Loving Raisin Cakes

Introduction

Good morning to everyone. We indeed have a lot of visitors today. And I would warn our visitors if you go up and introduce yourself to someone, you might be greeting a visitor. Hopefully, our folks will introduce themselves to you to avoid that problem. And as I look out this morning, our members are sitting in entirely different places than they normally sit. I like this. Get them out of their comfort zone. And I’m taking a risk this morning in beginning my sermon at 10 after 11 by talking about food. I don’t want you to be too distracted by the introduction. And no, I’m not talking about manna, which is a biblical food that might come to mind, or Jesus being the living bread. But I want to talk to you this morning about raisin cakes.

And the reference is in your Old Testament, minor prophets, the book of Hosea. He’ll begin turning to the book of Hosea, and you’re going to discover what the Bible is telling us about raisin cakes. Hosea 3 and verse 1. The Lord speaks to Hosea the prophet, and he says, Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress. Even as the Lord loves the sons of Israel. Though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes. Hosea’s marriage is a pitiful parallel of Israel’s relationship to God. He is instructed at the outset to go and marry a woman who is a harlot. Worse yet, her name is Gomer. But worse than that was her harlotry. And it seems that faithfulness is an issue in the relationship of Hosea and Gomer.

And children are born to this union that also reflect Israel’s relationship to God and are named, these children are named by God Himself. In Hosea chapter 1, the second child that is born is named Lo Ami. In the Hebrew, Lo meaning not. And the reason why God chooses that name for the second child is that you are not my people. He says to Israel, and I am not your God. Some have even questioned whether this child was actually the offspring of Hosea. And perhaps maybe another man, which would be an additional reason to name this child Lo Ami. In chapter 2, despite Israel’s constant unfaithfulness to him, he speaks of better times. Certainly times following the Babylonian captivity when they’ve given up their idolatry. But I think the tentacles of this passage even reach to the Messianic age and the gospel of grace and to us as well.

When he says in verse 19 of chapter 2, I will betrothe you to me forever. This is the ideal relationship for which God hopes and desires. Yet I will betrothe you to me in righteousness and in justice, in loving kindness and in compassion, and I will betrothe you to me in faithfulness, and then you will know the Lord. And he says in verse 23, and I will sow her for myself in the land. I will also have compassion, and I want you to hold this thought. We’ll do a little chain reference of our own in this sermon as well. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, and I will say to those who were not my people, okay, that’s their condition now.

Lo on me, not my people. But I will say to those who were not my people, you are my people. And they will say, Thou art my God. What are these raisin cakes that he goes on to mention in the next verse? If you have a King James version of the Bible, it says, flagons of wine. I don’t know what flagons of wine are, and I’m not sure the King James translators really knew what this expression was referring to. But all of the newer translations refer to these raisin cakes or these pressed cakes of dried grapes or dried fruit, which were offered to idols. If you go back to Jeremiah’s text in Jeremiah chapter 7, and you might want to flip over there because there’s another verse we’re going to reference in a moment.

A few books earlier in the Old Testament, in Jeremiah 7 and verse 18, he speaks of the sins of Judah. This passage is about the judgment that is coming upon them. The temple’s not going to be able to save them. And he says in verse 18 about the women needing dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven. That is, they make these cakes in offer to a false God, and they pour out their libations to other gods, which may be the reason the idea of libations is maybe why the King James went with wagons of wine. But the libations to other gods in order to spite me. And so this reference in Hosea chapter 3 and verse 1 to these cakes of raisins that they really love, speak of their spiritual unfaithfulness to Jehovah.

They are serving false gods.

1. The Trinkets of Spiritual Adultery

Is it possible that we could be guilty like them of loving raisin cakes? And so let’s make an application as to whatever one might allow to interfere with a loving and right relationship to God. I would be guilty of the same if there’s something that’s interfering with me responding to God as I should. As he desires his people to be betrothed to him and to be faithful to him just as he designs the husband and wife relationship. If there is something that is interfering with that relationship between you and God today, it’s your personal raisin cake. And I want to make a few observations about the raisin cakes of Hosea chapter 3 and verse 1, and talk about, first of all, the trinkets of spiritual adultery.

That’s what God is accusing Israel of, just like Gomer is being unfaithful to Hosea, and yet he has to go in and to her again, as we read in Hosea 3 and verse 1, these raisin cakes are a symbol of an adulterous relationship. They have left their proper relationship with God for these trinkets of spiritual adultery. I chose the word trinkets for a reason. Whatever it is that might stand between an individual and God, however much value we place on that object, that thing, that practice or habit in our lives, however much value we attach to it, if that thing is keeping you between a right relationship with God, if that thing is pulling you away from him, rest assured, it’s just a trinket. It’s cheap.

It’s over inflated in your mind in regard to its value. Is there something today that stands between you and God? Something that you know is not consistent with what the Bible teaches about holiness and morality before God. Whatever that thing is, no matter how much value you attach to it or how important that you think it is to you, please be advised that it is not worth what you think it is worth. It is merely a trinket. For some, it is a course of sensuality, of which they may understand the Bible does not approve fornication, adultery, homosexuality, or just activities that incite lust. A course of sensuality. Perhaps it is the desire to intoxicate oneself with alcoholic beverages. Perhaps it’s merely the popularity that we seek of our peers who are encouraging us to do things that are not consistent with the holiness the Bible speaks of.

Perhaps it is a desire for material wealth that consumes us. The desire to have more and more of this world’s goods and its things. Perhaps it’s simple laziness, a catering to pleasure that causes us to neglect feeding our spirits or feeding our souls sufficiently.

Every last one of them. Raisin cakes. Kidner’s commentary, and I love everything Derek Kidner has written about the Old Testament. I wish he had a commentary on every book. But he does have a commentary on Hosea, and he says, God is loving Israel to the uttermost while Israel gives her heart to of all things cakes of raisins. However, one may try to soften the jolt of this by associating these delicacies with religious feasts or rare occasions, the incongruity of it is still outrageous. And I like the way he says that. However much we try to be impressed with these raisin cakes and their importance in our lives, he says, people don’t see the incongruity of it, that really it’s outrageous. And whatever the trinket of spiritual adultery is, we need to understand that it is absolutely outrageous behavior.

Absolutely fascinated with worthless objects that are powerless to give us what we really need. We think in them as hope and life and good things, but they are powerless to truly help us. God’s estimate of a course of sensuality. He talks about those in Ephesians chapter 4 who have given themselves over to sensuality and a course of that kind and every kind of impurity with greediness, he says, it’s a futile walk.

It’s not going anywhere. It’s a dead end road. What about intoxication? That is dissipation, he says in Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 18, but you instead be filled with the Spirit. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide and shape and motivate your heart and your actions. What about popularity? The psalmist Asaph, who was envious of the wicked in Psalm 73, and it looked like they had the world by the tail, but he saw as he went to the sanctuary of God their end. And how they are destroyed in a moment. And while they may have a lot going on for them now with all their buddies, the end result of such a course is destruction. And we know the passage about the love of money, don’t we?

In 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 10. The love of money is the root of all sorts of evil. And those who pursue it pierce themselves through with many a pain. The New American Standard Bible says, ultimately, these riches will disappoint and not provide what they seem to promise. Well, and whatever we might say about this last category, as we refer to Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 25. The passing pleasures of sin. As we make choices that take us away from God and away from a right relationship to Him, whatever those things are, the end result of such a course is its passing. More on that in a moment. Sometimes we minimize the practice of sin in our lives, thinking it’s not that big a deal.

That’s why I wanted to make this point and make it strongly. It’s outrageous. We ought to always see it as such. We are absolutely appalled, and rightfully so, when we study the story of Joseph and his brothers selling him into slavery for 20 pieces of silver. Are you kidding me? For 20 pieces of silver, you’d sell your brother into slavery. What a horrible choice. Or even worse, the bargain of Judas. Thirty pieces of silver, that magnificent price, Zachariah prophesies about in Zachariah chapter 11, at which I was valued by them. And Judas, for 30 pieces of silver, bargains to betray the Lord. He even comes to his senses a little bit later as he tries to return the money to the chief priests. Or have we often talked about the story of Esau?

Because he was famished, he sold his most important possession. The birthright that was due him as beloved of his father Isaac and his firstborn. And he sold it. The thing that contained spiritual benefit and blessing from God. He sold his birthright to Jacob. Jacob valued it now, his means of achieving it and receiving it, we could call into question. But he valued what Esau did not. And Esau sold his birthright for a mess of stew. Pottage. I preached a sermon about this when I first started preaching. Every good preacher has a sermon on Esau selling his birthright. And the sermon was called pottage or pearl. Because there are the short little parables that Jesus told that I love so very much. And I don’t know if this is going to be in Jared’s, it’s going to be in Jared’s study on Wednesday night of the parables, where he talks about the kingdom of heaven likened to a treasure hidden in a field, and for joy over it, an individual sells all that he has so that he can buy that field.

2. The Short-Term Treasure of Such Choices

That’s what the kingdom’s like. Or it’s like a pearl, one pearl of great price. That one goes and sells all that he has so that he can buy it. Again, over joy for this pearl. What a contrast. The stew of Esau and the pearl and the hidden treasure of the gospel. That’s the nature of our choice. When we talk about the trinkets of spiritual adultery, it is the choice of pottage over pearl. And the second point that I would draw from this is the short-term treasure of such choices. Like Esau’s choice of the stew. The treasure. Again, no matter what value we ascribe to it, is short-lived. It’s hard to get that in our minds sometimes. There’s another way of looking at this. I call it the value of the dot over the things that have eternal significance.

What happens when we choose raisin cakes or our version of it, is that we are rejecting a long-term view and the eternal life that Jesus offers to us, and we’re focusing everything on this little dot. This little moment in time, and what we can receive in that moment. Whenever we sin, the now is exalted above the eternal every time. But both the pleasure and the reward is short term. It’s consumed and enjoyed, and then it’s gone. I told you there was another reference in Jeremiah chapter 5. Again, this is sometime after the message of Hosea. Israel has already been scattered to the four winds, but now Judah is about to be punished. And we read from Jeremiah 7 and verse 18 another reference to those raisin cakes.

And Jeremiah 5 and verse 30, when he says, an appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land, the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority, and my people love it so. But then comes one of the great questions of the Old Testament that I’ve often referred to. And we need to grapple with this question. Horrible things are happening in the land, God says through Jeremiah the prophet, and then he asks this question. But what will you do at the end of it? And that’s a tremendous question. What are you going to do at the end of it? You choose the dot above the eternal. But where’s that going to take you? Where is it going to take Judah? Where is it going to take those who continue to prefer those raisin cakes above their relationship with God, which should have been more highly valued.

Here’s the problem. The problem is we do not see the raisin cakes for what they are. Worthless, empty, short-term, and destructive. Paul figured it out. Look at Philippians chapter 3. Isn’t this what Paul is saying to us in Philippians chapter 3 about the former course of his life as he was a star on the rise in Judaism? He was a leader among the Jews. He had it all going on. A lot of people would think Saul of Tarsus was on the right track. He was upwardly mobile. He had it going on. And he says, in Philippians 3 and verse 7, but whatever things were gained to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things.

There are all kinds of present consequences to the choice that I’ve made. I had to give it all up, including personal well-being and health, as he has suffered persecution for this cause, and ultimately he’s going to be killed for it. But he says, I count them but rubbish. In order that I might gain Christ. How does Saul of Tarsus, now the Apostle Paul make this choice in Philippians chapter 3, verses 7 and 8? I want to tell you, he’s looking at eternity and not the dot. That’s how he does it. George W. Otis, in his book, The God They Never Knew. The tragedy of religion without relationship. I’ve quoted this book before. Otis says, no one who falls away from God does so on a moment’s impulse.

The implications are far too severe. And the hold of God is too strong. There must be, he says, a plot, a plan, a conspiracy, if you will, to subvert the rightful rulership of Christ in our hearts. You see, sin is not a sickness or a slip. Sin is the calculated, cruel, corrosive, and captivating choice that we make that harms our relationship with a holy God. Short term treasure. I’ll tell you what else happens as we love raisin cakes. We find ourselves in league with someone we don’t want to be in league with. And that’s our adversary. We find ourselves succumbing to his purposes for us that are always destructive. Choosing the broad way that leads to destruction brings us into fellowship with the evil one and the goats that will be on Jesus’ left on the day of judgment.

Do we really want to be associated with that lot?

3. Called Into His Marvelous Light

And so I asked the question why. I’m talking about not raisin cakes, but God’s will for us. And if I might summarize that in a few words, that is that we be godly. God focused in our life, holy in our thought and behavior according to 1 Peter chapter 1. Diligent in our pursuit of what is right and good and brings glory to God. It is a pursuit of the Beatitudes that we read about in Matthew chapter 5. Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness and all the things that are mentioned there. It is a pursuit of worship and of prayer. It is our role being fulfilled among the Lord’s people in the local church. It’s a life of service and then enduring in that course.

But I’m asking you this question. Why? And the answer is because of light.

Here’s the reason why you stay in the pursuit of this course. 1 Peter chapter 2. And here’s your cross-reference I told you about. Where God says to believers through the apostle Peter, you are a chosen race. A royal priesthood. A people for God’s own possession. Or a peculiar people. The King James Version says. Remember what we studied in Hosea chapter 2? I will betroth you to me forever. Remember that? You were not a people. Those who were not a people are going to be my people? Did you catch that? He says, You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light. For you were once not a people.

Loabi. You were once not a people, but now you believers in Christ, those of you who have put on Christ in baptism and now live the life of faith that began at that moment. You were once not a people, but now you are the people of God. You had once not obtained mercy, but now you have obtained mercy. You write in your Bible next to 1 Peter 2, 9 and 10, Hosea 23.

That’s what he’s referring to there. That’s who you are. And he’s not only called us into light out of darkness, into the kingdom of his dear son, Colossians chapter 1 and verse 13, he has called us into his marvelous light.

Sometimes we don’t regard it with the value that is properly due, such a course. If you are a believer in Christ who have been baptized into Christ, you have been called into God’s marvelous light. And therefore we should be compelled to act this way. Because we are.

As he talks about the dispensation of the gospel of grace, he says, in which he lavished upon us two great words in the book of Ephesians, lavish and unfathomable. Why so? Well, because of the benefits of loving God versus loving raisin cakes. We have been cleansed in Jesus’ blood. We have been made alive and raised up and renewed as a result of our decision to put him on. And we have come to fellowship with God and with his people to a relationship of love that can cause rejoicing and peace that surpasses all comprehension and hope of immortality. It is real purpose and true productivity. It is kingdom influence. We have an impact on the lives of others. It is real legacy. You know, we talk about making our mark in the world, and a lot of folks are out there pursuing degrees and positions in the corporate world.

But I want to tell you, your time will come, you’ll have it, and then you’ll be forgotten. But I want to tell you about what you’re doing right here today. This is kingdom legacy and influence. And while several generations down the road, the Lord wills that the earth stands that long, several generations down the road, they won’t be talking about the preaching of Brother Tony Mock anymore. Not sure they’re talking about it that much now. But they’re not going to be talking about that anymore. I’ll just be a distant memory, a part of someone’s family tree. Brett’s grandkids. Yeah, I had a great granddaddy who was a preacher. And soon a generation will come that forgets me, but I’ll tell you what. The faith that is passed down through Brett’s descendants.

4. The Warning: Are You Faithful Right Now?

The faith that all of us passed down into generation, into generation into generation that becomes more and more souls dedicated to Jesus Christ. Our decisions in this place and this time to live for the Lord has an impact that will last throughout the end of time. That’s legacy. That’s impossible. You know, when you choose the raisin cakes, they just last you for a few hours. That’s all. Nothing more. Nothing longer. One more point here, and I’ll be done this morning. There’s a warning in all of this in Hosea chapter 3 and verse 1. And I want you to listen to this very carefully. Those of you who are members of the body of Christ, there’s a great warning here. And the warning is simply this. Because you were alive in the past does not necessarily mean that you were alive in the present.

And then those passages that I read in Hosea, oh, I wish I had time to talk about Hosea 6, 1 through 6. Or the context of Jeremiah 7. You know the problem Israel had, they thought everything was still fine in their relationship with God. Folks are often not perceptive that something has gone tragically awry in their relationship with God. They still think everything is wonderful because they have not been diligent to assess where they are. I was baptized into Christ in the past, my sins were washed away. I was forgiven. Well, I know.

Well, what does that mean about today?

We talk about one saved, always saved not being true. The Bible doesn’t teach that. But I done another sermon a long time ago called They Teach It, We Practice It. And that’s one of the points. Some people act as if everything’s still okay because I became a Christian. Here’s the real question. The question is not, were you faithful in the past, but are you faithful right now? That was God’s message to Israel. And he says, You’re not. You’re not my people anymore. You’ve lost sight of what it means to be my chosen people. The question is not, are you still in right standing with the church? The greater question is, does God consider you loyal to Him? It’s sad and tragic. There are a lot of folks who will still be listed on the roles of the body of Christ in local churches when they pass from this life who will be unprepared for the day of judgment.

So I said, How do you know that? You some kind of a prophet? No. But it’s just what people do. It’s just how people are. And that’s why we’re warned let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Because we can lose sight of this. We can feel comfortable in that we’re still associated with God’s people. But the greater question is always we have limited knowledge of an individual’s heart, but God knows that. The issue is, does God consider you loyal to Him? Or is He saying, you’ve got a raisin cake problem that needs to be addressed. And rest assured, if there is, our Bible can instruct us how to fix such a course. Loving God and loving His people and loving righteousness is far better and infinitely more rewarding than raisin cakes.

Conclusion

So is there something this morning that stands between you and a right relationship with God? Not on the basis of what the Decker Prairie Church believes. Because hopefully, prayerfully, and in our diligent study, what we believe is based on the truth of this book. As Mike studied with us in our adult auditorium class this morning, you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Have you responded to this message? To the saving of your soul. And if you’ve not done so, I don’t know what it is that stands in your way. It could be something different than with somebody else in this audience this morning. I don’t know what the thing is that prevents you from obedience, but I can tell you this I know this for certain that whatever it is, whatever it is that you’re clinging to and holding on to, it is a raisin cake.

And you need to properly assess its value in relation to the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus as your Lord. And if you need to respond in a public way this morning, come now as we stand and sing together.