FHBC Sermon Notes

Scripture Reading: Hosea 4:1-19 - Listen
Sermon Audio: Click to Listen
The notes today here are courtesying of Crissa Lehman. Thank you Crissa for filling in for me today.  You and Jim both are a great blessing in our lives.

An Accusation Against Commandment Breakers (Part 2)
Hosea 4:1-19

1. God makes an accusation against the people for their sin. (4:2-13)
-The people are lawbreakers; do not follow God.
How do we apply this to our lives?
-All of us are lawbreakers.  Confess that we are lawbreakers.
*If we are doing these things (sins) over and over again, we need to examine ourselves to see if we are truly saved.
*HIS people will live differently!
-Repent and rely on Him to live victoriously!

2. God makes an accusation against the spiritual leadership for their sin. (4:4-6)
-The priests have rejected the knowledge of God and are not walking in the covenant.
-They have forgotten God- not an innocent lack of remembering or ignorance but purposefully abandoning him.
-The priests did not display a godly example.
-The word of God brings knowledge of how to live in relationship with God.  Live as recipients of His mercy and grace.  Live in humility and gratitude.  When we fail to remember the cross we become an ungrateful people.  Jim explains that this is why we preach the cross.  Pastors ought to remind people of what Christ did on the cross.
-We should be so grateful that we want to do something.  Meaning that we want to serve Him/obey Him.
-God would never give us a command that would be to our detriment, rather his commands are meant to give us abundant life.
-His word is to be more desired than money, sweets, etc....anything! (Jim quoted some verses in Proverbs...not sure of the reference.)
How do we apply this?
-Spiritual leadership is critical.  Our spiritual leaders ought to give us knowledge of the word and of Christ.  Without knowledge you run the risk of being destroyed.
*Jim expounded on the role of the pastor and why studying and preaching are two of the most important tasks the pastor has.

3.  God exposes the people's propensity for sin. (4:7-14)*We need to be radical in examining ourselves!  We will always gravitate toward sin, but we need to be radical in how we seek the Lord.
-Jim quoted the Matt. verses regarding if your eye causes you to sin then gouge it out, etc.
-vs. 8 "they are greedy for their iniquity"
*Is Christ your treasure?  You become like the one you worship.  (What am I worshiping?)
-vs. 12-13 The people go to a piece of wood (probably an idol) for knowledge.  (See how the lack of spiritual leadership led the people to seek an alternative to God.)
(Where am I going for knowledge?)

4. God warns the people to reject worldliness. (4:15-19)*God has called us to live apart from the world.
LIVE RADICALLY DIFFERENT!
-John 10:10
-Abandon this world and seek the One who gives eternal life.