Hosea 4:1-6

Hi everyone,
I wanted to post a few messages that Morris Gleiser preached at the Wilds. I would say this message is my favorite, but they were all excellent! So here are the notes I took from the message about Hosea. 

 Hosea 4:1-6
 Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest. Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. 

The story of Hosea is a story of God's people going to sleep at the wheel while driving down life's road. We get so caught up with sin, we ignore pleads. The story of Hosea is a beautiful picture of God's love for us. It's a story of recovery and of revival. 

We're married to Christ and we drift away. And God pleads with us to bring us back. 

1. Christians drift in their development with God. 
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. 

 The word reject means a growing indifference. 
How hungry are you for God's Word? Psalms 1:1-2 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 

Would anybody estimate your life as one that delights in the Bible?
Psalms 42:1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 
Psalms 63:1-3  O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 

Morris Gleiser told us a story about when he fell asleep while driving, onetime. He was taking a group of kids to look at different colleges. It was late at night, and everybody on the bus was sleeping. His eyes were heavy, so he thought of putting music on. No, that might wake the kids up. Then he stuck his head out the window; of course that wasn't a very good idea. Then he thought, "I'll close one eye for a little bit, and then switch them so they can both have some rest."  Well, he soon closed both eyes while driving. He was in the far right lane, and he was coming up to a huge blinking road block sign- the road was blocked off because it was all ripped up and a mess.  Just as they were about to smash into the huge, flashing sign, he opened his eyes!! Mr. Gleiser didn't know what woke him up, but it was a good thing he did, because he was responsible for the lives of all those kids.  He swerved hard to the left, and as he did that, kids went flying everywhere. They were startled and asked, "What happened?" Mr. Morris was like, "Nothing, nothing at all." :)

Have you fallen asleep in your Christian development? 

verse 11-12 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart. My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.
Hosea's wife, Gomer, sinned and ran away from her family. But Hosea's love for her was so great, that he went and found her, and brought her back home.  In the same way, Christians sin and run far away from God, and it breaks His heart. He loves us so much, though, that He comes to us, and brings us back home. Nothing we do can ever make God stop loving us. 

2. Christians drift in their devotion.  
Your heart is a throne. The throne has a king- Jesus. He should be the only one who is sitting on it. There are other things that take over our throne. People have other things they bow down to. What's on your throne? Who's on your throne? Get back to God's love and put Him on your throne.

I never thought that the story of Hosea and his wife running away is like what we do to God. I'm so thankful that God does and always will love us with unfailing love, even when we don't deserve it.

Scripture of the week:
2 Corinthians 5:14-21
For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are past away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given us to the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 

Quote of the week:
   
Have a good and godly week and don't forget to walk with the King!!
Yours warmly in our Lord's love and infinite grace,
Ashley