WEBVTT 00:00:02.349 --> 00:00:05.250 As I've already said, I'm not normally, the pastor 00:00:05.250 --> 00:00:07.089 here, I'm not normally preaching, so forgive 00:00:07.089 --> 00:00:10.070 me if I do stumble over anything. We are in Hosea 00:00:10.070 --> 00:00:12.910 this morning, the first of the minor prophets, 00:00:12.949 --> 00:00:16.410 and we are gonna be ending our study this morning. 00:00:16.649 --> 00:00:19.050 It's been a really great time, really, really 00:00:19.050 --> 00:00:23.739 has. We're in Hosea 14. But right before I read 00:00:23.739 --> 00:00:25.739 this, I do wanna just give a parental warning, 00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:27.440 which is a little strange thing to do before 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:30.280 a sermon. There's gonna be a little section in 00:00:30.280 --> 00:00:33.060 here that's about a PG -13 level. I'm gonna be 00:00:33.060 --> 00:00:34.920 referencing the biblical story that just deals 00:00:34.920 --> 00:00:37.399 with violence and sexual abuse. So if you need 00:00:37.399 --> 00:00:39.119 to, feel free to step out. I'll give you a little 00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:41.759 signal when it's happening, but don't want anybody 00:00:41.759 --> 00:00:44.320 to feel obligated to say through that. I'm gonna 00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:49.909 read Hosea 14 for us. Israel, return to the Lord 00:00:49.909 --> 00:00:53.149 your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity. 00:00:53.450 --> 00:00:55.649 Take words of repentance with you and return 00:00:55.649 --> 00:00:59.350 to the Lord. Say to him, forgive all our iniquity 00:00:59.350 --> 00:01:01.850 and accept what is good, so that we may repay 00:01:01.850 --> 00:01:05.049 you with the praise from our lips. Assyria will 00:01:05.049 --> 00:01:08.250 not save us, we will not ride on horses, and 00:01:08.250 --> 00:01:11.329 we will no longer proclaim our gods to the work 00:01:11.329 --> 00:01:14.430 of our hands, for the fatherless receive compassion 00:01:14.430 --> 00:01:19.579 in you. I will heal their apostasy. I will freely 00:01:19.579 --> 00:01:22.359 love them, for my anger will have turned from 00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:25.700 him. I will be like the dew to Israel. He will 00:01:25.700 --> 00:01:28.319 blossom like the lily and take root like the 00:01:28.319 --> 00:01:31.280 cedars of Lebanon. His new branches will spread 00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:33.500 and his splendor will be like the olive tree, 00:01:33.700 --> 00:01:36.819 his fragrance like the forest of Lebanon. The 00:01:36.819 --> 00:01:39.480 people will return and live beneath his shade. 00:01:39.739 --> 00:01:42.359 They will grow grain and blossom like the vine. 00:01:42.680 --> 00:01:45.060 His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon. 00:01:46.269 --> 00:01:48.790 Ephraim, why should I have anything more to do 00:01:48.790 --> 00:01:51.530 with idols? It is I who answer and watch over 00:01:51.530 --> 00:01:54.629 him. I am like a flourishing pine tree, your 00:01:54.629 --> 00:01:59.370 fruit comes from me. Let whoever is wise understand 00:01:59.370 --> 00:02:01.769 these things, and whoever is insightful recognize 00:02:01.769 --> 00:02:04.829 them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and 00:02:04.829 --> 00:02:07.730 the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious 00:02:07.730 --> 00:02:14.530 stumble in them. Let's pray this morning. Our 00:02:14.530 --> 00:02:18.259 Father in heaven. Your name be honored as holy. 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:22.379 We pray for your word to pierce us, to divide 00:02:22.379 --> 00:02:26.240 us, to expose us so that we can be healed, so 00:02:26.240 --> 00:02:28.860 that we can be more like your son, so that we 00:02:28.860 --> 00:02:31.699 can see ourselves for who we are and what needs 00:02:31.699 --> 00:02:34.099 to be eradicated from our lives, so we can bring 00:02:34.099 --> 00:02:38.659 it to you and you can restore us. I pray for 00:02:38.659 --> 00:02:40.879 this time in our hearts that we would be prepared 00:02:40.879 --> 00:02:46.789 for this work. In Jesus' name, amen. Anyone here 00:02:46.789 --> 00:02:51.569 guilty of a non -apology? Here's the classic 00:02:51.569 --> 00:02:56.969 one. I'm sorry you feel that way. It's not an 00:02:56.969 --> 00:03:01.490 apology. It doesn't mean anything. I was looking 00:03:01.490 --> 00:03:03.150 online to see if I could find another one, and 00:03:03.150 --> 00:03:05.270 the other one that I found, you gotta put on 00:03:05.270 --> 00:03:08.969 your sincere voice, you gotta slow down, annunciate 00:03:08.969 --> 00:03:14.259 really clearly. We all make mistakes. and we 00:03:14.259 --> 00:03:16.439 need to be able to move on from them. I know 00:03:16.439 --> 00:03:21.819 I have. It doesn't mean anything. Who's at fault 00:03:21.819 --> 00:03:24.039 here? Are you at fault or am I at fault that 00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:25.900 I move on from your mistakes or should you move 00:03:25.900 --> 00:03:30.039 on from my mistakes? Who knows? It's a non -apology. 00:03:30.699 --> 00:03:32.539 There's sincere words that don't mean anything. 00:03:33.379 --> 00:03:35.379 There's no admission of guilt or even a little 00:03:35.379 --> 00:03:38.280 recognition that maybe my words or actions hurt 00:03:38.280 --> 00:03:43.430 you, that they affected you. Hosea 14. Kind of 00:03:43.430 --> 00:03:45.150 is the opposite of this, and I'm using this as 00:03:45.150 --> 00:03:48.389 the intro to wrap up our time to realize that 00:03:48.389 --> 00:03:50.710 they are gonna come with an apology. They are 00:03:50.710 --> 00:03:53.110 gonna come with real repentance, none of this 00:03:53.110 --> 00:03:56.069 fake stuff. And we're gonna see the power of 00:03:56.069 --> 00:03:57.949 that repentance, and we're gonna see the effect, 00:03:58.289 --> 00:04:00.490 the beautiful restoration that the Lord has for 00:04:00.490 --> 00:04:05.069 them. Chapter 14 opens with the prophet calling 00:04:05.069 --> 00:04:07.870 for the people of Israel to repent of their sins. 00:04:08.490 --> 00:04:12.050 He describes their current condition and is pleading 00:04:12.050 --> 00:04:15.250 with them to change their ways. But before I 00:04:15.250 --> 00:04:17.209 go on, gotta do a little quick recap right at 00:04:17.209 --> 00:04:19.250 the end of the chapter. So I wanna make sure 00:04:19.250 --> 00:04:20.810 that everybody has everything that they need 00:04:20.810 --> 00:04:24.029 to know about Hosea loaded up in their brains. 00:04:24.610 --> 00:04:28.439 Hosea, it starts really strange. Hosea receives 00:04:28.439 --> 00:04:31.759 this command from the Lord, go and marry a woman 00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:36.240 who's gonna be unfaithful to you. What? But that's 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:38.199 literally the command, go marry a promiscuous 00:04:38.199 --> 00:04:41.879 woman. So Hosea does it. He goes and marries 00:04:41.879 --> 00:04:45.579 his wife Gomer. And Gomer pursues other men. 00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:48.259 It's unclear exactly, but it seems to indicate 00:04:48.259 --> 00:04:52.120 that she has children from other men in their 00:04:52.120 --> 00:04:54.699 marriage. And those children. In English, they 00:04:54.699 --> 00:04:57.160 would be the valley of blood, not my people, 00:04:57.399 --> 00:05:01.759 no compassion, crazy names, but they have a purpose. 00:05:02.459 --> 00:05:05.160 The Lord is communicating in this kind of parable 00:05:05.160 --> 00:05:07.740 analogy that he's going to turn his face away 00:05:07.740 --> 00:05:10.560 from Israel because they have been unfaithful, 00:05:10.759 --> 00:05:13.579 unwilling to listen and have loved other gods. 00:05:14.600 --> 00:05:16.560 And then the next 10 chapters, so that's the 00:05:16.560 --> 00:05:18.959 first three chapters, the next 10 chapters are 00:05:18.959 --> 00:05:21.220 these warnings about coming judgment, a plea 00:05:21.220 --> 00:05:25.180 to return and Israel, again, just Blatant sin 00:05:25.180 --> 00:05:28.879 all over the place. And in it, there's mixed 00:05:28.879 --> 00:05:31.800 like the Lord's sorrow and a little bit of these 00:05:31.800 --> 00:05:33.899 like hints of restoration. They're in there, 00:05:33.899 --> 00:05:37.639 but they're hard to see. But the idol worship, 00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:40.560 the picture of an unfaithful wife and the pending 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:43.120 judgment of the Lord need to be in our brains 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:46.139 as we're reading this. Because in chapter 14, 00:05:46.420 --> 00:05:50.500 all of that is gonna get reversed. Because Israel's 00:05:50.500 --> 00:05:52.860 gonna change their heart. Look at verse one with 00:05:52.860 --> 00:05:56.939 me. Israel, return to the Lord, for you have 00:05:56.939 --> 00:06:01.360 stumbled in your iniquity. Pause, it's really 00:06:01.360 --> 00:06:02.980 easy to misread, I'm gonna stop a couple times 00:06:02.980 --> 00:06:06.959 to really emphasize what we're saying here. We're 00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:09.240 so used to this idea that maybe Israel just tripped, 00:06:09.339 --> 00:06:11.420 maybe they just need to, all humans trip, we 00:06:11.420 --> 00:06:13.339 fall, we mess up, can't you just give us a little 00:06:13.339 --> 00:06:16.959 bit more grace, God? It's so much more severe 00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:21.000 than that. This is a final desperate plea. from 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:23.519 the prophet to try to save Israel from judgment. 00:06:23.899 --> 00:06:25.759 These are his people, these are the people he's 00:06:25.759 --> 00:06:28.279 lived around, and he is pleading with them to 00:06:28.279 --> 00:06:33.319 change. So my first point this morning is get 00:06:33.319 --> 00:06:37.139 up. Hosea starts with this instruction, return 00:06:37.139 --> 00:06:40.160 to the Lord. And again, return to the Lord, pretty 00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:43.319 easy. But that word is repeated 13 times in Hosea. 00:06:44.009 --> 00:06:47.290 It's been a constant call. Keep coming back. 00:06:47.750 --> 00:06:51.149 Stop chasing security, Hosea says. Stop trying 00:06:51.149 --> 00:06:54.209 to be prosperous apart from God. Go back to him. 00:06:54.310 --> 00:06:58.029 Go back. He's ready to receive you. But for the 00:06:58.029 --> 00:06:59.889 first 13 chapters, they just were not willing. 00:07:00.750 --> 00:07:03.449 And then the prophet gives the reason why he's 00:07:03.449 --> 00:07:07.110 so concerned. You have stumbled in your iniquity. 00:07:08.170 --> 00:07:10.670 And again, stumbled in English. It's the right 00:07:10.670 --> 00:07:12.069 word, it's the right translation. I'm not gonna 00:07:12.069 --> 00:07:13.949 say it's wrong, but it's a kind of a light word, 00:07:14.050 --> 00:07:15.970 right? Like I can stumble and trip, or maybe 00:07:15.970 --> 00:07:17.670 I just stumble over my words and I don't get 00:07:17.670 --> 00:07:21.110 my meaning out correctly. But in Hebrew thought 00:07:21.110 --> 00:07:25.550 it's so much weightier. In Jeremiah 46, warriors 00:07:25.550 --> 00:07:29.569 stumble in battle before they die. It's not just 00:07:29.569 --> 00:07:34.290 trip. In Psalm nine, it says this, evil ones 00:07:34.290 --> 00:07:38.269 stumble and perish before the Lord. So stumbling 00:07:38.269 --> 00:07:41.839 is not like tripping. in Hebrew thought. Stumbling 00:07:41.839 --> 00:07:45.680 is the beginning of the end. And recovering from 00:07:45.680 --> 00:07:48.319 stumbling is really hard because it requires 00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:51.500 changing your ways, drastically changing. It's 00:07:51.500 --> 00:07:53.800 why stumbling usually ends with destruction. 00:07:54.180 --> 00:07:56.980 And that's why Hosea is so urgent. You're about 00:07:56.980 --> 00:07:59.000 to go into destruction, Israel. You're about 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:02.540 to be ruinous. You're about to lose it all. Turn. 00:08:03.500 --> 00:08:07.379 And so here's the picture. Verse one is Israel's 00:08:07.379 --> 00:08:09.939 lying face down in an alleyway. They're beaten 00:08:09.939 --> 00:08:12.879 up, they're dirty. And Hosea is just pleading 00:08:12.879 --> 00:08:15.620 with them, guys, come back, stop chasing your 00:08:15.620 --> 00:08:20.480 false lovers. Return to the Lord, stop going 00:08:20.480 --> 00:08:24.339 away from him. And I gotta be honest, I'm gonna 00:08:24.339 --> 00:08:26.319 double down here. I still think there's a chance 00:08:26.319 --> 00:08:30.860 that we might not get this. So, here's the PG 00:08:30.860 --> 00:08:34.899 -13 part, okay? I'm gonna use this biblical example 00:08:34.899 --> 00:08:38.100 from Judges 19. Anybody read Judges 19 earlier? 00:08:38.869 --> 00:08:40.929 Just, you know, it's your Sunday morning read. 00:08:42.929 --> 00:08:44.769 No, because nobody wants to read this chapter 00:08:44.769 --> 00:08:46.850 of the Bible. It would be why the Bible gets 00:08:46.850 --> 00:08:49.029 like an adult only rating if it was turned into 00:08:49.029 --> 00:08:53.169 a movie. So let me describe it for you. And just, 00:08:53.169 --> 00:08:55.250 here's my disclaimer. Everybody in this chapter 00:08:55.250 --> 00:08:58.289 is an Israelite, okay? These are the ancestors 00:08:58.289 --> 00:09:00.250 of the people of Israel that we're talking about 00:09:00.250 --> 00:09:03.490 in Hosea. A Levi and his concubine were traveling 00:09:03.490 --> 00:09:04.850 and they were in Bethlehem and they have to go 00:09:04.850 --> 00:09:07.250 back home. So they gotta travel quite a distance 00:09:07.250 --> 00:09:09.129 and it's gonna, they gotta stay the night somewhere. 00:09:09.549 --> 00:09:11.649 And they're traveling and they pass the Gentile 00:09:11.649 --> 00:09:13.289 village and say, no, no, that could be too dangerous. 00:09:13.330 --> 00:09:15.190 We need to go to the Israel village. It's a little 00:09:15.190 --> 00:09:17.529 bit farther. So they keep trekking along and 00:09:17.529 --> 00:09:19.470 they go to the Israel village. They sit in the 00:09:19.470 --> 00:09:21.070 square and waiting for somebody to invite them 00:09:21.070 --> 00:09:23.669 home so that they can rest. That's normal cultural 00:09:23.669 --> 00:09:26.470 for them. And this old man comes and sees them 00:09:26.470 --> 00:09:27.669 in the square and it's getting late. He's like, 00:09:27.690 --> 00:09:29.950 what are you guys doing out here? You guys get 00:09:29.950 --> 00:09:32.389 inside. This isn't gonna be safe for you. That's 00:09:32.389 --> 00:09:35.970 like, whoa, why is it not safe? And so they're 00:09:35.970 --> 00:09:39.830 eating dinner and all of a sudden, a mob shows 00:09:39.830 --> 00:09:43.509 up, angry mob. You know what they wanna do? They 00:09:43.509 --> 00:09:46.570 wanna rape the Levite. That's what they asked 00:09:46.570 --> 00:09:49.029 to do. They demand for this to happen. And the 00:09:49.029 --> 00:09:50.649 old man's like, no, no, no, don't do that. That's 00:09:50.649 --> 00:09:54.470 too sinful. Here's my virgin daughter. And then 00:09:54.470 --> 00:09:56.169 the Levite's like, sure, take my concubine too. 00:09:56.190 --> 00:10:02.080 I'll volunteer them. And so. The angry mob gets 00:10:02.080 --> 00:10:04.899 even angrier. How dare you keep us from our sexual 00:10:04.899 --> 00:10:09.759 lust? And you're like, what in the world? Don't 00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:12.700 worry, gets worse. So the Levite picks up his 00:10:12.700 --> 00:10:15.179 concubine, probably hiding from the mob and her 00:10:15.179 --> 00:10:18.559 husband, and throws her out the door, locks the 00:10:18.559 --> 00:10:21.299 door, closes it for the night. And the angry 00:10:21.299 --> 00:10:23.580 mob rapes and abuses her for the rest of the 00:10:23.580 --> 00:10:26.279 night. Until the next morning, the Levite gets 00:10:26.279 --> 00:10:29.710 up and says, concubine, time to go. And she's 00:10:29.710 --> 00:10:36.009 dead. So the Levite takes her home. It's disgusting, 00:10:36.149 --> 00:10:39.169 it's revolting. The way that you should feel 00:10:39.169 --> 00:10:41.269 is probably the way that you feel right now. 00:10:44.789 --> 00:10:50.509 Everybody in that story is an Israelite. And 00:10:50.509 --> 00:10:54.309 the thing that is even harder is Israel in the 00:10:54.309 --> 00:10:56.649 time of Hosea acted every single one of those 00:10:56.649 --> 00:11:00.769 parts. They acted like the angry mob who wanted 00:11:00.769 --> 00:11:03.950 sexual lust and didn't care. They acted like 00:11:03.950 --> 00:11:06.090 the Levite who was supposed to be a priest and 00:11:06.090 --> 00:11:08.669 taking care of the people and abused the vulnerable. 00:11:10.210 --> 00:11:13.929 They were also the people who wanted to play 00:11:13.929 --> 00:11:17.990 the whore with false gods. And again, that's 00:11:17.990 --> 00:11:19.950 not me using charged words. That's literally 00:11:19.950 --> 00:11:23.929 the language of Hosea. Hosea is pleading with 00:11:23.929 --> 00:11:28.029 its people, stop doing this. This is what you're 00:11:28.029 --> 00:11:31.409 doing. He just describes it. Some of the things 00:11:31.409 --> 00:11:34.169 that he says is the idol worship was so rampant 00:11:34.169 --> 00:11:36.470 in Israel in that time that under every green 00:11:36.470 --> 00:11:38.830 tree, there was incense rising, there was gods 00:11:38.830 --> 00:11:42.009 and incense rising, none of it to the Lord. They 00:11:42.009 --> 00:11:44.610 were so concerned about their military power 00:11:44.610 --> 00:11:47.750 that they pursued foreign gods, giving away their 00:11:47.750 --> 00:11:51.169 money, giving away their resources and not caring 00:11:51.169 --> 00:11:55.940 for the poor in their cities. Hosea describes 00:11:55.940 --> 00:12:00.220 daughters being sent off to be religious prostitutes 00:12:00.220 --> 00:12:06.919 to Baal. That's how bad it is. So when I describe 00:12:06.919 --> 00:12:11.679 Israel lying face down in the dirt, beaten, bruised 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:16.840 and ravaged, Israel chose to do that. They chose 00:12:16.840 --> 00:12:20.500 to keep going back. She had done it to others 00:12:20.500 --> 00:12:25.169 and it's going to happen to her as well. So don't 00:12:25.169 --> 00:12:26.990 think the Lord wasn't patient. Don't think the 00:12:26.990 --> 00:12:28.809 Lord wasn't generous. Don't think the Lord wasn't 00:12:28.809 --> 00:12:31.149 trying to call her back over and over and over 00:12:31.149 --> 00:12:33.230 again, because it's hundreds of years of that. 00:12:34.250 --> 00:12:37.370 And she had left every single time. So let me 00:12:37.370 --> 00:12:40.789 read verse one again. I think it'll feel different. 00:12:42.029 --> 00:12:45.429 Israel returned to the Lord your God, for you 00:12:45.429 --> 00:12:53.299 have stumbled in your iniquity. Turn to the Lord, 00:12:53.539 --> 00:12:56.779 stop following your ways. You are about to perish, 00:12:56.940 --> 00:13:04.700 just go back. Point number two, take words. Reading 00:13:04.700 --> 00:13:07.559 at verse two, take words of repentance with you 00:13:07.559 --> 00:13:10.639 and return to the Lord. Say to him, forgive all 00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:13.120 our iniquity and accept what is good so that 00:13:13.120 --> 00:13:17.149 we may repay you with praise from our lips. Assyria 00:13:17.149 --> 00:13:19.789 will not save us, we will not ride on horses 00:13:19.789 --> 00:13:23.450 and we will no longer proclaim our gods to the 00:13:23.450 --> 00:13:26.230 works of our hands for the fatherless receive 00:13:26.230 --> 00:13:31.509 compassion in you. Take words of repentance with 00:13:31.509 --> 00:13:35.149 you and return to the Lord. So back in Hosea 00:13:35.149 --> 00:13:37.759 six. The people said they were gonna do that. 00:13:37.879 --> 00:13:39.440 They said that they were gonna return to the 00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:41.700 Lord, but they were gonna bring their offerings 00:13:41.700 --> 00:13:43.480 and they were gonna make a nice little show of 00:13:43.480 --> 00:13:45.360 it. God, aren't you gonna appreciate my nice 00:13:45.360 --> 00:13:47.559 big bowls? They're really meaty for you, God. 00:13:49.220 --> 00:13:51.159 They thought they could placate God, that they 00:13:51.159 --> 00:13:52.960 could turn on the show and that God wouldn't 00:13:52.960 --> 00:13:56.960 notice. It would just be a couple of days of 00:13:56.960 --> 00:13:58.820 pain and then God would heal them. It's fine, 00:13:58.899 --> 00:14:02.179 don't worry about it. Anybody ever hear? Try 00:14:02.179 --> 00:14:05.960 to pretend in repentance. Anyone here try to 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:07.639 pretend that the Lord couldn't see you through 00:14:07.639 --> 00:14:10.279 your motives as you prayed for forgiveness? Like 00:14:10.279 --> 00:14:11.980 maybe you were already kind of planning on how 00:14:11.980 --> 00:14:14.080 you were gonna sin again as you were trying to 00:14:14.080 --> 00:14:20.399 repent. It's a wonderful and terribly scary truth 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:24.399 that the Lord sees through our motives and rejects 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:28.399 anything less than true repentance. Hosea 6 .6 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:32.850 says, for I desire faithful love and not. sacrifice, 00:14:33.250 --> 00:14:35.389 the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. 00:14:35.929 --> 00:14:39.049 He doesn't want your love bombing. He doesn't 00:14:39.049 --> 00:14:43.230 need your gifts. Your bull won't mean much to 00:14:43.230 --> 00:14:45.789 his pasture. He owns enough bulls and cattle 00:14:45.789 --> 00:14:50.549 guys. What he wants is humble submission. He 00:14:50.549 --> 00:14:56.450 wants you to want him and need him. You can actually 00:14:56.450 --> 00:14:59.070 see it in the call. The instruction is to pick 00:14:59.070 --> 00:15:01.470 up words of repentance and carry them to the 00:15:01.470 --> 00:15:04.690 Lord. So here's a question for you, anybody who's 00:15:04.690 --> 00:15:08.830 been in a relationship. What is easier to give 00:15:08.830 --> 00:15:11.750 to your significant other after you've argued? 00:15:12.529 --> 00:15:19.299 A bouquet of flowers or an apology? Yeah. Like 00:15:19.299 --> 00:15:21.360 cleaning the house, like detailing the car, that 00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:24.399 is so much cheaper than it is to actually be 00:15:24.399 --> 00:15:28.059 heartfelt repentant before them. Like the words 00:15:28.059 --> 00:15:31.340 feel different, don't they? They feel heavier, 00:15:31.500 --> 00:15:33.159 like they're harder to come out, like you just 00:15:33.159 --> 00:15:34.679 can't breathe, like there's a pain on your chest, 00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:37.340 like I'm trying to say it, and it's just not 00:15:37.340 --> 00:15:42.679 coming out. So the image here is that Israel's 00:15:42.679 --> 00:15:44.320 supposed to pick up the heaviest thing they can 00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:47.429 carry, which is their words of repentance. and 00:15:47.429 --> 00:15:49.750 carry them all the way back to the altar of God, 00:15:50.070 --> 00:15:53.169 and that's their sacrifice. Actually, in the 00:15:53.169 --> 00:15:57.429 Hebrew, the last word in the verse, praise, is 00:15:57.429 --> 00:16:02.309 literally bulls. So one translation says it like 00:16:02.309 --> 00:16:05.429 this, completely forgive our iniquity, accept 00:16:05.429 --> 00:16:08.389 our penitential prayer that we may offer the 00:16:08.389 --> 00:16:13.169 praise of our lips as sacrificial bulls. I want 00:16:13.169 --> 00:16:15.289 you to hear that again. Completely forgive our 00:16:15.289 --> 00:16:18.409 iniquity. Accept our penitential prayer that 00:16:18.409 --> 00:16:21.429 we may offer the praise of our lips as sacrificial 00:16:21.429 --> 00:16:25.509 bowls. That's their offering. Their offering 00:16:25.509 --> 00:16:27.850 is just the words, but the words are not empty. 00:16:28.049 --> 00:16:31.350 It is everything in them that is bringing it 00:16:31.350 --> 00:16:34.529 there. So the first half is a plea for forgiveness 00:16:34.529 --> 00:16:38.230 and the sacrifice they offer is words. But there's 00:16:38.230 --> 00:16:40.309 no expectations of restoration in there, is there? 00:16:41.220 --> 00:16:43.860 There's no timeline. They are just submitted. 00:16:44.039 --> 00:16:47.559 They only offer repentance with the hope of forgiveness. 00:16:48.299 --> 00:16:50.379 And that's the true sign of repentance. It's 00:16:50.379 --> 00:16:53.700 humility. It's not expecting anything in return. 00:16:53.820 --> 00:16:56.059 It is saying that this is what I have done, naming 00:16:56.059 --> 00:16:58.940 it, laying it bare, and then just waiting for 00:16:58.940 --> 00:17:03.299 the other side to return. Point number three. 00:17:04.619 --> 00:17:08.900 No more. We see next how Israel is turning away 00:17:08.900 --> 00:17:11.930 from their two false lovers. foreign nation and 00:17:11.930 --> 00:17:16.750 false gods. Listen here, Assyria will not save 00:17:16.750 --> 00:17:19.869 us. We will not ride on horses and we will no 00:17:19.869 --> 00:17:22.329 longer proclaim our gods to the works of our 00:17:22.329 --> 00:17:25.509 hands. So Israel is acknowledging how far they 00:17:25.509 --> 00:17:28.029 came and what they had been doing. Their hopes 00:17:28.029 --> 00:17:31.690 and dreams were wicked. They tried to cozy up 00:17:31.690 --> 00:17:33.730 to the big, powerful Assyria. They tried to get 00:17:33.730 --> 00:17:36.150 military power. They wanted to ride on horses, 00:17:36.150 --> 00:17:38.289 which means they wanted to conquer other people 00:17:38.289 --> 00:17:42.779 and defend their land. but they repent of that 00:17:42.779 --> 00:17:46.799 dream. Israel also repents of their idol worship. 00:17:47.420 --> 00:17:49.839 John covered this deeply last week, I'd recommend 00:17:49.839 --> 00:17:52.440 you go listen to that, but they had set up calves 00:17:52.440 --> 00:17:55.140 to keep people going down to Jerusalem and worshiping 00:17:55.140 --> 00:17:58.680 there. They had set up idols in places of worship 00:17:58.680 --> 00:18:02.960 to the local gods called Baal and Asherah. They 00:18:02.960 --> 00:18:05.079 set up those all around, just so anywhere you 00:18:05.079 --> 00:18:07.019 wanted to go sin and worship, you could go and 00:18:07.019 --> 00:18:10.970 do that. They were breaking the first two commands 00:18:10.970 --> 00:18:13.329 of God's covenant with them. No other gods before 00:18:13.329 --> 00:18:15.509 me and don't make for yourself an idol. They 00:18:15.509 --> 00:18:18.130 just couldn't help themselves. And don't think 00:18:18.130 --> 00:18:21.690 you are too evolved beyond this same temptation 00:18:21.690 --> 00:18:24.109 or somehow they were just naive and you're not. 00:18:25.549 --> 00:18:28.690 They pursued foreign nations and made idols because 00:18:28.690 --> 00:18:32.089 they wanted security, protection and prosperity. 00:18:33.869 --> 00:18:36.619 Anyone here ever? kind of want to get looped 00:18:36.619 --> 00:18:39.000 into a get -rich -quick scheme just so that, 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:40.400 you know, it could take care of your family? 00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:44.000 Or how about this one? I'm guilty of this one. 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:46.359 Anybody here ever daydream of what it would have 00:18:46.359 --> 00:18:49.180 liked to get Bitcoin in 2012? You know, just 00:18:49.180 --> 00:18:53.019 to have a little bit more? Or maybe you reserved, 00:18:54.960 --> 00:18:58.619 you watched your brother and sister as they got 00:18:58.619 --> 00:19:00.500 something and you didn't, and then you kind of 00:19:00.500 --> 00:19:02.220 judged them for how better you would have handled 00:19:02.220 --> 00:19:08.980 it compared to them? My hands up. But no way 00:19:08.980 --> 00:19:10.759 I labeled it what it was, right? No way I called 00:19:10.759 --> 00:19:14.460 it idolatry, envy, or greed. I called it financial 00:19:14.460 --> 00:19:18.220 stability or pursuing options, like the words 00:19:18.220 --> 00:19:22.319 matter. My heart was doing the same thing Israel 00:19:22.319 --> 00:19:25.400 was doing. It was chasing false gods. I was looking 00:19:25.400 --> 00:19:28.240 for money to provide me protection instead of 00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:30.660 the Lord. And we all want the same things that 00:19:30.660 --> 00:19:33.400 Israel did. They're good things, security and 00:19:33.400 --> 00:19:36.980 prosperity. And we are all in some way so easily 00:19:36.980 --> 00:19:40.019 fall into cultural norms or fleshly desires to 00:19:40.019 --> 00:19:43.019 get it. That's the human condition, creating 00:19:43.019 --> 00:19:47.180 idols and chasing them. And if you think idolatry 00:19:47.180 --> 00:19:48.920 is this big word that you don't know exactly 00:19:48.920 --> 00:19:50.819 how to encapsulate it, here's a really simple 00:19:50.819 --> 00:19:54.460 definition. Trusting in created things rather 00:19:54.460 --> 00:19:58.299 than the creator. That's what idolatry is. Trusting 00:19:58.299 --> 00:20:02.720 in created things rather than the creator. And 00:20:02.720 --> 00:20:05.019 if you notice in verse three, it's like steps. 00:20:06.539 --> 00:20:09.700 The statements are descending down until they 00:20:09.700 --> 00:20:13.819 hit rock bottom in the last line. Assyria will 00:20:13.819 --> 00:20:15.380 not save us. We will not ride on the horses. 00:20:15.480 --> 00:20:17.839 We will no longer proclaim our gods to the works 00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:20.920 of our hands for the fatherless receive compassion 00:20:20.920 --> 00:20:25.140 in you. So there's this thing in Hebrew poetry 00:20:25.140 --> 00:20:28.799 where it'll repeat the same word that was used 00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:32.329 earlier and change the meaning. And that's what's 00:20:32.329 --> 00:20:35.390 happening here. Hosea, in the beginning of the 00:20:35.390 --> 00:20:39.910 book, if everybody remembers it, he had to describe 00:20:39.910 --> 00:20:42.109 that there was no more compassion going to Israel. 00:20:43.930 --> 00:20:46.509 That Israel had gone too far and the Lord was 00:20:46.509 --> 00:20:49.609 gonna give them over to their sin. But here, 00:20:50.349 --> 00:20:52.490 he's saying that there's this expectation of 00:20:52.490 --> 00:20:54.970 compassion. When there was no compassion before, 00:20:55.009 --> 00:20:58.410 there is now. For the fatherless receives compassion 00:20:58.410 --> 00:21:01.210 in you. And I think there's two intentions here. 00:21:01.269 --> 00:21:03.470 One, there's a recognition of God's character. 00:21:04.710 --> 00:21:07.789 Israel remembers that the Lord's character towards 00:21:07.789 --> 00:21:11.789 the fatherless is generous and kind. Psalm 68, 00:21:12.069 --> 00:21:15.069 five. Father of the fatherless and protector 00:21:15.069 --> 00:21:19.410 of widows is God in his holy habitation. Deuteronomy 00:21:19.410 --> 00:21:23.529 10, 18. He executes justice for the fatherless 00:21:23.529 --> 00:21:26.750 and the widow. God cares for the vulnerable and 00:21:26.750 --> 00:21:30.079 the oppressed. And the next one, and I think 00:21:30.079 --> 00:21:33.059 this is the meatier one, Israel is calling on 00:21:33.059 --> 00:21:35.119 the Lord to be compassionate to the fatherless 00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:39.380 because they are the fatherless. Remember the 00:21:39.380 --> 00:21:43.900 kids? Jezreel, Lo -ru -ha -ma, Lo -ami. Lo -ru 00:21:43.900 --> 00:21:46.839 -ha -ma means no compassion. Lo -ami means not 00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:49.839 my people. Israel was told they would not receive 00:21:49.839 --> 00:21:52.079 compassion because they were not God's people. 00:21:52.140 --> 00:21:56.579 They had sinned too much. So here is Israel, 00:21:57.119 --> 00:22:01.779 fatherless. pleading for God to care for the 00:22:01.779 --> 00:22:05.079 fatherless. They have nothing to offer the Lord. 00:22:05.160 --> 00:22:07.119 They recognize their position. It is completely 00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:09.660 destitute. All they have is their words of praise, 00:22:09.660 --> 00:22:11.880 and that's what they're giving out. Their backs 00:22:11.880 --> 00:22:14.579 are turned to the idols, and they fall at the 00:22:14.579 --> 00:22:17.380 Lord's feet, pleading for him. And their plea 00:22:17.380 --> 00:22:20.000 isn't one, again, of expectation, but of utter 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:23.180 dependence. They're hoping to receive compassion. 00:22:25.160 --> 00:22:27.259 This is just like the prodigal son, isn't it? 00:22:28.069 --> 00:22:30.769 They're asking for the, the prodigal son returns 00:22:30.769 --> 00:22:32.990 to the father after living far away, squandering 00:22:32.990 --> 00:22:35.829 wealth and just living in debauchery. He comes 00:22:35.829 --> 00:22:38.630 and says, God or father, you don't even deserve 00:22:38.630 --> 00:22:40.690 to make me a son anymore. Can I just be a slave? 00:22:41.150 --> 00:22:42.829 Please, can I just be your slave? It would be 00:22:42.829 --> 00:22:48.470 better than anything else I can find. God loves 00:22:48.470 --> 00:22:52.609 when broken people come to him. He never rejects 00:22:52.609 --> 00:22:54.730 anybody who really submits to him and humbles 00:22:54.730 --> 00:22:58.720 themselves. Before, Before we read God's response, 00:22:58.819 --> 00:23:02.160 I cannot stress enough the importance of confession 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:04.400 and the power of what's gonna happen next is 00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:08.099 based on this confession of Israel. So if you 00:23:08.099 --> 00:23:10.839 wanna see your life changed, if you wanna see 00:23:10.839 --> 00:23:13.059 things change, if you wanna see revival happen 00:23:13.059 --> 00:23:17.880 in our community, start with confession. Confession 00:23:17.880 --> 00:23:20.240 always brings the attention of the Lord. He will 00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:23.440 always be drawn to it. And if you're carrying 00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:26.460 sin, If you're trying to hide, making sure that 00:23:26.460 --> 00:23:29.960 nobody finds you out about that thing, if you're 00:23:29.960 --> 00:23:35.700 feeling stuck for whatever reason, stop. Come 00:23:35.700 --> 00:23:39.460 with repentance to the Lord. And listen to these 00:23:39.460 --> 00:23:43.700 verses because they can be for you too. Verse 00:23:43.700 --> 00:23:48.319 four. I will heal their apostasy. I will freely 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:51.180 love them. For my anger will have turned from 00:23:51.180 --> 00:23:54.559 him. I will be like the Jew to Israel. He will 00:23:54.559 --> 00:23:57.019 blossom like the lily and take root like the 00:23:57.019 --> 00:24:00.140 cedars of Lebanon. His new branches will spread 00:24:00.140 --> 00:24:02.720 and his splendor will be like the olive tree. 00:24:03.119 --> 00:24:06.200 His fragrance like the forest of Lebanon. The 00:24:06.200 --> 00:24:08.380 people will return and live beneath his shade. 00:24:08.759 --> 00:24:11.319 They will grow grain and blossom like the new 00:24:11.319 --> 00:24:15.140 vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon. 00:24:18.920 --> 00:24:20.799 So I'm gonna pause and I'm gonna acknowledge 00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:23.299 something. Nobody can see my notes. If you were 00:24:23.299 --> 00:24:25.099 in first service, I had four points. I'm now 00:24:25.099 --> 00:24:29.279 going to have five points. Kyle, two weeks ago, 00:24:29.420 --> 00:24:31.059 preached for the first time. And so like he edited 00:24:31.059 --> 00:24:35.500 my sermon in between the services. So if it's 00:24:35.500 --> 00:24:42.279 bad, it's his fault. Point number four, freely 00:24:42.279 --> 00:24:48.920 love. Verses four through seven. This is forgiveness 00:24:48.920 --> 00:24:54.759 with restoration. It turns a barren desert into 00:24:54.759 --> 00:24:59.339 Eden again. Its effects are deep and abounding, 00:24:59.359 --> 00:25:03.160 and it produces fruit everywhere. When we repent, 00:25:03.519 --> 00:25:06.599 we can receive this forgiveness without retribution. 00:25:08.920 --> 00:25:12.339 Someone could say, as they're kind of reading 00:25:12.339 --> 00:25:13.819 between verse three and verse four, and say, 00:25:13.900 --> 00:25:15.859 hold on, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, Israel 00:25:15.859 --> 00:25:18.980 did a lot of bad things. Actually, Hosea says, 00:25:20.819 --> 00:25:23.980 In Hosea 6 .5, this is what I have used the prophets 00:25:23.980 --> 00:25:26.400 to cut them down. I have killed them with the 00:25:26.400 --> 00:25:28.920 words from my mouth. Wait, God said he was gonna 00:25:28.920 --> 00:25:31.819 bring judgment and now he's doing this? That's 00:25:31.819 --> 00:25:36.160 not fair. What's wrong with this? My response, 00:25:36.900 --> 00:25:39.460 good question. First, great job reading your 00:25:39.460 --> 00:25:40.960 Bible. Let's acknowledge what you did, great 00:25:40.960 --> 00:25:44.140 job. Second, don't interrupt me, I'm preaching. 00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:52.880 I have the mic. Third, I lost my place. Third, 00:25:53.000 --> 00:25:55.480 we can see the extent of God's judgment and mercy 00:25:55.480 --> 00:25:58.380 by seeing how he responds to true repentance. 00:25:59.220 --> 00:26:01.039 It's a little bit dense, but follow me here. 00:26:01.500 --> 00:26:04.720 First, God's judgment is used to expose people 00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:07.680 to the effects of their sin, so they stop sinning. 00:26:08.279 --> 00:26:09.960 He's just exposing them to what they've been 00:26:09.960 --> 00:26:12.539 doing. He's letting them experience the consequences. 00:26:13.160 --> 00:26:15.980 John, earlier in the series called this severe 00:26:15.980 --> 00:26:18.230 mercy, and it's a great way to say it. It can 00:26:18.230 --> 00:26:20.609 seem really severe on the outside, but on the 00:26:20.609 --> 00:26:25.789 inside, at the end, it's merciful. Like in Hosea 00:26:25.789 --> 00:26:29.109 12 .2, the Lord is about to punish Jacob according 00:26:29.109 --> 00:26:32.089 to his conduct. He will repay him based on his 00:26:32.089 --> 00:26:34.789 actions. The Lord turns the people over to the 00:26:34.789 --> 00:26:38.910 sin so they experience it. Second, judgment is 00:26:38.910 --> 00:26:41.049 meant to make people desperate for the Lord. 00:26:41.150 --> 00:26:44.670 It's not always meant to be final. The Lord can 00:26:44.670 --> 00:26:47.789 use pain and suffering to rouse us out of our 00:26:47.789 --> 00:26:50.390 complacency. That we are distracted, we don't 00:26:50.390 --> 00:26:52.450 think that he's the way and he can use that pain 00:26:52.450 --> 00:26:56.650 to bring us back. Listen to this judgment the 00:26:56.650 --> 00:26:59.130 Lord has trying to do that same thing. Hosea 00:26:59.130 --> 00:27:02.690 5 .15, I will depart and return to my place until 00:27:02.690 --> 00:27:05.009 they recognize their guilt and seek my face. 00:27:05.170 --> 00:27:09.869 They will search for me in their distress. God 00:27:09.869 --> 00:27:12.049 wasn't gonna let them see him, but he wanted 00:27:12.049 --> 00:27:15.279 them to be searching for him. But God shows time 00:27:15.279 --> 00:27:17.880 and time again and we see it in verses that transition 00:27:17.880 --> 00:27:20.079 from verse three to verse four. He's ready to 00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:22.200 receive the repentance sinners, just like you 00:27:22.200 --> 00:27:25.059 and me. But if people choose not to repent, they 00:27:25.059 --> 00:27:27.819 don't choose to follow the Lord, then he just 00:27:27.819 --> 00:27:30.500 allows them to choose their sin. God doesn't 00:27:30.500 --> 00:27:33.940 force anybody into repentance. He can allow them 00:27:33.940 --> 00:27:36.740 to be swallowed up by their sin and just never 00:27:36.740 --> 00:27:41.059 let go. And that's a scary, scary place to be. 00:27:41.289 --> 00:27:45.170 where God has turned you over to your sin. And 00:27:45.170 --> 00:27:48.910 then finally, we see how God responds to sinners. 00:27:49.309 --> 00:27:51.329 When the people actually demonstrate true repentance, 00:27:51.470 --> 00:27:54.170 what's the response? Well, when they humble themselves 00:27:54.170 --> 00:27:56.630 and return to the Lord, did he require anything 00:27:56.630 --> 00:27:59.390 of them? Did he say, here's your to -do list? 00:28:00.710 --> 00:28:03.410 Was there any validation here? Like, let me soak 00:28:03.410 --> 00:28:04.809 on this for a little bit. I'm just not quite 00:28:04.809 --> 00:28:09.839 sure. Are hoops to jump through? No. So all those 00:28:09.839 --> 00:28:13.839 oracles of judgment, though true, words of repentance 00:28:13.839 --> 00:28:16.720 were enough to turn them back. And I wanna drive 00:28:16.720 --> 00:28:19.240 this point home, so I'm gonna do this silly analogy. 00:28:19.420 --> 00:28:21.619 So this plant over here, like this is budding 00:28:21.619 --> 00:28:23.519 new life, this is growth, this is where I wanna 00:28:23.519 --> 00:28:27.400 be, this is the Lord. But my sin pushes me all 00:28:27.400 --> 00:28:29.680 the way over here. Let's pretend this plant is 00:28:29.680 --> 00:28:32.259 not here, just ignore it. So I'm all the way 00:28:32.259 --> 00:28:36.190 over here, I'm separated from God. So I could 00:28:36.190 --> 00:28:38.269 say, God, forgive me. Like, let me bring some 00:28:38.269 --> 00:28:39.670 repentance. Let me bring my words. And he's like, 00:28:39.730 --> 00:28:42.890 okay, Nick, I'll give you two steps. You do the 00:28:42.890 --> 00:28:47.369 rest. Keep walking. Okay, maybe that's a little 00:28:47.369 --> 00:28:50.670 bit too harsh. Maybe I just put God, God puts 00:28:50.670 --> 00:28:53.410 me in neutral position. I'm halfway there, halfway 00:28:53.410 --> 00:28:55.569 here. You know, like a little bit of love, not 00:28:55.569 --> 00:29:02.970 hatred, just a little apathy, you know? Or he 00:29:02.970 --> 00:29:06.289 brings me all the way back. I don't do anything. 00:29:06.549 --> 00:29:10.029 He brings me back. He restores me. The example 00:29:10.029 --> 00:29:12.450 is ridiculous because I want you to see that 00:29:12.450 --> 00:29:16.269 he does all of the work. He restores you. You 00:29:16.269 --> 00:29:18.150 don't take any of the steps. You're gonna bring 00:29:18.150 --> 00:29:21.390 your repentance and then you're done. And that's 00:29:21.390 --> 00:29:24.809 the transition from three to four. He restored 00:29:24.809 --> 00:29:30.950 the people. The Lord loves to restore his people. 00:29:32.609 --> 00:29:35.230 He restores us completely, totally and all by 00:29:35.230 --> 00:29:38.150 himself. It's the same analogy in the prodigal 00:29:38.150 --> 00:29:40.630 son. The son returns and what does the father 00:29:40.630 --> 00:29:43.809 do when he sees the son afar off? Drops what 00:29:43.809 --> 00:29:46.630 he has, picks up his robe so he can book it. 00:29:46.950 --> 00:29:49.710 And he just unashamedly runs as fast as he can 00:29:49.710 --> 00:29:51.890 to his son, throws his arms around him, doesn't 00:29:51.890 --> 00:29:53.710 need him cleaned up, doesn't need anything from 00:29:53.710 --> 00:29:58.150 him. He's showering him with love. Like that's 00:29:58.150 --> 00:30:00.390 the same picture that we get that the Lord is 00:30:00.390 --> 00:30:05.049 showing here. Why does he do this? Why does he 00:30:05.049 --> 00:30:07.910 restore his people like this? Sure, it's true. 00:30:07.910 --> 00:30:10.170 He loves you too much to leave you in your sin. 00:30:11.250 --> 00:30:13.849 And he pursues you despite your sin towards him. 00:30:14.329 --> 00:30:17.670 But why does he do that? Why is that who he is? 00:30:19.029 --> 00:30:23.630 It's because God, the real heart of God in restoring 00:30:23.630 --> 00:30:26.369 people is that nothing demonstrate his character 00:30:26.369 --> 00:30:30.579 more than providing a way for sinners. That's 00:30:30.579 --> 00:30:32.319 why there's no rules. That's why there's there's 00:30:32.319 --> 00:30:34.960 no expectation because he wants his whole character 00:30:34.960 --> 00:30:37.920 shown by how much he's going to love you by how 00:30:37.920 --> 00:30:41.400 much he's going to do for you and I know because 00:30:41.400 --> 00:30:44.740 I am a I'm a person and I'm quite proud sometimes 00:30:44.740 --> 00:30:47.160 that I really want that self -validation that 00:30:47.160 --> 00:30:51.240 I did something I Know that I want to be able 00:30:51.240 --> 00:30:53.119 to come home and say I did something for the 00:30:53.119 --> 00:30:58.359 Lord today And that is so sinful that is lifting 00:30:58.359 --> 00:31:00.779 myself up on a pedestal and say, the Lord needed 00:31:00.779 --> 00:31:03.299 me to take steps. Oh, he doesn't need anything 00:31:03.299 --> 00:31:09.299 from me. So as soon as you humble yourself, as 00:31:09.299 --> 00:31:12.619 soon as your heart turns to him, he is there 00:31:12.619 --> 00:31:15.819 to heal you. And he wants his character to be 00:31:15.819 --> 00:31:18.380 shown in you and the love that's on display in 00:31:18.380 --> 00:31:21.359 you. And don't hear me say that there's not consequences 00:31:21.359 --> 00:31:24.789 for your actions. There are consequences. in 00:31:24.789 --> 00:31:28.250 this world, and you deserve them if you've sinned. 00:31:28.569 --> 00:31:31.710 But with him, full restoration is available. 00:31:33.690 --> 00:31:36.170 Just as Paul says, you are never too deep or 00:31:36.170 --> 00:31:40.869 too far from the hand of the Lord. Point number 00:31:40.869 --> 00:31:47.869 five. This is verses four through seven. This 00:31:47.869 --> 00:31:50.369 is an amazing list. of what God has done for 00:31:50.369 --> 00:31:52.289 his people. And I'm just gonna, I gotta hit it 00:31:52.289 --> 00:31:55.809 real quick. We don't have too much time. And 00:31:55.809 --> 00:31:57.569 it can seem like this list is just like really 00:31:57.569 --> 00:31:59.609 flowery language with all these trees budding 00:31:59.609 --> 00:32:02.190 everywhere and just like joy and hope and wine 00:32:02.190 --> 00:32:04.670 and hooray. But it's so much more than that. 00:32:04.789 --> 00:32:06.849 It's actually a reversal of almost all of the 00:32:06.849 --> 00:32:10.170 judgments that Israel has received. So verse 00:32:10.170 --> 00:32:12.970 four, I will heal their apostasy. I will freely 00:32:12.970 --> 00:32:15.329 love them for my anger will have turned from 00:32:15.329 --> 00:32:19.009 him. God reverses the damage of Israel's apostasy 00:32:19.009 --> 00:32:22.650 with his healing. Again, he gonna take the action. 00:32:22.970 --> 00:32:26.029 Verse five, I will be like the dew to Israel. 00:32:26.089 --> 00:32:28.509 He will blossom like the lily and take root like 00:32:28.509 --> 00:32:31.750 the cedars of Lebanon. Two times in Hosea, Israel 00:32:31.750 --> 00:32:34.789 is compared to dew and it's worthless. It's like 00:32:34.789 --> 00:32:37.269 it comes and it goes away immediately. It's not 00:32:37.269 --> 00:32:39.029 actually effective in any way. So what is the 00:32:39.029 --> 00:32:42.289 Lord gonna do? He is going to be the dew that's 00:32:42.289 --> 00:32:44.829 miraculously producing fruit. Where they were 00:32:44.829 --> 00:32:48.450 faithless, he's gonna be faithful. Number, verse 00:32:48.450 --> 00:32:52.170 six. His new branches will spread and his splendor 00:32:52.170 --> 00:32:55.009 will be like the olive tree. Israel bowed down 00:32:55.009 --> 00:32:58.069 to trees in worship, right? Y 'all knew that. 00:32:59.089 --> 00:33:00.789 They bowed down, they went to the trees, that's 00:33:00.789 --> 00:33:01.950 what they worshiped, that's what they thought 00:33:01.950 --> 00:33:04.490 was gonna bring them prosperity. An avengeful 00:33:04.490 --> 00:33:07.049 father, what would he do? He would hold the trees 00:33:07.049 --> 00:33:09.150 back. No way I'm not giving you any trees, you're 00:33:09.150 --> 00:33:12.490 gonna use them against me again. Nah Yahweh. 00:33:13.069 --> 00:33:17.230 but the Lord, he gives the trees back. He gets 00:33:17.230 --> 00:33:20.190 them exploding with growth. They are abundant 00:33:20.190 --> 00:33:23.369 because the trees become a sign of new life in 00:33:23.369 --> 00:33:29.509 him. And number seven, this is my favorite. Number 00:33:29.509 --> 00:33:31.769 seven, the people will return and live beneath 00:33:31.769 --> 00:33:34.430 his shade. They will grow grain and blossom like 00:33:34.430 --> 00:33:37.250 the vine. His renown will be like the wine of 00:33:37.250 --> 00:33:40.430 Lebanon. And again, if you were reading Hosea 00:33:40.430 --> 00:33:43.599 really, really closely, Wine and grain had been 00:33:43.599 --> 00:33:45.980 mentioned a few times in Hosea 7 -14. It says, 00:33:46.339 --> 00:33:49.759 they do not cry to me from their hearts. Rather 00:33:49.759 --> 00:33:52.680 they wail on their beds. They slash themselves 00:33:52.680 --> 00:33:56.339 for grain and new wine. They turn away from me. 00:33:57.099 --> 00:34:00.900 Israel had plenty. Like the priests and the leaders 00:34:00.900 --> 00:34:03.279 were getting drunk with wine constantly. That's 00:34:03.279 --> 00:34:05.980 another accusation in Hosea. If you couldn't 00:34:05.980 --> 00:34:08.840 tell, there's a lot of sin in Hosea. They had 00:34:08.840 --> 00:34:11.730 grain because this was a time of plenty. and 00:34:11.730 --> 00:34:16.070 they thought themselves really secure. So God 00:34:16.070 --> 00:34:19.789 didn't take away the grain and wine from them. 00:34:20.090 --> 00:34:22.630 He took away their satisfaction though. They 00:34:22.630 --> 00:34:25.250 didn't have what they actually wanted. Like John 00:34:25.250 --> 00:34:28.269 described last week, they made a good thing an 00:34:28.269 --> 00:34:30.289 ultimate thing. And in making a good thing an 00:34:30.289 --> 00:34:32.130 ultimate thing, it destroyed them because it 00:34:32.130 --> 00:34:34.710 eroded the thing that they actually wanted. They 00:34:34.710 --> 00:34:36.590 pursued the wine and said, this is gonna bring 00:34:36.590 --> 00:34:39.690 me life and it brought no satisfaction. They 00:34:39.690 --> 00:34:43.030 pursued food. I love good food, but it produced 00:34:43.030 --> 00:34:48.190 no satisfaction in their life. So what does God 00:34:48.190 --> 00:34:51.409 do? He gives them the wine. He gives them the 00:34:51.409 --> 00:34:55.869 grain with satisfaction. They can now be satisfied. 00:34:55.969 --> 00:34:58.789 They can rejoice in it because it's not the thing 00:34:58.789 --> 00:35:01.710 anymore. It's not the ultimate thing. It's a 00:35:01.710 --> 00:35:05.590 gift in the hand of the giver. So if Israel sees 00:35:05.590 --> 00:35:07.530 that the Lord is gonna give it to them, if they 00:35:07.530 --> 00:35:09.389 can recognize that he's the one that's blessing 00:35:09.389 --> 00:35:12.500 them, then they can actually enjoy it. And he 00:35:12.500 --> 00:35:16.039 returns the true satisfaction back to them. That's 00:35:16.039 --> 00:35:19.139 what restoration is. It's not just having the 00:35:19.139 --> 00:35:21.360 thing, but it's having the joy and the life. 00:35:21.780 --> 00:35:23.420 And that's what I wanted the whole time. I wanted 00:35:23.420 --> 00:35:26.639 the giver. If I just look at the gift, I'm gonna 00:35:26.639 --> 00:35:32.820 get lost real quickly. Let's go ahead and land 00:35:32.820 --> 00:35:38.219 this plane. I wanna first just recognize that 00:35:38.250 --> 00:35:41.349 how analogous this is to us in our relationship 00:35:41.349 --> 00:35:45.170 to Christ. If I come to Christ saying, God, I'm 00:35:45.170 --> 00:35:47.230 gonna do something for you here, and not say, 00:35:47.269 --> 00:35:49.670 Christ, you died on the cross for me, you bled 00:35:49.670 --> 00:35:52.489 for me, you lived a perfect life for me, I'm 00:35:52.489 --> 00:35:54.670 gonna lose it. I'm gonna lose the thing that 00:35:54.670 --> 00:35:57.469 I'm actually pursuing, which is Christ. I'm gonna 00:35:57.469 --> 00:36:02.389 try to anchor myself to what I've done. Next, 00:36:02.530 --> 00:36:06.690 if I don't keep coming to Christ with confession, 00:36:07.150 --> 00:36:09.849 If I don't keep recognizing that I am a sinner, 00:36:09.869 --> 00:36:12.710 that I am messed up, that I don't follow the 00:36:12.710 --> 00:36:15.190 rules that God has laid out, I am selfish and 00:36:15.190 --> 00:36:17.670 I seek my own kingdom and to establish myself, 00:36:18.230 --> 00:36:21.690 I will keep going farther and farther away from 00:36:21.690 --> 00:36:26.090 Him. And hopefully He restores me and hopefully 00:36:26.090 --> 00:36:29.349 I don't have to go through destruction, but sometimes 00:36:29.349 --> 00:36:32.090 you do. Sometimes that's what God does. He does 00:36:32.090 --> 00:36:35.829 severe mercy in your life so that you turn and 00:36:35.829 --> 00:36:45.550 recognize Him. If you have this idea that God 00:36:45.550 --> 00:36:48.909 is punishing you for your sin, or you have to 00:36:48.909 --> 00:36:51.289 go through some like sin detox period, where 00:36:51.289 --> 00:36:52.829 you just have to clean it up enough and then 00:36:52.829 --> 00:36:57.090 he's gonna help you, you got two options. One, 00:36:57.409 --> 00:37:04.030 you can give up, just give up. Or if you're stubborn, 00:37:04.429 --> 00:37:07.610 double down now. Just double down into it. You 00:37:07.610 --> 00:37:10.409 will get so exhausted and so tired and so worn 00:37:10.409 --> 00:37:15.949 out, and then you can give up. but come to Him, 00:37:16.070 --> 00:37:21.889 He's waiting and ready to receive you. And I'm 00:37:21.889 --> 00:37:26.769 gonna call on all of us in a way. I want the 00:37:26.769 --> 00:37:29.489 people of village to be a place of confession, 00:37:29.989 --> 00:37:33.210 but also of restoration. So if somebody has done 00:37:33.210 --> 00:37:37.250 something against you, if you're holding on to 00:37:37.250 --> 00:37:39.610 something that you really experienced and that 00:37:39.610 --> 00:37:43.690 person comes and apologizes, they confess, forgive 00:37:43.690 --> 00:37:49.269 them. Restore them. And it might take a little 00:37:49.269 --> 00:37:50.869 bit of time. You're not the Lord. You're not 00:37:50.869 --> 00:37:53.650 omniscient. You're not omnipotent. Like it might 00:37:53.650 --> 00:37:55.769 take a little validation. That's okay. That's 00:37:55.769 --> 00:37:58.369 wisdom. Please, please don't disregard that. 00:37:58.630 --> 00:38:00.389 That person keeps coming back and abusing you 00:38:00.389 --> 00:38:02.650 or kind of assuming on you. That's okay. You 00:38:02.650 --> 00:38:08.230 got to figure that out with them. But you pay 00:38:08.230 --> 00:38:13.550 the cost of forgiveness. You pay it. And then 00:38:13.550 --> 00:38:20.739 finally, Get up. Take words of repentance. Take 00:38:20.739 --> 00:38:23.280 them to whoever in your life you have wronged, 00:38:23.320 --> 00:38:25.239 whether that's your spouse, whether that's your 00:38:25.239 --> 00:38:30.579 kids, whether that's your boss, a friend. Carry 00:38:30.579 --> 00:38:34.000 those heavy words and then actually say them. 00:38:34.760 --> 00:38:37.300 Don't be presumptuous that, oh no, we've talked 00:38:37.300 --> 00:38:39.019 about it before. We kind of moved past it. No, 00:38:39.019 --> 00:38:42.420 no, no, no, no. Say them. Say the really, really 00:38:42.420 --> 00:38:45.780 hard thing. It will change your life. It will 00:38:45.780 --> 00:38:48.539 change your relationship with that person. It 00:38:48.539 --> 00:38:53.719 really will. It is worth it. Because if you want 00:38:53.719 --> 00:38:56.619 the blessing, you gotta confess. If you want 00:38:56.619 --> 00:38:58.599 that judgment removed, if you want that guilt 00:38:58.599 --> 00:39:01.400 removed, if you wanna have new life and growth, 00:39:03.059 --> 00:39:05.340 confession is the way. It's not the American 00:39:05.340 --> 00:39:08.920 way, I know that, but it is definitely the way 00:39:08.920 --> 00:39:17.760 of Christ. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, Your 00:39:17.760 --> 00:39:23.260 name be honoured as holy. Forgive us our debts 00:39:23.260 --> 00:39:26.059 as we also forgive those who are indebted to 00:39:26.059 --> 00:39:31.500 us. Help us be a people of confession. Help us 00:39:31.500 --> 00:39:34.760 be a people of repentance. Show us our sin. Put 00:39:34.760 --> 00:39:37.900 it in front of our face. Make it uncomfortable. 00:39:38.079 --> 00:39:40.769 Make it weighty. so that we can repent of it, 00:39:40.849 --> 00:39:43.949 so that we can turn, so that we can see you in 00:39:43.949 --> 00:39:47.530 your glorious light, changing lives, loving people, 00:39:47.829 --> 00:39:50.789 restoring people fully in you.