WATCHING OUR STEP
“WALKING BAREFOOT WITH SCORPIONS”
HOSEA 4:14-19 (NIV) 14 "I WILL NOT PUNISH YOUR DAUGHTERS WHEN THEY TURN TO PROSTITUTION, NOR YOUR DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW WHEN THEY COMMIT ADULTERY, BECAUSE THE MEN THEMSELVES CONSORT WITH HARLOTS AND SACRIFICE WITH SHRINE PROSTITUTES-- A PEOPLE WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING WILL COME TO RUIN! 15 "THOUGH YOU COMMIT ADULTERY, O ISRAEL, LET NOT JUDAH BECOME GUILTY. "DO NOT GO TO GILGAL; DO NOT GO UP TO BETH AVEN. AND DO NOT SWEAR, 'AS SURELY AS THE LORD LIVES!' 16 THE ISRAELITES ARE STUBBORN, LIKE A STUBBORN HEIFER. HOW THEN CAN THE LORD PASTURE THEM LIKE LAMBS IN A MEADOW? 17 EPHRAIM IS JOINED TO IDOLS; LEAVE HIM ALONE! 18 EVEN WHEN THEIR DRINKS ARE GONE, THEY CONTINUE THEIR PROSTITUTION; THEIR RULERS DEARLY LOVE SHAMEFUL WAYS. 19 A WHIRLWIND WILL SWEEP THEM AWAY, AND THEIR SACRIFICES WILL BRING THEM SHAME.
INTRODUCTION: OVERSEAS TRIPS , AS WELL AS, TRIPS OUT TO BROKEN ARROW BIBLE RANCH HAVE TAUGHT ME TO OBSERVE THREE VERY IMPORTANT PRACTICES. FIRST, DO NOT WALK AROUND BAREFOOT IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. TWO, IF YOU ARE WALKING AROUND BAREFOOT (AND EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT, LOOK WHERE YOU ARE WALKING. THIRD, SHAKE OUT YOUR SHOES BEFORE YOU PUT THEM ON IN THE MORNING. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH EACH AREA OF THE WORLD HAS ITS CREATURES THAT BITE, STING, OR IN SOME OTHER WAY HURT YOU DURING AN ENCOUNTER. THIS MORNING, THE “SUBTITLE OF THE MESSAGE” KIND OF SAYS IT ALL. WE NEED TO WATCH OUR STEP, BECAUSE IN MANY WAYS LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE – UNTIL JESUS COMES,, IS AKIN TO TREADING IN AREAS WHERE WE CAN BE “STUNG”. NOWHERE ELSE DOES THIS SEEM TO BE SO PREVALENT IN THE BOOK OF HOSEA THAN IN OUR PASSAGE THIS MORNING.
PROPOSITION: GOD IS CONCERNED THAT WE AVOID THE PITFALLS ASSOCIATED WITH FOLLOWING THOSE WHO REFUSE OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST.
I. THE UPCOMING CONSEQUENCES OF SIN – 4:14
A. HIDDEN IN THIS VERSE IS A STARK REALITY REGARDING GOD’S VIEW OF WOMEN
B. NOTICE THAT HOSEA WRITES THAT THE WOMEN ARE NOT TO BE PUNISHED FOR THE FAULT OF MEN.
C. GOD SQUARELY PUTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR SPIRITUAL WELLNESS ON THE SHOULDERS OF MEN.
D. AS MEN, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE THIS RESPONSIBILITY.
1. PERSONALLY
2. WITHIN THE FAMILY
3. NATIONALLY
4. WITHIN THE BODY OF THE CHURCH
E. THE KEY REASON FOR BEING IN THIS STATE IS A REFUSAL TO SEPARATE FROM THE RIGHT AREAS
1. EITHER WE DO NOT SEPARATE
2. OR WE SEPARATE WRONGLY
3. NOT SEPARATING IS OBVIOUS
4. SEPARATION FROM THE WORLD AND NOT WORLDLINESS IS ALSO HARMFUL TO THE CHURCH.
5. NO SEPARATION PRODUCES FALSE, SHALLOW RELIGION.
6. SEPARATION FROM THE WORLD PRODUCES CORPORATE DEATH.
BOTH KINDS OF SEPARATION ARE WRONG AND SIN: NO SEPARATION MOVES US TO LIVING SINFULLY; SEPARATING FROM THE WORLD AND NOT WORLDLINESS IS DISOBEDIENCE TO THE GREAT COMMANDMENT GIVEN TO US BY CHRIST.
HOW MANY TIMES DID THE APOSTLES OR PATRIARCH WALK THE LINE BETWEEN THE WORLD AND WORLDLINESS FOR THE SAKE OF CHRIST? WE SHOULD BE WILLING TO DO THE SAME, AND MEN WE SHOULD BE AT THE FOREFRONT – FIRST IN LINE!
II. THE UNDILUTED WARNING OF GOD – 4:14-15
A. WARNING NUMBER ONE – “COMING TO RUIN”
1. MEANING OF THE WORD: TO SLAM, THRUST DOWN, TRAMPLE AND CAST ASIDE.
2. NOTICE THE SIGNIFICANCE!
3. EACH OF THE ACTIONS REQUIRES SOMEONE TO DO IT
4. SO, LET’S ASK OURSELVES, “WHO IS BEING RUINED (US), AND WHO IS DOING THE RUINING (COULD BE US OR GOD). EITHER WAY, THE PROGNOSIS OF NOT FOLLOWING CHRIST IS TRAGIC.
B. WARNING NUMBER 2 – “DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT”
1. THE FIRST WARNING IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF WE CHOOSE TO FOLLOW WHAT THE WORLD IS OFFERING
2. THE SECOND WARNING IS DON’T START
3. DON’T GO TO PLACES OR PUT YOURSELVES IN SITUATIONS THAT PUT YOU IN A POSITION OF IDOLATRY.
a. GILGAL AND BETH AVEN WERE PLACES SET UP FOR THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL TO WORSHIP WITHOUT GOING TO JERUSALEM. THEY BECOME CENTERS FOR IDOLATRY
4. DON’T SWEAR
a. WHEN THE PEOPLE OF GOD WERE TO MAKE A VOW, THEY WERE ONLY TO DO THAT BY GOD’S NAME, NO OTHER OATH WAS PERMITTED.
b. WHAT WAS HAPPENING IS THAT THE PEOPLE WERE INVOKING GOD’S NAME, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME INVOLVING THEMSELVES IN IDOLATRY.
SO, WHEN YOU PUT THESE TWO WARNING TOGETHER, YOU COME UP WITH, “DON’T STRAY INTO IDOLATRY, BECAUSE THE RESULT IS YOUR OWN RUIN.”
THIS IS NO BETTER ILLUSTRATED THAN RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF GOD’S WARNING. WE ARE TOLD NOT TO GO TO BETH AVEN. BETH AVEN (HOUSE OF WICKEDNESS) WAS ORIGINALLY CALLED BETHEL (HOUSE OF GOD). THE PLACE NOW A PLACE FOR IDOLATRY WAS ONCE THE PLACE JACOB HAD HIS DREAM FROM GOD. A REVERED SITE TO HONOR GOD, WAS NOW A PLACE TO WORSHIP FALSE GODS!
III. THE UNWILLINGNESS OF MAN – 4:16
A. IN REALITY WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IS STUBBORNNESS!
B. THE ILLUSTRATION IS OF A YOKE FOR OXEN
C. YOKES WERE MEANT TO GUIDE ANIMALS IN ORDER TO PRODUCE FRUIT AND PRODUCTION.
D. NO ONE LIKES A STUBBORN HEIFER, ESPECIALLY GOD!
E. THE DESIRE OF THE LORD IS TO GUIDE US LIKE A SHEPHERD, NOT YOKE US LIKE A HEIFER
F. REBELLION MOVES US AWAY FROM GOD’S GUIDANCE
G. THE ULTIMATE TEST OF OUR SENSITIVITY TO THE GUIDANCE OF GOD IN OUR LIVES IS OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE BIBLE, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT DIRECTS US TOWARDS AREAS OF CHANGE THAT WE ARE NOT WANTING TO DO!
IV. THE UNGLUING OF IDOLATRY – 4:17
A. OFTEN IN SCRIPTURE, EPHRAIM IS USED TO DENOTE ISRAEL
B. BEING JOINED TO IDOLS MEANS TO HAVE A STRONG ATTACHMENT TO THEM, KIND OF LIKE SUPERGLUE
C. ALL IS TAKES IS ONE BAD EXPERIENCE WITH SUPER GLUE TO GIVE YOU A HEALTHY APPRECIATION FOR THE STUFF!
D. GOD, LIKE A PARENT TO A CHILD, SIMPLY SAYS – DON’T DO IT!
E. PERHAPS WE NEED A LITTLE MORE HELP HERE!
F. THE ESSENCE OF IDOLATRY IS PRIORITY!
G. WHAT WE PLACE IN THE HIGHEST PRIORITY, WE WILL ULTIMATELY ADJUST FOR, AND IF WE LET OURSELVES, WORSHIP.
H. GOD IS SAYING DON’T EVEN MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION
1. SLIPPERY SLOPE
2. END RESULT IS RUIN AND STRAYING FROM GOD!
3. AND THE FINAL POINT, …
V. THE UNDOING OF GODLESS LIVING – 4:18-19
A. STRAYING FROM GOD BEGINS A DOWNWARD SPIRAL/CYCLE
B. TWO WEEKS WE ASKED THE QUESTION, WHERE DID THE EVIL RELIGIOUS LEADERS COME FROM
C. ANSWER – THEY WERE HOME GROWN, THEY CAME FROM THE PEOPLE. THEN ONCE IN POWER THEY PERPETUATED ACTIVITY TO BENEFIT THEMSELVES.
D. EVIL PEOPLE PRODUCE EVIL LEADERS
E. EVIL LEADERS PERPETUATE EVIL DEEDS
F. WHEN WE CONDONE WHAT CORRUPTS WE ULTIMATELY DESTROY CHARACTER.
G. WHEN LEADERS PROTECT EVIL INSTEAD OF PROTECTING US FROM EVIL AS ANY ENTITY WE SUFFER.
H. THE RESULTS ARE JUDGMENT (WHIRLWIND) AND SHAME.
GODLESS LIVING IN ANY AREA, PERSON OR GROUP MAKES OUR HEARTS GROW COLD, CAUSES BLINDNESS TO THE NEEDS OF OTHERS (SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL), AND SELFISHLY PLACES THE FOCUS ON US, NOT GOD!
THIS IS WHY WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL FOR WE WALK IN A WORLD OF SCORPIONS.
GOD WARNS, DO NOT GO THERE! DO NOT REFUSE MY GUIDANCE!
