"Signposts of Significance"
Hosea 5:10-15
Scripture Reading
Hosea 5:10 The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water. 11 Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment. 12 Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness. 13 When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound. 14 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. 15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.
Hosea 5:15 "I will abandon my people until they have suffered enough for their sins and come looking for me. Perhaps in their suffering they will try to find me." GNB
Introduction: What happens to a society or a culture when the basis for its moral, ethical, and cultural standards is changed, (removed)? When this happens its moral moorings are loosed, creating drift and its foundations, its underpinnings are undermined creating uncertainty, and ultimately leading to the collapse of the culture. We have to ask ourselves, "is there one landmark in particular that we could point to that would have such a devastating effect and impact on our world?" Now this landmark did not get moved overnight but has been eroded gradually starting in the 19th century with so called "higher textual criticism."
Biblical criticism, defined as the treatment of biblical texts as natural rather than supernatural artifacts, grew out of the rationalism of the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 19th century it was divided between the higher criticism, the study of the composition and history of biblical texts, and lower criticism, the close examination of the text to establish their original or "correct" readings. Wikipedia
I believe that there is a way for me to illustrate the consequences for our faith by using a quote from R. C. Sproul:
"Does it matter whether the Bible is errant or inerrant, fallible or infallible, inspired or uninspired? What's all the fuss about the doctrine of inerrancy? Why do Christians debate this issue? What difference does an inerrant Bible make?
Before answering that question, we should consider in what way inerrancy doesn't make a difference. The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy states:
We affirm that a confession of the full authority, infallibility and inerrancy of Scripture is vital to a sound understanding of the whole of the Christian faith. We further affirm that such confession should lead to increasing conformity to the image of Christ. We deny that such confession is necessary for salvation. However, we further deny that inerrancy can be rejected without grave consequences both to the individual and to the church (Article 19).
The statement strikes a delicate balance. It affirms that the doctrine of inerrancy is "vital to a sound understanding of the whole of the Christian faith" and that to deny it has grave consequences for the individual and the church. However, this statement also makes clear that belief in inerrancy is not necessary for salvation. While inerrancy is crucial for understanding the Christian faith and "increasing conformity to the image of Christ," a person does not have to hold to it to be a Christian."
The Authority of Christ
But what difference does the inerrancy of Scripture make? Why does it matter? There are many ways in which it matters a great deal. However, ultimately, the inerrancy of Scripture is not a doctrine about a book. The issue is the person and work of Christ.
Allow me to illustrate. Years ago I was speaking in Philadelphia on the question of the authority of Scripture. After my lecture I came down to the front of the church, and I saw a man making his way toward me. Instantly, I recognized his face, even though it had been about twenty years since I'd seen him last. His name was Charlie. We were roommates in college and prayer partners. We made our way through the crowd and embraced one another.
We dismissed ourselves from the conference and went out for dinner. As we sat down, Charlie said to me, "Before we have a conversation, there is something I have to tell you." I said, "What's that?" He told me, "I don't believe any more what I used to believe about Scripture when we were in college together. Back then I believed in inerrancy, but I've been to seminary and have been exposed to higher criticism. I just don't believe that the Bible is inerrant anymore. I wanted to clear the air so that we can go on from there." I replied, "Fine, Charlie, but let me ask you this. What do you still believe from the old days?" And triumphantly Charlie said, "I still believe that Jesus Christ is my Savior and my Lord." I was happy to hear that, but then I started to ask questions that clearly made Charlie uncomfortable.
I asked, "Charlie, how is Jesus Lord of your life?" He replied, "What do you mean?" I said, "Well, a Lord is someone who exercises authority over you, who gives you marching orders, who has the ability to compel you to obey, and who requires you to submit to obligation and duty. If Christ is your Lord, aren't you saying He has sovereign authority over you?" "Yeah," he said.
I probed a little deeper, "How does Christ exercise that sovereignty over you? How do you get your marching orders from Him? It's apparently not from the Bible." Charlie thought for a moment, "I get it from the church." I said, "Okay, which church? The Methodist Church, the Episcopalian Church, the Roman Catholic Church, or the Presbyterian Church?" He answered, "The Presbyterian Church." I then asked, "The Presbyterian Church in Wichita, the Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, or the Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia--which church?" He answered, "The General Assembly." I replied, "Which General Assembly?" He finally admitted, "Well, I've got some problems that I haven't worked out yet." I said, "You certainly do have problems that you haven't worked out yet. You want to affirm the Lordship of Christ, but your Lord is impotent. He has no way of conveying any mandate to you whatsoever, because you stand above the recorded mandates of Christ in Scripture. You set yourself over them in critical judgment."
This removal of landmarks and the inconvenient truths that result are evident in our text this morning. Our teacher today is the Holy Spirit and the text is the Word of God. First, let's examine:
I. The Rebellious Conduct
a. The culprits
Those who are responsible for this conduct are not who we might think. It is not the nations who surrounded Israel even though many of them were certainly guilty of idolatry and immorality in the eyes of Jehovah and deserved the judgment and wrath of God. The prophet is speaking to God's very own chosen ones, the people who had enjoyed His blessings and benefits, and the nation that He had led into the Promised Land. The rebels came from the "house of the Lord" and more particularly the "princes of Judah," the leaders of the nation of Israel.
b. The commandment
Deuteronomy 19:14 Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.
Deuteronomy 27:17 Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Proverbs 22:28 Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.
Proverbs 23:10 Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
The removal of landmarks is very evident in our culture. In the church world there is one critical issue that impacts almost everything else and that is the question of the inerrancy of Scripture. For almost two millennia the orthodox position of the church was that "all Scripture was inspired of God" and therefore it was without error in any way, shape, form or fashion. There are also prohibitions against changing or modifying it in any way. For instance in Revelation we read:
Revelation 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
c. The consequences
All conduct has consequences! In this case God moves to rebuke and return His people to righteousness.
Chuck Swindoll wrote the following: "God can use an oppressive atmosphere to draw us to himself and break our stubborn will."
This statement is prophetic where America is concerned and American style Christianity. Many of us believe that we are seeing this happening right before our eyes! Two things are mentioned in the text:
1. Slow decay
God says that as a result of their disobedience he will "pour out his wrath," upon the rebels. He does this in two ways. In verse 12 the text speaks of "moths" and "rottenness" We all know what moths do to wool and the rottenness is translated "dry rot," which the Lord says will happen to Judah and Ephraim. Moths don't, eat wool technically. It's actually their larvae, or caterpillars, that eat clothes, not the adult moths. They're not attracted to your closet for a meal, because the adults don't eat, and don't even have the mouthparts if they wanted to. Rather, your clothing is a good place for them to lay a few hundred eggs. Once these eggs hatch into larvae, then you've got a problem. The babies need plenty of protein to move on to the pupa and adult stages of their life cycle and have adapted to eating keratin, the fibrous proteins found in animal hair and skin. This means wool, fur, feathers, leather and even lint are all on the menu. Larvae have been known to chew through cotton, acrylic, polyester and other plant-based and synthetic fibers, too -- not to eat them, but to clear a path to their preferred foods.
The "dry rot" referred to here is something that we are all familiar with. This usually occurs when water or moisture comes in contact with wood and damages the inside structure of the material. For quite a while the outside may look just fine but the inside will decay and diminishes the structural integrity of the wood.
God is merciful and when His people stray he will first seek to gently persuade us to repent and return to Him but if that doesn't work then He resorts to harsher measures.
2. Sudden destruction
Hosea 5:14 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.
If gentler measures don't work God will "increase the pressure," and "turn up the heat," because do they not turn to him but they compound the problem by turning to the Assyrians for help. Remember this is an affront to God of the worst kind and so He deals with their drifting, straying, wandering ways. In the NT we read:
Hebrews 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
II. The Resulting Confusion
BIBLE CONFUSION
The little girl was sitting with her grandmother, who had presented her with her first little children's Bible, in an easy-to-read translation, when she was very young.
Now, a decade or so later, the elderly lady was ready to spend a few sweet moments handing down the big old family Bible, in the time-honored King James Version, to her only grandchild.
Understandably excited, the youngster was asking a number of questions, both about the family members whose births and deaths were recorded therein, and about various aspects of the Scriptures themselves.
Her grandmother was endeavoring to answer all the child's questions in terms she could understand, but the one that stopped her cold was this sincere inquiry:
"Which Virgin was the mother of Jesus? Was it the Virgin Mary, or the King James virgin?"
SOURCE: http://www.cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh
That's a funny story but I'm not talking about the confusion of a child, I'm talking about the confusion of an entire culture.
Removing landmarks and boundary markers is problematic. During World War II the Germans mounted a massive counter-attack called the Battle of the Bulge. Part of the German strategy was a special commando unit called the Griffon. The Germans assembled a group of men who could speak English, dressed them in American uniforms with American equipment and sent into the American lines with a three part mission. One of the most important parts of their mission is described in the following way:
"Reconnaissance patrols of three or four men were to reconnoiter on both sides of the Meuse river and also pass on bogus orders to any US units they met, reverse road signs, remove minefield warnings, and cordon off roads with warnings of nonexistent mines." Wikipedia
The removal of boundary markers and landmarks has had a tremendous impact on our culture that cannot be denied. Each time a landmark is moved it has a ripple effect and in particular what happens in the church ripples throughout the culture. The result is confusion. When inerrancy came under assault in the church the result was confusion. With no authoritative word there was no message from God for the people. Every man is free to do that which is right in his own eyes.
a. Spiritual confusion
Let me give you a few notable examples of this spiritual confusion:
Everything rises and falls on leadership! This is especially true in Christianity. Rob Bell, one time pastor of the Mars Hill church in Michigan, one of the fastest growing churches in America, left his position in 2012 when he wrote a book entitled, oddly enough, "Love Wins," that openly questioned the existence of hell and then a few months later he embraced gay marriage. His slide into apostasy has not stopped for he is now the spiritual advisor to Oprah Winfrey and has a talk show on her OWN network. The pastor of the Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago, IL, the Rev. Shannon Johnson Kershner, a 5,500 member congregation recently declared recently that "Christianity is not the only way to heaven." United Methodist Bishop Dr. Karen Oliveto is an out, loud, and proud, non-celibate lesbian and she also thinks Jesus was an out-and-out bigot but that, in her words, "he outgrew his prejudices."
b. Social confusion
All of the social confusion can be traced back to the door of the church. As the church goes, so goes the nation. The previous two decades have done more to create division and social confusion than at any time in our history. We are as politically divided as we have ever been in our history and as Abraham Lincoln said: "A house divided against itself cannot stand." There has been a determined, deliberate effort to cleanse our culture from any and all references to God, The Bible and the Christian World view and the results have been devastating. Schools, colleges and universities are no longer places where learning takes place but have become instead, incubators for socialist, Marxist, secularist philosophies. The largest killer of human beings, abortion on demand, is the result of this social confusion. Euthanasia, mercy killing, assisted suicide, and a general devaluation of human life have happened. Marriage, which for two millennia was the building block of civilization, is under attack from all sides and the list goes on.
We are living in a time that looks more and more like Sodom each day. If I may let me tell you four things that I see that are comparable to Sodom: First, there is a:
I. Loathing of Scripture
In our culture there is a hatred of the Bible and everything that it stands for. Look at the efforts to remove any mention of the Bible or the Ten Commandments from public life and thought. Christians have sat on the stool of do nothing and allowed this cultural cleansing to take place with all of its implications. This cleansing has found its way into seminaries and churches where there is very little mention of the Bible from the pulpit or the pew. I heard Dr. David Jeremiah preach Thursday night in Tallahassee, Florida and he said that, "in many pulpits across America today you can listen to a Sunday sermon and never hear a mention of Scripture from start to finish!" That's because the landmarks have been moved.
II. Loss of Shame
Recently the news media reported the death of Hugh Heffner. In the reporting of his passing his impact and influence on American culture was glorified and he was treated as a cultural and social icon. I submit to you that he was not a cultural hero or anything like it and that he has done more than any other man in the last 100 years to degrade, demean, and destroy the moral fiber of this country. He spent his entire life thumbing his nose at God, and the Bible, and Christianity and all that it stands for. He glorified the "sexual revolution" and because of him and others like him someone said the following: "If America does not repent, God will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!"
Jeremiah 8:12 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.
Zephaniah 3:5 The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.
My friends, I submit to you that because the American church has been desensitized due to our exposure to the wickedness of this age that we have lost our capacity for shame. We have forgotten how to blush! That's because the landmarks have been moved.
III. Lapse in Society
There are no moral standards and no absolutes to govern behavior and "...every man does that which is right in his own eyes!" The supreme arbiter of behavior is man himself for God has been demoted and man has been deified! That's because the landmarks have been moved.
IV. Lack of Separation
Lot's problem is our problem! There is very little if any difference between the lifestyles of Christians and non-believers. Survey after survey reveals this disconnect between Christian creed and Christian conduct. Biblical separation has been marginalized and devalued to the degree that the Church has very little influence on the culture for God and for good!
2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
THEY NEVER GUESSED
ILL - A certain man, a Christian, accepted a new job among very profane people. He was very anxious and fearful about how he would be received. When he came home from the first day on the job, his wife asked how it had been. He replied, "Wonderful! They never guessed that I was a Christian."
That's Lot's problem in the OT! There was no witness for God, no one to cry against the sins of Sodom, no one to warn them of coming judgment. Lot is a perfect example of "...salt that had lost its savor..." There are many Lot's in our day. Why do you think that we are witnessing the decline of our great country today? Christian's are called to be "salt and light" but for in large part we are neither, the salt has lost its savor! The men of Sodom cried, "... (My translation) Who made you the judge?" In v. 9 they had no respect for Lot's witness because of his compromising, accommodating, appeasing lifestyle!
That's because the landmarks have been moved.!
Conclusion: ILL - There is a plaque on a church building in England that reads like this: "In the year 1653, when all things sacred throughout the land were either demolished or profaned, Sir Robert Shirley built this church. His singular praise is this: To have done the best of things in the worst of times." In 17th century England it was the worst of times. King Charles I had been tried for treason and been beheaded. Injustice was reigning throughout the land. The churches were harassed and many were closed. It was a dark time. But Sir Robert Shirley used the things God had given him and he built a church. He invested in the Kingdom; he did the best of things in the worst of times. What are we doing with our things? It's a dark time in many respects for us right now: War, aids, abortion, divorce, child abuse, pornography. "Everything sacred is being profaned." The question still must come back to each of us- When the Master returns for the final accounting, what will He realize from His investment in us? Are we doing the best of things, in the worst of times?
My friend, we are called to be a witness for Jesus in both our beliefs and our behavior. We can trumpet our beliefs from the rooftops but if our behavior is not consistent with what we believe then we are useless to this God forsaken, sin soaked, sin cursed world, worse than useless for we have the answers that this world needs to hear but our witness is rendered ineffectual by our compromising, accommodating ways.
III. The Restorative Cure
There are three short phrases in verse 15 that provide an answer to what was ailing the people of god. First, the text speaks of:
a. The pain of separation
Notice what the Lord says in verse "...I will go and return to my place..." If I understand this right it means that God is going to withdraw His blessings from his people. That certainly sounds like what is happening in tens of thousands of churches across Americas today. In many churches you could write "Ichabod" over the door, "for the glory has departed." God people of God have turned to "Assyria" for help instead of the Lord and they have what Assyria can do instead of having what God can do!
b. The profession to the Sovereign
Next, He says: "...till they acknowledge their offence..."
Several years ago the Peanuts comic strip had Lucy and Charlie Brown practicing football. Lucy would hold the ball for Charlie's placekicking and then Charlie would kick the ball. But every time Lucy had ever held the ball for Charlie, he would approach the ball and kick with all his might. At the precise moment of the point of no return, Lucy would pick up the ball and Charlie would kick and his momentum unchecked by the ball, which was not there to kick, would cause him to fall flat on his back. This strip opened with Lucy holding the ball, but Charlie Brown would not kick the ball. Lucy begged him to kick the ball. But Charlie Brown said, "Every time I try to kick the ball you remove it and I fall on my back." They went back and forth for the longest time and finally Lucy broke down in tears and admitted, "Charlie Brown I have been so terrible to you over the years, picking up the football like I have. I have played so many cruel tricks on you, but I've seen the error of my ways! I've seen the hurt look in your eyes when I've deceived you. I've been wrong, so wrong. Won't you give a poor penitent girl another chance?" Charlie Brown was moved by her display of grief and responded to her, "Of course, I'll give you another chance." He stepped back as she held the ball, and he ran. At the last moment, Lucy picked up the ball and Charlie Brown fell flat on his back. Lucy's last words were, "Recognizing your faults and actually changing your ways are two different things, Charlie Brown!"
Are you going to change your ways as of today?
c. The prescription for the servants
And finally: "...and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early..."
This sounds like another passage of restoration found in:
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Have you ever been skinned or scalded by a sermon? Have you ever felt like your toes have been stomped on by a sermon? That's the way I felt when I put this message down on paper. God has plowed me good and proper but I needed it and I'm convinced that I'm not the only one! The people of God all over this nation need to get on fire for God! The church needs to stop it's compromising accommodating ways and become salt and light once again. Do you recall our Lord's word to the lukewarm ones in Laodicea?
Revelation 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
