Smash Your Idols

In the book of Hosea, in chapter 4, we find the people of God in a backslidden condition as they try to serve God with a divided heart. But it can't be done. You can't serve two masters.

God has a controversy with his straying people as seen in verses 1 and 2. And as I read this to his friends, listen to the dirty laundry list of their sins, and you tell me if these aren't the corrupting sins in our land today. Hear now 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 committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. I will stop there, friends. God goes on to say how the Jews had forgotten his law and had become a lawless generation who, as they increased, the more they sinned against him, which is a description of aggravated sin.

God blessed their crops and cattle, and rather than their newfound prosperity humbling them, it hardens them to sin more. Then God puts his finger on the sore spot in their lives as Hosea the prophet declares on behalf of God in verse 12 that they have gone whoring from under their God. He goes on to describe the Jews' practice of idolatry, and God uses the imagery of a stubborn heifer to describe them as verse 16 declares.

For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer. In the next verse, God makes a solemn declaration. Ephraim is joined to idols.

Let him alone. God brought terrible remedial judgments upon his people to humble them and get them to return back to the Lord. One of these judgments was the withdrawn presence of the Almighty, as seen in 5.15. I will go and return to my place till they acknowledge their offense and seek my face.

In the reflection, they will seek me early. I submit to you, friends, that this is the very place the church is in right now, joined to her idols, trying to serve God with a divided heart. And God has removed himself a long time ago, so long we've not even noticed his absence because it has become our new normal each Sunday.

We refuse to humble ourselves and acknowledge our offense. We fail to seek his face. In desperate nights of prayer, we just go on sinning against him, believing God is okay with sin and religion.

God says no. Ephraim is joined to idols. Let him alone.

That's the worst thing that can happen to a people, for God to leave them alone to their own devices. I'll never forget the big man I played golf with, who had the filthiest mouth. After missing a tee shot, he cussed God, and I asked him a question.

I said, tell me, friend, how was your relationship with God? He smiled a big grin and said, fine, I have a great relationship with God. I leave him alone, and he leaves me alone. That's what he said.

And that's the biggest judgment that can befall a people, when God removes himself and leaves you alone, so you can just go on to hell. The country today is stubborn like a heifer and backslidden like the Jews in the days of Hosea. The more we increase, the more we sin against a holy God.

The job of a preacher is to reclaim backsliders and convert sinners. Why is this not taking place? I believe it's because the fear of man. We look at what happened to John the Baptist when he called King Herod out and put his finger on the sore spot of his illicit marriage.

He got his head chopped off for a sermon calling sin, sin. We don't want to call sin, sin today, so we ignore it. We just talk about positive truths like the love of God and the bliss of heaven, but that won't cut the mustard, friends.

We soft-soak the gospel today and remove all the teeth out of it to make it more palatable to sinful man. But our watered-down gospel can't save a flea, much less a sinner hardened in his sins. Ephraim is joined to idols.

Let him alone. Well, I'm not going to let you alone, friend, even if most of you here don't want me to pester your little gods or monkey with your pig pens. If you want your loved ones saved, if you want your teenagers saved, you can't serve God with a divided heart because he won't hear your prayers.

He just won't take you seriously because you have to get serious with God for him to get serious with you. God demands our full allegiance to him. He must have first call, first place in our lives.

He won't settle for second place to our little gods and our idols. In Hosea chapter 10, God tells the Jews what to do if they want him back in their midst again. Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy, break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord till he come and reign righteousness upon you.

Will we be honest with ourselves and acknowledge our divided hearts? Will we come clean with God and confess and forsake our pig pens of sin? Will we throw down the things that stand between us and a holy God and get out our sledgehammer and begin to smash our idols once and for all? Look at the mercy of God, friend, when Israel acknowledged their idolatrous sins. Asher shall not save us. We will not ride upon horses.

Neither will we say any more to the work of our hands. Ye are our gods. And listen to God's response, friends.

I will heal their backsliding. I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from him. And look what happens, friends.

Ephraim shall say, what have I to do anymore with idols? That's revival, friends. That's what we need in our day. But you must be willing to get rid of your little gods and see swallowing in your pig pen.

God says in Malachi, return to me and I will return to you. Will we do it? Heaven help us. If we don't, let us pray.