Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Time to Bury the Dead Church


The Minor Prophets Speak to Today 



When You had Eaten and were Satisfied, You Became Proud and Forgot Me 

SATISFIED
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Hosea 13:4-9 NLT
____________________________________________________________

“I have been the Lord your God
    ever since I brought you out of Egypt.
You must acknowledge no God but me,

    for there is no other savior.
I took care of you in the wilderness,
    in that dry and thirsty land.
But when you had eaten and were satisfied,
    you became proud and forgot me.
So now I will attack you like a lion,
    like a leopard that lurks along the road.
Like a bear whose cubs have been taken away,
    I will tear out your heart.
I will devour you like a hungry lioness
    and mangle you like a wild animal.
“You are about to be destroyed, O Israel—
    yes, by me, your only helper.
____________________________________________________________

Three Core Truths


Three core truths, applicable to all ages - Israel and the Church, stand out in this passage.

Three warnings sound from the page set down by God for those of us upon whom the end of the age has come (not meaning the end of the world, but the privilege to live in the time after Christ's fulfillment of salvation and outpouring of grace).

1.     There Is No Other Savior


Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes unto the Father except through me." But even before those words this truth stands - there is so other savior but God. None!

It is God who became your Lord and God and remained so ever since you accepted his salvation.  He brought you out of the Egypt of your sins! And if he didn't you have not been saved from anything.

You must acknowledge no God but me,
    for there is no other savior.

2.     Satisfaction Brings Pride and Leads to Forgetting God


Long before modern historians, missiologists, and theologians noticed the trend, God saw it and Israel demonstrated it.

God's salvation tends to increase prosperity. Not that everyone gets rich, but most of the people in a God following nation become more financially, socially, and personally secure. The freedom and security brought by God allows these factors to rise. 

His care during our wilderness experiences as we leave the old life is sure. As he settles and matures us in the promised land of redemption, we find our earthly provisions become more sure and our satisfaction level rises beyond contentment.

And what do we do? We personalize this new life, become proud (as individuals and as nations), and, as always accompanies pride, we forget God.

This forgetting happens on a living, relationship level. When I am self sufficient, I don't need the God who gifted me with self sufficiency. Leastwise, that's how the lived-dynamic works. Thus on a practical, day to day level, we forget God. In practical matters, we become our own gods. Sound familiar?

Pride goes before a fall. Yes....

And, pride goes before forgetfulness.

There is a hidden danger in receiving God's blessings. Have you fallen into that pride?

3.     Your Helper Becomes Your Destroyer


God is not an American parent who obeys his children.

Even under grace, he does not say, "There, there...that's okay."

Pride is not alright. Sinning willfully and wantonly is not alright. Forgetting God is not alright. 

Each of those is deadly.

The heavenly father disciplines those whom he loves. Israel's history teaches this lesson over and over. Paul speaks it plainly in the book of Hebrews.

When discipline is rejected, when God's people become prideful and forgetful and do not respond to God's prophet words and discipline, our helper becomes our destroyer.

Ephraim sinned by worshiping themselves and other gods and thus sealed their destruction. 

Continued pride and forgetfulness seal ours. 

The Lord roars from his holy temple,

"So now, I will attack you like a lion,

    like a leopard that lurks along the road.

Like a bear whose cubs have been taken away,
    I will tear out your heart.
I will devour you like a hungry lioness
    and mangle you like a wild animal."

“You are about to be destroyed, unfaithful church —
yes, by me, your only helper."


Reform or be destroyed!
That is God's message.
That is God's way.
It is not too late!




Photo Credits:
SATISFIED by Leo Reynolds some rights reserved @flickr.com

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