I'd like you please to turn again, as we continue in the study of the prophet Hosea, To turn to this prophet, and we are today going to share with you all the passage that is found in chapter 7. Hosea chapter 7. And this is a continuation of the response of the Lord to the nation of Israel, who said in earlier verses when they have said to the Lord they said to him that in chapter 6 even earlier actually in chapter 4 when the nation of Israel were in a sense seeking to respond to the Lord and you remember it says at the end of chapter 3 and so on that the children of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and they took us to the tribulation to the end of the tribulation but in the meanwhile there was still not in true repentance and what chapter 7 will teach us and it is so applicable to us dear brothers and sisters what chapter 7 will show us is the consequences in the life of the people of God when there is no true repentance and returning to the Lord and you will see this here in chapter 7 of Hosea God is longing from his people's true.

Repentance God is longing that the people of God will turn to him but when there is no true return to him there are results and consequences that we as believers feel in our life when we are at such a state and so chapter 7 really specifically deals us with the importance of separation unto him separation from sin and you remember and i'm just before i'm reading remember we talked about it in our class just yesterday the sin which does so easily beset us we have understood that the Bible does teaches us that sin easily beset the believer and the believer need the Lord's help to help him or her or us to be removed from a lifestyle that is displeasing to the Lord so we will have strength and power to live the life of the believer and so listen Hosea chapter 7 16 verses in this chapter and and i'm reading when i would have healed Israel God is saying then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered and the wickedness of Samaria for they commit falsehood and the thief cometh in.

And the troop of robbers spoileth without and they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness now their own doings have beset them about they are before my face they make the king glad and the wickedness and the princess with their lies they are all adulterous as the oven heated by the baker who ceases from rising after he has kneaded the dough until it be leavened. In the day of our king, the princess had made him sick. With bottles of wine, he stretched out his hand with scorners. For they have made ready their heart like an oven. Whilst they lie in wait, their baker sleepeth all night.

In the morning it burneth as a flaming fire. They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their Judges. All their Kings are fallen. There is none among them that calleth unto me. Ephraim, he is a mixed himself among the people. Ephraim is a cake not turned. Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not. Yea, gray hairs are here, and there upon him, yet he knoweth not. And the pride of Israel testify to his faith. And they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him for all this. Ephraim is also like a silly dove, without heart. They call to Egypt, and they go to Assyria.

When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them, I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven, I will chastise them, and their congregation has heard. Woe unto them, for they have fled from me, destruction unto them, because they have transgressed against me, though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me. And they have not cried unto me with their heart. When they howled upon their beds, they assembled themselves for corn and wine, and they rebelled against me. Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me. They return, but not to the Most High.

They are like a deceitful bow. Their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue. This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt. Sixteen verses in this chapter 7. And really it is a continuation of the response of God to the people whom he loved, the nation of Israel, a response to them when they were supposed to be restored to Him and acknowledge their failure and sin, and instead of doing that, they continue on, and God is now responding to them, or He continued to respond to them for their lives and disobedience to Him. And really the theme of chapter 7 is the iniquity and the lack of separation of Ephraim.

The iniquity of Israel and the lack of separation from sin and separation unto God of the nation of Israel, which is a time here called Ephraim. God wants his people to be a separated people. Not a sectarian people, not a legal people, not a people who think themselves highly than others, no. But God wants his people to be a separated people, separated unto him, separated unto the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. He expected this from the nation, the nation of Israel, and he's also expecting it from the believers in this present day dispensation, the church, the assembly of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. And when there is not a separation unto him when there is not a separation from sin then there is no power then there is no liberty then there is no joy then there is destruction among the people of God that is a biblical principle that he taught in the Bible whether it is applied to the nation of Israel or whether it is applied to the church of Yeshua the Messiah So chapter 7, we have arrived in the prophet Hosea to chapter 7.

And Hosea, through and through we saw now he speaks to the nation before he acted what God had told him to do. He took this Gomer to be his wife. He brought her in. He gave her children. He took care of him. He loved her like the love of God towards the nation of Israel. But she went again. She sold herself to sin. She committed fornication. And have gone away from Hosea. And he had to buy her again. And bring her back to himself. That's the way God deals with us. That's the way God deals with his own people. He's not happy with it. He's not satisfied with it.

And that's why his people were constantly experiencing sorrow and trial and suffering. And all this is because of their violation of his word. And so now, three points we learn here from chapter 7 of the prophet Hoshea. The first seven verses, he reveals before us Israel, sin, and wickedness. It discovers that they found so much pleasure in it to such an extent that they do not even want to stop it, to cease from doing that. You see in verse 1, when God wanted to heal Israel, Look at this verse 1, when I would have healed Israel, then what happened? Then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered. And the wickedness of Samaria, the word Samaria, Shomron, is the first time actually, if I'm correct, mentioned in the prophet Hosea right now, and Shomron became the capital city of the northern ten tribes of Israel who left and separated from the southern tribes.

Samaria, in Hebrew we call it Shomron. It is, by the way, the present day West Bank. What we know today as the West Bank today, the present day, the Shomron area. And this area became the capital city of the northern tribes. And what happened there? If you remember, what we read in the book of Kings, what happened there? There have been institution of false worship. And so Samaria, Shomron, and the wickedness of Shomron have been discovered, unveiled. It says here, the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, the wickedness of Samaria, for they commit falsehood, and the thief cometh in, and the troops of robbers spoiled without.

What happened in this northern kingdom is that there was the overflowing of wickedness. According to here, there was iniquity, wickedness, falsehood, thievery, robbery. That's what existed in the northern kingdom. You see what happened. When they were departed from the Lord, these things rise up. These things really rise up. Brothers and sisters, look. We cannot sustain ourselves on our own. Because when we are left to ourselves, it is always to go in the ways of the world, in the way of sin, in the way of wickedness, in the way of Satan. And they departed from the Lord. They set up Samaria, in Samaria, the Shomon, the capital city, the northern tribes, departing from the Lord.

And look what happened. Iniquity, wickedness, falsehood, thievery, robbery. All these things have occurred in the time when there was a departure from the Lord. The Lord said, when I wanted to heal the nation, what I discovered? That they are really not even interested in getting healed. They wanted to continue in their own ways. You see and God demand that there will be real brokenness before him and repentance and a change of mind he will help he will assist he want to heal his people but when his people do not want it iniquity that expression discovered or unveiled it was brought to the surface to show that they are really not interested in a real change it says in verse 2 Israel did not consider in their hearts look and they consider not in their hearts but i remember all their wickedness now their own doings have beset them about they are before my face now you see they did not consider in their hearts you know the book of Proverbs says my son give me your heart that's what Solomon was writing Shlomo the king of Israel was writing my son give me your heart because out of the hearts come the issues of life the hearts of men by nature is deceitful turning him away from the things of God and God says they didn't they did not really consider.

In their hearts that I remember all their wickedness do you know we sometimes don't like to be governed by the governments and God gave us government and rulers and leaders in order to give order in the life of the world in which we live in but sometimes we don't like to submit and we don't realize that even if we succeeded to not submit to the higher authority God knows our hearts he knows our hearts and that's why it says here they did not consider in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness. God remembered that. He knows that. And he could see that the nation at that time were not ready for true repentance and brokenness before him.

So not only that he would want to heal them and everything came up to the surface, but secondly, they did not consider in their hearts and they didn't remember that God or didn't know that God knows everything about them in verse 3 Israel became so bold with their wickedness you see in verse 3 they make the king glad with their wickedness now you know what we find here that now the leadership the king and the leadership and the princess find pleasure to see the nation living in a wicked life. Isn't it like today, brothers and sisters? Isn't it like today? Today we find out everywhere on television, everywhere on the internet, everywhere on the news, everywhere in the newspaper, that now we're supposed to allow and to condone everything, you see?

Every group has their own ways to say, listen, we have our own rights. And even the leadership, whether it is prime ministers or mails or premiers or whatever it is, or Kings and so on, they are allowing everything to make them satisfied and to make them happy. They allow everything to go on in this world. Watch the television. Read the newspaper. And we, because we have a sin nature, we are so drawn to it like a magnet. So, to make the king and the rulers happy, and they set up the rules so we change everything. No need anymore for morality anymore. No need anymore for that.

Everything goes on. And what happened in the time when God is dealing with the nation, he's telling the nation, he says, you make the king glad. You make the princess glad with your lies and your activity. There is no shame anymore. In their lives. You know, when we do something wrong, we should be at least ashamed of it. And in a sense, keep it hidden. But when there is no shame anymore, and everything is exposed, and everything is up in the front, I have my rights, you see. I can do what I want. This is my body. This is my life. This is my will.

I have my rights. No shame. The king is being pleased, the princes are being pleased, and no more shame. It came up to the surface. I don't know if it was yesterday or the day before there was a gay parade in Israel. We have to parade it, you see. It's not enough that we live it out, but we need to show it publicly that we have the right to live like this. And you cannot say anything about us. We've got to change the rules of the land to make it life, this kind of lifestyle we can live. I think Canada is one of the first countries that now officially allowing gay marriage.

And it is the right of the two people to get married, just the same is the right of the other two to get married. And you see what happened. It is exactly what happened here. This is a long time ago, even before the coming of Yeshua the Messiah, when Israel in the northern tribes were away from the Lord. But we see this right now here in our own life. And we are not better. We're only by the grace of God that He preserves us for many more things that we could have committed. We read this morning in the book of Corinthians, such were some of us, such were some of you, the Apostle Paul said to the Corinthians.

But you're saved, you're washed with the blood of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. In verses 4 all the way to 7, Israel is like a hot oven in their immorality. Their passion is heated consistently. Look at the verses, I'm going to read it. They are all adulterous, as an oven heated by the baker who ceases from raising after he has kneaded the dough until it be leavened. In the day of our king and princess have made him sick with bottles of wine, he stretched out his hand with scorners. For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whilst they lie in wait. The baker sleepeth all the night, in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire.

They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their Judges. All their Kings are fallen, there is none among them that calleth unto me. Those verses 4, 5, 6, and 7 really shows us that Israel was like a hot oven in their immorality. There is a constant stimulation in that sexual activity very similar to what's going on today in the life in which we live and in the presentations of everywhere that wherever you go you see there is no time any longer to focus on things that are healthy and are good for the people of God and for any man everything that you see today and you watch today the 99 is violence drugs sex and all these things that hinder from one to calm down and rest for a while to think on things that are proper and so he's telling you Israel is like an oven that is heated by the baker constantly being kept awakened notice in verse 6 they have made ready their heart like an oven while they lie in wait notice verse 6b the baker sleepeth all night in the morning it burneth as flaming fire constantly heat verse 7 they are all hot as an oven have devoured their Judges what he's saying here is that there is a constantly a lifestyle that was not honoring to.

The Lord. And that is exactly what the believers, what people are facing today. Every time you hear the news today, you find out these kind of things. Either murderers, either children kidnapped, either sexual activities, either all kind of things that you find out is going on today. Every time you're opening the radio, the television, the newspaper, and no wonder we get bombarded with it to such an extent to constantly arouse the falling sin nature of the human race. And so, Israel, sin and wickedness is being brought to the surface. And God said, I wanted to heal them. I wanted to restore them. But when I thought to restore them, what do I find?

I find this type of activity, non-stop. So in verses 8 to 12, God is showing to the nation that they were not separating themselves from what he didn't want them to be occupied with. You know, that is something that is not easy to do, brothers and sisters, to live a life that is separated unto the Lord in the midst of a world that rejects Yeshua the Messiah and His Word, one can only do that as he's occupied with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. The topics that we have had just recently in the camp was to walk worthy of the Lord. To walk worthy of the Lord or to walk worthy of the calling whereby we have been called is to really on a day by day to be occupied with the one who saved us and brought us to himself.

In the midst of a world that is like a stream of water against the believer. That we are really swimming against the stream and we can only do that as the Lord is enabling us to do so. And so he shows us the necessity of separation. But Israel did not separate themselves unto the Lord and did not separate themselves from that which will hinder them from spiritual growth. And so in verse 8 he is saying, Israel are half-baked cake. Verse 8, Ephraim, he has mixed himself. Notice, again, he used the word mixed. Among the people and a flame is a cake that is not turned those of you dear sisters who are baking a cake or baking something in the oven and there's a time to turn it at one side and then the other side i mean we are today living in a time that you don't need to turn anything because the stoves are from all four corners are able to bake evenly but think about it years ago you would have to put the cake in the oven and you need to turn it because it's burning on one side but it stays raw on the other side and that's what he's saying Ephraim is a cake that has not been turned it's a half baked cake it's mixed it is not properly cooked or baked it is a mixture that which is not pleasing to the Lord just turn with me to the book of Revelation for a verse there that you can see that it's not only applied to the nation of Israel in Israel's.

Decline but we can see in the book of Revelation in chapter 3 that this is exactly what Yeshua the Messiah warn the church of Laodicea. Look at Revelation chapter 3. Revelation 3, and I'll read some of the verses there. I specifically want to read verses 15 and 16, but here I'll read also verse 14. And unto the angel of the church of the Laodicean write, these things say is the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would that thou would have been cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.

Because you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing. And you do not know that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. Look what the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the glorified Messiah, say to the church of the Laodicean. He says, look, you are mixed. You are neither hot. You are neither cold. You are lukewarm and you don't even realize when you say I'm rich and I don't need anything I'm fine you don't even realize that you are poor you are miserable you are wretched and you are blind and you are naked Israel Ephraim is a mixed is a cake that is baked only one side it's not baked properly and he's saying to Ephraim you mix yourself among the people, Ephraim, you are a cake that is not turned.

Ephraim, you are mixing, you haven't separated yourself. In verse 9, you see that Israel's strength was taken away. It says, strangers have devoured his strength, and he knows it not, yet gray hairs are here and there upon him yet he does not know it in other words what he's really saying the time is passing by time is passing by and strangers devoured the strength of a flying no strength for God no strength to live a life for the Lord and what happened you notice he's mentioning gray hairs, he mentioning also that here and there there is hair upon his head, that meaning gray hair speaks of being older, time is passing by, you're getting up in age, and you have very little left hair on your head which speaks to us of the aging, the time of the end is coming, you know when we're young, and we have lots of hair and a lot of strength, and That's wonderful.

And time is passing by and we get this gray hair and we get little hair on our head. Speaks of age. Speaks of time that passes by. And how sad when there's time passes by. And instead of growing in relationship with the Lord, instead what happened? Strangers took their strength away. And Ephraim was left without strength. That tells us a lot how we are to appreciate our older brothers and sisters who walk with the Lord for years and have been an example in the life of the younger believers. And they may have gray hair, and they may have here and there only a couple of hair left on their head, but their lives have been a life of example and power in the life of others.

Years ago when I was building boats and I was working, building boats and in the factory where I was working there were some older men there and some of them were claiming that they were believers in Yeshua, Christians. But when you began to talk about the Lord there was no interest in the things of the Lord. There was no power in their lives to be an example to the others or to leave an impact upon others, whether it is believers or unbelievers. Because they may have grown with a gray hair, may have very little hair on their head, they've gone up in age, but they haven't matured spiritually.

That's what happened to Ephraim here. He's saying to them, look Ephraim, strangers devoured your strength. Others devoured. You wanted the strangers. You wanted to be occupied with other things. You wanted to live a life that is not close to me. It's not separated life. You see what's going to happen to your friend. You will have no spiritual strength in your life. And you're getting up in age. And soon you're going to be away from here. And what's that? What kind of a testimony you have left behind you. That's what God is telling about Ephraim. Half-baked, mixed, no strength, time is passing by. Nothing left to give to others when you are going away.

So others can continue in their spiritual life. So Israel was dealt by God. And as he's telling them, he showed them that you did not separate yourself. To me you did not separate yourself from the world and its system you did not separate yourself from idolatry you did not separate yourself from that which is sinful and to me i would give you the strength that God revealed to them you are mixed you are half-baked cake you are powerless if i'm and then he said to them in verse 11 you are like a dove that is open for deception in the next verse Verse 10, he says, the pride of Israel testifies to his face.

And they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him for all this. Ephraim, verse 11, is like a silly dove without heart. They call to Egypt and they go to Assyria. Now, this expression of being like a silly dove, dove in the Scripture oftentimes takes the character of simplicity. It takes the character of submissiveness. The dove, if you remember the Lord Jesus, Yeshua said to the disciples in the earlier time before he left and he was sending them, he says you go out he says be harmless as the dove and wise as the serpent and the dove became to be known in God's word as this bird that is harmless as this bird as an innocent but you see what he's saying to the nation here he says look he says your pride testify against to Israel in verse 10.

You do not turn to God, you do not seek God, and you are like a silly dove without heart. You are being influenced by everything else like a silly dove that have no heart. That's how he described the nation. That's how he described Ephraim. He's saying to them, they are half-baked. They have no power, no strength. The pride of Israel testify against Israel. Israel was like a dove open to deception. And they're asking help from others instead of turning to the Lord. You see, in the next verse, he says, in verse 11 at the end, he says, they are calling for Egypt and they go to Syria.

You see, they ask for help from Egypt. They ask for help from Syria. But they would not turn to the God who wanted to help them and assist them. Isn't it true, brothers and sisters? Isn't it true of us many times, instead of looking for the help of the Lord, we are trying to find some help somewhere else. And the Lord longs, he says like in the beginning, I would heal them. If they only turned to me, I would heal them. I would help them, but instead of turning to him, they end up turning to Egypt, to Syria. They end up going further from him and not separating themselves from those around them, from idolatry, adultery, all the sin that they were exposed to.

And they were like dove, silly dove that have no wisdom, no heart, and being totally deceived by those that are around them. And so this is what a challenge. Israel's sin and wickedness is being discovered. Israel did not separate themselves unto the Lord from idolatry and adultery, and they end up to be without power, without strength. You and I, you would feel it just the same. The Bible shows us in various places, not only in the Tanakh, in the Old Testament, but also in the Brit Hadashah, in the New Testament, the necessity of separation unto the Lord. And when we are being separated unto Him from all kind of things that take our attention, when we are separated unto Him, there will be strength, there will be power to live the life of the child of God.

But when there is no separation, There is a lack of power, even though one may be a child of God, belong to Yeshua, going to heaven, but living a life that is totally defeated. Now there are seven consequences that we have here in the last verses. Verses 13 to the end. Seven consequences that come upon the nation of Israel or would come upon a believer today when there is lack of separation. And here he gives them to us in the last verses of chapter 7. Seven results of lack of separation unto him. And look at them, I'm going to give it to you one by one. There are three of them found in verse 13.

The first one in verse 13 is that Israel fled from God who alone could help them. Look, verse 13a, woe unto them for they have fled from me. You see that? When we are not separated from sin in this world, when we are not separated unto God in this world, You know what's going to happen? You would not want God. And we will flee from Him. We'll turn our back on Him. That's one of the things that's going to happen. To a believer, to a child of God, He says that they flee from me, God is saying. How is that possible? I want to heal them and they fled from me.

I want to restore them and they run away from me. Well, what's happening? It is the result of lack of separation from the world, from idolatry, from sin unto God. That's what happened to Israel. The first thing we find out, that they flee from the Lord. You see, God wants us to flee from the world to Him. To flee from youthful lusts to Him. But what happened, they fled from him, away from him. When the young man was not right with the Lord in Luke chapter 15, he left the father's house and went away from the father's house up to the time that he found himself in the pig pen.

Read Luke chapter 15. That would happen. Because there is no separation unto the Lord there is an inclination to say well listen i'm not going to turn back to God i'm going to turn away from him i'm going to flee from him and run away elsewhere secondly notice in the same verse and by the way i'm going to read a verse in Proverbs 27 just in connection with this Proverbs chapter 27 there's this verse in connection when there is fleeing from the Lord. Proverbs chapter 27 and verse 8. Just let me read that. Verse 8 says this, As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that is wandering from his place.

Just like a bird that is wandering from the nest, a man that is wandering from his place, a believer that is wandering from the God who loved him a child of God a nation that is wandering from God is like a bird that is wandering away from her nest no place of rest secondly in verse 13 of Hosea chapter 7 the second part the nation because of lack of separation they will face destruction because of their transgression notice this it says here in verse 13 and because they have transgressed against me though i have redeemed them you see what happened destruction unto them because they have transgressed against me i want you to notice how many times the word against me, from me, is mentioned here because God wanted so much for the nation to be restored to him.

But they end up to be number one, like a bird they were fleeing from him. But now they're going to face destruction because they have sinned and transgressed against me, God is saying. You see, the second thing that he's mentioning here, the consequence of not living a separated life unto God for Israel, the consequence is that they will end up facing constant destruction. And that means that when a person is away from God, his or her life are going to be destroyed. It's as simple as that. The life of the children of God that are away from the Lord are going to be somehow not built but destroyed even though they are children of God you look at the record of history it's never going to change a child of God belongs at home meaning with his Lord a child of God belonged to where God want him or her to be but when there is no separation from the world is going to lead them to destruction here in this world and that's what happened to the nation because of lack of separation Israel he said to them destruction unto them because they have transgressed against me God is saying look at the third result of lack of separation is found again in verse 13 but the third section in this portion it shows that when we are not separated unto God we end up speaking lies and all kind of things against God look verse 13c he says though I have redeemed them yet they have spoken lies against me.

Notice again me how many times he's been from me against me against me God is saying look I have redeemed them. I have saved them. I have delivered them. I have helped them. But because they are not separating unto him, they begin to speak lies against God. See, all of a sudden, brothers and sisters, God is at fault, you see. It's not me. I've been fine. But it is God who is the one we accuse and we speak against him. You remember, it started in the Garden of Eden. It was Adam who said if you wouldn't give me this woman that you gave me that's why i have all these problems Adam said it right in the beginning that's how sin entered into and then we began to accuse God and that's what happened here they're saying to the Lord they began to speak lies against the Lord and to speak lies against the Lord the one who redeemed them who saved them who brought them to himself it says in Psalm 78 and verse 36 nevertheless they did flatter him with their.

Mouth and they lied unto him with their tongues Psalm 78 and verse 36 in spite of what God does We began to accuse God. Do you know, today, in the world in which we live in, people blame God for everything. You see, it is God's fault, according to people, when there is pollution in the water. It is God's fault when there is earthquake, you see. It is God's fault when this happened to me or this happened to me. It is God's fault. It's not my fault. It's not man's fault. It is God's fault, man says. But is it so? He's saying to them, look, I've redeemed them.

I've saved them. I purchased them for myself. And we know very well, we read, that we have been purchased with the precious blood of the Messiah. He bought us. We belong to him. And when we belong to him, we need to seek to please him because he bought us. He saved us. He forgave our sins. But even though he had redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against God. How careful we have to be when we speak against God. Because God is holy. He is just. He's not going to share his glory with another. He's the one that provided everything for the human race. And the human race is still speaking lies against God.

And it is a shame. But if it is more a shame when the people of God, those who belong to him, spoke against him. Now notice next, this is already three results, three consequences of lack of separation. We flee from the Lord. We face destructions in our lives we begin to speak against God lies and say that he is not right and look at verse 14 now the first part of verse 14 Israel have not cried unto God we truly with a sincere heart look verse 14 they have not cried unto me notice again use that word unto me or against me. They have not cried unto me with their hearts when they howled upon their beds.

Now that is interesting. What does that mean they howled upon their beds? You see, when they began to be occupied with idols, when they began to be occupied with idolatry they began to howl upon their beds in other words their cry was not crying to God for mercy and help but it is that cry that sound like howling to this idolatry that existed in Samaria for the northern tribes of Israel at that time and so what happened that they did not crying to God with their heart. Their heart was so hardened that they end up to be twisted with their thinking. And their heart was set upon someone else and not upon the Lord.

In other words, it was only words that maybe they said, God, I'm sorry, but they've been occupied with other idols. But the words is not sufficient. It has to come from a broken heart before the Lord. Who confess their wickedness and weakness and turn unto the Lord. And so, the fourth thing that we find out, the consequence, the result of lack of separation, is that there is no real, sincere heartbrokenness before God, and they end up being occupied with others rather than the true and living God. Number five is again in verse 14. They rebelled against God. In verse 14b, it says, They assemble themselves for corn and for wine, and they rebelled against me.

Here's the fifth time that the word me is mentioned here in these verses. Rebellion. Isn't it something that we know very well in our lives, That rebellion is part of the old nature that is not broken before the Lord? Isn't it something that we learn about ourselves? How often times we find ourselves in rebellion against the Lord. You know that King Saul needed to learn this lesson. It was Samuel who came to King Saul and he said to Saul, Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offering and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? 1 Samuel chapter 15 and verse 22. He says, Obeying is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness, Is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord. He has also rejected thee from being a king. Someone said this to Saul. Rebellion. Rebellion is a second nature to us. A rebellion is part of the sin nature that we have. And what happens is when we as believers are not separated unto the Lord from the world and all these things that attract us, what happens, we end up to consistently rebelling against God. And that's what happened in the life of Israel. They rebel against me. They assemble themselves for corn and wine and rebelled against me.

Corn and wine speaks of they took care of themselves but they rebelled against God so five challenges you already tell them results of lack of living separated unto the Lord in Hosea chapter 7 two more in the last two verses that we have here and here's the last two verse 15 Verse 15, he says, Israel, imagine mischief against God. Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet they imagine mischief against me. Again, he used the word against me, unto me, from me. God is saying, look, it's me. I am the one that strengthened you in your arms. I've given you strength, Israel. I provided for you. But what you end up doing, you imagine mischief.

In Hebrew, the word is to think bad against God. That's what they did. And the final consequence of lack of separation is they did not return to God, but they've gone astray. Look at verse 16, and they return not. They return, but not to the Most High. They are like a deceitful bow. Their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue. This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt. The final thing that he's saying, the last result because of lack of separation from the world, separation from sin, separation unto God, is they end up not returning to God, but they return somewhere else.

They have gone astray further and further and further from the Lord. There was a man by the name of Cain in chapter 4 of the book of Genesis. And God appealed to Cain. After Cain murdered his own brother, God said to Cain, Cain, here's a sin offering at the door. Take it and offer it and I will receive you. And you know the Bible says in chapter 4, And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord. We never read anywhere in the Bible that Cain ever turned back to the Lord. We only read that he went out from the presence of the Lord. Now in this case, of course, this is the nation of Israel.

In the life of a believer, a believer might turn his face away from the Lord and go further and further and further. If he's a child of God, he's a child of God because of the work that the Messiah had done for him, that Yeshua the Messiah have done for him or for her. And we belong to him forever. But what a sad result in a life of a believer who do not live a life that is separated unto the Lord. Now I want to conclude this chapter by reading a verse or two from the passage we have read earlier this morning in the book of Corinthians.

So can you please turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 6? And I'm going to read some verses there in conclusion. Look what Paul now is saying to the believers at Corinth. Just like God said to the nation of Israel. He said to them in verse 14 of chapter 6 of 2 Corinthians, Be ye not unequal, yoke, together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? What communion has light with darkness? What concord has the Messiah with Bilial? What part has he that believes with the one that does not believe? Infidel. What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

He is quoting the Old Testament, the prophet. Therefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and I will be a father unto you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. See, it's the same thing for the believer today. The call is to do the same thing. We cannot just look at Israel and blame Israel and say, We are okay because Jesus, the Messiah, died for our sin. We are in the same need of separation. That's why he's saying to them, Come ye out from among them and be separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you.

It's not that he hasn't received them already in their salvation, but he will receive them into enjoyment of fellowship as they would walk with him and talk with him and live a life for him. I will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and my daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Now let me say this remark before I'm closing. This issue of separation is a challenge for all of us. None of us is exempt from that. All of us every day facing that which hinder us from separating unto the Lord. That's why we need so much to read the word. That's why we need so much to pray.

That's why we need so much the fellowship of believers. We need each other to lift up each other. To help us all to rise another day to walk with the Lord. Another day because the enemy is constantly desiring to devour the people of God. And so the encouragement for these brothers and sisters is to ask the Lord to help us to live a life that is pleasing to him and to seek to be a blessing to each other, to help each other in a time such as this. And may the Lord help us to do so. Can you say Amen to that? Amen.