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We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We will rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We shall rise We Amen. Song number 38 in your hymnals, Hallelujah We Shall Rise. Hallelujah We Shall Rise, song number 38. Let's sing Hallelujah We Shall Rise on the first. In the resurrection morning when the trump of God shall sound We shall rise, we shall rise Then the saints will come rejoicing and no tapes will ever be found We shall rise, we shall rise We shall rise, we shall rise We shall rise in the resurrection morning when these risen fires are broken We shall rise, we shall rise again In the resurrection morning what a big thing it will be We shall rise, we shall rise When our fathers and our mothers and our loved ones we shall be We shall rise, we shall rise We shall rise, we shall rise We shall rise in the resurrection morning When these big fires are broken We shall rise, we shall rise But now in the resurrection morning That's what it is to be We shall rise, we shall rise I shall save my blessed Savior who will really die for me We shall rise, we shall rise We shall rise, we shall rise We shall rise in the resurrection morning when these risen fires are broken We shall rise, we shall rise In the resurrection morning when these are broken in the air We shall rise, we shall rise And be carried on to glory to our homes so bright and fair We shall rise, we shall rise We shall rise, we shall rise We shall rise in the resurrection morning when these risen fires are broken We shall rise, we shall rise Hosea 13 When Ephraim spent rambling he exalted himself in Israel, but when she found it in Baal he died. And now they sinned more and more and had made the molten images of the silver and idols according to their own understanding, all of which the work of the prophecyman. They say of them, Let the mill that sacrifices crystal carves. Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud and as the early dew that passes away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor and as the smoke out of the chimney. Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no God but me, for there is no Savior beside me. I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great wrath. According to the Pashtas, so were they filled. They were filled, and their heart was exalted. Therefore have they forgotten me. Therefore I will be unto them as a lion, as a leopard by the way, will I observe them. I will meet them as the deer that is believed of the wolves, and will invent the call of the heart, and then will I devour them like a lion. The wild beasts shall hear them. O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thine head. I will be thy king, whereas any other that may save thee in all thy cities, and thy judges of whom thou saith, Give me a king and prince. I gave the king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath. The nycric of Ephraim is bound up, his sin is hit. The solace of a travailing woman shall come upon him. He is an unwise son, for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children. I will ransom them from the power of the grave. I will redeem them from death. O death, I will be thy plagues. O grave, I will be thy destruction. Dependence shall be hid from mine eyes. Though he be fruitful among his brother, an east wind shall come. The wind of the Lord shall come up from the wilderness, and his wind shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up. He shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels. Samaria shall become desolate, for she has rebelled against her God. They shall fall by the sword. The infants shall be dashed in pieces, and the women with child shall be lit up. The destruction of Israel due to idolatry. They get to the point where they have idolatry. And the indication there is that idolatry is a big sin. And this is something I've been preaching on as it's in the book of Hosea a lot, but you know what, it keeps bringing it up because idolatry is a terrible sin. And it might seem normal to you because, you know, it's all over here in the Philippines, but according to God, it's an abomination. I mean, if Jesus Christ was here today, look, he'd preach against the peace of the black Nazarene. He'd preach against all of that idolatry. I mean, this stuff is wicked. It's wrong. And what it says is, they make molten images of their silver and idols according to their own understanding. So the reason why they're making these idols is, based on their understanding, based on what they believe, based on their knowledge, it just seems like this is a good thing to do. All of it the work of the craftsmen. They say of them, let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves. There it is worshiping cows again. It's all the time it pops up. Now, I preach against idolatry a lot. I didn't want to just repeat the exact same stuff, so I decided to try to change it up a little bit. And so I went to a website of basically people that worship idols to figure out why is it they worship idols, what is their defense, what is their reasoning. And here's the thing about this. You know, I couldn't look it up on Catholic websites because they claim that they don't worship idols. I mean, it's very obvious to all of us that Catholics are idol worshippers. They practice idolatry, but they claim that they don't practice idolatry. So, of course, I had to look up Hinduism, right? I mean, they freely admit, yes, we worship idols. At least they're honest about it, right? So I went to a website, and here's what it says to start off. Idol worship refers to the practice of worshiping God in image form. Because here's the thing. With Hinduism, they believe all of these idols they have are just manifestations of who God is. And so worshiping God in image form, everyone worships God in image form only even those who think they worship the formless God, because the mind objectifies everything, even the idea of formlessness. So they say whether or not you have an idol in front of you, you're still worshipping God in image form whether you realize it or not. And instead, they worship the formless God whether they realize it or not in image form. Now, here's the thing about this. We don't believe in a formless God. That's not what the Bible teaches, okay? But obviously, Hindus, they believe in a formless God. They believe God is just sort of out there as a sort of force or presence. It's not really something that is the same in a westernized philosophy type of way. But they believe in a formless God, which is different than when you have Hare Krishna, which, that's why I'm not really sure you'd say they're Hindus, because they do believe God is a form in the form of Krishna, okay? But they say, you know, we worship the formless God in image form whether we realize it or not, because we do it in the mind. So whether or not we realize it here tonight, we practice idolatry. That's what Hindus say, right? Whether we realize it or not, because in our minds, we're forming an image of God, and so we're worshipping in image form in our minds. Whether we realize it or not, we practice idolatry according to them, okay? Now, in this essay, we present ten valid reasons that justify the practice of idol worship in Hinduism, and why Hindus pray to idols in images at homes and in temples. So they're going to give ten reasons why they practice idol worship, and they're trying to motivate us when we finish this to worship idols as well, not just in our minds, but in actual image form. So, you know, I hope nobody leaves a sermon, and then you start bowing before, you know, Mary tomorrow or something like that, but I'll give you ten reasons that they list. Now, reason number one, it is the easiest way to instill faith and devotion in people. Now, here's the thing. I would agree with them. It's probably the easiest way that people will feel spiritual without actually being spiritual, if that's what they mean, because it's amazing how people won't follow the commandments, they won't read the Bible, they won't go soul winning, they won't really serve God, but if you give them an idol, it's like, yeah, there's a million Catholics that, they are very zealous just doing these mindless prayers, and you know what, it is a way to instill faith, it's just not the same faith as the Bible. So what they're saying is not really false. You know, having these idols definitely makes people very zealous. I mean, anytime you have these big idols, I mean, people stop, I mean, you'll see them walking by the Catholic churches, then they just stop, and then they just pray, and then they look, and it's just, it's their way of being religious. It's their way of feeling spiritual. But that's not the same faith as the faith in the Bible, and it's not what God says. So their statement's true, it's just, that's not really what God wants, though. Reason number two, it is a way of acknowledging the omniscience and omnipresence of God, right? Because Hindus believe that God is omniscient and omnipresent, all knowing, and He's everywhere. So according to them, by worshiping idols in person, it's a way to acknowledge that God is everywhere. If God is everywhere, I mean, why would you need to create an idol as if you make Him appear? I mean, wouldn't it be the opposite? I mean, if God is everywhere, if God is omnipresent, why do we have to make a God to worship? Why couldn't you just, like, walk up to a wall and just start, you know, just pretend that God's right? I mean, why would you have, it doesn't make any sense, it's the exact opposite. So it's a way to realize the omnipresence of God. No, actually, you're putting God literally in a box or in a, you're molding Him out of your hands and say, well, here's our God. It's like, no, because I believe God's omnipresent. So I don't believe you just created God. Well, here's God. Before that, it doesn't make sense. It's really the opposite. Number three, traditionally it is an approved practice. Well, I mean, obviously in India, that's true. I mean, but whether or not it's approved or not, that doesn't mean it's right. I mean, there's many traditions here. I mean, traditionally, the altar calls an approved practice in Baptist churches. Does that make it right? Just because something's approved doesn't mean it's right. And look, I would be scared to be trusting my beliefs based on, hey, everybody else has been doing it for thousands of years. And this is their third reason. It's like we're just going to follow the same mold, okay? Number four, the idols help the devotee become deeply religious. That's similar to number one. And no doubt, Hindus are deeply religious. I mean, no one's questioning that. People that worship idols are very religious. They literally spend money and time and effort praying to these idols, and they save up their money to buy these idols. They're very religious. And look, being religious is not necessarily a bad thing, because in the book of James, it talks about pure religion, right? It talks about a good religion, but you know what? Just because you're religious doesn't mean it's a good thing. No doubt that they're religious, that doesn't mean it's a good thing. Number five, they serve as objects of concentration and meditation. And so they say by having an idol, you're more able to concentrate and meditate on God or their view of God. Well, that's probably true. But having an idol, it does help them spend hours, and somehow they don't get bored. And I think what they do in a lot of these Eastern philosophies and mysticism is they're just praying and praying until the Spirit takes over. Except it's not the Holy Spirit of God. And look, I have no doubt that oftentimes they do get possessed, and then all of a sudden it's like, all right, wow, I really was communing with God, okay? Number six, in idol worship, in idol worship, the true, true is in quotations, in idol worship, the true worshiper becomes God. The true worshiper becomes God. That's the sixth reason. And this is what Hinduism teaches, that whether you realize it or not, you are God and you're part of God because God is just like everything. I mean, God is this, God is that, God is everything, right? That's the way that they look at it. And I'll tell you what, many of these Eastern mysticisms, Eastern philosophies, this is actually what they believe. In Buddhism, when you reach nirvana, basically you become omniscient. Doesn't that make you God, to become all knowledgeable? Once you reach that nirvana, you have all knowledge, so you're literally becoming God. And so what they're teaching in Hinduism, if you're truly worshipping and you're doing it correctly, you become God, okay? That's pretty blasphemous, my friend. And so that's what Hinduism teaches. And look, this is really no different than what the Catholics do. It's just the Hindus are just more honest about what they're saying here. Number seven, the idols help us cultivate sameness in equanimity. I don't know. I looked up equanimity, I already forgot what that meant. I think you look at everybody as being equal. No one's better than another. Cultivate sameness. And I don't know, I think they just need to come up with ten, right? Number eight, it is a very powerful technique to cultivate purity and relate to the deity. And so I don't know how they define pure, but most people that practice idolatry are not very pure. They're not very righteous. They're not very holy. Isn't it amazing how you've got these Catholics who are very religious by praying to idols, but they have no problem getting drunk? They have no problem committing all these sins. They have no problem just doing whatever manner of sin and not thinking much of it, but then they're very religious to just pray to an idol and somehow it's going to forgive them. I remember in college I was studying for calculus with one of my classmates, and this guy told me this. It was actually the roommate of the guy I was studying with. And he knew I was religious, and so all of a sudden he said, you know what? He's like, I've got the greatest religion in the world. He said he was Roman Catholic. He said because I can do whatever I want throughout the entire week, and then, you know what? I just pray and get forgiveness at confession. I can just go on and do the same thing over. That's what he literally told me. And I told him, I said, well, guess what? I said, I have a better religion because I never have to ask for forgiveness. I'm going to heaven whether I ask for forgiveness or not the rest of my life, right? So you think your religion is good, but what a stupid statement for someone to make like that. And to think that God is going to forgive you when you're willingly committing sins and you're just vainly going through repetitions. But that is what many people do that practice idolatry. And they might not openly say it like that person did, but that's really what's inside their heart. Just do whatever, pray to idols, and it's okay. And it's a way to relate to the deity is by praying to, you know, we just need to put a face on this. And that's our new idol we got here, right? Number nine, it is a declaration of simple faith in the universal presence of God. And so I don't have too much to say about that, but that also shows about how Hindus do believe in a monotheistic God because the universal presence of God, they believe in this one God, Brahman. Number ten, it is a transformative and purifying practice. So it's a transformative practice. And so I'll give you my opinion on this because there's a bit of a difference between worshipping an idol in a home and then worshipping at like a temple or whatever you would want to call it depending on what the religion is. What I personally believe is that when you have idols that many people are praying to during the day, not just one that you have at home that you pray to for five minutes, but like big idols that you have thousands of people praying to throughout the day, I literally believe that there are devils associated with that idol. And literally a lot of people, they get possessed and they walk away and say, man, that was a really transforming experience. I mean if you've ever watched documentaries, especially as we're talking about Hindus, they go to these very famous sites of Hinduism and some of them look amazing. There's this one where you got to hike like 15 miles to get to this famous temple and people, it's like their version of Mecca, right? It's their version of that. And I'm just like, man, I would love to do the hike. I mean it's very beautiful through all these woods and everything to avoid the praying to Shiva or whatever afterwards. But it's very beautiful and the building's amazing. And then whenever you listen to these Hindus, they're like, this is a transformative experience. You don't understand. You're going to feel something on the inside you've never felt before. I literally believe that people are just getting possessed. And that emotional rush from when they're possessed just kind of keeps them coming back to the same religion over and over and over again. That's what I believe when it comes to these big idols that people worship. I mean when you look at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where you've got that giant statue of Jesus, I believe that there's idols. I believe that there's devils associated with that big idol. And people really feel like, man, I had a spiritual experience when all that really happened was that they got possessed. Because think about the Pentecostals. The ones that are actually speaking in tongues, just lose control, black out, and then they wake up. They're shaking and dancing and they don't remember everything. They're literally getting possessed. And so I think the same thing is happening when these people are just vainly doing these things, that they get possessed. And you know what? That is actually what keeps them going because they say, man, you don't know. Have you been filled with the Spirit? It's like until you've been filled with the Spirit. Now look, I've never been filled with the Spirit as they mean it. So I guess I don't know what that feels like to get possessed by devils, but it really keeps people coming back for more. I believe that's what happens. So when they say it's a transformative and purifying practice, I believe many Hindus feel that transforming presence that takes place because they literally get filled with devils, whether it's for a couple minutes or not, and then they kind of go away. That's my opinion about that. Now Hosea 13, so it said, verse 2, all of it the work of the craftsmen in the middle of the verse, they say of them, let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves. And so I don't know what it is about worshipping cows, but I guess there's nothing new under the sun. It's not just something that started in India in the last couple thousand years. This has always been around. For some reason, that is the animal that people really just like to worship. And we saw that even with God's people as there was false brethren mixed in that moved Aaron to make a golden calf. I mean it's just the image, the animal that they like. I mean I guess because cows provided milk and they provided good meat and stuff, people would worship it. But that is the animal, and it's not just in today's world. It's always been like that. Verse 3, therefore they shall be as the morning cloud and as the early dew that passeth away. So you wake up in the morning, and sometimes you'll have a cloud, like maybe there will be a little bit of rain and everything, and it just kind of goes during the day. Or there's the early dew that's on the grass in the morning. So you've got a little bit of wetness on the grass in the morning, the dew, and then it ends up just fading away after a little bit of time. And so the Bible says, and look, that was actually a good thing during this time if you're a farmer or whatever because you want to keep, you need to have water in order to grow stuff and to have good land and everything like that. But then it's just kind of like, well, you have your goodness there for a little while. You've got the early dew in the morning, but it just kind of passes away. It just kind of goes away. And then it says here, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor. The chaff is the part that gets separated from the seed and threshing, and it just kind of easily blows with the wind. And he's saying basically, Israel, you're easily just getting blown away. You've got a little bit of goodness, but then you just easily get blown away with the wind. And as the smoke out of the chimney. Think about smoke coming from a chimney. If smoke comes out of a chimney and there's a strong wind, that smoke is just going to fly and just be gone. And he's saying that's what Israel was. They have a little bit of goodness, and they're just getting led away. And it uses the terminology of wind a lot of times. And they're just getting led away by these other empires and these false gods, and you know what, they're just completely gone. And that's what's going to happen to them. They're just going to be blown away. Verse 4, yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt. What he's saying there is I was your God going all the way back to when you were in the land of Egypt. When you were in bondage, I was the true God then. I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt. So he's reminding them about that. And thou shalt know no God but me, for there is no Savior beside me. And he's saying even when you went to the land of Egypt, and Egypt, the Egyptians had many gods that they worshipped, much like as we talk about Hinduism or a lot of societies and everything like that. And the ten plagues were even kind of a jab at ten famous gods in the Egyptian culture. But he's saying you were in a land with idolatry, and you were in a land that had these false gods, but you know what, I was your God then, and there was no God but me, for there is no Savior beside me. Now it's interesting here because it says that there's no Savior beside me, and this is God speaking. Now last I checked, Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior. And so this does not negate the Trinity. Obviously we believe in the Trinity, but my point here is this proves that Jesus Christ is God. Because thou shalt know no God but me, for there is no Savior beside me. And so look, Jesus Christ is the Savior because of the fact he is God. And there is only one Savior, there is only one God. Go to Isaiah 44. We'll look at a few verses on that. And after that, we'll turn to Titus 1 after we go to Isaiah 44. Now look, the New Testament is very clear that Jesus Christ is God. Obviously Jesus Christ accepted worship. That alone proves that he's God. I mean there's many ways that we can see that Jesus Christ is God. He was sinless, and there's none righteous, there's none good but one that is God. He was good, that proves that he's God. Many proofs in the New Testament, but I'll be honest with you. People that do not believe Jesus Christ is God have never read the Old Testament. Because the Bible is very clear that there is one God and that there is one Savior. Because nobody would say, everybody would say Jesus Christ is the Savior. It's like, did you miss the part in the Old Testament where it says over and over again that there's one Savior? And look, obviously we believe there's a distinction between God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost. And that's a sermon I should probably preach here pretty soon, just talking about the nature of God. But it's very clear that there is one God, and Jesus Christ is God. It says in Isaiah 44 verse 6, Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his Redeemer the Lord of hosts, I am the first and I am the last, and beside me there is no God. So there's only one God. I am the first and I am the last. That's pretty similar to the statement Jesus made of being I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord. Now look, no doubt we believe in the Trinity, and I'll preach through that, but my point here is this, this is proving Jesus Christ is God because there is only one God. And Jesus Christ was eternally the Son of God that was here from the foundation of the world. And it says here in verse 7, from the very beginning he was here, Verse 7, And who as I shall call and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? And the things that are coming and shall come, let them show unto them. Fear ye not, neither be afraid. Have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? Ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? So he just said in verse 6 that there is one God. I am the first and I am the last. Then he puts this question out there, Is there a God beside me? And then you see the word yay. Now the word yay means basically indeed. It's basically putting extra emphasis. He's not saying, Is there a God beside me? Yes! That's not what he's saying. Okay, yay is different. Because he says, yay there is no God. He's putting extra emphasis like, Indeed there is no God, I know not any. Now the Bible speaks about other gods being like false gods. But there's no true God. The only true God is God. There's one God. Is there a God beside me? Yea there is no God, I know not any. Verse 9, They that make a graven image are all of them vanity, And their delectable things shall not profit, and they are their own witnesses. They see not, nor know that they may be ashamed, Who hath formed a god or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing. It's interesting to me that it talks about idolatry right after it talks about there being one God. And the reason why is because these pagan societies would just make all of these different versions of God that they're worshipping. And most of these societies, they would claim that they believe in one God, But then they just make representations of that God to worship in that way. Because the Hindus say they believe in one God, and yet they've got like 55 million versions of that one God. It's like, what in the world? It's crazy. But basically God's making a jab at idolatry right after he says there's only one God. Meaning it's not okay to say, well you know what, we've got our God, but we just conquered Assyria, And they've got Asher, and we want to add Asher to our collection. And this was sort of like what empires would do. They would conquer another enemy, and they'd take their big idol, and they basically had control. But it's like, we've got their God locked up or whatever. It's just like, you know, what in the world? Like what are they doing? Right? Go back to Hosea 13. Hosea 13. Hosea 13. Hosea 13. Hosea chapter 13. Look, the reason why people are worshipping idols is, you know what, their parents taught them that practice. Because, look, if you didn't grow up around it, from a logical standpoint, it's like, what in the world are you doing? It doesn't make any sense. I mean, but honestly, we just kind of follow the traditions that we learn without even thinking about them. It doesn't matter how smart you are, whether you're smart, whether you're not smart. You just kind of follow the traditions that you're taught. And look, some of the smartest people in the world live in India. Some of the smartest people in the world during this time probably lived in Egypt as they're making a jab at Egypt for these false gods. And yet, you know what, some of the smartest people believe some of the dumbest things and some of the weirdest things with religion. And it's just like, you know, but that's just what they're taught, and they just kind of do what they're taught. Right? I mean, it's just like, I mean, you grow up in San Fernando, right, in the heart of the beatings and crucifixion. It's just like, you know what, it's going to seem normal to you. But look, the average person living there is just as smart as the average person here in the Philippines. But it's just kind of their tradition that they just keep doing, and it's like, why are we doing this? And it's just like, well, you know, this is what my mom did. And people just kind of follow what their parents do automatically. Hosea 13, verse 5. I didn't know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought. According to their pasture, so were they filled. So they're in the wilderness, you know, the children of Israel. They have no water, the land of great drought. According to their pasture, so were they filled. They were filled, and their heart was exalted, therefore have they forgotten me. And look, I don't have time to read Exodus through Deuteronomy here, but if you remember, it's just kind of like, and they wonder why God allows them to go without. It's like, you know what, when you have everything, you don't pray to me. You don't ask for anything. You forget about me. And then all of a sudden when you're missing water for a day or two, then all of a sudden it's like, oh, man, you know, let's pray to God, right? You go without food for a little while. Then all of a sudden, you know, you start praying to God and begging for food. And you say, yeah, they were so silly. What were they doing? But isn't that what we do all the time? It's like when everything's going great in our life, we don't tend to pray that much. And it's probably why God doesn't usually allow things to go great for most of us, because unfortunately, not all of us are like Job. I mean, probably none of us. I mean, Job was Job, right? But it's like the reality is that even as God's people, we tend to just kind of forget God when things are going well. And then all of a sudden when things are really bad, it's like, God, please. Please forgive me. Please just work this situation out. I promise, after this, if you just work it out, God, I will change. I'll start reading the Bible every day. I'll stop committing this sin. I'll start doing this. And it's like all of a sudden God will bless us, and then all of a sudden we just kind of forget about Him again. And then a couple months later we go back to Him because we're in trouble again. That literally is the way that we live our lives. And it's sad, but that is what the Bible speaks about. And look, God's people do the same thing today as well. Go to Proverbs 30. Proverbs 30. Proverbs 30. This is one reason why it's a good idea to just kind of have a pattern on how you live your life. And what I mean is just kind of like, okay, my Bible reading time is this time, 6 a.m. to 7 a.m., or whatever time it is where basically you have a set time alone with God just designed. This is the place. This is the time. This is my Bible reading chart or whatever. Here's my memorization chart. And you just make it a point to have that time. So then when things are going really well in your life, it's like, hey, you do it. You do it. And then when things are going really bad in your life and you're stressed out, you've got to work so much overtime to get stuff done, you say, no, wait a minute. This is my personal time with God. This is my routine. I don't break that routine for any reason. Now, none of us are perfect. We're going to have times where we maybe oversleep or we're tired or we're really busy. But it's good to just live your life based on routine rather than living on emotion because if you don't live on routine, you're going to live your life based on emotion. You know, when you have free time, then you're going to take time for God. But when you don't have free time, you just kind of forget about Him. Or you get busy in life, you just kind of forget about Him. It's good to just live your life based on routine, okay? Proverbs 30, verse 7. Proverbs 30, verse 7. Because it talks about how Israel was blessed financially and then they forgot about God. Proverbs 30, verse 7. Two things have I required of thee. Deny me them not before I die. And look, this is what praying is. Praying is asking for something. And, you know, I'm all for singing songs to praise God, but that's different than praying. And I'm all for thanking God, but when praying is actually just asking for something. And here's what he asks. Remove far from me vanity and lies. Now, I believe vanity and lies are connected when he says two things. That's number one is vanity and lies equals number one. Remove far from me vanity and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with food convenient for me. It's an interesting prayer because what he prays is this. What he asks for is, you know what, I don't want to be rich and I don't want to be poor. He says, I'm not asking to be a millionaire. I'm not asking to win the lottery, but I don't want to be poor either. Give me neither poverty nor riches. You say, why? Lest I be full and deny thee and say, Who is the Lord? And this is the tendency we have. When things are going really well, we just kind of forget about God. I mean, and that's true probably for all of us. I believe that it's not wrong to have money. It's not a sin to have money. But I believe, honestly, for most of us, it would be better just to be fed with food convenient because most of us just aren't going to be able to handle it. And look, I include myself because I know of times where I've been blessed financially and quite honestly, my mind just starts thinking about money. Like, oh wow, now I have this money. I can maybe do this or this. And it's just like, it's amazing how when I don't have that, it's just kind of like I'm just focused, you know, and reading the Bible, and then I just have to have faith in God to provide. I personally would not be good getting rich. It would destroy my life if all of a sudden, boom, I became rich. It just wouldn't be good for me. But it also says, Or lest I be poor and steal and take the name of my God in vain. And he says if I'm poor, though, I might have a tendency to steal and then take God's name in vain. Like, blame God because I don't have money. So he's saying, hey, I'm not asking to be rich, but I don't want to be poor either. And I think most of us fit into this category. If things are really bad for us, we're going to be kind of bitter against God. We're going to feel like, man, I've been serving God for all these years, and what have I gotten from it? That's the sort of attitude that's going to spring up in us. And if things are going really well, we just have a tendency to forget God. And look, I believe this is probably the way that I would be. I think this is a good prayer for me to pray. Just, hey, you know what, I don't want to be rich, but I don't want to be poor. Just feed me with food convenient for me. Now turn your Bible to Hosea 13. Hosea 13. Hosea 13. And so Israel, once they were blessed, it kind of ruined them. And here's what I want you to realize, though. When you think about Israel and you think about the Promised Land, God actually had a great place planned for them. I mean, He had a place where they were really going to do pretty well financially. Right? I mean, He talks about land flowing with milk. I mean, things were going to go well for them, but unfortunately, you know, they just weren't able to handle it. And when they were blessed financially, they just kind of forgot about God. And then they want to blame God for things going wrong when it was really their own fault. But I do think that shows you that it's not that God... God doesn't want His people to be always struggling and poor and everything. He wants His people to do well. It's just a matter of, can we personally handle that? And that's an individual thing, and obviously we're different people, right? Hosea 13, verse 7. Okay, you say, what does that mean? Well, I mean, the lion, we think of the king of the jungle. We think of being very vicious. And, you know, when it comes to the lion, you might think of the devil as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. But obviously, you know, the lion fits with the Lord Jesus Christ as an analogy as well. And look, the lion is a very vicious animal, right? I mean, the lion can attack and everything, and it's just like, you know, I always play with my kids. You know, I'll pretend to be an animal or whatever. And then depending on what animal I pick, you know, I'll do whatever. So when I'm a lion, I'm like, I'm a lion. I'm going to eat you, Christabel. She's like, ah, right? And it's just like, lions are very vicious animals, okay? Then it says, as a leopard, by the way, will I observe them? And so from what I read about leopards, and I think this is the analogy trying to be made, that leopards will just kind of observe and wait for their opportunity to ambush their enemy. So they're basically kind of just hiding down here like this and everything, just kind of waiting and waiting, and then all of a sudden it's like, boom, and then they attack when an animal's not expecting it. So I think basically God's saying, you know what, I'm just going to wait and you're not going to see it coming, and then boom, He's going to take you out. So it's going to be a vicious attack like a lion. You know, when they're not expecting it, you're going to ambush them. And He's saying He's going to take out Israel. I mean, that's what's being said. Verse 8, I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps. And look, it says a bear bereaved of her whelps, okay? So it's talking about a mama bear. And look, at least in the U.S., this is like the one people always talk about. It's like, don't mess with a mama bear. It's like, you mess with the cubs of a mama bear and you're going to get just torn to shreds. And the reality is that animals are afraid of humans. Animals are afraid of humans. I've seen my, I mean, I've mentioned this before, but I've seen an example where a bear just kind of came within 25 feet of me and it went running in the other direction. It hopped out of a tree. I went running this direction. It went running that direction. It's just like, I was afraid, but that bear was afraid of me, even though it could have easily killed me if it wanted to. But, you know, animals are actually afraid of humans. It says the fear and the dread of you shall be upon every beast, upon every fowl of the air, upon, you know, all the animals in the land, and upon all the fishes of the sea. Animals are afraid of humans since after the flood. That's what the Bible teaches. You say, why? Well, because as it says that before that you really primarily ate plants, but now it's like you're eating animals. And any animal you're welcome to eat, it says according to Genesis 9 in those first four verses, right? And so basically animals are just built in afraid of humans now, and it makes sense because we eat animals. At least I eat animals. I mean, I hope there's someone else here who's like, I eat animals too, right? Unless you got touched by that Hindu part earlier. You say, no, I'm a true Hindu, man. I don't eat animals. I eat animals, right? And animals are afraid of humans. But, you know, here's the thing. That bear was afraid of me, but, you know what, if there was a mama bear with cubs and she thought I might be a threat to those cubs, according to the Bible here, that mama bear would have just until I ran away or did whatever, right? So the Bible's giving an analogy, and you know what? The world would agree with that on that analogy. You know, you don't mess with a mama bear. Then it says this, and will rend the call of her heart. Now, the call of the heart, from what I understand, is the layer that protects the heart, okay? He's like, I'm going to tear the call, the protection from the heart, and thereby devour them like a lion. The wild beast shall tear them. He said, I'm going to destroy that. And I think what he's trying to say is, you know what, you're being hard-hearted, is what I think he's trying to symbolize here. I'm going to tear that and hit to the inside, and you're going to be destroyed. And then he says, I will devour them like a lion. The wild beast shall tear them. Verse 9, O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself. So notice how he talks about how he's going to destroy them, but then he says this, you know what, you destroyed yourself. Don't blame Assyria. Don't blame Egypt. Blame yourself. And this is a statement that we ought to really just kind of take to our own personal lives, that if things go wrong in our lives, we need to just blame ourselves. We need to just take responsibility for whatever it is and just say, you know what, I'm the one who's at fault, especially if you're being judged by God. And look, obviously there's the Job situations where you might have done nothing wrong, but you're just having a bad spell in life or things are going bad. We have ups. We have downs. But look, if you're under the judgment of God, it's like don't blame other people and say, well, it's because of this. And this is what people tend to do if they quit church. Whenever people quit a good church, they always blame the pastor or the church or whatever. I mean, I know many people at Verity Baptist Church that quit after a certain amount of time. They thought it was the greatest church in the world, but then all of a sudden they just kind of change their perspective because people have ups and downs. And then they just blame the church or blame Pastor Jimenez, and it's just like it's not his fault if you're not reading the Bible in the morning. I mean, if somebody preaches and gives advice and you don't follow it, how can you blame them for the advice? But then they get mad at the advice, and it's like all you had to do was follow it. But this is the way that we tend to be. Israel destroyed thyself, but in me is thine help. If you want help, Israel, you need to come to me. I will be thy king. Where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? And thy judges of whom thou settest, give me a king and princes. So verse 10 is interesting because it says, I'm going to be your king. This ties into the sermon I preached on Sunday about the authority structure that's mentioned in the Bible, the Romans 13 sermon, the fact that God was their king, but then they're asking for a king. And he says, and thy judges of whom thou settest, give me a king and princes, and he's saying, you know what, you rejected the judges with me being your king, and you wanted king and princes instead of me being your king and the judges. And basically what he's saying is, how did that work out for you? It's like you rejected our system, you wanted a king to help you out in these battles, rather than trusting and relying on me and living a holy life. How did that work out for you and it didn't work out for them? Now this is being referenced here to 1 Samuel 8. Go to 1 Samuel 8. And I know I just showed you this on Sunday, but it's in the notes so I'll show it to you again, but this is what it's referring to in Hosea 13, where they beg for a king and princess as opposed to having the judges, which is what God set up. 1 Samuel 8, verse 1. And it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, in the name of his second Abaiah, they were judges in Beersheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after Lucre and took bribes and perverted judgment. And so his sons Joel and Abaiah, they basically don't really follow the Lord. I don't think this means that they weren't saved, but basically they grow up and they pervert judgment and they're just not godly like their father Samuel. Now it's interesting because there's many people that are called Joel or named Joel, but not really Abaiah at least that I'm aware of. And I think because that name redeems itself later on in the Bible, because there's a book called Joel. But it's kind of interesting when you have names in the Bible and they were like bad characters, it's just like nobody's going to name their kid that. Even if it's like a cool sounding name, I mean sometimes I remember we were thinking of names, like some names sounded really cool, but that character in the Bible, it's like why do you have to murder so many people? It's such a cool name, right? And so it says here in 1 Samuel 8 verse 4, Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. So instead of the judges, we want a king to judge us. This is just not a smart system because of the fact when you have a monarchy and one person in control, all that has to happen is that one person go bad and everything crumbles. When you have one person ruling like this and it's not the Lord Jesus Christ ruling and reigning, when you have one person in charge, if they become ungodly then everything's messed up. Or if they are godly and then their son takes over when he's 30 years old and he's not godly, then you've got that which was right in the eyes of the Lord. So what they're asking for might seem good for the temporary, but it's not actually a good thing for them. And it's not good because the Lord is their king. But here's the thing, the determination of whether you win battles with the Lord as your king is are you doing what's right? Are you godly? God wouldn't just have them wipe out the heat of nations if they were acting wicked themselves. I know today the Jews, so to speak, have this attitude, we're God's people so we can do whatever we want. They bomb all these Muslim countries and then all of a sudden Benjamin Netanyahu calls up, well I guess Joe Biden now, right? And says, all right, we just started a war with another Muslim country. It's like, United States, can you just kind of go in there, just lie on the media, get people to believe you, give us money and just take out the Muslims again? And it's just like, man, you just did this last week to another Muslim country. And you know what, this is what the Jews are. I mean, literally, that's what Israel does. They start wars and then all of a sudden they always blame the other side. And look, I want you to realize something. If you attack somebody and they attack back and you're like, well, they attacked us. Yeah, but you started it. I mean, it's just like, but this happens all the time. But it says, now make as a king to judge us like all the nations. Now you don't have to turn there. You're staying in 1 Samuel 8, but what it said in Hosea was after that, I gave thee a king in mine anger. We'll look at that here in a second. But God basically says, you know what, I answered your prayer request because I was mad at you. So I want you to realize something. If God is mad at you, he might actually answer your bad prayer request. Or he might actually give you what you want when it's not actually a good thing for you. Now it says here in verse 6, but the thing displeased Samuel when they said, give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, hearken unto the voice of the people and all that they say unto thee. For they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them, according to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even unto this day. Wherewith they have forsaken me and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Okay, now go to Hosea 13. Hosea 13. Hosea chapter 13. So I want you to realize that God basically answers this request that they have. But he does it not because he's happy with them. What it says in Hosea 13 verse 11 is this, I gave thee a king in mine anger and took him away in my wrath. And he says, I gave you a king in mine anger and took him away in my wrath. And here's the thing about this. You know, they have kings for a while, but then Israel is just removed and they're done and they no longer have a king. We talked about that earlier in the book of Hosea. It's like you begged for a king, you got what you wanted, and now all of a sudden, you know what, it just destroyed you. It wasn't actually what you needed. And they reject God and then this is what they asked for. And God says, I was angry with you, so here's your king. This is what you want, go for it. Okay? Now go to 1 Samuel 12. 1 Samuel 12. 1 Samuel chapter 12. 1 Samuel chapter 12. This is why God always warned them. He's like, learn not the way of the heathen. Because of the fact they look at these other nations and these other nations have kings that are leading them and then they're like, man, that looks like a good system. Well, it might seem like a good system if you're using, you know, the world's philosophy or man's wisdom. That doesn't mean that it's right though. And look, there's things in the Bible that you might see something very clearly in the Bible and God says something a certain way and it does not make sense to you. You don't understand why God says this because it doesn't seem quite right to you. God's right and you're wrong. And instead of just waiting until you understand it, if the Bible clearly says it, you just do it. And look, this is true with many different things. I mean, you know, people think something should be a certain way. They might be like, well, you know, I think we should have an altar call. It just makes sense to me. It's like, but is that what the Bible says? Do you see any altar call in the Bible? Or are there also verses that reject and refute the altar call? So it's like, well, why are you doing it? I mean, it just makes sense. We get so many people to come down. We get so many salvations. I mean, literally in like two and a half minutes, we get like 85 kids saved, right? I mean, like 85 three-year-olds prayed the sinner's prayer. It's like, wow, that's great. It's like, you can get my son to memorize something. We say things and he repeats it. Does that mean that he got saved? I'm sure I could get my son to memorize like the sinner's prayer and everything like this. Oh, man, he got saved. It's like, no, he's three years old. It's like he doesn't understand it yet. First Samuel 12, verse 12. And when he saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, he said unto me, Nay, but a king shall reign over us, when the Lord your God was your king. So the Lord was the king before they got King Saul. Now, therefore, behold, the king whom ye have chosen and whom ye have desired, and behold, the Lord hath set a king over you. If ye will fear the Lord, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God. Now, I want you to notice this. It says if ye will fear the Lord, then it says, and serve him, the king, and obey his voice. I'm not re-preaching Sunday's sermon, but doesn't that just show you that you're supposed to obey the political authority? Unless they're asking you to sin, obviously. But what Samuel says is, you know what? You are supposed to... What verse was that? What verse did I just... Verse 14, fear the Lord, and serve him, referring to King Saul, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord. And so, look, unless that political authority is asking you to do wrong, you're expected to obey it, according to the Bible. This is not just true with King Saul. It would be true with any king that would come. Even if they were a wicked king, if they're asking you to do something, and it's not a sin, you are expected to obey according to the Bible, right? No matter who that person is. Now, look, I'm not saying I do this perfectly. I'm sure there's plenty of people at our church that do a better job of obeying some laws. You're just like, yeah, it doesn't seem right to me, and we don't... But I'm just saying, this is what the Bible teaches, okay? Then it says, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God. But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you as it was against your fathers. So the promise that's given is, if you do a good job serving God, and obeying the leadership, you know what? King Saul would have never gone bad. He would have continued following the Lord, according to the Bible. And of course it was King Saul's fault for becoming wicked and worldly, however, it does say here in verse 14 that if the people were really doing what was right, then King Saul would have kept following the Lord, okay? Then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God. So if the people underneath were very godly, the king would have still been godly. So it was King Saul's fault, but honestly the people were rebelling too. And the proof of that was the fact that they asked for a king to begin with. This makes sense. Think about if you're at a church and you have a leader that's preaching at the church, a pastor or whomever at the church, okay? Because when King Saul started, he was good. King Saul was humble, he was a little in his own sight, he was godly. He started off very good, okay? He did a lot of great things in his life before he ended up getting bitter and envious and just became bad, right? But here's the thing. If you had a good person who was a pastor that was leading your church, if the people are staying zealous and doing what's right and reading the Bible and going soul-winning, you know what? The person who's leading would probably stay faithful as well. Do you understand that? I mean, it makes sense. Now, if somebody's leading a church, though, and all the people at the church are just committing terrible sins, it's just like the leadership might just start to feel like, man, well, I'm already pretty godly compared to other people. The reality is if the members are reading the Bible and going soul-winning, that motivates the leadership, okay? So this makes sense that if they were doing what was right, King Saul would have stayed godly, okay? Go to verse 19. Verse 19. 1 Samuel 12, verse 19. And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God that we die not, for we have added unto all our sins this evil to ask us a king. So they realized, okay, we did wrong to ask for a king, but I want you to realize this is the point of no return, though, okay? They realized they did wrong. There's no undo button. There's no reset button. It's not like you saved your video game, right? You're 81-0 in that NBA season, and then all of a sudden it's like, oh, man, I'm about to lose game 82. It's like, okay, reset, right? It's like, oh, still 81-0, right? And so it's like, no, there's no reset button. You've already made your choice, okay? Then it says in verse 20, And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not, ye have done all this wickedness, yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And turn ye not aside, for then should ye go after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain. For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake, because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people. Moreover, as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you, but I will teach you the good in the right way. Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart, for consider how great things he hath done for you. Now, what he said here in verse number 22, For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake. Now, the problem was, though, that Israel forsook God, and so God was going to stay, you know, with his people as long as they did what was right, but unfortunately, they forsook God. They worshipped other gods, and then they were done, okay? And so, it says here in verse 25, But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king. Okay, now go back to Hosea 13. We'll close up. Hosea 13. Hosea 13. Isn't that what ended up happening? They still did wickedly. They were consumed, both them and their king, and literally king Saul, but just the lineage, whereas the kings became wicked, and now all of a sudden they don't have kings anymore, because they just were rebellious. And so, you know, it's sad because you wonder, like, why would this end up happening? And yet, sometimes I think about churches that are good churches, and doesn't it just seem logical that if you had a good church, that you should be able to look 200 years in the future, and it's still a great church, and they're still getting lots of people saved? That just isn't really the way it works. I mean, it's sad because, honestly, you know, things start good, and then they end up going bad. It's just the way it is. Now, of course, I plan to try to stay zealous and do what's right, but the reality is many people are zealous and doing good things, and they just kind of go the other way, and then all of a sudden, you know, God starts a new work somewhere else, and it just is what it is, but, you know, Israel, they just rebelled on God even though they were given all the preaching, everything, and you know what? They just... And look, the reality is some people are going to grow up in good churches, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they're going to zealously follow God when they get older because we all have a free will choice. Now, the Bible does say that if you tramp your children, when they get old, you know, they'll walk in those ways, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they're going to be as zealous, and they still have a free will choice as well. And sadly, you know, most of us, you know, it's hard raising kids. It's difficult, so we might not do everything perfectly. Hosea 13 verse 12, The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up, his sin is hid. The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him. He is an unwise son, for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children. I will ransom them from the power of the grave. I will redeem them from death. O death, I will be thy plagues. O grave, I will be thy destruction. Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. So, what does it mean by repentance shall be hid from mine eyes, okay? What God's saying here is this, because Israel messed up a lot. And basically, Israel messes up, and they're like, oh, forgive us. Can we have a judge, a new judge? God gives them a new judge. They get right with God, and they go through this cycle over and over again. And they do wrong, then they pray to God when they get into trouble, and then God gives them another chance. God is the God of the first chance, and the second chance, and the third chance. However, it reaches a point where it's too much. And God says, repentance shall be hid from mine eyes, meaning, even if they get right with God, they don't have another chance. Because God knew it was in their heart, and He knew it was just going to be fake. It wasn't going to be real. Because the proof of whether or not somebody gets right is if they actually make a change. And Israel would make a change, and then go back and forth, back and forth. God's just like, no. And He says, repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. Verse 15. Though he be fruitful among his brethren, an east wind shall come. I believe the east wind is referring to Assyria, because Assyria is east, and Assyria takes them over. An east wind shall come. The wind of the Lord shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up. He shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels. Samaria shall become desolate, for she hath rebelled against her God. They shall fall by the sword. Their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with children shall be ripped up. So, a couple things in closing. When it talks about Assyria as the east wind shall come, Assyria was very wicked. But, you know, sometimes God can use wicked nations to judge a nation that was His people. And sometimes God uses that method. I mean, oftentimes He uses that. He uses a wicked nation to judge His people when they mess up. And that's what Assyria actually did. There's actually a video coming out. I already made it. It's on, you know, scheduled on YouTube. It's coming out on three myths of Assyria. So, I've got a video coming out. I think it's tomorrow night or Friday morning or something. But Assyria was a very, very wicked empire. In fact, when you're reading the Bible, there's just no doubt that they were worse than Egypt, Rome, Greece, Persia, Babylon. Maybe worse than all of them put together. And there's a reason why Nineveh was destroyed. And, you know, the Macedonian empire, Greece wasn't completely destroyed. Right? Because of the fact they were so wicked. Okay? But then in verse 16, I mean, look at what he says here. Samaria shall become desolate, for she hath rebelled against her God. They shall fall by the sword. Their infants shall be dashed in pieces. And their women with child shall be ripped up. And, you know, this, I do believe, is linking back to Assyria as the east wind because Assyria was a very vicious empire. And the indication is they would even, like, kill the infants. And the women would be destroyed. And God allows this to happen because of the fact they're under God's judgment. And He uses a wicked nation to end up judging His people. And, you know what? It just kind of shows that even if you are God's people. Because obviously this is referring to a nation. And we are individuals. But God is going to judge His people. So here's the thing. As individual people, even if you're saved, we better make sure we're following what the Bible says because God is going to judge you. And, look, we ought to realize more so than the... Because the unsaved world doesn't get that. The unsaved world, they don't have the Holy Spirit inside of them. They don't know what the Bible says by and large. We as saved people, we know what the Bible says. Look, you're not going to get away with those secret sins. Because it even said there their sins are hit. There were sins that they were doing. Nobody knows about them. And yet, you know what? They're getting judged because God does know about them. And so, look, as God's people, as Verity Baptist Church Manila or Verity Baptist Church Pampanga, all of us individually need to look at our lives. And if we have hidden sins, we're going to be judged by God for them. Whether nobody else is aware of them or not because God is aware of it. Let's close in a word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be here today and getting to see your word and everything in Hosea 13 about idols and about Israel being rejected and things such as that, God. And help us just to try to serve you and follow what the Bible says here. And we just pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, for last song, song number 39. Let's sing, How Beautiful Heaven Must Be. How Beautiful Heaven Must Be, song number 39. Let's sing on the first. Ready? We read of a place called in heaven. It's made for the pure and the free. It's cruising us where we have given. How beautiful heaven must be. How beautiful heaven must be. Sweet home of the happy and free. Fair haven of rest for the weary. How beautiful heaven must be. In heaven no drooping or peering in. No wishing for us were to be. God's light is forever shining. How beautiful heaven must be. How beautiful heaven must be. Sweet home of the happy and free. Fair haven of rest for the weary. How beautiful heaven must be. Your waters of life there are flowing. And all the world's dreams may be free. Where jewels of splendor are glowing. How beautiful heaven must be. How beautiful heaven must be. Sweet home of the happy and free. Fair haven of rest for the weary. How beautiful heaven must be on the last. The angels so sweetly are singing. Up there where the beautiful sea. Sweet cause from their cold hearts are ringing. How beautiful heaven must be. How beautiful heaven must be. Sweet home of the happy and free. Fair haven of rest for the weary. How beautiful heaven must be. Thank you very much.