The idea of God loving us and wanting a relationship with us comes from the Old Testament. Despite the picture that is often portrayed of God being a megalomaniacal tyrant looking to stop people's good time, He is the definition of a loving father. A father won't let his kids get away with murder, but will always seek a means of them being restored to him again.

1. God is more interested in our hearts than our routines.

2. God isn't fooled by trying to “buy Him off” with good behavior.

3. God's goal is always our restoration to Him.

The Kingdom of God is often treated as if it only applies to after Christ rules and reigns this world after the Second Coming. The reality is that the Kingdom of God is wherever God is king. That is already true in the hearts of His people and those who believe His promises.

1. The Kingdom of God is where God is King. This begins in our hearts before He establishes it in the world.

2. Citizens of the Kingdom of God are called to share the Word, know Jesus through His Word, and follow His Example.

3. The Focus of the Christian life is Jesus.

Hosea calls Israel out to turning to Assyria for the help God freely offers them. Their discipline will be God letting them see that false god fail them. And His restoration of them will be a perfect example of how repentance should take place in our hearts as well.

1. The first step in recovery is acknowledging you have a problem.

2. The destination of God's discipline is worth the heartache of the process.

3. Your attitude towards God's Word directly reflects your attitude towards God Himself.

The Book of Acts concludes with an open ended summary of Paul's time awaiting trial in Rome. The reason for this isn't because nothing of note happened in Paul's life after this point. The reason is because we too have the opportunity to add our own lives to the Acts of the Holy Spirit in history by abiding in Him the same way these historical figures did and were used powerfully as a result.

1. Christian love is based on commitment more than feelings.

2. There is no greater motivation for Godly living than the expectation of Jesus' return.

3. Every Christian should make a priority of sharing things concerning Jesus and the things that Jesus is concerned about."

God calls Israel out on the real issue between His people and Him. Their idolatry, moral corruption, and neglect of worship were just symptoms of their pride. Until their hearts saw God and themselves properly again, there wasn't anything God could do to save them apart from let them discover just how far their pride would take them.

1. God's love won't let us go or leave us alone.

2. Pride is the foundation of every sin against God.

3. God will deal with our sin before it deals with us.

Paul's witness to the Hebrew community in Rome worked the same way any other opportunity to witness should be. He lived his life in such a way where they couldn't personally use him as an excuse to reject Jesus. He stuck to God's Word in what he had to say. And the results were left between his audience and God.

1. Live your life in such a way where you aren't an obstacle between people hearing what you have to say.

2. People with a relationship with God should have shared interests with Him.

3. Our job is to share the truth in love. God's job is changing hearts and minds.

Hosea's ministry follows up on his living illustration with a practical explanation of how far Israel had fallen and how. They had forsaken truth, mercy, and the knowledge of God. As a result, God was going to hand them over to idolatry for as long as it took for them to realize all they had lost in the exchange.

1. Truth is the first casualty when we compromise our relationship with God.

2. Mercy is only shown when we first realized how much it has been shown to us.

3. God judges sin with sin."

Paul is now awaiting trial in his first visit to Rome. As he waits for two years, he uses every opportunity he has to share the gospel with those who are listening. This time was also used to write the prison epistles of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.

1. The Christian life is spent trusting the promises of God, not the preferences of men.

2. When you don't know what to do next, fall back on what you do know.

3. Live the Christian life in a way other people would want to live themselves.

Hosea's ministry continues from his illustration to the application of what Gomer's redemption showed. Israel had forsaken God and He was going to use very strong medicine to correct them. Not because they lost their relationship with Him, but directly because of it.

1. The greatest assurance of our relationship with God is when He disciplines and corrects us.

2. Your spiritual decline is directly related to your neglect of the Word of God.

3. God will use whatever it takes to get your attention if it means saving your soul.

As Paul makes landfall on his way to Rome, he is not only a living example of the promises of God being worthy of our trust, but the Christians in Rome meeting him showing how worthwhile fellowship is.

1. God has personally involved Himself in accomplishing His desire for our lives.

2. The only things we should expect from God is what He's actually promised.

3. The purpose of church is to focus on others, not yourself.