Hosea 9:17 neatly captures the point of the message this past Sunday - "My God will reject them because they have not listened to him." Israel has stopped listening to God. They reject his guidance when it comes to picking leaders. They reject true worship of God and instead worship idols. They reject his help by choosing to form alliances with pagan nations. Because Israel has rejected God, God rejects Israel. God intends to severely punish his people. They are no longer his people but rebels who will be cast out from the land and become "wanderers among the nations" (Hosea 9:17). This is the natural consequence from their continued blatant rejection of God.
It's fairly easy to fall into a pattern of life where you don't even realize you are apart from God. This happens when, like the ancient Israelites, Christians begin to adopt the rhythms and patterns of a culture devoid of God. As this happens, secular practices and values will soon be seen as legitimately Christian practices and values. What the Bible says is good and right will be called strange and repressive. What the Bible says is wrong and self-destructive will become acceptable and normal.
Sadly we see much evidence of this very thing happening today in the modern church. Success is judged not by knowledge of God but by high budget and attendance numbers. Being part of a local church is seen not as the non-negotiable center of the Christian life but as an optional choice. Biblical confrontation and sacrificial giving are disciplines to avoid, not evidence of genuine Christian community.
What do you believe will be the long-term effects on the church if it persists in listening more to the surrounding culture instead of listening to God? How do you think we can build lives that are able to clearly identify God's voice, listen to it, and obey it?
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