What You Don't Know Can Hurt You

0:23 I ask you to open your Bibles to Hosea chapter 4. Hosea chapter 4. In early 2000s, in the early 2000s, Netflix, y'all know what Netflix is?

0:50 Made a phone call to Blockbuster and said to Blockbusters, we will let you buy us for $50 million. blockbusters laughed them out of the room didn't give them the time of day, didn't give Netflix the time of day. Today, Netflix is worth, listen, $468 billion. Somebody say billions. Billions. Not millions. Billions. Billions. Billions.

1:39 Billions. And blockbusters went out of business. When Blockbusters had the opportunity to make a strategic move and by Netflix, they ignored it.

2:04 I want to talk to you all today about the fact that there's some significant opportunities God gives you to make some strategic moves that you often ignore. Amen. Amen. That's true. Can I get an amen right there from anybody? Here's the title of my message today, What You Don't Know Can Hurt You. Go ahead, look at your neighbor and say, what you don't know can hurt you. Tell them, neighbor on the other side, what you don't know can hurt you. Now it's 20 minutes to one. I'm not going to be finished by one. I might not be finished by two.

2:59 Y'all don't mean that. Y'all don't mean that. I want to talk to you about Hosea. I want to talk about Hosea who was a prophet, a priest. And he's pastoring the priest and the prophet to Israel.

3:24 And he decided to get married. So he started looking at the girls in the choir. there was one that might have been attracted he might have been attracted to one of them in the choir and so he did what a lot of y'all folk who don't get married he did what y'all don't do he prayed about it you know people make decisions about getting married without seeking God Amen.

4:04 If you all say amen together, nobody will know I'm talking about you. but God said no I don't want you to marry nobody from the choir I got somebody for you She's in the streets. She is... Oh, this is the 12 o'clock crowd. She a hoe. I don't think I could have said that at 8 or 10, but this crowd, I can say it to this. Matter of fact, she is a whore. I had to say lady of the evening at the earlier services.

4:59 But this crowd know what a hoe is. Feeling something in this section right here. The question that I ask is, why would God have the pastor marry a hoe? Why out of all of the women? that Hosea could have picked. Why did he have him marry a horse? As a matter of fact, when he married her,

5:45 soon after their marriage, he would have to go downtown and look for her. On a few occasions, he had to buy her back off of the bed of her clients. Amen. Amen.

6:05 When you do the research on their children, Hosea named his children names that meant, this ain't mine. Y'all will get it in a few minutes Y'all a little slow to understand He had questions about whether He was the father of those children Why would God do that? The reason God did it is because he wanted to communicate to Israel who had horish ways. Is that right? Horish, that don't sound right. Hoish. If y'all just talk back at me, I won't have to make up words while I'm going around. Y'all know what I'm trying to say.

7:02 Y'all know what I'm trying to say. He wanted Israel to know in the same way, I'm going to model for you with the life of Hosea and his wife Gomer, how I feel about you. that you're not faithful to me, you're not dedicated to me, you're out in the world, and I will come get you wherever you are. Somebody ought to give God praise that he came and got you wherever you are. Somebody ought to go to jumping and shouting on that point right there that you were in a bad place, couldn't get yourself out, couldn't get delivered, but God came and rescued you. Can I get an amen right there from anybody?

8:00 Amen. Amen. Eventually, Hosea figured out how to bring deliverance to his wife. The scripture teaches us he prayed a hedge of thorns around her. She got knowledge. She got information. And she got delivered. Amen. Thank God for Goma's deliverance. That's a nice little patty cake.

8:36 But when you think about what God delivered you out of. Unfortunately, there's some of y'all who ain't quite delivered yet. Look up and down your row and see if you can figure out who might still have some issues. Why y'all looking ahead? I said, look up and down y'all row.

9:19 Look and see who's looking at you. The reason people are not delivered is because of what they don't know. Because the scripture says you shall know the truth and the truth shall not set, make.

9:44 God will deliver you if you have the right knowledge. If you have the right information, We have the right truth. Truth makes you free. and Goma got delivered because she got a hold of some truth and I wanted to talk about this today for a few moments because

10:14 some of us are not delivered because we won't find the time to get some truth. Amen. Jesus said in John 8, 31 and 32, you shall know the truth. And when you know truth, it makes you free. I used to suffer from suicidal thoughts, depression.

10:45 That's a struggle I had in my life. Low self-esteem, didn't feel very good about myself. suicidal depressed but one day I came into the knowledge of the truth and when I got a hold of the truth and learned that God truly loved me wait don't clap yet I got free go ahead and clap now And when the devil comes and tries to make me feel depressed and suicidal and lower self-esteem and unloved and all the wanted, when he tries to talk to me about that, I talk to him about where he's going.

11:39 I tell him you going to hell. I tell them I'm free. You know I tell them, yes, Jesus loves me. So what I want to talk about today, as a matter of fact, let me give you my four points real quick. This is going to take me two and a half hours to get through these four points. Y'all said, take your time, take your time. I'm going to take my time. This is the 12 o'clock service.

12:18 If you don't want me to take my time, do not come to the 12 o'clock service. because I'm going to take my time and you better not get up and walk out of here while I'm preaching. Let me tell you what the four points are. Let me tell you real quick what they are. Condition.

12:39 What the conditions were. What the cause. Somebody say cause. So conditions. Matter of fact, put conditions back up there. Y'all go ahead and write these verses down. I'm going to read these verses. Y'all can make these notes. It's verses 1, 2, and 7 through 10. I'm going to go through those verses and talk about the condition that Israel was in that God wanted to communicate to them through the life of Hosea and Gomer. The condition is number point one. Point two is the cause. Somebody say the cause. And that's verse six. Here's what caused the condition. That's verse six.

13:20 And then number three is the consequences. The consequences. This is verses three, verses five through seven, and verse 9. Let me let y'all write that down. 3, 5 through 7 and verse 9. and then I'm going to give you my final point. It's going to be the cure.

13:45 Say the cure. And that's going to be in chapter 6, verses 1 through 3. And I gave you the whole sermon right there. There it is. But let me talk. Can I talk about it? Can y'all stick with me until I get done? A little low right there, a little soft. Let me start and talk about a problem that we have. Let me talk about it. Here's verse one. Here's the condition. Here's the condition that Israel is in. And by the way, we have some similar conditions. Here's what it says, verse one. Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel. For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land. There's no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. You know, I didn't read that right. Let me back up. Let me read that again. Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Prince George's County. Go ahead.

14:40 Let me read this real quick right here. For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land. Here's the problem. There's no truth. There's no mercy. There's no knowledge in the land of God, in the knowledge of God in the land. Here's the problem, that your life is messed up. You're jacked up. Your marriage is struggling. Your finances are askew. Your children are acting crazy because there's no truth.

15:08 There's no mercy. I discovered about people who want mercy, but they're not willing to give mercy to other people. but here's the big problem there's not only no truth and there's no mercy but there's also no knowledge in the land of God we try to make at this church you are at a church that we try to make available to you information give you knowledge so how you can you can have a healthy marriage how you can have righteous children doing the right thing how your finances and have the favor and blessings of God we try to make it available to you we got classes this is what the education. This is education and training ministries day.

15:46 And we try to make information available to you but most of the people at the First Baptist Church of Glenarn don't take advantage of it. That's true. About 10,000 people come to this church every weekend. About 10,000. Look at your neighbor and say, that's a lot of Negroes. Go ahead and tell them. That's a lot of Negroes. About 10,000. But only a thousand of you are engaged in any kind of education. Only a thousand. We have 30,000 online. that's a heap of people but just a handful of you all really take advantage of the information we have at this church we have 44 classrooms at the worship center 44 at the ministry center we got another 44 classrooms we got 88 classrooms what does that tell you that tells you we are about training Thank you.

16:55 we're about giving you the knowledge of God that's what this church is about I've gone to churches they ain't got no classrooms big sanctuary huge sanctuaries I've been to churches big huge sanctuaries but no classrooms we ain't about just coming in here and hooking and a booking and a jumping and a shouting Thank you. we're about much more than that we're about getting god's word put inside of you amen i mean i i i learned i i used to have intense conversations with my wife intense conversations and I would tell her it's the devil.

17:51 She'd tell me how she's feeling what her thoughts were and I would say to her that's the devil talking to you. That's what I would tell her it's the devil. and it would just never get any better. But then I learned. that I was seeing the wrong thing. Here's what I start saying. Really? Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Do say so, child. Go ahead, tell me.

18:35 I learned that I didn't have to debate her or dismiss her. That wasn't the right thing. I'm saving marriages right here, whether y'all realize that I'm saving marriages. I didn't have to agree with her. I didn't have to like what she said. I just had to learn how to listen. And here's the key. Act like I understood. What?

19:01 Do say so, child. Oh, my. I just know how to do that. Didn't go on my path. No argument, no fussing. I learned that in a class. I'm saving some marriages, whether y'all know it right now. I'm doing some marriage counseling right now. Just tell the brother. I'm going to argue with your wife. I learned that in the class. But you won't take the class. You won't come and get in an environment where we can teach you what to say. Teach, Pastor. What did you say? I can't even tell what they said. What class?

19:58 Communication in marriage is the name of class. Bless you, Pastor. You're depending on what you think, which always is trouble, it's a problem. Brothers, you ain't going to never say the right thing. I know that's right.

20:19 Come on and help me preach this. He said, I know that's right. His old devour said, I know that's right, Pastor. You're blessing me this morning, Pastor, and helping the both of us. Amen. Amen. Bless you. I learned that. but we're trying to teach you but you won't take the class. I learned to get rid of my credit cards. I don't use credit. I got credit cards but I'm not living on debt.

20:44 Some of y'all charging y'all credit cards to the max and your credit's all jacked up. You all messed up and we teach you. Matter of fact, we teach you on Sunday mornings when I be having the little bottles up here for y'all to cut up your credit cards, y'all be talking about I ain't going to then cut up my credit card. And that's why your finances are jacked up and mine are not jacked up. Help us, help us, help us, Pastor.

21:11 Y'all notice how the claps are getting lower and lower. Only a thousand of y'all are taking these classes. Some of y'all, there's other stuff too busy. You've got too many other things. Stuff that's more important than you get into an environment that your life can be better. I know I'm preaching. She said, I better preach. I know I'm preaching. I'm trying to help. I'm trying to help you. only 10% take the class here's what that means if you're sitting on a row with 10 people only one of y'all in that row is taking the class go ahead and look up and down the row see if you can figure out who it is if they're looking straight ahead they know that they ain't the one We are a teaching church.

22:12 We are about teaching you. We are making disciples. And I'm just trying to challenge you to... So anyway, put the verse back up there. I'm sorry, I got distracted.

22:33 No knowledge of God. I want y'all to see that last verse right there. Well, the last two lines. No truth or mercy or knowledge in the land. you don't know the word of God you don't know the truth of God go to verse 2 I gotta hurry up it's already 1 o'clock oh my God verse 2 says by swearing and lying killing and stealing and committing thank you that you're still with us well she brought me oh yeah thank you very much God bless you I pray she gave me some money I love you somebody did that last Sunday too anytime y'all feel laid just come on up Praise him. Bless the Lord at all times.

23:20 Glory. Somebody say glory. Don't play a hate. Don't y'all get mad because she bought me. She's thankful that I'm blessing her and helping her. And like I said, anybody else want to come, the Lord is leading you. Come on. I was reading the verse, I thought.

23:45 Here's the problem. Here's the condition. Swearing, lying, killing, stealing, committing adultery, breaking all, they break all restraints. I mean, you have no restraints. You don't even try to do right. You don't even try to resist. You don't try to do what's right. You have no restraints. That's what we have in our country. People have no restraints. Matter of fact, they're marching to have the right to do wrong. And they want to know why they have problems. Go to verse seven. Slide down. I got to hurry up. I'm taking my time. I'm taking too long. Verse seven. Go to verse seven. Verse seven says, the more they increase, the more they sinned against me.

24:30 Here's what God says. I will change their glory into shame. Their sin increased. I'm going to come back to that verse in a minute verse 8 they eat up the sin of my people they set their heart on their iniquity they set their heart on their iniquity they make plans they get up thinking about what they're going to do that's wrong they subscribe to it they make plans they make reservations.

25:12 If y'all all say amen together nobody will know I'm talking about you. And we want to know why we have the problems that we have. Because that verse right there put that verse please put that verse back up there. They eat up the sin of my people. They set their heart. Their heart is set on doing what they want to do. Go to verse 10. for they shall eat but not have enough.

25:46 You use the money you have and you keep buying what you're buying but it still ain't satisfying you. You're still unhappy. You're still unhappy. They shall commit harlotry but not increase. You are worshiping some stuff but you ain't getting any better. And then here's the big problem because they have ceased obeying the Lord.

26:11 You refuse to do what God wants you to do. I am preaching and teaching up in here today. And what causes that? Are y'all hearing me? Are y'all hearing what I'm saying? Ain't nobody gonna shout today. I don't think nobody gonna bring any money up to the altar here today. Here's the cause, verse six. Here's the cause. Here is the cause, point two, verse six. My people are destroyed. Why? lack of knowledge. They won't get themselves in a situation to learn. They won't get the truth. They're too busy doing other things. They don't care. They don't want to know. My people are destroyed. Your families are destroyed. Your marriages are destroyed. Your children get destroyed. Your finances are destroyed. Your business is destroyed. Everything is messed up. Why? Because of a lack of knowledge. God gives us the opportunity to get the knowledge.

27:11 He wants to bless you. God wants to bless you. but he says this because you have rejected knowledge I also reject you from being priests for me reject you know what the word reject mean I'm glad you asked the question it means to despise the knowledge you hate what God says you hate his position you despise you refuse here's what reject means to run from it. You run from the knowledge of God's word. God said do X, Y, Z, you run from it. You avoid it. And then it says right here, he says, I also will reject you from being priests for me. You know what that means? God says, I can't use you to be an instrument. I can't anoint you to be an instrument that I can use you because you rejected my knowledge.

28:12 I would like to anoint you. I would like to shower my blessings on you. I would like to smile upon you. I would like to open up the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that you don't have enough room to receive. I would like to do something for you so that when people see you, they would ask you, how did you get there? And you would be able to say, it's the God that I serve that did it. But he says, I can't do it because you have rejected my knowledge. And then he says, because you have forgotten the law of your God. Look at this. Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.

28:48 I'm running ahead. I'm sorry. Let me back up for a second. You forgot the law. You have forgotten the laws of God. You don't remember. And that's why you're in the jam that you're in. Let me go to the consequences. I got to hurry up here. Say, somebody say consequences. Here's a point to you. That's verse three, verses five through seven and verse nine. Let me read those to you. I'm almost finished. No, I'm not. Let me stop lying. Verse three, verses five through seven, verse nine. Verse three. Look, put verse three up here. Consequences. Here's the consequence. Number one, here's verse three. Therefore, the land will mourn and everyone who dwells there will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Even the fish of the sea will be taken away. The land mourns. The land is mourning.

29:42 And everyone who dwells there will waste away. Your ministry, your business will waste away. It's going to waste away. The land's mourning. Verse 5, put verse 5. People, here's what it says, verse 5. Look at verse 5. Therefore you shall stumble in the day. The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night and I will destroy your mother.

30:06 you're stumbling in the daytime when you can see you stumbling. You're stumbling. And then it says, I will destroy your mother. That means whoever it is that's feeding you. Because y'all be listening to people giving advice. That's who your mama is.

30:27 Y'all listening to what the motivational people say. Y'all listen to what the pundits of the day say. and you guide your life by what they say. And God said, I'm going to destroy them. I'm going to bring what they teach down to nothing to you. put verse 6 up there I almost ran ahead of myself on the consequences here my people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge here's the consequences you're destroyed because you rejected knowledge God says I will reject you from being a priest for me and then verse here's the latter part because you have forgotten the law of your God I also will forget your children so your children won't have no favor on them because of the choices that you made how many of our kids are messed up because of choices that their mom and their daddy made I know y'all don't like this kind of preaching, but every now and then I got to give you some castor oil.

31:32 When I was growing up, if you got sick, my parents would give you castor oil. That'll clean you out. I'm giving you some castor oil right now. Ain't going to be no jumping and hopping. Ain't nobody going to run around. Ain't no dancing here today. But it's good for you. You're going to be healthy. Amen.

31:55 Amen. Amen. Thank you, Jesus. Verse 7. the more they increased, the more they sinned against me. And I will change their glory into shame. The more they increased, the more they sinned against me. Here's what that means.

32:22 Here's what that means. Because there was a time in your life you didn't have no car. You barely had a place to stay. You had one suit. You wore that to everything. but now you got a car a nice car I'm trying, I'm trying to preach. You got a nice job. You've moved up the ladder. You've been promoted multiple times. You got a house to live in. You used to be in a little efficiency. You used to rent a room from somebody, but now you got a house. And the more you increase, all of a sudden you ain't got no time for God. You used to go to church, but now you don't got time to come to church no more. Oh, where that camera?

33:15 Which camera? Zoom the camera in right here. Zoom in real quick. Come closer. Let me come to you. You used to come to church when you didn't have nothing, but now you've got everything and you can't come to church now. Thank you. All the people here saying, yeah, you should be here. Bless you, young man. Let me hug you.

33:55 Thank you. How old are you? I'm 19. 19? Thank you. You're welcome. I appreciate that. You're welcome. God bless you. Let me stay back here. I don't know what's happening. And the more they increase, they sin the more. Do y'all get that verse right there? God bless you. You got more now than you've ever had, but the more you sin against God. You ain't got no time for God. You ain't got no time for no classes. You ain't got no time to serve. You ain't got no time.

34:39 But you got time to drink. let me let me let that simmer right there for a second you got time for the club y'all ain't got to say nothing to me y'all know y'all rushed in here from the club last night you know you was at the club Praise him.

35:08 Thank you. Okay, you didn't go to the club. Thank you very much. Do y'all see that? Do y'all see that in the verse? Can y'all see that in the verse? That that's what it's saying. You increased. And the more you increase, the more you sin against God. But here's what God said. I'm going to change your glory into shame. that's why your life is messed up that's why your marriage that's why you go from marriage to marriage to marriage something's wrong if you're on the third and fourth marriage and the only common element is you You're the only thing that's the common element. But when you talk to you, everything is wrong. If ain't nothing wrong, one thing is wrong with your choices at least. Let's assume that you're right.

36:04 And everybody's wrong. You be making some bad choices. Hey, what's going on? my man bless you bless you also thank you appreciate it bring me a chair i'm just gonna sit right here for the rest of the day

36:28 Glory to God. Let's go to verse 9. Let me hurry up. And it shall be like people like priests. Here's the latter part of verse 9. So I will punish them for their ways and reward them for their deeds.

37:01 I will punish them for their ways and reward them for their deeds. A lot of what you're experiencing is God's punishment. and the reward because you refuse to put yourself in an environment to learn his word and apply it to your life. Let me close this message with the cure.

37:32 Because there is a cure. There is an answer. There is deliverance. There is a breakthrough. And the cure is in chapter six. You can go and read through the rest of chapter 4 and chapter 5. It just continues on with God's judgment. And I don't have time to go through all of that. Let me give you the cure. Verses 6, verses 1 through 3. Can I get that to you? Here's what verse, here it is. Here's the cure right here. Verse 1, come. Let us return to the Lord. Let us get back to God. Let us get back to praying. Let us get back to studying. Let us get back to reading. Let us get back to being doers of the word. Let us return to the Lord. How many of y'all know that we serve a God that if you come back to him, he is a deliverer.

38:28 He will wash your slate clean. He will forgive you. Come on, let's return to God. Come on, let's get back to doing what we used to do. Come on, let's go back to God. Let's get back to Jesus. Let us call on the name of Jesus. And then it says this, I'm almost finished. Take your time, Pastor. Come, let us return to the Lord, for he has torn, but he will heal us. Come on, somebody. Thank you. Don't hug me too close like that. Don't hug me too close. He has stricken, but he will bind us up. Y'all see that?

39:25 Come, let us return. Here's what he'll do. He will heal us. He will bind us up. Somebody say amen. Go ahead to verse number two. Number two. After two days, here's what he's going to do. He will revive us. On the third day, he will raise us up that we may live in his sight. That's what God wants you to do is live in his sight. Have life in his sight. Have victory in his sight. He will make it possible for you to have life. here's my final point right here verse 3 let us know verse 3 let us know let us know let us get in a place of knowing we're not going to be ignorant anymore put yourself in an environment to know this is Dr. Ro right here stand up Dr. Ro she's a television personality and a member of the First Baptist Church Glennon she guess what she changed my life because she came here before she was a member of our church and I had high blood pressure diabetes all kind of sickness and she educated me and I start knowing how I'm supposed to eat how I'm supposed to take care of myself and I'm healthier because I know because she taught me Thank you.

40:53 Just get in an environment to know and apply in your life. It makes all the difference in the world. Get in a position to know. Put it back up there. Let us know. Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord.

41:15 His going forth is established as the morning. He will come to us like the rain. Somebody say, let it rain. I want the power and presence of God to rain on me. Somebody say, thank God for the rain. Tell your neighbor, I want the rain. I want God's rain. I want God to rain on me. I want him to shower me. I want him to flood me. I want him to storm on me. I want, let it rain. Let it rain. Let it rain. Let it rain. Let it rain. Let it rain. Somebody say, let it rain. Let it rain. Let it rain. Let it rain until my basement is flooded. Let it rain until my finances are flooded. Let it rain until I got joy unspeakable. Let it rain.