that Christ really wanted us have and you say I want revival in my life
You know revival comes through the Bible
If we're gonna change America if we're gonna get people saved and we're gonna make a big impact in this area
It has to be that we get people start reading the Bible
You know, why is education important?
It's important that children know how to read it's important that we teach people how to learn how to read so they can read the Bible
And then they can educate themselves and I'll tell you something
No one is gonna serve God greatly without reading lots of Bible
No one is gonna do it be a great Christian without reading lots of Bible
No one is gonna have a huge faith without reading lots of Bible and let me tell you something
The Bible is your friend it's Jesus Christ
He is gonna revive you you when you go through difficult times when you have evil you say what's gonna revive me. It's Jesus
But what does that mean practically? It's this book
You know, this is what gives you comfort. This is what gives you encouragement. This is what gives you strength
This is what gives you faith
This is why we come on a Wednesday night and we read lots of Bible because it's gonna revive us
But if I get up and I just tell you a bunch of stories and we just sing a couple kumbaya
And go home. You know what? There won't be any real revival
You never many talks about revival, you know revival looks like this
It looks like people reading this and memorizing this and studying this and singing this
This is how we have true revival and you know
That's why I think our church always seems to have a great energy about it because it seems like people are reading their Bible
Seems like people care about memorizing scripture
It seems like people are singing the scripture and they're getting joy out of the Bible
But if our church stops reading the Bible it will die
We will become a dead church. You know, there is just like if the red if our churches stops eating brisket
and
Stops eating red meat and stops eating all meat if we all become vegan. We're gonna all look emaciated
Have you ever met a vegan and they look ripped?
I mean, it's like super rare and usually they're probably lying
They're probably drinking some protein drink and lying about the fact that they're vegan or something because I've known tons of vegans
I've seen lots of vegans. They're usually not the best looking in shape
You know my I had a dentist that was vegan and I thought he was gonna die
Like I was looking I'm like, are you like a thousand years old like about to die?
And this was when I was like 10. He was my dentist till I was like 25
And every year I kept thinking like how are you still alive?
You know, I never thought like wow, you're just a beacon of health buddy, you know
That would be the same as if our churches doesn't read the Bible
We'll all become emaciated and weak and puny and just just like we can't do anything
You know, we need to eat and you know what? We need to eat spiritually
We need the Word of God go back to Hosea chapter 6
You
Probably preach a whole sermon on this verse, but obviously let's study more of Hosea 6
All right, ah, you know, it's great to get revival and it is great to realize all the implications of the resurrection
But of course we only get that through the scripture now
I says in verse 3 then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord?
His going forth is prepared as the morning and he shall come unto us as the rain as the ladder and former rain
Under the earth now the Bible uses rain as a picture of blessing as a picture of renewal as
Just generally just good things
The rain is a picture of good things. And of course, you know today we live in a society where have so much technology
Through irrigation and other inventions that rain isn't always
necessary for
Americans to have good food
We kind of get good food period because we always
import it from all these different areas and all these different, you know plants
But like there's still plenty of parts of the country and there's even parts of the world
That if they just stop getting rain if they had a drought
Their money would dry up. They would be in serious problems. You know rain is a very necessary
component to our ecosystem and
To producing food and to producing wealth and to producing things that we need of course back then
They really needed it. In fact, if they didn't get rain, they didn't have
Alternatives they didn't have extra options. They would be to a point where they're gonna starve to death
That's why with Egypt had that great drought with Joseph
Everybody in the whole world came to Egypt to buy bread because no one had any food
So when God uses this symbol of the rain, you know as the ladder and as the former
he's talking about how you get the rain and all the necessary times of
Planting and the growing seasons and everything you need because you need a lot of rain when you plant
Just to get that thing germinated and get started
That's why you need all that rain in the spring, but you also need it in growing season, too
You kind of need that early rain need that laddering just so that your crops won't dry up
They'll make it all the way to full
Maturation and they'll produce fruit just like the parable of the sower
Jesus brings up how sometimes you have plants just spring up and
Then they have no root and they die or they spring up and they're choked of the thorns and the thistles
And they don't bring forth any fruit. So, you know, it's a long process to bring forth fruit
Physically, why would we think it's any different spiritually, you know spiritually speaking you have to be patient
With the things of God you have to realize that sometimes it takes a while to produce fruit
Some fruits gonna take a long time and we have to just patiently endure and allow the Lord to give us those rain
Seasons and allow us to bless us and you know, if we don't have God's blessing of rain
We're not gonna really reap but as the Bible describes it he's gonna give us those type of blessings
Verse 4 Oh Ephraim
What shall I do unto thee? Oh Judah, what shall I do unto thee?
For your goodness is as a morning cloud and as the early dew it goeth away now
He kind of shifts gears from verse 3 to verse 4
Verses 1 through 3. He's alluding to the Babylonian return. They go back. They seek the Lord and he's gonna bless them
He's gonna give them the ladder in the form of rain and they're gonna have good
But then if you kind of understand the context of how this is all written, it's not just chapters
It's kind of like one big epistle
God's kind of still going back to the main theme of Hosea and what's the main theme of Hosea?
The children of Israel have rebelled against the Lord. They've rejected the Lord. They're wicked. They're evil
they're like an adulterous and whorish wife as the Bible describes them and
He gives a he kind of gives you that future
Hey, I'm gonna tear and destroy you guys
But y'all return and then he's kind of just bringing it back to that same narrative and he's just like what am I gonna do?
You guys
You know, I mean, this is just this is awful for your good
Excuse me for your goodness as a morning cloud and as the early do it go the way
Do in the morning?
Eventually evaporates it eventually goes away
and of course, he's also talking about this morning cloud is another picture of weather patterns and how
Essentially you have this morning cloud, but it just vanishes you don't see it anymore
It's not you're not getting the rain you thought you would and he's saying it's kind of like how the children of Israel
and even started out good and
it's they started out a good path, but then all of a sudden is just gone and
It's just completely dissipated and there's no sight of it
You know on a hot summer day, you could still have dew in the morning, but by noon by three o'clock
I mean, it's gonna be so hot. You wouldn't even realize the glass the grass was ever wet
I mean there was no trace of it. And essentially that's what he's trying to say about these groups
He's saying you guys what am I gonna do with you? You're like do that just disappeared
You have no goodness. There's no goodness of you at all. What had happened with the children of men in the book of Genesis
When there's no goodness
He washed them all away in a flood didn't he?
You know
The Bible said that God repented God in his heart that he'd made man and that their thoughts were only evil continually
And you have to think about this, you know kind of when we get towards the end of the world
It's gonna be a similar time is what the days of Lot
and the days of who? Noah and
Every time we have this cycle in history where we get to the final point
Where all the goodness has been zapped out of the unsaved
God just destroys it and we have to realize is we're gonna live in a world where all the goodness of
Man is gonna be zapped out of them. They are gonna be lovers of their own selves
They're gonna be traders and heavy and
high-minded lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God and it's gonna be a very dangerous world to live in and
so you have to
Prepare yourself and realize, you know, we're not headed for good times
Generally speaking now you as a person you individually you could be looking forward to good times, you know
I've met tons of people. They'll tell me hey 2020 was the best year of my life
Now here's the thing
2020 was like an epic just destruction for most people like 2020 was a terrible year for just the general
population of the world
2021 not much better 2022 another much, but you know for a lot of people
Individualistically, they'll say like it was great for me though
it well well for me this reminds me of the children of Israel living in Egypt and
Goshen where essentially the whole I mean for Egypt it sucks. They have frogs
They have they have boils they have darkness they have like everything bad imaginable happening to them
But the children of Israel they're living it up in Goshen
Albeit, they're being persecuted. It's not perfect, but they're not going they don't have the boils
They're getting whipped, but they don't have frogs in their oven. Okay, so choose your poison, right?
I mean, it's it's never gonna be perfect
But it's like living in Goshen is still okay
And of course, that's what's gonna happen for Christians Christians are gonna live in a Goshen
We're persecuted and we're afflicted and we have you but God can still give us a little bit of a bubble
While the whole world is being new
But you have to realize the world is gonna get really bad and people are gonna wax really bad
Just like in this this picture
We are gonna get to a point where just man is just so evil and so wicked
In fact, it gets to such an extremity
If you think about it right before right after we're raptured God's gonna end up pouring out locusts from hell and
Great hell stones and the Bible says that men still didn't repent of their sins
They didn't still repent of the wickedness and the evil that they're doing
I mean, it's like God's just punishing you and it's evident
There's no way to get around it and they still blaspheme
They still gnash on their their their tongue and they just they hate God and they don't want to turn their wicked
There's no goodness in them it just been sucked out and
Will be the goodness that sucked out will be the salt that's removed and it's just gonna rot
Just like a meat product that doesn't have any salt in it
It's just gonna rot and fast and just be gross and they're gonna be destroyed and that's the same as this
Where they're going to rot and be destroyed and God's gonna take them out of the way and then have to replace them
Bring back the children visit that's the same with us
God's gonna take us out of the earth
Nuke it all and then bring us back to inherit that area and come back and inherit the land
Says in verse 5 therefore have I hewed them by the prophets
I have slain them by the words of my mouth and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth
So it's interesting is God saying hey, I told you what was gonna happen you guys
I had men of God stand up. They prophesied about how wicked you are
They told you you're gonna be destroyed and then I did exactly what I said through the Prophet just like Hosea
Hosea is giving a prophecy of them being destroyed before it happened
He's saying you're gonna be destroyed you're gonna be wiped off the face the map
It's gonna happen and what God is gonna do he's gonna Hugh them
Gonna solve them and asunder in essence through the words of the prophets just like preachers today getting up and
Warning people about the coming Antichrist and warning people about the wrath of God
People are gonna be huge by the words of the prophets. Why because ultimately it's the Word of God that they're speaking
ultimately, it's the judgments of God that he's gonna pour out upon them and
our words that we speak that come from the Bible are like light and that light shines on the darkness and it
Exposes the darkness for what it is and let me tell you something
It's blinding to the darkness. The darkness doesn't like it
The darkness flees from the light because it hates the light because what the light does to it verse 6 for I desired mercy
And not sacrifice and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings
now
God gave them these harsh warnings
So that they would seek the Lord's mercy
But the children of Israel they never sought the Lord correctly. They would only go to their works
They would only offer more offerings or go to their false gods and it's kind of the same thing with
The Pharisees and the Sadducees at the time of Christ now. Keep your finger. We'll go to Matthew 9
He's actually quoted in the New Testament in Matthew 9
And I think Matthew gives us a
Little bit of an interpretation of this passage gives us a little bit of clarity is what God's talking about
But let's read a few verses just for sake of context it says in verse
9 and as Jesus passed forth from thence
He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the receipt of custom and he saith unto him
Follow me and he rose and followed him and it came to pass that Jesus sat at me in the house
Gold many publicans and sinners
Came and sat down with them and his disciples and when the Pharisees saw it
They said unto his disciples
Why eateth your master with publicans and sinners?
But when Jesus heard that he said unto them they that behold
Need not a physician, but they that are sick
But go ye and learn what that meaneth
I will have mercy and not sacrifice for I am NOT come to call the righteous
but sinners to repentance
So notice Christ is quoting
Hosea chapter 6 verse 6 about how he's not gonna what he's not wanting sacrifice
He would rather have mercy
Now, what do the Pharisees do the Pharisees they offer the sacrifices of God?
If you understood the Pharisees, they're going into the temple they're offering the sacrifices
But you know what? They're not doing they're not getting right with God in their heart
They're not realizing that their center is in need of a Savior and they
Justified themselves believing that they're righteous
I mean how much more of a self-righteous person can you be when you're looking at other people and saying they're sinners
What are you?
Are you not said I mean think about you have a whole classification of people called sinners and you're not that person
Now when we go out soul-winning we say hey, we're both sinners. We don't sit here and say you're a sinner. I'm not
You know and Christ can't even talk to you Christ can't even be with you
Now, of course sinners is sometimes in reference to just Gentiles. This is kind of another way that they word those people
But it shows you the heart of the Jew it shows you the heart of the children of Israel
That they don't believe their sinners. They don't believe that they need a Savior
They don't believe that they're gonna go to hell
They believe only the sinners are gonna go to hell these publicans and these sinners now
Here's something everyone can agree on the government's wicked. So, you know, even the Pharisees realize that publicans are wicked
Okay, so that you know that makes me think of the the Pharisees are like Republicans or something, you know
Even they can say they're at the government's wicked, you know, they're still wicked too. They are the government. Okay, and
It's funny that they think oh, well these tax collector everybody hates tax collector, you know, no one likes taxes
No one likes the tax collector. In fact, that was what the whole rebellion was basically
you know that caused
Barabbas to you know, get caught up, you know, and of course
Jesus they were hoping Jesus would overthrow the Roman government, you know what Jesus isn't there to fight a carnal battle
Jesus is there to fight the spiritual battle and of course, you know paying taxes sucks, but Jesus did it
And so is Jesus really hate the public and does Jesus really hate the tax guy?
Does Jesus really hate the government? No, no, he hired them. What did it say in verse 9?
And he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the receipt of custom
So Matthew is referred to as the tax collector and you know what Jesus does he's like, hey
Let's bring the tax collector on board. Let's make him a disciple. Now, who do you think Matthew's friends are?
Only tax collectors, you know why cuz everyone hates the tax collectors
So they're only friends with each other it's kind of like, you know a lot of industries like cops
They're only friends with each other because everybody hates cops for some reason or whatever, you know
So it's like Matthew his only buddies are tax collectors. So they're going back home
He's hanging out with tax collectors
And of course if you're a corrupt tax collector who else do you think's hanging out?
Probably the whores and probably the prostitutes or just sinners, right?
Just a bunch of wicked people drunk people and whatever they're hanging out with but you know what even those people can believe in Jesus
Even those people could get saved and the Pharisees are looking at them and saying how dare you
You know have fellowship with these type of people now one thing you have to understand though
Is it's not like Jesus was going to the bar, you know, I hate it when people say this what a wicked
Accusation against the Lord Jesus Christ. No, he went to their house. Okay number one
He went to their house and number two
These people are obviously in a profession that's bad
But they kind of realize it and they kind of got caught up in it and they want to get right with God
They actually want the mercy of Jesus Christ for having been a bad person
For having made huge mistakes, but what did the Pharisees, you know?
They just thought that they were great and how dare you go and eat with these people
And you know what Christ is saying is you guys should learn what it means that he's gonna have mercy not sacrifice
Now, let's go all the way back in our minds
To the first two sons in the Bible Cain and Abel Cain and Abel
Technically, they're both offering a sacrifice
But if you think about what their sacrifices represent
You know, what is this this tilling of the ground and this gathering of fruits?
It's showing your work that you've done. Whereas you offer a lamb that gets slaughtered. That's not you. That's not your work
That's you getting the mercy from the shed blood of the other animal and when we think about the distinction here
Salvation is not a sacrifice
Being saved by the Lord Jesus Christ is not a sacrifice. What is a sacrifice is hard
It's giving something. It's it's paying for something it perhaps is something you worked really hard for
Whereas what is mercy it's receiving something
Getting something you don't deserve and it's like one group of people
They want salvation by what sacrifice who is that the Pharisees?
Whereas these people that you know what they want salvation by mercy because the tax collectors and the sinners they don't have a sacrifice to offer
They don't have any good work. They recognize they can't be saved that way
Therefore what Christ is really trying to explain to these
Pharisees is hey, you should learn what this is meaning
It's meaning there's two plans of salvation one by works and one by faith. You guys are on the wrong plan of salvation
You're on a works-based salvation. And what did God say? I will have mercy and not sacrifice
Meaning what God is not gonna let anyone into heaven for offering a sacrifice
You either accept his mercy or you don't get in heaven
Salvation is a free gift. It is not you giving your life to the Lord
I can't stand it so many lordship salvationists out there so many false teachers out there
They get up and say who wants to give their life to Jesus today
What a foolish way to word it because the Bible doesn't say hey, I need a sacrifice
It says I want to give mercy to a sinner
And of course there was two men that went to pray and the one that was deemed righteous and the Lord Jesus Christ
Said hey, Lord, I'm a sinner
Lord be merciful me a sinner. He didn't say hey, I'm willing to give my life. Hey, I'm willing to turn from my sin
Hey, here's my sacrifice. Here's my lamb. Here's my doves. Here's my money. He said Lord be merciful me a sinner
And the other guy is like, oh I give it my money and my time my effort Lord I surrender my money
Lord I surrender my effort and my time and all my works and you know what Christ says it's all garbage
Because the only thing he accepts is the blood of Jesus Christ and you don't have that to offer
You can only receive
By mercy and so in the great book of Hosea, we already have the plan of salvation
All over this chapter we got the third day we got it by mercy not by sacrifice and of course God yeah had
Sacrifices all in the Bible. You know what? That's just a stumbling block and the unsaved Jews who want to work their way to heaven
They want some kind of work to do good master
What good thing shall I do to inherit eternal life too bad sucker because it's not by doing good
It's by accepting God's mercy and that's why evil people quote-unquote the sinners got saved by and large and
You know what? That's why when we go to the poor they get saved by and large because they recognize their sinners
They recognize they need a Savior. They recognize they can't work their way into heaven. Go back you would Jose at chapter number six
I've heard a preacher get up. He said there was no gospel in the Old Testament. I'm just thinking like what did you not read any of it?
What do you mean there's no gospel in the Old Testament, you know
We've been going through the Old Testament a lot in this church the last few years
I mean, we've had all kinds of books Genesis and judges and we're in Hosea
I'm sure we've hit even other books. I can't remember off top my head, but every single chapter
It seems like it's pointing to Christ. It's pointing to the gospel of Jesus Christ
You know, it'd be foolish for someone to say such nonsense
It's because they're unsaved in my opinion. Someone's gonna say such such an idiotic statement
Because how could a safe person read those verses and be like, oh there's no gospel I
Mean again Catholics can probably get verse two. Okay, folks verse seven the Bibles is this
But they like men have transgressed the Covenant
There have they dealt treacherously against me
Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity and is polluted with blood and
As troops of robbers wait for a man. So the company of priests murder in the way by consent
For they commit lewdness
now
That's a really interesting phrase here in verse 9 where it says so the company of priests murder in the way
By consent now in the way is just kind of a phrase it's just kind of like talking about people just
Doing business, you know going on their way or they're they're in the way on the path
or it's just kind of it's kind of an expression about them living their life doing their thing and
It's it's it's kind of similar to how you have that Good Samaritan
How he's just kind of walking through the path and then just randomly what happens
Robbers come out of nowhere and just ransack the guy. He wasn't really anticipating it. He's not expecting it
He's kind of saying the same with the company of prophets in the sense that people are just doing their living their lives
Doing whatever and somehow these these priests are just murdering them. Just like BAM just out of nowhere and
What are they doing it by consent? So I don't think what he's saying here is that
Literally priests are hiding in the byways and jumping out with a knife and just like stabbing people
Okay, that's not what he's really saying. It's it's often a metaphor or metaphorically speaking
He's talking about he's they're killing people in the way and they're destroying them, but it says by consent, you know a
Lot of times you can hurt people but not in a direct action indirectly
By essentially just allowing them to do wickedness
Think about it this way when preachers get up and they are permissive on the issue of abortion
You know what?
They're doing they're murdering children by consent because they're giving
consent unto these parents unto these people to go out and murder their child and
Really?
The only reason they're doing it is because the priests or the man of God got up and said it's not a sin
Or acted like it's not a big deal or they were loose about the Bible
They didn't say what the Bible really has to say
I mean look even fundamental Baptist
Peter Ruckman got up and taught that a baby is not a person until it takes its first breath
What in the world how could you get up and claim that a child nine months in the womb
Coming out is still not a person until it takes its first breath
You know that guy obviously didn't read the Bible very well
Because John the Baptist was kicking in his mother's womb he was filled with the Holy Ghost in his mother's womb
How is he not a person you can just tell me like a lump of cells had the Holy Ghost inside of him
That's pretty foolish there Peter Ruckman
But you know, that's why his wife's just throwing herself out of a car
Say who said that Peter Ruckman said in his book read it
He
Said during their church conferences his wife would would mail her wedding ring in as a present in the middle of the conference
So like just someone walks up in the middle of our like red-hot preaching conference of the fire breathing basketball
And he opens it up and it's the wedding ring of his wife
This is the leader of a giant fundamental Baptist movement out there
Getting up teaching all kinds of weird lies and heresy and look this is this is a fundamental Baptist circle
What about outside Baptist circles?
What are what other weird things are people teaching, you know people getting up and teaching that
You know predators and these pedophiles are actually loving and we should bring them into our church
You don't think anybody's getting hurt and harmed by that
And what are they doing? They're teaching these things and giving consent
Unto the wicked they're allowing wolves to just devour the flock and to destroy the flock and constantly lie in wait and
destroy people, you know as a shepherd you're supposed to point out the wolves and drive the wolves out of the church and not just
Allow the wolves to come in just keep eating and destroying people and murdering people and you're just like that's not a big deal
doesn't affect me doesn't hurt me and
Often many times they are the predator themselves
I mean how many preachers and priests and whatever have been caught
destroying the flock themselves
Taking in children and women and having all these private counseling sessions and doing all kinds of weird junk
You know what? That's a shame as a folly to our country, but you know, it's no new thing under the Sun
It was the exact same back then wasn't it?
the priests and everybody was wicked go to Matthew 23, you know, the priests were wicked and Isaiah and
The priests were wicked in the book of Matthew chapter 23 and the priests are wicked today
You know one thing is really common, you know Roman Catholic priests are wicked. Okay?
And
Of course, you know, we have good preachers out there and there are men of God and and of course
We don't want to just say well, I'm never gonna go to church because bad people exist
but you have to be wary or leery of
These you know so-called priests
These people that go around and call themselves all kinds of fancy names
Look what it says in verse 8
But be not called rabbi for one is your master even Christ and all your brethren and call no man your father
Upon the earth for one is your father which is in heaven
how do Catholics have that verse in their Bible and then get up and call
their man of God father so-and-so I
Mean you you just know right off the bat Catholics don't believe the Bible and
Of course if there's someone that you don't want to listen to you know
It is people who Jesus got up and said don't do this about this person
Like if there's any person that you don't want to listen to it's someone with the title rabbi father or master
that is pretty much the worst people to listen to the worst people to get advice from and
Of course, what were the
Pharisees considered
Masters of Israel, you know, and is it any coincidence that these same people love to have university doctorates and have a
masters in theology
Masters in divinity, you know, of course, most of these people are super wicked
Now there's there was exceptions then and there's exceptions now, right?
I'm not saying everybody has a doctorate or the master's degree is a wicked person
What I am saying is you're supposed to be afraid of those people should be leery of those people
Nicodemus wasn't the person you want to get doctrine from think about this. Hey Nicodemus. How do you get saved?
We have to crawl back in your mother's womb again, you know, I don't know
I don't it doesn't make sense to me, you know, it's like that would have been bad advice
You know that have been weird that's like the same Catholics are saying hey, you got to eat Jesus
It's like how do you get salvation? Well, here's Jesus and here's his blood you got to eat it and drink it
You know, you're like, what are you talking about?
Let me spring some toilet water on you know, yeah, it's like what these guys don't even know what's going on
Let me take your baby and dunk it in water
For what reason you have no idea, you know, why is the guy wearing a dress? I
Mean everything they're doing is bizarre
And it's no different that they were wicked then they're they're wicked in Hosea
They're wicked now, but look what else he says
Let's skip down a little bit verse 13
But woe and you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men for you neither go in yourselves
Neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in
woe and you scribes and Pharisees
Hypocrites for you devour widows houses and for a pretense make long prayer. Therefore you shall receive the greater
damnation now when we look at
Qualities and characteristics of the Pharisees of these scribes notice what the Bible says about them that they're devouring
widows houses
Just like God gets so mad at these priests who were murdering people in the way by consent
and it's no real difference when Jesus comes on the day and
Scribes and the Pharisees are devouring widows house. I mean you have to be the lowest of low
when you're taking advantage of widows and
You know, it's just it's mind-boggling in the Bible to ever be
someone who would treat a widow poorly I
You know, I was actually my wife told me so I'm gonna give you a story
Okay, go back to the who's able finish, right? My wife gave me a story today
And it was just baffling to me but she was telling me about there was a church that she grew up in and
They got a new pastor and the new pastor sucked because he believes Calvinism
But for other reasons too, and so there was this older couple they'd served in the church for a really long time
It's a Baptist Church
They'd been there for decades and they ended up transferring to another Baptist Church
Just kind of in the latter portion of their life. Well, the husband end up passing away and
The widow the wife wants to have the funeral at their home
What was considered their home church the church where they both served on staff for decades. They've been their members decades
They know everybody and the the new pastor said that they're not allowed to have the funeral at the church
and I'm just thinking like what in the world like why would a
pastor not
Allow a widow to come just because they had transferred churches in the last part. I mean, you know, what kind of a wicked heart
for a pastor
Do you know deny a widow's request and you know you it's like baffling but you know
That's what the Bible even said that these Pharisees they were so hard-hearted and they were so evil
They would rip off widows and not even care
and you know, there are people that go to churches today and
They will go up to widows and you know what? They'll tell them I'm here to help you
and I know your husband's gone and
I know you don't have a lot of money. Let me do a reverse mortgage
And you know what? They're doing they are
Devouring widows houses reverse mortgages are wicked. They are evil
They are invention of the Jews because it's usury and of course they want to come in like this sweeping cowboy
But you know what? There are predators that go to churches today and they will pray on widows
They will go to the widow because the widow
I mean think about it, especially throughout history a woman typically was not the person that had a job
Maybe doesn't have as much education and finances a lot of times the men handle those situations
They're not the breadwinner at the age of a widow. It's gonna be hard to provide for yourself
You probably can't that's why the Bible talks about the family members needing to be able to provide for the widows
And then you have men just coming along just tricking gullible women or tricking women
They just don't know any better taking advantage of them who are elderly
They don't have any options and just ripping them off. What a cold-hearted psychopath to rip off widows
you know what it happens all the time and
For us as God's people we need to make sure that we provide for our widows and we take care of our widows
And you don't let any of the women and your family go without or get ripped off by these snakes and these
Predators and these evil wicked men because they'll creep into churches and they'll creep in all kinds of circles and we don't want to allow
That to happen to our church and you know what some guy that has a hard heart towards widows
You should almost just mark it. That's a bad person
What a wicked person to prey on a woman who is you know been devastated by the loss of a husband
Now it says here in a verse number of 10
I've seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel. There is whoredom of Ephraim Israel's defiled also of Judah
He hath set in harvest for thee when I return the captivity of my people
So again, you know when God looks at what they're doing and all these activities
He's not pleased
He looks down and says this is a horrible thing and you know
God constantly is looking down at people today and he's not saying oh, I just love you. You're so great
He's like this is a horrible thing
You say well, I thought God so loved the world. Yeah, did you read that verse out loud? It's called past tense
You know when God loved you when he sent his son to die on the cross, you know
When God didn't love you when you're doing wicked things, you know when God doesn't love people when he sends them to hell
You know when God didn't in fact, we're gonna get there pretty soon. But in those days he says I will love them
no more and
God is angry with the wicked every day
God is angry and hates sinners and he hates evil and he's not pleased with that
He's a holy and righteous God and we should not fool ourselves into thinking that God's pleased with us just because we're saved
Even if you're saved you could do a horrible thing and God would look down and what a horrible thing
That you did
What it really could displease the Lord and you know, we have to be careful that we live a life
That's pleasing unto the Lord because the world by and large is just going after
Satan just doing the will of Satan in every category and if you're even kind of like the world
You might be doing a lot of bad stuff. We have to be distinct. We have to be separate
We are an independent fundamental Baptist Church and one of those is being distinct from the world
Separating ourselves from the world you say well that doesn't sound like fun. Well, you know, it's not fun committing horrible acts
Having God be so angry at you and telling you he's just done with you or saying he's just gonna completely destroy the land and
Often the only thing that keeps God from destroying the land is the salt staying salty
You know people will not give you credit. But the only reason this place is not nuked is because of you guys
Because of Christians being Christians and and salt being salt
You know what if we lose our Savior if we stop being the salt if we stop going to church if we stop
Reading the Bible and we allow our goodness to depart like the do you know what God will just be like bye
Done with you and you know, there's a lot of evil people that want to destroy us. Let us not destroy ourselves
Let us give the Lord a chance to redeem us let the Lord give us a chance or let the let's give the
Lord a chance to revive us
Let's give the Lord a chance to use us greatly for his honor and for his glory because he wants to
But if we're not gonna separate ourselves, we're not gonna follow his commandments then you know
We're not any better than anybody else in this book. Let's close in prayer
Thank you Heavenly Father for giving us this great chapter of Hosea and a reminder of the gospel message of how you desire mercy. I
pray that every one of us when we
transgress or we commit sin
That would be convicted and we'd have a desire to seek the Lord and to seek mercy and to seek your grace
And I pray that as we live by that grace, it wouldn't be wasted on us
But rather we would serve you with our lives
And and I pray that we wouldn't be drawn away with the evil of the wicked with the temptation of this world
But rather we would try to stay separate that we try to go draw close to you
We'd read our Bibles and that we would try to have a real relationship with you
And I pray that you would just help our church to be used for your honor and glory in Jesus name we pray
Amen
You
Let's go to 164 actually I wanted 166 166
You
166 there on the first when I saw the cleansing fountain
Open wide for all my sin
I
Obeyed the spirits wooing
When he said will thou be clean I
Will praise him I
Will praise him praise the lamp or sinner slain
Give him glory all ye people for his blood can wash away each day
Though the way seems straight and narrow
All I claim was swept away
My ambitions plans and wishes at my feet in ashes lame
I
Will praise him I
Will praise him praise the lamp or sinner slain
Give him glory all ye people
For his blood can wash away each day
Then God's fire up on the altar of my heart was set aflame
I
Shall never cease to praise him
glory glory to his name I
Will praise him I
Will praise him praise the lamp or sinner slain
Give him glory all ye people for his blood can wash away each day
Blessed be the name of Jesus
I'm so glad he took me in
He's forgiven my transgressions
He has cleansed my heart from sin
I
Will praise him I
Will praise him praise the lamp or sinner slain
Give him glory all ye people for his blood can wash away each day
Glory glory to the Father
Glory glory to the Son
Glory glory to the Spirit
Glory to the three in one I
Will praise him I
Will praise him praise the lamp or sinner slain
Give him glory all ye people
For his blood can wash away each day God bless your dismiss