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Join us on a reflective journey as we delve into the heart of biblical faith. In this sermon, Dr. McGee explains how the examples of saints like Abel and Enoch illustrate the essence of trusting in God. The episode challenges listeners to re-examine their faith, understand its foundational truths, and see it as a personal confidence in God that is alive and active in every believer's life.
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The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent word.
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Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. That's Hebrews 11.1, one of the most quoted verses in the book of Hebrews. In fact, many people use this verse to define their faith. But what does it really mean? How does faith work? And how does this definition of faith point to God's gift of salvation? Welcome to the Sunday Sermon on Through the Bible, where our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, is going to take us on a journey through Hebrews 11, verses 1 to 3, and he'll answer two questions. What's faith, and how does it operate in our lives? Well, in this message, Looking at Faith in the Laboratory of Life, Dr. McGee provides practical examples from the lives of the Old Testament saints mentioned in this chapter. So find your seat on the Bible bus, and let's bow our heads and pray to begin. Father, thank you for your promise to honor your word. May it take root in our hearts today. Give us a deeper understanding of our faith and guide us in living our lives for you. In Jesus' name, amen. Now here's the Sunday Sermon on Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
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I want to read in your hearing this evening just a few verses from the 11th chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, beginning with the first verse. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, for by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him. For before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God, but without faith it is impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. I'll break off our reading there tonight at the sixth verse. Our subject this evening is looking at faith in the laboratory of life and the contribution that the Old Testament makes to faith is expressed in this last verse that I read. But without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. There is one solitary essential an all-important requirement in coming to God, and that is faith. So the writer to the Hebrews says here, let me put it in this rather vivid manner, if you had tonight the most ornate temple that had ever been constructed, you had the most beautiful and lavish ritual that was imaginable, You had meticulous ceremonies, most elegant appointments, dignified form, elaborate service, soul-inspiring music, every detail appealing to both eye and ear, and have religious feelings and bring to the altar rich gifts of silver and gold. and shed tears in profusion and be absolutely sincere, you would not be acceptable to God without faith. May I say to you, that's a tremendously important statement. You would be positively displeasing to God without faith in his Son. Now, that's the Old Testament contribution. The New Testament restricts this even farther, and it's more definitive than that. Will you listen as I turn to the third chapter of Galatians? And at the 22nd verse, listen to this. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came we were kept under the law, shut up under the faith, which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Now I turn over to Galatians 5, 6. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision. but faith which worketh by love. Now what Paul is saying now in the epistle to the Galatians is simply this, that when you come to God, you come with faith and faith only. That God does not accept anything else today, only faith, and that faith reposed in Jesus Christ. And he sums it all up in Romans 3.28 when he says, Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. It is faith plus nothing. That is the New Testament contribution. So that if tonight you stood alone, a naked soul, stripped of all the props of this life, with nothing human to lean upon, and you were filthy from the crown of your head to the sole of your foot, and you were out in the barnyard, you were on a pile of fertilizer, and you believed God, and you came as a lost soul at his invitation to trust his son, you would be acceptable to God. That's tremendous, is it not? If you have all things but not faith, you're rejected of him. If you lack all things and have nothing and have faith, you're accepted of him. Now, what is faith that is so all-important? Is it some mystic quality? some unknown quantity, some abstract idea, some theoretical aphorism? Is it something that's not in the realm of reality? It's sort of like you have it or you don't have it. Now you see it, now you don't see it. It's a sort of a knack. It's like you have an ear for music or maybe you don't have an ear for music if you're like I am. or you have athletic prowess, or you don't have athletic prowess. Is it a sort of a way by which we in our imaginations, we move Never Never Land out of Disneyland and put it down on Main Street and try to make it real? May I say to you, these things are not faith at all. And I recognize tonight that definitions are unsatisfactory, yet I must ask that you hear a few. Phillips, in his letters to young churches, apparently tried to, in his interpretation, which I do not like to call a translation, tried to make these first few verses in the 11th chapter of Hebrews a definition, but it's not a definition, but listen to it for its good. Now, faith means putting our full confidence in the things we hope for. It means being certain of things we cannot see. It was this kind of faith that won their reputation for the saints of old, and it's after all only the faith that our minds accept this fact that the whole scheme of time and space was designed by God, that the world which we can see is operating on principles that are invisible. May I say to you, that is a very good interpretation, but it's not a definition for the writer to the Hebrews never intended those verses to be a definition. Philip Cabot gives this definition, faith is a spiritual condition and not a creed or a form of words that needs no copyright to legalize and protect it. And after I've read that, I still don't know just what he said. and then here is another definition faith is a thread slender and frail easy to tear yet it can lift the weight of a soul up from despair that's good but it's not a definition of faith although it was intended to be a definition of faith now we could go on with definitions tonight but i do not think they would be satisfactory i think the best place to go for a definition is to the scripture and as far as i know There is only one definition of faith in the Word of God, and it's so simple that we sometimes pass over it. It's in 1 John 5, 14. Listen to this. So simple. And this is the confidence that we have in Him. What is faith tonight? Faith is confidence in God. It is a personal confidence in God. That's all. It's to have confidence in God. Now I want you to see something tonight, for faith is the expression of the total personality of man. A famous preacher who is still living was asked by a seminary student at a forum in a seminary He was asked this question, when you preach, do you preach to the mind of people or to the heart of the people or to the will of the people? And this man gave this very interesting answer. He says, I preach to the 12 inches of air in front of my mouth. May I say to you that if you'll think that over for a while, he said something. You see, he's not preaching at any particular part of man. He's preaching at total man. We have here a very interesting thing that's been going on for some time. A man who is an outstanding liberal here in Southern California in one of the beach towns, and that's as far as I can go, but he is, I take it that he probably does not even believe in the existence of God. But he's a preacher nonetheless. He attends here some on Thursday night. He's intensely interested and he's greatly puzzled. Now he's told his mutual friend, he says, you know, fundamentalists always appeal to the emotions and never to the intellect. And I don't understand that fellow McGee because I don't think he's appealing to emotions altogether. May I say to you, that man is apparently a very keen observer. He's found out that that's true. Also, I do not believe you can departmentalize man, but psychologically, there is the intellectual part of man, there is the emotional part, and there is the volitional part, and God directs the gospel to all three parts of man. God directs the gospel to the total man, not to just one part of him. And one of the reasons that I believe that since the war we've had so much that's been shallow and shoddy and shabby has been because the message has been directed to one part of man. He responded on that alone, and there was nothing to sustain. I believe that when the gospel goes out, that God expects man to respond in all three parts of his being. And will you notice how he presents it in the word of God? First of all, I believe that the gospel is directed to the intellectual part of man. God directs it to the mind. Now, faith is therefore not a leap in the dark. Beverly Nichols, the English writer and playwright who wrote Cry Havoc, Verdict on India, I totally disagree with her. When she gives this kind of a statement, and don't misunderstand, I'm going to quote her again in a few moments because she said something quite outstanding, by the way. And she is one of the bright people of this day. But I think she's wrong when she says, for its mystical fulfillment, it demands from its followers a leap in the dark, a leap that leads from darkness to light. Now I personally do not believe that God is asking any person to take a leap in the dark when they come to him. I believe that he appeals to the mind of man and he appeals to the mind of man and offers the mind of man evidence if that mind is willing to accept it. Now we are told today that what we know in the mind comes through sense, perception. And that science today is nothing in the world but using sense perception. And it's based on faith. The scientist has to have faith in the objective world. He has to have faith in these different forces and the different elements that he uses. He has to have faith on many of these things that are his fingertips. And he has to have faith in his senses. that he's seeing, that he's hearing, that he's detecting, that he's taking down information accurately. Now that is faith, may I say to you. May I say that some folk now say, well, now faith is not like that because it is a spiritual perception. It is a higher knowledge. It is the Holy Spirit taking things that are unseen and making them real to you. Will you listen to me very carefully? I believe that when a man comes to God and if that man has intellectual questions, God has the evidence to offer him and God will meet him and meet that man's mind. And when that man brings to this a mind to understand, then the Holy Spirit will take these things and give him a spiritual perception that is higher than sense perception. And he'll know. No one else can possibly know in this life. It was Huxley Miller that made this statement, history looks back. Science looks around, philosophy looks in, but only faith can look up and beyond the horizons of this present life to the mansions of God in eternity, to the everlasting kingdom of heaven, which is as inevitable as it is invisible. And that's when I believe now that God moves in and by the Spirit of God makes these things real to the heart and life. But God is not asking you to take off in the dark. Listen to this very carefully. Paul says in Romans 10, 17, Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. You see, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Faith rests upon that which is tangible, that which is subject to sense perception. God's not asking any man to take any leap in the dark at all. And faith is not, as Captain Jack used to say, betting on God. It's no gamble at all. It's the surest thing that there is. Now, will you look at the very first man that responded by faith to God according to the record? That man was Abel. We are told that by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts. I want you to notice something very important there. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. How could he offer unto God by faith a sacrifice? He could only offer it if God had given him a revelation. For faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. This man had heard something. In those days, either through Adam directly or to Abel directly, God had revealed himself and said, now that you're out of the Garden of Eden, it will be necessary for you to bring a sacrifice to me. And that sacrifice must witness to the fact that you're a lost sinner and that only the shedding of blood makes it possible for me, a holy God, to forgive your sin. You bring that little lamb and that little lamb will be accepted because I in time will send my son, the Lamb of God, to take away the sins of the world. Now Abel believed God. Faith is confidence in God. If you had met Abel on the way to make his sacrifice and you'd said to him, Now, Abel, do you understand all about imputation and propitiation? And he said, I really don't know what you're talking about. Well, do you know what you're doing? Well, he said, I know this much. I know that my father Adam was put out of the Garden of Eden because he disobeyed God. And I know that I've inherited a nature that's in disobedience to God and I'm a lost sinner. And God says because of that and that I'm not right with him and he's holy, I'm to bring this little lamb and I'm coming and bringing the little lamb. Now Cain refused to do that. Cain would not believe God. Abel believed God. He evidenced that he had confidence in God. And that faith came because he had a revelation. He had something from God. Now, our faith tonight rests upon documentary evidence. It rests upon the word of God. Will you listen to this? Many other signs truly did Jesus, which are not written in this book, But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life in his name. John says there are many other things I could have written, but I have put down in black and white. I have put down on papyrus. I have put down in Greek these things that are tangible. you might know Jesus is the Christ. God's not asking anybody to take a leap in the dark. He's asking you, if you please, to examine the evidence. That's all in the world that he asks. Our Lord said, he that heareth my word... and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life. Now listen to John again in 1 John 5, 10, because this is very interesting. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath made him a liar. That's the reason it's so terrible not to believe God. When you don't, you make him a liar. because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. Now John says here that there is a record and that when you do not accept that record, you've made God a liar. But when you accept that record, you exhibit that you've got confidence in God. And this is the record. that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. That's simple enough, isn't it? These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. It rests upon a record, if you please. And may I say also that this record is something that you and I are asked to do, is to believe God. That's all Abraham did. Abraham believed God. It was counted to him for righteousness. Abraham, a good man in many ways. You put Abraham down by the average church member today, it'd make him ashamed of himself. But Abraham did not count on his own righteousness. Abraham was told that he was to believe God. And God said certain things to him. And Abraham said, I believe you. I have confidence in God. And that tonight is what God's asking of you. God's not asking you to take a leap in the dark. God is asking you to examine the evidence. Now, will you listen to this statement that comes from Beverly Nichols? A remarkable statement. She was one of the world's worst skeptics. And I mean she turned people. She quotes a letter in here of people that she turned away from God. But it made her begin to think that she was on the wrong track. She began to study on her own. Back to the matter, she took a regular theological course. Listen to this. If any reader should be one of those who assume that the Christian account of the facts is impossible, that it is against nature and utterly contrary to enlightened opinion, if in short he thinks it's just a pretty legend, I do implore him in his own most vital interest to examine those facts as wholly and as impartially as if he were a member of a jury. Even if he gains nothing else, he will have made the discovery that theology is one of the most exciting studies to which a man may devote himself. But I suspect that this will be the least of his gains. I suspect that he will find to his astonishment that it might have happened. May I say to you tonight, here's a woman, rank unbeliever. She came and looked at the evidence. And she says, I was amazed. There's evidence. God is not asking you to take a leap in the dark. God is asking you to examine the facts he's appealing to your mind. Someone asked Luther, do you feel that you've been forgiven? He answered, no, but I'm as sure as there's a God in heaven, for feelings come and feelings go, and feelings are deceiving. My warrant is the word of God. Nought else is worth believing. He had documentary evidence. My friend and I, God is not asking you to take a leap in the dark. God is asking you to examine the evidence. And if you think today that faith is something that's contrary to reason or to knowledge, you're wrong. God begins with you there. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Our Lord said, this is life eternal. that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. And Paul could say, I know whom I have believed. I'm persuaded that he's able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. Faith is not contrary to reason. God appeals to the intellect of man. Now God appeals to the emotions also. And I believe that we're living in an hour when we need a baptism of emotion. So many people come to church and afraid they'll show their emotions. I saw more tears this morning at the church of the open door than I've seen in years. We need it. Oh, I don't mean cheap emotion now. I know folk can go to the movies and they can dampen two handkerchiefs to watch a play about a woman who loses her husband. They just sit there and weep. And the gals already had three in real life. And I don't know why people weep about it, but they weep about it. May I say to you tonight that a block of ice is weepy. And you can shed tears without it really affecting you at all. I'm talking now about the fact that God is appealing to your emotions. Listen again to Paul in Romans 10.9, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Now, he's not talking here about the mind. In here is where most everything happens that happens to us. Oh, in here is where we live and move and have our being, not up here. Many of us don't use this up here much, but down here we do. All of us use this down here. And the scripture is very careful to say that. The writer to the Proverbs says, Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. God appeals to your emotions. Our Lord made a startling statement. He says, For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies. Not an awful brood come out of one heart, but it's in our hearts. My, down in here, God is appealing to us. And today, the head of man is really not at fault. Heart is his problem child. Man is not silly. Man is sinful today. And man is not weak. Man, if you please, is wicked. It was William Law that made this statement. This is an eternal truth which you cannot too much reflect upon. That reason always follows the state of the heart. And what your heart is, that's your reason. If your heart is full of sentiments of penance and of faith, your reason will take part with your heart. But if your heart is shut up in death and dryness, your reason will delight in nothing but dry objections and speculation. And that's the reason today that the church needs revival. We need an atmosphere today in which emotions can be expressed. I mean right emotions, not just cheap sentiment. I mean real, down-deep emotions. That's the reason that over this land in ages gone by that they had great revival movements because there was an atmosphere for it. My friend, there's no atmosphere today for it. And we need that because God is appealing to the heart of man. And God's appealing today. And one of the reasons today so many people turn away in unbelief, they are in an atmosphere where their hearts are becoming hardened. Young people in school today, among unbelievers, men at work, on the street today, everything is talked about except the things of God. We haven't seen in our day and generation a turning to God. I have attended many of the Billy Graham meetings, and I did it for my own blessing. And I want to say this, that The one thing that you could tell the Billy Graham meetings were doing, they were bringing in a community an atmosphere where the emotions of man could be stirred again. And my friend, they need to be stirred. Because tonight you happen to be in a cold and different atmosphere doesn't mean tonight that God's not appealing to your emotions. and asking you. You see, our trouble is down here, not here. It's down here in our hearts. Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick, one of the old-line modernist liberals, made this startling statement, he says, of the hundreds of students that I've interviewed at Columbia University. I never met one that had any trouble in his head. When you got down underneath, it was down here in his heart. I can agree with that. I have met men that have had head trouble. I do believe there are intellectual difficulties that some people have to face up to. May I say to you, when I was in college, that was my problem. I had to get over those head problems. I had to get to the place where the thing would make sense to me. I believe tonight if any man is honest in his heart, he'll beat his music out. God wants to appeal to your emotion. Let me move on. May I say to you that God is appealing also to the volitional part of man, to the will. Practically all translations of Hebrews 11.1 say that faith is a conviction of things not seen. It's a conviction. It's something that comes out of the will of man, if you please. And it's interesting that every time God asks a man to believe, you will find that he always puts with it a little preposition. In John 3, 16, which is probably more familiar than any other verse, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him might not perish, but have everlasting life. Now, the Greek is very vivid. It uses the little preposition eis, epsilon, iota, sigma. And that little preposition means believe in too. And when Paul met that jailer that night after midnight, when he came rushing in there and said, what must I do to be saved? Paul said to him, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved. The preposition he used was epi, epsilon, pi, iota. And that means to believe upon. Every time that you're asked to believe, it's with a preposition that denotes action that's appealing to the volitional part of man, asking him to do something. Therefore, tonight, faith is more than mental assent. It's more than just shedding tears. It's something that we act upon. Because you can give a man a last cent, and that by itself is not salvation. And you can shed kids, and that's not salvation. May I say to you that it's when you and I believe on him. May I illustrate that here tonight? I may take a chair. You've seen me do this here before us. This young salesman that was here that sold, I forget now just what he did sell. He was saved here when we use this illustration. You are here tonight, never trusted Christ. Maybe you believe intellectually these things and may I say they can be examined. They'll stand up to any intellectual examination you want to make. But may I say to you, you can stand right by the side of this chair. And you can believe this chair will hold you. And I believe it'll hold me. And I think you believe this chair will hold me. May I say to you, I can stand right here to doomsday and I'll not be held up by the chair. It's not until I believe either ice or a pea into or upon. And when I believe ice or a pea into and upon, it holds me. There are a lot of folk tonight that are standing right here and say, yes, I believe, I believe, but they have not yet believed into. They have not yet rested in Christ. They've not yet made him their only Savior tonight. You remember when Saul of Tarsus was converted? Notice his conversion. He asked two questions. Who art thou, Lord? That's intellectual. That's to the mind. Who art thou, Lord? The second was, what will you have me to do? That's to the volitional. May I say to you tonight, God is appealing to you on all three fronts, not just one. By faith, Abel offered unto God. And had you gone to Abel and said, Abel, aren't you going to offer a sacrifice? Yes, I think I am. Hasn't God appeared to you? Yes. Don't you believe? Yes. Well, when are you going to do it? Well, one of these days I'll do it. No, he didn't do that. Abel brought that sacrifice, and the writer to the Hebrews says, by faith Abel offered unto God. He offered unto God. He took that step of faith. He had confidence in what God said, and he acted upon that. Martin Luther wrote this statement concerning the epistle to the Romans, and one night a man read this down on Aldersgate in London, and a young preacher who was not saved slipped into the back of the church, and his name was John Wesley. Here is what he heard that converted him. Faith is not something we fetch up from our imagination and put over on ourselves. Faith comes over us in the mighty impact of God's revelation of Himself to us. It's God's own work in us which changes us all over and makes us like new. It kills the past and utterly transforms us in heart, disposition, Spirit in all the faculties. Oh, it's the lively, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith whereby the Holy Spirit regenerates us and pours itself in a steady stream of good deeds. It's just a lively, reckless confidence in God's graces so sure that the believer could die a thousand times for it. Such knowledge of God's grace and trustful reliance upon it sets a man up, makes him cheerful, sure of himself, bold-hearted, happy toward God and all creation. And John Wesley said that night, I felt my heart strangely warm and I felt I did trust God. This brilliant young Oxford student said, for the first time I trusted him. My friend tonight, Have you come on all three fronts to God? Have you been convicted and convinced intellectually? Have you been convicted also emotionally in your heart of hearts? And then have you, by an act of a will, have you trusted Him as your own personal Savior? Have you done that? May I ask you tonight, have you done that?
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Will you take the step of faith and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? If so, we'd like to give you some free downloadable resources to celebrate this important decision and then to help you understand what it means to really live your life for God. click How Can I Know God in our app or at ttb.org. You can also call us at 1-865-BIBLE, and we'll mail you a couple of those resources. Our sermon, Looking at Faith in the Laboratory of Life, is also available in our app and online at ttb.org, as is our weekday program of Through the Bible. So join us this week as we wrap up our incredible journey through Hebrews. Next, the Bible bus travels back to the Old Testament for a new study in Hosea. Now, as we study God's word, I wanna remind you to write to us and share your story. Letters like this one from a listener in India means so much to us. They write, my family has recently had some difficult physical and financial burdens. God is good, isn't he? Now, here's another encouraging note from a listener in the U.S., For almost a month now, I've been listening to the voice of Dr. McGee. He has become like a friend. His knowledge, his sense of humor, his practical approach, I love it all. Through his simple explanations, I have a different perspective on the Bible and a clearer understanding. In this short time, my faith has increased and I am more certain that I want to live each day for God. May you be blessed as you reach out to so many with his word. Our final note comes from Kaya who shares this. I'm particularly touched by today's message and felt like the message was talking to me directly. I needed to hear how God saved the Israelites. It makes me realize he will always fight for me and I will find comfort. Yes, he will, Kaya. This week, let's pray for all of our listeners who are struggling, struggling to find peace and comfort in their individual situations. So what's your story? Is there maybe a particular sermon or chapter or book that God's used to change your thinking? Would you write and tell us? You know, there's nothing we love to hear more than how God's working in your life through his word and how you in turn are reaching out to others in his name. To reach us, you can use the feedback button in our app. You can email us at biblebus at ttb.org, or you can reach us by mail at Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. And you can even call and leave a message at 1-800-65-BIBLE. I'm Steve Schwetz, and as we go, let's remember Hebrews 11, 1 through 3. and walk with God in faith, confident in what we hope for and assured of what we cannot see.
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Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow.
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Join us each weekday for our five-year daily study through the whole Word of God. Check for times on this station or look for Through the Bible in your favorite podcast store and always at ttb.org.
In this episode of Through the Bible, we delve into the powerful teachings of the book of Hosea as Dr. J. Vernon McGee guides us through the trials of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Ignoring God's word not only led to spiritual adultery but also brought about God's judgment in a dramatic and prophetic transition. As we reflect on the message shared by the evangelist D.L. Moody and stories from Dr. McGee's own ministry, we're prompted to consider the essential role of scripture in our everyday lives. Throughout Hosea chapter 4, we witness the consequences that befell Israel when they neglected their sacred texts. Dr. McGee draws parallels to modern times, illustrating how turning our backs on divine guidance can lead to moral decay and personal dissatisfaction. Whether through personal anecdotes or deep scriptural insights, this episode calls listeners to introspection and a return to God’s word. Join us as we uncover the inhibitors to spiritual fulfillment and the inevitable consequences of idolatry and sin. Whether you are a long-time believer, a part of our World Prayer Team, or someone in search of spiritual clarity, this study provides profound insights. Prepare to embark on this enlightening journey through Scripture with renewed understanding.
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The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith.
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The evangelist D.L. Moody was right when he said, The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible. Listening to and obeying God's Word is a protection over our lives. And that's one reason that I'm so glad that you're here at Through the Bible, ready to get into God's Word with Dr. J. Verna McGee. And as you know, we're in the book of Hosea on our five-year journey through the whole word. And in this study, we're going to learn how the northern kingdom of Israel turned away from God because they forgot his word. Well, not only did they forget it, they wanted nothing to do with it. They completely turned their backs on God's ways. And you know, that's when God's man Hosea stepped up and said, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge of God's word. And then he relayed God's chilling consequence. Because you forgot the law of your God, I will also forget your children. I will change your glory into shame. Wow. I don't know about you, but that sobering pronouncement makes me sit up and listen. We're in Hosea chapter four. So as you open your Bible, let's listen to Dr. McGee's introduction on why God will judge his people.
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Now God says that he must judge the nation. And he says that he will change their glory into shame. Now the glory of Israel was actually the temple with the Shekinah glory upon it and his visible presence with the nation and his definite leading of them. And they're witness to the world of that day of monotheism. In a world of polytheism, they worship the living and the true God. That was their glory. It brought the Queen of Sheba from the ends of the earth. Now what is happening is this. God says, I will remove my glory from you. I'll remove my blessing from you. And I will judge you. I'll let the enemy come in upon you and take you away. And of course, the enemy is going to be able to say, look, they said they were God's chosen people. And look what's happening to them. And apparently their God's not a very strong God. Friends, we're seeing today in this land of ours something very similar to that. God is judging many churches and he's closing many doors today. You can look about you in this land of ours and see that God is still judging. And we are inclined to say, isn't it a shame to see a decline in a certain church? Well, maybe God closed the door. We need to recognize that only God today can afford to judge his own people, and he does that.
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Before jumping into our study, I invite you to join our World Prayer Team. Together we pray for listeners like Nora in the Philippines who writes this. I heard your message and want to know if you will really be forgiven. I have sinned in the past and I have thought that I am unforgivable. I got involved with another man and our entire village knows. I'm hurting and crying right now, but your words in my language of Locano comfort me and give me hope. For the first time, I feel as if God might accept me as I am. Please tell me what to do next. Please tell me more about Jesus and how I can be redeemed. Are you ready to join us for the journey? Well, hop aboard as we pray for millions of listeners like this one all over the world by signing up at ttb.org forward slash pray. And let's do that now. Thank you, Heavenly Father. Thank you for the privilege of hearing your word. Help us to turn what distracts us and do what pleases you. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of sharing your word with the world. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We're off to Hosea 4 on Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
SPEAKER 03 :
Now, we got down last time through the sixth verse of the fourth chapter of Hosea. And again, I'd like to say that this sixth verse here of this fourth chapter is considered one of the most familiar verses that we have. It's one that is quoted a great deal. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. And that's the way it opens. I went through it last time, and I'll not go any farther than that. But it was a lack of the knowledge of the Word of God that was the background of the sin of these people. The minute that Christian friend, you get away from the Word of God, you could not live a triumphant Christian life by any means. You could not live well-pleasing to the Lord. And I do not care how many of these method conferences you go to that have all these little gimmicks that if you do this and do that and do the other thing, that things are going to work all right for you in your home and in your place of business and in your social life, and everything will work out right. My friend, the Word of God makes it very clear that That's not by these little gimmicks, these little methods. It's by a knowledge of the Word of God. Now, that is as clear as the noonday sun in this book and certainly in other places. Now, will you notice as God continues to bring against the northern kingdom his judgment upon them, that is, he hands down a decision. He's going to judge them. And he has now proven that To them, his case, they broken the Ten Commandments. He went down the list and they had broken them. Now he says, as they were, verse 7, as they were increased, so they sinned against me. In other words, as the nation increased, God had promised to bless them by multiplying them. He told Abraham that. But all it did was just bring another sinner into the world. And after all, that's what happened when I came into the world. Just another sinner came into the world. But thank God, the grace of God reached down and somebody gave me the Word of God. And I was able to trust Christ as my Savior. But these people, they have an ignorance. They have no knowledge of the word of God. As they were increased, so they sinned against me. Therefore, will I change their glory into shame. God says, I'm going to turn your glory into shame. They eat up the sin of my people. They set their heart on their iniquity. They not only sin, but they like to brag about it. As a young fellow, ran with a pretty fast crowd in the bank I worked in. And we always like, especially on Monday morning, to brag about our weekend, what we did. And you know what it was, either to get drunk or... some adultery or something like that. That's what you brag about. And they not only sinned, they bragged about it. And there, verse 9 now, chapter 4 of Hosea, and there shall be like people, like priests. The unfortunate thing is that the priesthood had sunk down to the level of the congregation. Now, I have always believed, and as you've heard me say, that I started out in the ministry. I wore a Prince Albert coat and a wing collar. I look like a mule looking over a whitewash fence. But I soon gave that up. I dress just like the man sitting out in the pew. And I'm no different than that man in the pew. But I want to say this, that I want in the pulpit to give out the word of God so that I don't sink down to the level of that which is the man of the world. And today there are many ministers. They're the good guys. one man boasted to me he says you know he says my preacher says you know he says he comes out to our golf club he plays golf and i'm for that i do that i think it's great to mix with folk like that says after the game says he goes in the bar room with us has a drink with us says you know said he's just one of the fellas says i sure do like him well I wonder what God thinks about him. Like people, like priests. And I'll punish them for their ways and reward them for their doings, for they shall eat and not have enough. In other words, famine is coming to the land. And who would ever have believed that this great land of ours, just last year, a few years ago, that there would be no scarcity. Whoever heard of it, that you couldn't buy meat at the meat market, you couldn't buy bread, that there would be a scarcity of anything. May I say to you, I'm not sure. I think God judged us in the dust bowl many years ago. That's when I entered the ministry. And nobody listened to God then. Then we had to fight World War II. God judged us. And we didn't come back to God even World War II. So we've been fighting somewhere ever since. Just can't give it up. They shall eat, not have enough. They shall commit harlotry and shall not increase. You know, there's one thing, friends, about adultery. And I know today that I'm talking to a great many people that have had this in their mind and their heart because we're living in this day. And you can take it from a fellow that one time in his life before he's saved, you can never, never enjoy in a way in which God really wants you to until you can enjoy it in marriage. And when you can put your arms around the woman that you have been loving and you can say to her, I love you. above everything else in the world. Now, I say when you can say that, my friend, then there'll be an increase. And it'll be wonderful. Oh, they were committing adultery then, and they're doing it today. But actually, there's really no satisfaction in it. It's just a sort of a temporary release. And you hate yourself after that. And I know that. And some of you know that, my friend. And God knows that because that's what he's saying here. God's spelling it out for you. They shall eat and not have enough. They shall commit harlotry, adultery, and they shall not increase because they have ceased to take heed to the Lord. Harlotry and wine and new wine take away the heart. Last time we gave you all these statistics about liquor in this country today. And nobody, and I mean nobody today, is lifting a voice against this. And I don't think I've said very much about it. But I sure have said a whole lot the past couple of days. And from time to time, we do mention it. Arlatrin wine and new wine take away the heart, my friends. And part of our problem in Washington today are these two sins, harlotry, adultery, and liquor. They're the two problems in our government today. That's the reason that men lie. That's the reason that men will do crooked things. And that is not confined to one party or just one group. The whole crowd is guilty today. One writer said that in Washington, you don't know who to trust. May I say to you, what a sad commentary on our nation today. Don't tell me the new morality is working. It didn't work for Israel. They got away from the word of God and they said, we try something new. And they went in for it. The northern kingdom, you see, they had sin galore. They put up two golden calves. And with that worship of Baal, I was connected with it, the grossest forms of idolatry and the Verse 12, my people ask counsel of their idols, and their staff declareth unto them, for the spirit of harlotry hath caused them to err, and they have played the harlot departing from under their God. Now he's speaking here of the harlotry, spiritual adultery, which is turning from God. They went to inquire of idols. And today, we find people running after the gurus of India. Well, they haven't done much for India, by the way. But yet, we've had a crowd running after them. And someone has said that one of them that came over here, he said that very candidly, he came for the money. And that it was nothing in the world but a religious racket as far as he was concerned. Yet people went after him. People are going off into this type of thing today. And there's actually the worship of Satan today. I have here a clipping that comes from Daytona Beach, Florida. A group of Satan cultists tortured and beat a 17-year-old youth to death, believing he was an undercover narcotics agent, police said Wednesday. May I say to you that worship of Satan today is certainly not helping morality by any means. And these people going into idolatry, idolatry was leading them into gross immorality. Now, let me keep reading here. And They sacrifice, this is verse 13 now, chapter 4. They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains and burn incense upon the hills under oaks and poplars and elms because the shadow of them is good. That's where they put their idols, was on top of a hill under a grove. And you hear a great deal in scripture. And they found out today, archaeologists, that the center of worship of idolatry was in these groves. It was cool there, nice place to go. Therefore, your daughters shall commit harlotry and your spouses shall commit adultery. You see, the worship of idols, and we today have turned to idolatry, covetousness, All of this today, the greed of this country today has caused many a family to try to get on in the world. They want to move to a better neighborhood. They want a swimming pool. They want a boat to take down. And they say we're doing this for their children. And then all of a sudden their children take off and there are thousands. Thousands of young people today that are wandering up and down this country and all over the world. I saw them in Hawaiian Islands. I talked to three young people in Constitution Square in Athens, Greece. Two young men and a young lady. And I'm sure that none of them were beyond their teens. One of them could have been 20. And there they sat, and they were then under the influence of drugs. I tried to talk with them, and I tried to find out who they were. And they said, we're nobody. We don't count. We've dropped out. What's happened today, friends? What's taking place today? Why, the problem is back there in the home. We're idolaters. We're worshiping the almighty dollar. We've forgotten God. We've turned away from the living and true God, and we no longer worship him. And we've not turned to a savior that can redeem us and help us. Now, verse 14. He says, I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry, nor your spouses when they commit adultery, for they themselves are separated with harlots, and they sacrifice with harlots. Therefore, the people that doth not understand shall fall. God says ignorance, so the law excuses no one. And because these people have gone on, I'm not going to judge them for the sin they're committing right now. I'm going to judge them because they've turned from the living and true God and from his way. My friend, as I said to a man, and I met him on a golf course, by the way, and he said, joined our foursome he soon left us when he found out we were three preachers and this man made a statement well he said that he guessed that he was a sinner he'd done this that and the other said yes I guess I'll go to hell and I said brother you know you're not going to hell because you commit these sins he says what do you mean I'm not going to hell because I thought that's what you preachers said I said this preacher never said that I said you're going to hell because you've rejected Jesus Christ These people were being judged not because they had become harlots. They were judged because they've turned from the living and true God. Now, will you notice he says here, though thou Israel play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-Avon or swear the Lord liveth. God says, I'm going to hold Judah back. I'll not judge Judah yet. And Judah, don't come up and worship these calves that they put up here. Now we come to something that's quite interesting. Verse 16. For Israel slideth back like a backsliding heifer. Now the Lord will feed them as a lamb in a large place. Now, friends, let's look at what really backsliding is. A great many people think backsliding means that you have become a Christian, joined the church, and then you drop back into sin, and that's backsliding. Now, may I say to you, that's not backsliding the way it's used here. And God illustrates it so you can't miss it. For Israel slideth back like a backsliding heifer. Now, I'm very happy the fact that as a boy, I had the privilege of living in the country and in a little town. And I think I've mentioned this before. There's a live next door to us in southern Oklahoma in a little town. We lived in a rancher. He had a big ranch and he had two boys and they were both about my age. And we three played together. We used to ride these heifers out in the lot and they would, you know, tie a rope around. As we said in that day, a belly band we'd put on them. We'd hold on to that. And then they'd buck us off. Now, every now and then, this rancher would load up. This was in the days before the automobile. In a wagon, he would load up these heifers to take them to market or take them out to the ranch. And he had a great big board. That is, it was a thing constructed out of boards that he put up at the back end of the wagon. It was a runway that you just try to run the heifer up back. Well, what they'd do, you'd put a rope around the heifer, and then you'd push her from the back. And as you'd get the heifer up, she'd go a part of the way, then she'd stiffen those front feet. She'd just put them out stiff. And you know what would happen? You couldn't pull her. She'd start sliding backwards. That's what backsliding is. Backsliding heifer. They were stiffening their front feet. And instead of being led of God, they were slipping backward all the time. And backsliding means when you turn your back on God and you step on that little neck of yours and that little mind of yours and you say, I'll have nothing to do with God. You're backsliding when you do that. You see, when you refuse to go the way God wants to lead you. Now he calls Israel here a backsliding heifer. There are a lot of backsliding heifers today and bulls also, by the way. Now, let me read the next verse. Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone. Now, we come to another word here. The word backsliding is mentioned three times in this book, and you'll recall it's only Jeremiah and Hosea, and they spoke to a nation ready to go into captivity, accused them of doing this, refusing to be led of God, refusing to come to God. Now, Ephraim, that name occurs 36 times. He picks out one of the tribes of the 10 tribes in the north and applies it to all 10 of the tribes. And I frankly have never been able to figure out just how God uses that term. Is he using it in a way that is the term of endearment or is it a term of ridicule? Now, this time through Hosea, I've come to the conclusion that it's a term of endearment. It's a pet name. You see, Israel in the north had really no name as a nation. Judah in the south was really the nation. And these 10 tribes had revolted, you see. And now God gives them, I think, a pet name. And you'll find all the way through, it'll occur 36 times, Ephraim. And he says this in, I would say, a longing sort of way, but with a note of finality. He says here, Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone. God says there comes a day in a man's life that if he keeps on being in a backslidden condition, refusing to listen to God, there'll come a day when God no longer can speak to that man. Now he says to them, your drink is sour. You'll become an alcoholic if you keep at it, brother. And it's not a disease. It's a sin. Their drink is sour. They have committed harlotry continually. Her rulers love shame more than glory. And the sad thing today is that we have men in government in high places instead of using a language that is clean. And chase. They love to cuss. And they love to drink. They love the shame more than glory. The wind hath bound her up in its wing. They're carried away by every wind of doctrine. And they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices. God says, I'm going to make them ashamed before it's over with. Well, that brings us to the conclusion of chapter 4. Begin chapter 5 next time. Until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, Dr. McGee convinced me of the joy and peace found in living a quiet, righteous life before the Lord. How about you? We're midway through our study in Hosea now, so if you'd like to share these studies with a family member or friend, they're available on our app or at ttb.org. Or to purchase our Bible bus flash drive that conveniently holds all of Dr. McGee's five-year messages and also includes all of his notes and outlines for our studies and more than 100 of his booklets, you Shop our online store at ttb.org or call us at 1-865-BIBLE. And while you're at ttb.org, check out our new softcover Bible companions for the New Testament. Again, that's ttb.org or 1-865-BIBLE. And when you call us, please tell us how you listen. Is it by app or online? Is it YouTube, your local Christian radio station? There are so many different options. And you know, by sharing this little bit of information, you help us to be good stewards of the resources that God has so graciously provided through faithful listeners like you. Now, as we break for the weekend, join me for Dr. McGee's Sunday sermon. You can listen by app, online, or look at our radio station listing at ttb.org. I'm Steve Schwetz, and I'll meet you right back here next time as we continue to make our way through the Bible.
SPEAKER 02 :
We're grateful for the faithful and generous support of Through the Bible's partners, whom God uses to take the whole word to the whole world.
Join us on the Bible bus as we delve into the profound messages found in the book of Hosea. This episode uncovers the deeper meanings behind the prophet Hosea's life and name, emphasizing the theme of salvation through history and biblical context. Through a poignant letter from a listener in Oregon, we explore the difficult questions of morality, justice, and faith in our modern world, linking these struggles to the book of Hosea and its timeless counsel.
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The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent word.
SPEAKER 01 :
Here's an interesting fact for you. The name Hosea, who is God's spokesperson in the book that we're studying right now on the Bible bus, is another form of the name Joshua, which is the Hebrew version of the Greek name Jesus. Hosea, Joshua, Jesus. All their names mean salvation. The Old Testament men named Hosea and before him Joshua were pictures of what Jesus Christ embodied in the flesh, God's salvation. Welcome to Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee. I'm Steve Schwetz and I'm welcoming you aboard the Bible bus as we continue together our five-year journey through God's entire word. Now, Dr. McGee begins our program by sharing a letter from a concerned listener. No doubt we all will be moved by this issue we still deal with, and it all comes down to what we'll hear about in our study of Hosea 3 and 4, that people follow destructive ways because they don't know or understand God, and that individual tragedy naturally leads to despising the truth and withholding mercy. Let's listen now to this letter from Corvallis, Oregon.
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As the chairman of Corvallis Right of Life, I have been involved lobbying state legislators concerning several bills. One bill we are concerned with has to do with handicapped babies being denied food and water after birth to hasten their death. In talking to legislators, the feeling among them seemed to be that it is better to let the child die, whatever the methods, to spare the family the burden of a handicapped child. After talking to them, doubt began to creep into my mind. Maybe it's better for such a child to die. Maybe God would have it this way. But I still felt sure that starvation and dehydration weren't the way. As this was happening, a baby girl was born in an Oregon town severely deformed, right to life, knew she would soon die, but fought for nearly a week to legally secure food and water. It wasn't easy. The night the baby died, I was led to read in Lamentations. Before I went to sleep, this scripture made an impact. And it's from Lamentations 4, 3 and 4. Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young. But my people have become heartless like ostriches in the desert. Because of thirst the infant's tongue sticks to the roof of its mouth. The children beg for bread, but none gives it to them. And that's the end of that quotation. The next morning at 7.30 a.m., I switched on the radio and there you were, reading the very same scripture. I took it as a sign from God to me, that this was indeed a heartless thing that is happening and removed any doubt I had. I thank you for your part in reaffirming to me what I am certain God was trying to impress on me. I also thank you for the words of your own that morning, denouncing abortion as a major evil of our time, You're probably not surprised to hear that the clergy in this community do not share your strong convictions against abortion. But with the help of God, we continue our fight against it. May God bless your ministry as it opens the eyes of many like me who are seeking answers in the Bible but stumbling along through it. We need your help so much. I appreciate that letter, as you can well understand. And may I just say this one word, regardless of the condition of the baby, to take that baby's life as murder and to say that you can take that baby's life, you're taking the place of God. And God doesn't like to share his place with anyone, by the way.
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Let's give the Lord his proper place in our attention now. Pray with me. Heavenly Father, thank you for your great love, for giving us what's best even though we don't always understand it. Please help your word to quicken our hearts to bring comfort and instruction and conviction. Thank you, Lord, for its truth that helps us discern truth and obey you. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, it's time. Let's open to Hosea 3 as we go through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
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Now, friends, today as we come to the fourth chapter of Hosea, we're now coming to a section where we're leaving the private life of Hosea. It fades into the background, and the emphasis now is upon the Lord and Israel. But I would just like to back up for just a moment, therefore, to chapter 3 at verse 1, because this, I believe, is very important. Here we read again, "...then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love cakes of raisins." Now, four times in this little verse here, you have the word love mentioned. Great many people think you have to get to the New Testament before you find anything about love. I believe that if you'd examine it carefully, you'd probably find that there's more said about love in the Old Testament than in the New. That is because, of course, the Old Testament is much longer. And there's more of it than we have of the New Testament. But it is interesting to note that there's a great deal about love. Now, I was thinking after I made the broadcast last time that this first verse here is actually an equation, a mathematical equation. And it puts it like this. God's love equals Israel's sins. And I shouldn't say equal, but God's love times Israel's sin equals Hosea's love times Gomer's sin. So you see that we do have an equation here. And out of that home, he comes now to speak to the nation, and he knows how God feels about them. Now, everything up to this point has been in the way of generalization. God has said they've sinned, that they have played the harlot. They've been unfaithful to him. Now he's going to spell it out. And you can make a comparison actually between this particular chapter and the first chapter of Isaiah. And you ought to compare it there because Isaiah spoke to the southern kingdom and then he spelled out God's charge against the nation. Now, here again, God brings them into court. He makes certain charges and he proves them. That is the message of chapter 4. In fact, chapters 4 and 5, he's saying now to Israel, you are playing the harlot. And Israel in this chapter is guilty of lawlessness, immorality, ignorance of God's word, and idolatry. And we see here in this first verse, the Lord confronts Israel with the fact that they have no knowledge of God. And then in verse 2, he spells out their specific sins. Now, will you listen to it? 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. Now, he says these three things here. There's no truth, there's no mercy, and there's no knowledge of God in the land. In other words, these people have been brainwashed with idolatry. And as a result, there was actually no mercy. And God had instructed them to be merciful. In fact, he said, when the stranger comes into your land and the poor, they are permitted to go in and glean. And God says, I take care of them this way and you're to do this. Why? Because he says, I am the Lord your God and I'm a holy God. They'd forgotten that. They were no longer being merciful. And there was actually no knowledge of God in the land. Oh, there's a great deal of religion, but no knowledge of God in the land. Now, they were breaking the Ten Commandments. Listen to this. By swearing and lying and killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break out and blood toucheth blood. Now, each one of these things that he mentions, they were breaking the Ten Commandments. Go back to the 20th of Exodus and read it. Thou shalt not bear false witness. Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not commit adultery." And all of this was even among their relatives, blood touching blood. They were committing all of these sins. They actually were breaking the Ten Commandments. I want to say something very carefully at this time. And will you listen very carefully? God gave the Ten Commandments which is only part of the Mosaic system, to the nation Israel. But in that, God expresses His will. The church today is not put under the Ten Commandments as a way, that is, that is not living the Christian life if all you do is keep the Ten Commandments. Now, that doesn't mean you break them. It just simply means he's called you to a higher plane, and you're called to live in the power of the Spirit of God. Now, God is not asking the unsaved world anything, but he does have a great deal to say about nations. And the nation Israel that he chose and dealt with them furnishes a pattern to the other nations of the world. Now, we have had what has been so-called a Christian civilization in Europe. It never was really Christian, but it had the semblance of it. The laws were patterned after this. And these are laws for a nation. I shall not kill. I shall not commit adultery. Among those are other things. God condemned drunkenness. God condemned homosexuality. And he has the strongest language for that. He says when a people or an individual indulges in that, and I don't care what you call it, my friend, God says he gave them up. He gave up this nation. They were guilty of that. They were guilty of indulging in these sins. We today are guilty of the same thing. There's no knowledge of God in this land. Oh, I know there's a church on every corner, and Sunday morning you can hear church bells everywhere. But of course, a very small percentage of the population go to church, and very few are actually being reached with the Word of God. There is a Gideon Bible in every hotel room and motel room in this country. As far as I know, the first thing I do when I go to a new hotel or a new motel to stay, I look around for the Gideon Bible. And I've noticed recently it's been out on the table. That is, it's been out and opened up so you can see it. Now, I do not know how much it's being read. The Gideons say they receive many letters telling of conversions. But I'm sure that a great many of those Bibles are not ever opened. I know I've been to several places where I'm convinced that the Bible had never been opened before. We're a nation of biblical ignoramuses. We do not know the Word of God today in this land. But the Watergate hearings in Washington certainly turned the spotlight on our government and actually not the one political party but to both political parties that there's corruption in this land of ours. And I wasn't quite sure whether all of the liars were sitting in the witness stand or were on the other side on the committee. And I think you'll find them in both parties. I think that you will find corruption today in this land in both parties. And the chairman of the committee was greatly disappointed in him, the way he not only misquoted Scripture, he misinterpreted it and said that the four Gospels contradicted each other. And that went out on television. And may I say to you, I, for one, protest that. Because I felt like demanding equal time, everybody else demands equal time to answer that, that there is no contradiction in the four Gospels. And when a man says that, he reveals a woeful ignorance of the Word of God. Now, I'm saying all of this to say this, that our land is in the same kind of a condition that these people were in in that day. I'm going to take just one particular phase. We're told that a few years ago that in Washington, there were 128 cocktail parties every day. And again, the spotlight that's been turned on these hearings reveals that there's drinking probably in Washington. Couldn't be more in Los Angeles, but there's been a great deal of it there. Now, I want to share with you today some facts and figures, and there are a few brave editors today in this country, but most of it's the liberal press. They follow one particular line, and just like Israel was brainwashed, Our nation today is being brainwashed by nothing in the world but propaganda and liberalism. But down in San Diego, the local paper down there had a headline, and this goes back to January the 11th, 1972. It was on the front page of the paper, bottom of the page, but it was a headline, Alcoholics Cost Area Businesses $10 Million." May I say to you, people cry out about the high cost of living, cry out about the high cost of war and high cost of government. All of that is true. But who's crying out against liquor today? No one's crying out against it. What do you suppose that has to do with what you buy at the store today? They say, preacher, this is none of your business. It's my business in several different ways. And I wish there were more crying out against this sort of thing. The pulpits become extremely silent in these matters. And when I go to the store, I'm paying a higher price for things because government, And the nation, we are engaged in gross immorality today, breaking these Ten Commandments. You don't get by with it as a nation. These commandments have been the basis of every so-called Christian civilization. And I'm not going to debate that point with anyone. Now, will you listen to this? Today they're saying alcoholism is a disease. And this has been answered by a doctor. He says, alcoholism a disease? If so, listen to this. It's the only disease contracted by an act of the will. It's the only disease that is habit-forming. It's the only disease that comes in a bottle. It's the only disease causing hundreds of thousands of family disruptions. It's the only disease promoting crime and brutality. It's the only disease contributing to hundreds of thousands of automobile accidents. It is the only disease playing a major part in over 50% of the more than 50,000 annual highway deaths. It is the only disease which is sold by license. It's the only disease that's bought in grocery stores, drug stores, and Wellmark retail outlets. It's the only disease that is taxed by the government and on and on. There's more to this. I'll just read that to you today. May I say to you, our eyes are shut to this because we've been brainwashed and the liquor interests have this tremendous control today. And as a result, our nation sinks lower and lower because we have what's called a new morality. It wasn't new at all. Israel was practicing it way back yonder. In about 700 B.C., and I wouldn't call it new morality back there by any means, they were breaking all these commandments and God condemned them for it. And homosexuality was practiced even back as far as Sodom and Gomorrah. It's the reason he destroyed these places. He judged them. And today, actually, some of the legislatures filled with men ignorant of the Word of God ignorant of this thing which has been basic for this nation of ours, and they pass legislation that makes it so that two homosexuals can get married. The liberal church says that we should not consider them sinners, And I know I speak to many homosexuals. I'll get letters on this. May I say to you, the Lord Jesus Christ says that you've got to be born again. And he can deliver you from it. These things are not diseases today. But when they're treated as what they really are, sin, then God can deal with us. We are doomed as a nation, as much as Israel was condemned and sent into captivity. And after all, they were God's chosen people. We are not. By any stretch of the imagination, we can't make that claim. But this is the basis on which God judges nations. I spent a little time there and I got warmed up on that. I think somebody today needs to be saying something along this line. But the pulpit is strangely silent in this connection. Well, one reason they never study Hosea. You know, here's one of the forgotten prophets. Now I'm going to keep on reading. Verse 3. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth in it shall languish, with the beasts of the field, with the fowls of the heavens, yea, the fish of the sea also shall be taken away." The land will languish. All of a sudden we found out that we're polluting everything today. When I was a boy, I went swimming in a swimming hole in a creek in southern Oklahoma that was as clear you could see, 25 feet to the bottom. My friend, may I say to you, it smells to high heaven. We polluted the land today. The land here is mourning. And then another very interesting thing is a few years ago, it was plenty. All of the granaries were filled with grain. It was plenty of everything. And may I say today, we're hearing something about scarcity. You see, when God judges a nation, the land is involved, and even the beasts and the fowls have to suffer for the sin of man. And they are suffering also today because of man's sin. Verse 4, Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another. For thy people are as they that strive with the priest. What has happened? Why, the priest in that day was not doing his duty. Not warning the people. And God had raised up the prophet. What about that? Verse 5. Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother. That is the nation. Why? Because now even there were the false prophets that were rising up and telling people, well, everything's going to be all right. This thing's going to work out. We live in a new day. The Bible is an old book in the Ten Commandments. They belong to the past, to our grandfathers and grandmothers. But we today have reached a very high plane. May I say to you, we are a dirty lot. We have sunk very low today as a nation and as a people. Now, verse 6 is probably one of the most quoted verses. It's considered to be one of the most familiar verses. I'm reading now Hosea 4, verse 6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. That's the reason we're teaching the Bible today. That's the reason we're going into a book like this, is because, my friend, it's the ignorance of the Word of God. They're destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I'll also reject thee, that thou shall be no priest to me. You see, God intended the whole nation. to be priests unto him. And in the millennium, they will be that. But God says, you're not even going to have priests at this particular time. Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. That is, even the people of the nation, now God says, I will also forget you. Because you've forgotten me. In other words, they've come to the time of judgment because they've gone through a long sordid history of departing from the Lord. Now, I'll have to leave off there today. But you can see how important this chapter is. And we hope, though, to finish it next time. Until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
SPEAKER 01 :
It's a sobering reality that we see the people of Israel in Hosea's time and also in our culture turn their backs on God. Augustine said it so well. Spend some time thinking about what we've studied. And as you do, why don't you confess to the Lord how, at many times, you've forgotten Him as the priority of your life. And then tell Him that, as of now, He's first place again. You know, there's more to learn from this great book of Hosea. And as always, if you'd like to listen to this study again, or any other study from our five-year journey through the whole Word of God, all of Dr. McGee's studies are available in our app or online. Just visit ttb.org to listen now. to your many options. Or you can call us at 1-800-65-BIBLE for help in finding what you're looking for. Now as we go, I'd ask that you join me in reading through the rest of Hosea 4 before tomorrow's study. It always helps with the program to have read the passage in advance. to read ahead each day and prepare your heart for what God wants to teach you through His Word. You can download our free Bible reading schedule at ttb.org or just call us at 1-865-BIBLE to receive it by mail. Again, that's ttb.org or 1-865-BIBLE. You can also write to Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. I'm Steve Schweitz. For all of us at Through the Bible, we're praying that you walk with God until we meet again. See you next time.
SPEAKER 03 :
Jesus came in all, all to be my own. Sin had left the prince unsaved. He washed it white as snow.
