Destroyed for lack of knowledge
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:
because thou has 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 also will forget thy children.”
Introduction:
A. God was pleading with His people thru the prophet Hosea to turn back to Him, because they had allowed other things to push His will out of their consciousness,
and thus they had ‘forgotten’ His Law, and had ‘rejected’ His knowledge. They were no longer following His Will in their lives!
1. Notice the next verse: “As they were multiplied, so they sinned against Me…” (7)!
2. They had “…left off taking heed to Jehovah” (10b)!
3. One
of the main problems was that they were content to “walk after man’s command.” (
B.
What knowledge
should we be filling our minds with?
John 6:44, 45
1.
This knowledge from our Creator is to be written on our hearts and in our minds!
We must live them, apply them to our lives, not just read them from paper! Hebrews 8:10-12
2. The Jews of Jesus’ day knew the Scriptures, but they didn’t know the Scriptures! That is, they didn’t understand and apply the Scriptures correctly!
Matthew 22:29 “Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.”
Body:
A.
How does God reveal Himself to us today? I Corinthians 2:6-13 This shows
us that God’s Word is given to us as verbal
inspiration. The Holy Spirit chose the very words through the various
writers, to convey God’s knowledge to us!
1.
He sees to it that His Word is kept pure and
living for mankind to learn His Will, and come to Him! Isaiah 55:6-11; Hebrews 4:11-13
2.
How important is it to know God’s will, and do
it? Matthew 7:21-23
3. How should this knowledge be received? I Thessalonians 2:13
4. How much time should we give toward God’s knowledge? Acts 17:11
5. Are
we responsible for what we believe and practice religiously? II Corinthians 13:5
B.
What can make us FREE? John 8:32 ONLY GOD’S WORD!
1.
Must we abide in it? John 8:31
2.
Free from what? John 8:33, 34; Romans 3:23
3.
Must we obey? Hebrews 5:8, 9
C. Can departures from the Truth be destructive to us? Galatians 1:6-10; II John 9-11 This includes adding to, or taking away from Gods Word. I Peter 4:11
1. False teachers with their damnable doctrines can destroy us!
a.
The prophet who was led astray by a false
prophet in I Kings 13 (He
believed what someone told him, which went against
God’s Word!)
Proverbs
16:25
b.
The way is not in ourselves! Jeremiah 10:23
c.
Jeremiah bemoaned the peoples departures from
Jehovah’s will: Jeremiah 2:13, 32;
5:30, 31
d.
How did he plead with them? Jeremiah 6:16
D. FIRM TEACHING IS STILL
NECESSARY TODAY!!!
1. We must not heap to ourselves teachers after our own lusts: II Timothy 4:3,4
2.
We must stand fast in the faith: I Corinthians 16:13
3.
We must contend earnestly for it: Jude 3
4.
When speaking about the preacher-prophet, John,
the baptizer, Jesus asked the multitudes: “What went ye out to see? A reed
shaken in the wind?”
Matthew
11:7
a.
If one is preaching God’s Truth today, he must
teach only God’s knowledge, and he must stand fast in it! In a world crying
for various degrees of compromise, read
what the inspired Apostle Paul wrote to the young preacher, Timothy: II Timothy 4:1-5;
I Timothy 4:11, 12, 16
b.
Paul was “…set for the defense of the Gospel” Philippians 1:16
c.
Paul did
not compromise Truth! Galatians 2:4, 5 Even toward another Apostle: 11-14a
5.
What about compromising Truth in our own
application to walking worthily in
God’s sight? II Thessalonians 1:10-12
1.
Are we striving to be vessels of honor? II Timothy 2:19-22
2. Do we possess our own vessel in sanctification and honor? I Thessalonians 4:1-4
Conclusion:
Many innovations into the Lord’s church today that are from the doctrines and commandments of men! Are we aware of them? Are we studying in order to be able
to identify them? Are we teaching our children about them, that they add to God’s Word, and take away from His Word? Are we inspecting ourselves to make sure
we are walking worthily unto the Lord? Are we truly soldiers of the cross?
