July 5, 2015 – Sermon Notes & Slides

Sermon Notes

Deadly Rituals
Hosea 9-10
Pastor John Sloan

Introduction: To those who reject His grace and spurn His authority, God ultimately brings judgment. To nations that ignore His precepts and flaunt His moral law, God promises His reproach. But amid warnings of impending doom, He whispers softly, “Repent; turn to me and live; I will heal you; I will restore you and give you a new hope.” The question has always been: Who will listen?

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Questions for Discussion & Discovery

1. Why does Hosea demand that Israel stop rejoicing in 9:1?

2. What are some religious rituals that you enjoy (e.g., participating in corporate worship on Sundays, serving in a ministry, giving of your tithes, etc.)?

3. In what ways do the practices above strengthen your faith? In what ways can they become meaningless or even detrimental to your faith?

4. One old-time theologian once wrote: “A refusal to be corrected by others often reflects a refusal to be corrected by God.” How do you see this concept illustrated in Hosea? How about in your own life?

5. Read Hosea 10:13. How does that verse compare with Proverbs 14:12? What seems to be the singular message?

Sermon Slides

1. “Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight.” 1 Kings 17:18

2. “The autumn harvest festival was a sacrament of life for them, a symbol of their expectations of survival, a proof of the soundness of their religious zeal.” – David Allan Hubbard

3. 01. The danger of religious liturgy is that it can deceive us into wrongly concluding that we are pleasing God.

4. “People who know nothing of the power of the gospel contend for these little shells because they have nothing of the kernel.” – Charles Spurgeon

5. 02. A key characteristic of a self-deceived person is the persistent tendency to blame-shift and denigrate others.

6. 03. The damning presupposition of the self-deluded is: “I can save myself.”

7. “It is a miracle of grace that after so much sin and penitence, and in spite of the solemn threat of judgment, there was still opportunity to turn to the Lord.” – Ray Beeley