Destroyed for Lack of Knowledge – God’s Timeless Warning to all today
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By Pastor Joel – Open Heaven Christian Church
Sermon on Hosea Chapter 4 (KJV) that includes:
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A detailed explanation of God’s complaint
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New Testament parallels from Jesus and the apostles
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Why this matters for us today, with clear scriptural reasons
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Practical and spiritual application
Sermon Title: “Destroyed for Lack of Knowledge: God’s Timeless Warning”
Main Text: Hosea 4 (KJV)
Key Verse: Hosea 4:6 – “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…”
Introduction: A Divine Indictment
Hosea 4 reads like a courtroom trial. God, the Righteous Judge, steps forward with charges against His own covenant people. This chapter isn’t aimed at unbelievers—it’s aimed at the people of God who have rejected His truth, forgotten His mercy, and refused to truly know Him.
We might ask: “Why is this important today?” Because the spiritual condition of ancient Israel mirrors modern culture and, tragically, much of the modern church. What destroyed them is destroying us.
I. God’s Threefold Complaint (Hosea 4:1–2)
Hosea 4:1 (KJV) – “Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land…”
1. “There is no truth…”
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Truth refers to faithfulness and moral integrity.
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When truth is gone, lies become the norm.
Isaiah 59:14 (KJV):
“Truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.”
John 17:17 (KJV):
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
Without truth, people cannot be sanctified—set apart. Truth is foundational to knowing God.
2. “Nor mercy…”
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This refers to chesed (covenant love, steadfast kindness).
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They were religious without relationship.
Micah 6:8 (KJV):
“…What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
Matthew 23:23 (KJV):
“…Ye have omitted the weightier matters of the law: judgment, mercy, and faith…”
They kept ritual but abandoned compassion. God was not impressed.
3. “Nor knowledge of God…”
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This is not intellectual knowledge—it’s relational, covenantal, obedient knowing.
Hosea 6:6 (KJV):
“For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
John 17:3 (KJV):
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
Knowledge of God is eternal life—not just a belief system, but a relationship that changes how we live.
II. The Evidence of Rebellion (Hosea 4:2–3)
“By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.” (v.2)
Israel had broken almost every commandment in the Ten Commandments. The decay was not just private—it was national.
Romans 1:28–32 (KJV):
“God gave them over to a reprobate mind… being filled with all unrighteousness…”
Galatians 5:19–21 (KJV):
Lists the works of the flesh—including adultery, murder, and strife.
Why This Matters Today:
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We live in a world that celebrates sin and mocks righteousness.
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God’s moral law is not obsolete. It reflects His character and guards our souls.
Psalm 33:12 (KJV):
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord…”
III. Failed Leadership (Hosea 4:4–10)
Hosea 4:6 (KJV):
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…”
Not because they didn’t have access—but because they rejected knowledge.
“Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee…”
The Priests Had:
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Forgotten the law (v.6)
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Benefited from people’s sins (v.8)
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Lost all spiritual discernment (v.9)
2 Timothy 4:3–4 (KJV):
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine…”
James 3:1 (KJV):
“My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.”
Why This Matters Today:
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Many pulpits have become places of entertainment, not truth.
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Church leaders have become more concerned with popularity than holiness.
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Where the shepherds fail, the sheep perish.
IV. Idolatry and Moral Collapse (Hosea 4:11–14)
Hosea 4:12 (KJV):
“My people ask counsel at their stocks… for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err…”
Israel had turned from the living God to idols—wooden poles, stone images, sexual rituals.
Modern Idolatry Looks Different:
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The idols are no longer wooden statues—but money, sex, fame, self-worship.
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Idolatry always leads to moral confusion and family breakdown.
Colossians 3:5 (KJV):
“…covetousness, which is idolatry.”
Romans 1:25 (KJV):
“Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped… the creature more than the Creator…”
Why This Matters Today:
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Every idol promises life but delivers destruction.
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You become like what you worship (Psalm 115:8).
V. God’s Sobering Judgment (Hosea 4:15–19)
Hosea 4:17 (KJV):
“Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.”
These are some of the most terrifying words in the Bible. When God says, “Let them alone,” it means He’s stopped striving with the sinner.
Genesis 6:3 (KJV):
“My spirit shall not always strive with man…”
Matthew 15:14 (KJV):
“Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind…”
Why This Matters Today:
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God is merciful, but His mercy has a limit.
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Repeated, unrepentant sin leads to judgment—both temporal and eternal.
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A nation or individual may pass a point of no return unless they repent.
VI. The Only Hope: Return to God Through Christ
Hosea’s message is not just judgment—it’s a call to come back.
Hosea 6:1 (KJV):
“Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us…”
Acts 3:19 (KJV):
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out…”
Colossians 2:3 (KJV):
“In whom [Christ] are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Jesus is everything Israel lacked:
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He is the Truth (John 14:6)
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He is full of Mercy (Titus 3:5)
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He reveals the Knowledge of God (Hebrews 1:1–3)
Conclusion: Why This Matters Now More Than Ever
Scriptural Reasons:
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1 Corinthians 10:11 (KJV):
“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition…”
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Romans 15:4 (KJV):
“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning…”
God gave us Hosea 4 to warn us and instruct us—so we don’t repeat the same mistakes.
Final Challenge:
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Are you rejecting knowledge today? Are you coasting in ignorance?
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Have you allowed idols to steal your worship?
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Is God calling you to repentance before it’s too late?
God’s mercy is still available—but don’t presume upon it.
Closing Prayer:
Father, we tremble at Your Word. We see how Israel rejected Your truth, and we see the same danger around us—and in us. Forgive us. Give us hearts that hunger for knowledge, love mercy, and walk in truth. Draw us back to Jesus, the only One who can save. In Jesus name we pray, — Amen.
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