Sow to Yourselves in Righteousness
Scripture: Hosea 10:12Devotional Series: The Integrity of God's Word
Teaching: The Integrity Of God's Word pt. 3 (SUN_AM 2021-06-20) by Pastor Star R Scott
The Scripture says here in Hosea 10:12, “Sow to yourselves in righteousness...” Put “the Word” in there. This Word that is perfect, the Scripture says, converting the soul. Amen? The Word is perfect. The seed is perfect. It will produce one hundredfold. If we’re not seeing our prayers being answered, then I want to know what’s going on. When God speaks to me through His Word and says, “These signs shall follow them that believe in My name.” Then He tells us what is available to those who believe in His name. They’ll cast out devils. They’ll raise the dead. They’ll heal the sick. I don’t see that going on to the degree that it went on in the kingdom of God and in the church in its infancy.
Beloved, if they saw this in their infancy, what should we two thousand years later with all of the history that we have of the church behind us? All of the mistakes that they’ve made that we can look at, and correct? The Word of God abiding before us, and the indwelling Holy Spirit? I mean, we’re a people, those that were fortunate enough to have the Bible. And by the way, the Bible was the first text book in school in America; amen?
Have you ever seen one of those old Bibles? They didn’t have references. They didn’t have concordances. We don’t even have to use the concordance in back of our Bibles anymore. You just push a button and boom, the verses come up. Those people memorized the Scriptures and knew the Word of God through repetition of reading it and reading it and reading it and reading it. Here we are today, and we can hardly bring ourselves to push the button. And we view ourselves as more informed, a church that’s enlightened.
Enlightenment comes from this Word being a lamp to our feet; amen? If we are not doing the Word, we are not enlightened. We are deceived and walking in the greatest darkness that there can be. Henceforth, we see the condition. We don’t see signs and wonders. We don’t see sin being preached against. We don’t hear men standing up and requiring repentance. It’s interesting, even in our evangelism courses, that you can get books on evangelism today, but there’s hardly anything in there about bringing people to the place of repenting before God. It’s winning them by friendship, causing them to become part of the community, and getting interwoven. Well, those are all good things, but, beloved, before that happens, you need to repent. Amen? “What must we do to be saved?” was the cry, as Peter preached his first great sermon. The response was to repent. You don’t hear it today. You have to change. You can’t do everything you want to do. You’re not God.
So, here we are, walking in this environment, just like Lot of old, having our hearts, our minds, vexed by this Sodom that we live in. Don’t think for a moment that you’re not being affected. There’s a war for your mind that’s going on every hour of every day. Cleansed by the washing of the water of the Word; amen? It doesn’t mean read it more. It doesn’t mean memorize more. It means do more. You want to be washed by the Word? Do more. Do more of what you know to do.
You want to be washed with the water of the Word? Find those people that it’s a chore for you to appreciate, and go pour love out on them. Find ways to be kind, to care, to be a servant to them instead of allowing this nonsense to go on because you’ve been offended. They didn’t love you the way you thought you should be loved and they didn’t treat you right.
Why don’t you be the greatest among us and become the servant? Amen? Why don’t you be the greatest, humble yourself, and realize that you’re the one with the beam? Why don’t we become what God has called us to be, a member in particular in this community having the same care one of another? That’s giving the Word good ground to grow in; amen? Being hearers and not doers; you’re already deceived. You think you’re right. You think you’re in good shape.
Beloved, if they saw this in their infancy, what should we two thousand years later with all of the history that we have of the church behind us? All of the mistakes that they’ve made that we can look at, and correct? The Word of God abiding before us, and the indwelling Holy Spirit? I mean, we’re a people, those that were fortunate enough to have the Bible. And by the way, the Bible was the first text book in school in America; amen?
Have you ever seen one of those old Bibles? They didn’t have references. They didn’t have concordances. We don’t even have to use the concordance in back of our Bibles anymore. You just push a button and boom, the verses come up. Those people memorized the Scriptures and knew the Word of God through repetition of reading it and reading it and reading it and reading it. Here we are today, and we can hardly bring ourselves to push the button. And we view ourselves as more informed, a church that’s enlightened.
Enlightenment comes from this Word being a lamp to our feet; amen? If we are not doing the Word, we are not enlightened. We are deceived and walking in the greatest darkness that there can be. Henceforth, we see the condition. We don’t see signs and wonders. We don’t see sin being preached against. We don’t hear men standing up and requiring repentance. It’s interesting, even in our evangelism courses, that you can get books on evangelism today, but there’s hardly anything in there about bringing people to the place of repenting before God. It’s winning them by friendship, causing them to become part of the community, and getting interwoven. Well, those are all good things, but, beloved, before that happens, you need to repent. Amen? “What must we do to be saved?” was the cry, as Peter preached his first great sermon. The response was to repent. You don’t hear it today. You have to change. You can’t do everything you want to do. You’re not God.
So, here we are, walking in this environment, just like Lot of old, having our hearts, our minds, vexed by this Sodom that we live in. Don’t think for a moment that you’re not being affected. There’s a war for your mind that’s going on every hour of every day. Cleansed by the washing of the water of the Word; amen? It doesn’t mean read it more. It doesn’t mean memorize more. It means do more. You want to be washed by the Word? Do more. Do more of what you know to do.
You want to be washed with the water of the Word? Find those people that it’s a chore for you to appreciate, and go pour love out on them. Find ways to be kind, to care, to be a servant to them instead of allowing this nonsense to go on because you’ve been offended. They didn’t love you the way you thought you should be loved and they didn’t treat you right.
Why don’t you be the greatest among us and become the servant? Amen? Why don’t you be the greatest, humble yourself, and realize that you’re the one with the beam? Why don’t we become what God has called us to be, a member in particular in this community having the same care one of another? That’s giving the Word good ground to grow in; amen? Being hearers and not doers; you’re already deceived. You think you’re right. You think you’re in good shape.