Enjoying Knowing God yet living in sin leads to destruction (Hosea 8-9) and thinking about the current moment the culture of Minneapolis finds itself with fraud, waste, and abuse. It's a good time to repent from sin, return the the Lord and pray for all people to receive a fresh start.
“They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind. The stalks of grain wither and produce nothing to eat. And even if there is any grain, foreigners will eat it. Hosea 8:7 (NLT)
My pastor had a good word this last Sunday, Be focused on Jesus not the current story but the greater story God is telling. As Stephen was killed, Saul approved - but later become the apostle Paul. Stephen models a legacy worth following. Live with clear mission, share the gospel. Desire forgiveness for sinners, not judgment. See people through eternity, not politics. Stand bold at death. Stephen dies praying, forgiveness and confident in Christ. Acts 7:59-60 He confessed to feeling "nuclear till they glow" in his heart toward people rather than, forgive them as we give up our lives as a heart attitude.
I've been reminded lately of my friend Don Z, "the best thing I can do for those I'm leading is stay holy to the Lord." Hosea 8-9 captures why this is true.
A) The Problem with "Knowing God" yet Living in Sin (Hosea 8)
8:1-3) Alarm! Covenant-Breaking Despite Claiming to Know God
Additional References:
- Titus 1:16 - "They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work."
- Matthew 7:21-23 - "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father... I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."
- 1 John 2:3-4 - "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar."
- James 2:14-17 - "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?... faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
- 2 Timothy 3:5 - "Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."
- Jeremiah 11:1-10 - The covenant curse for those who don't obey the covenant terms
- Deuteronomy 28 - The blessings for obedience and curses for covenant-breaking
Application: True faith isn't a crisis hotline to God—it's a covenant relationship that transforms how we live daily.
8:4-10) Planting Wind, Harvesting Whirlwind
Additional References:
- Galatians 6:7-8 - "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life."
- Job 4:8 - "As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same."
- Proverbs 22:8 - "Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail."
- 2 Corinthians 9:6 - "Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."
- Romans 6:21-23 - "What fruit were you getting from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death... the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life."
Application: Every choice is a seed—you cannot plant rebellion and expect to harvest righteousness.
8:11-14) Forgotten Maker, Building Their Own Greatness
Additional References:
- Deuteronomy 8:11-20 - "Take care lest you forget the LORD your God... Beware lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.'"
- Psalm 106:13, 21 - "But they soon forgot his works... They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt."
- Jeremiah 2:32 - "Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number."
- Psalm 127:1 - "Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain."
- Proverbs 16:18 - "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."
- Luke 12:16-21 - The parable of the rich fool who built bigger barns but wasn't rich toward God
- Genesis 11:1-9 - Tower of Babel: humanity's attempt to "make a name for ourselves"
- Isaiah 22:11 - "You did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago."
- Habakkuk 1:16 - "Therefore he sacrifices to his net... for by them he lives in luxury" (worshiping our own efforts)
Application: When we forget God is our Creator, we become our own creators—building monuments to ourselves that will burn.
B) Wasted Life Ends in Destruction (Hosea 9)
9:1-6) The Wasted Life: Spiritual Pollution and Homesickness
Additional References:
- James 4:4 - "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
- Ezekiel 16 & 23 - Extended metaphors of Israel's spiritual adultery
- Jeremiah 3:1-20 - "Return, faithless Israel, declares the LORD. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful."
- Romans 1:21-25 - "For although they knew God, they did not honor him... but became futile in their thinking... they exchanged the truth about God for a lie."
- Ephesians 2:1-3 - "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked... carrying out the desires of the body and the mind."
- Philippians 3:19 - "Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things."
On the Elder Brother (Luke 15:25-32):
- Matthew 20:1-16 - Workers in vineyard who complained about grace to latecomers
- Jonah 4 - Jonah angry at God's mercy to Nineveh
- 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 - Without love, even right actions are nothing
Application: You can waste your life in two ways—the prodigal's reckless rebellion OR the elder brother's resentful religion. Both are far from the Father's heart.
9:7-9) Payday for Sin: Hostility to God's Messengers
Additional References:
- Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
- 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 - "The LORD... sent persistently to them by his messengers... but they kept mocking... until the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, until there was no remedy."
- Matthew 23:29-37 - Jesus condemns those who kill prophets: "You serpents, you brood of vipers!"
- Acts 7:51-53 - Stephen: "You stiff-necked people... you always resist the Holy Spirit... Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?"
- 1 Thessalonians 2:15-16 - Those "who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets... displeasing God and opposing all mankind"
On Sin as Default Occupation vs. Vocation:
- Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
- Colossians 3:23-24 - "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men."
- Reject sin’s rule. You are dead to sin and alive to God, so do not let sin control your body. Under grace, offer yourself to God as an instrument of righteousness and live out the Law of Love.
- Renounce old patterns. Sin’s power has been broken. Leaving impurity behind protects you from increasing wickedness and from the shame that sin produces.
- Offer yourself fully to God. Obey from the heart. Become a servant of righteousness that leads to holiness and ends in eternal life through Christ.
9:10-14) From Fresh Grapes to Barrenness
Additional References:
- Isaiah 5:1-7 - The Song of the Vineyard: "He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!"
- Jeremiah 2:21 - "Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine?"
- John 15:1-6 - "I am the vine; you are the branches... If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers."
- Luke 13:6-9 - Parable of the barren fig tree given one more year
- Matthew 21:18-19 - Jesus curses the barren fig tree
- Deuteronomy 32:32-33 - "For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom... their grapes are grapes of poison."
Application: God plants us to bear fruit for His kingdom. Barrenness isn't neutrality—it's judgment.
9:15-17) Rejected for Disobedience: Homelessness
Additional References:
- 1 Samuel 15:23 - "Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king."
- Jeremiah 6:19 - "Hear, O earth; behold, I am bringing disaster upon this people, the fruit of their devices, because they have not paid attention to my words."
- Hebrews 12:25 - "See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape."
- Proverbs 1:24-31 - Wisdom rejected leads to calamity: "Because you have ignored all my counsel... I also will laugh at your calamity."
- Lamentations 1:1-3 - Jerusalem's desolation: "How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow... she weeps bitterly in the night."
- Duet 32:52 - "So you will see the land from a distance, but you may not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel."
On Listening and Obeying (Jesus' Teaching):
- James 1:22-25 - "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
- Matthew 7:24-27 - Wise builder builds on rock (hearing + doing); foolish builder builds on sand (hearing only)
- John 8:31-32, 47 - "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples... Whoever is of God hears the words of God."
- Luke 6:46-49 - "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?"
- Revelation 3:20 - "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door..."
On Salt and Light (Luke 8-14 themes):
- Matthew 5:13-16 - "You are the salt of the earth... You are the light of the world."
- Luke 8:16-18 - "No one after lighting a lamp covers it... For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest."
- Luke 11:33-36 - "Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light."
- Philippians 2:15 - "That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world."
Summary Cross-References on the Central Theme:
The Danger of Empty Religion:
- Isaiah 29:13 / Matthew 15:8 - "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me."
- Amos 5:21-24 - "I hate, I despise your feasts... let justice roll down like waters."
- Micah 6:6-8 - "What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
The Path to Life:
- Deuteronomy 30:15-20 - "See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil... Choose life!"
- Joshua 24:15 - "Choose this day whom you will serve... as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
- John 14:6 - "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Final Application: Knowing about God means nothing without knowing and obeying God. The fruit reveals the root.
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