Real Important

Monday Morning Moment / Key Takewaway:
It is far more important to know God than to know about God! (Hosea 4:6a)
To Download Audio: Right-click on this link, select 'Save as ...'

Sermon Handout

Scripture(s):
  • Hosea 4
  • Joel 2:18-27
  • Mark 10:47
Sermon Series:
Speaker:
Will Robinson
Date:
08/08/2021

Text: Selected passages in the Minor Prophets
Date: 08-08-2021
Speaker(s): Pastor Will Robinson

Finding Jesus in the Minor Prophets (part 2)

Why do we forget God’s goodness?

Among Hosea’s many themes, the prophet warned for nearly forty years that the people of Israel were in a state of spiritual decline that would only lead to destruction. Sadly, the people had become blind to the reality of their own demise (Hosea 4:1).

Hosea writes, “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” (Hosea 4:6)

“Harlotry, wine, and new wine take away the understanding.” (Hosea 4:11)

“So the people without understanding are ruined.” (Hosea 4:14)

Not only had the people walked away from God, but they had also forgotten Him entirely. They had forgotten His faithfulness. They had forgotten His many miracles and how good He had been to them throughout their relationship (Hosea 1:8). They had forgotten His law and instructions. And once separated from God and the knowledge of their first love, they quickly turned to their own ways, other gods, and other nations (Hosea 8:4), which, they soon discovered, could not satisfy or save them (Hosea 7:16). 

“They will eat but not have enough; they will play the harlot, but not increase, because they have stopped giving heed to the Lord.” (Hosea 4:10

Israel’s sin had left them blind and confused, trapped in a cycle of sin. Worst of all, sin had caused them to forget their God and the knowledge of His love. As Hosea writes, “their deeds will not allow them to return to their God; for a spirit of harlotry is within them, and they do not know their God.” (Hosea 5:4)

 In the aftermath of the devastation of exile, God kept alive the hope of a Davidic king. But when that royal dynasty never materialized after their return to the land, the hunger for a Son of David. Of course, in the NT it is obvious that Jesus is the promised Son of David who will rule over God’s people.


Mark 10:47 (NLT)

47When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

The promise of Jesus’ coming!  (Joel 2:18-27)

  • Joel looks beyond the invasion to the time when God would heal His land and restore blessings to His people.
  • “The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad” (v. 3) is echoed in Joel 2:21, “Be glad and rejoice; for the Lord will do great things.” Both Joel 2:23-27 and Psalm 126:5-6 describe the restoration of the ravaged earth and the return of the harvests. This fulfilled what Isaiah promised to King Hezekiah (Isa. 37:30).
  • The Lord promised to give such bumper crops that the harvest would more than compensate for all that the people lost during the locust plague and the drought “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25) is a word of promise to all who return to the Lord with sincere and broken hearts.
  • And why will God do this for His undeserving people? So that they will praise His name and never again be shamed before the heathen. “Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will My people be shamed” (Joel 2:27).
  • As never before, our lands today need healing. They are polluted by the shedding of innocent blood and the exploiting of both resources and people. We can claim many of God’s promises in the Minor Prophets because we are “His people.”

Monday Morning Moment: ”It is far more important to know God than to know about God!”

Hosea 4:6a  My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me.

Be a Berean “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”  Acts 17:11

MondayReview: Joel 2 and the MMM
TuesdayRead: Amos
WednesdayMeditate on: Joel 2:22-28
ThursdayMemorize: Hosea 4:6a
FridayWrite: How do you define being faithful to God?
SaturdayStudy: Micah
crossplus-circle