You Can'T Fool God with a Fake Facade — E.A. Johnston

The False Facade of Religious Appearance

If you will turn in your Bibles, friends, to the book of Hosea, I believe the Word of God has a word for us today. And as you're turning there, I want to ask you a question. Do you know what a false façade is?

A false façade was often used in architecture in the Old West. A false front is a front wall that extends above the roof and the sides of a building to create a more impressive façade. But the problem is there's nothing backing it up.

There's nothing behind it. It's just a fake front. Some of you sitting here today came in wearing a false façade. You want to give the impression that all is well in your spiritual life, that your walk with God is fine.

Do you put on a smile and act real religious and hope nobody sees through your false façade that is hiding the fact that your walk with God is nothing more than a sham because of your backslidden condition?

And if there was a bowl of plastic fruit on a table in the outside lobby, you'd be careful not to stand too close to it because you'd blend in too well. Listen, friends. You may fool your friends. You may fool your loved ones.

And you may fool yourself. But you can't fool God and get by. And that's the title of my message today, friends. You see, the Jews in the days of Hosea were going through all the religious motions of serving God.

Israel's Outward Religion and Inner Rebellion

But God had a controversy with them because they had become an outwardly religious people who were innerly a rebellious people and who had become self-reliant and disobedient to God in their personal lives by forsaking God for sin.

Did you hear that? They were swapping their affection for God, swapping it for sin. And God says about them, For Israel slideth back as a backslidden heifer. And in Hosea 4, 1 and 2, we read, Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel.

For the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land because there is no truth nor mercy nor knowledge of God in the land by swearing and lying and killing and stealing and committing adultery.

They break out, and blood toucheth blood. That's a pretty ugly laundry list of dirty sins, profanity and falsehood, murder and stealing, adultery and rebellion. Listen, friends, God has a controversy with His people Israel.

And God has a controversy with any of us today who call themselves a Christian and don't act like one. Sam Jones used to say that being a Christian meant quitting your meanness. Then how come so many Christians are still mean-spirited and even mean in their families?

So God calls the Jews out in the time of Hosea by telling them that although they may fool others, that from His perspective they are nothing more than false facades. And He has a controversy with them because they are on the wrong side of God because of some sin in their personal lives.

Returning to God through Sincere Repentance

But thank God, God has promises in His word. And one of them is found in Malachi 3, 7, which states, Return unto me, and I will return unto you. First, we have to admit God has left us to our own devices.

Like Samson, we've gone out of our tent and shook ourselves, but the power of God is gone. Vance Havner used to say that Samson may have looked better after his haircut, but he lost his power. I believe God, friends, in His mercy, is calling His church back to Him in these last days through remedial judgments in the land and through dealing with us in our lives.

He's calling us to return to Him in sincere repentance. An evangelist friend of mine was recently sharing a concern with me. He said he was talking to the missions director of his area, of his denomination, and he mentioned to this man that we needed to start preaching repentance again in our churches.

And the man said he disagreed with that and said the gospel just should be relatable. And that's our problem today in our churches where we've let the world inside the church and changed our message to make it more relatable to sinful man.

We've not only lost our voice of authority, but we've lost our power to boot. We might as well be trying to put out a ten-story raging fire with a water pistol. Listen, friends, if you're out of fellowship with God, you need to return to Him, but you need to return with a sincere heart and not like the Jews in the days of Hosea who just gave God lip service.

In Hosea 13 .3, we read about their insincere return. Therefore, they shall be as the morning cloud and as the early dew that passes away. God describes their insincere repentance to a passing cloud or moisture on the grass that appears for a little while in the morning, but as soon as the sun comes out, it dissipates.

The Danger and Cost of Sin

How many times have we made vows to God that we will change and we didn't keep it? How many times did we tell God we were giving it all to Him but self still remained on the throne of our heart? The sad reality is, when the church quit preaching hard against sin and a wicked society began promoting sin, we all became desensitized to sin and we've forgotten how to blush over sin.

But sin separates us from a thrice-holy God who hates sin. Listen, friend, there's danger, great, great danger in sin because sin will take you further than you want to go, leave you there longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you ever realized.

If you don't believe me, just go read the sad chapter in the life of King David and Bathsheba and see how sin cost him, but it lanced his heart in true repentance and all you have to do is read Psalm 51 to see David's sincere return back to God.

God's Loving Call to Wayward People

God is looking at you today, friend, and if you're out of fellowship with Him, He wants you to get right with Him. Get right with Him now. Even though Israel had gotten away from God, a loving Father kept wooing them back time and time again with the cords of love.

In Hosea chapter 11, we hear the loving heart cries of God over His wayward children. When Israel was a child, then I loved Him. I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love, and my people are bent to backsliding from me.

How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? I will not execute the fierceness of my anger. I will not return to destroy Ephraim, for I am God and not man, the Holy One in the midst of thee. God is looking for sincere repentance.

Are we willing to do it in sincerity and brokenness? The days are growing darker, friends, as society spins out of control into moral chaos. Christ will not return for a dirty bride. We must wash ourselves from our filth and return to Him in true repentance.

Seeking the Lord and Preparing for Christ's Return

God in His mercy will return to us. We see how to seek the Lord in Hosea 10, 12, where God declares, So to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy, break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord till He come and reign righteousness upon you.

Oh, friends, go to God now, if you've been away from Him, and get right with Him. Let us pray. Oh, great God, I come to You now. I'm like the prodigal son, Lord, I've been away from You. I'm sick and tired of living on the husks of the devil.

I will arise and go to my Father and confess I have sinned against Thee. I'm not worthy of Your mercy, Lord, but I know I can't make it without You. Grant me the grace of repentance to return to You with a sincere heart.

Prayer for a Clean Heart and Restored Joy

Oh, Lord, I confess my dirty, rotten sins and I ask You to grant me a personal revival, create in me a clean heart, oh God, and restore to me the joy of Your salvation. I pray these things in the strong name of Jesus.

Amen.