Hosea 4:1-11 – “Hear 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.  2. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.  3. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.  4. Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.  5. Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother.  6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.  7. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.  8. They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity.  9. And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.  10. For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD.  11. Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.â€?

Now hear the results God promises for this willful ignorance.  God said in vs. 6 that because the people had rejected knowledge He would reject them.

God help us today – I feel that the Lord has turned His back on America today.  Have mercy on the nation that will reject the knowledge of God and turn to the way of the hippie, yippie, love-in’s rock-festivals and those who will associate with and use their kind of lingo in the name of Christianity.  May God pity the nation that will turn to grass, pot, LSD, crack and refuse to face reality.

But praise God for II Chron. 7:14 – “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.â€? Notice again in vs. 6 – God days – “seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.â€?

Now hear me closely, – Could not this be the cause of what is happening to our children and our schools today?  Oh we have such a tendency to blame the forces of evil.  But could it not be because we have turned our backs as a nation upon God?  Anytime we leave God out we are inviting the forces of evil to take over.  And certainly we are going to have to face the fact that we are forfeiting our freedoms as the evil forces take over little by little.

My friend, our children’s lives are too important for us to sit by and do nothing.  Vs. 7 – “Glory changed into shame.â€? Regardless of whether it is the individual or the church, I’m afraid that God has written “Ichabodâ€? across the door.  They will not endure sound doctrine but have developed itching ears and turned away from the truth an chosen to believe fables. Paul says the – “Having a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof: from such turn away.â€? They deny the fundamental truths of the Word.

If this is not bad enough, then they try to smear those who are trying to do a real job of contending for the faith and trying to do right.  But praise God, there is some who are turning.

Notice the future in vs. 10,11 Famine, fornication, and wine.  Who said we are getting better?  Notice the results in vs. 9… I’m just saying dear friend, we had better turn back to God.  The writer of Hebrews puts it this way - Heb 10:31 – “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.â€?