CCF Weekly Services Podcast

Hosea concludes his message with a call for Israel to repent. This wasn’t a command to stop sinning, but recognize God as better than the things they were replacing Him with. That change of mind towards their idols would be all God needs to bless them the way He wants to again.

1. Repentance is a change of mind that produces a change of heart and life.

2. Jesus will only be chosen over the things of this world if He’s recognized as the better option.

3. Idols promise a lot. Only Jesus delivers.

Gideon's pursuit of a miracle from God to confirm what he had already seen God do to verify He was with him reminds us of two things. First, that signs from God are always sent to verify His Word. And second, that God is more patient with us than we give Him credit for.

1. A sign is only useful if it points you in the right direction.

2. God always relates to us on the basis of mercy.

3. If you need a miracle, you'll get one. If you don't have a miracle, you don't need one.

Israel serves as a cautionary tale of what happens when you try to choose both the world and the flesh. The flesh eventually takes over and God won’t be taken advantage of. If we don’t pursue Him daily, something horrible will take the place He intends to have in our lives.

1. There is an appeal to sin.

2. There isn’t much in the middle of the road than yellow streaks and dead skunks.

3. Freedom of choice isn’t freedom from consequence.

The calling of God on our lives is something that is informed through scripture and enabled by Him personally.

1. The Day of the Lord is when God acts.

2. The Christian calling is to demonstrate Jesus' character through the Holy Spirit

3. The Christian life is when God acts through us.

Paul’s second letter to Thessalonica was a reminder and a comfort to them of God’s promises as all prophecy seeks to do. If we know what God has said, we are that much more equipped to recognize and remove the counterfeits that come along.

1. Biblical literacy is the best defense against false doctrine.

2. The nature of the demonic is in distraction and deception.

3. In an uncertain world, the promises of God are something we should hold onto with both hands.

Gideon's first act after verifying God was calling him to deliver Israel was to first obey Him regarding his own household. He destroyed the family idol. While it wasn't done courageously or in broad daylight, even the smallest act of obedience to God paid off.

1. People are more comfortable with the misery they are used to than the stress of changing for the better.

2. The Peace of God isn't a lack of conflict, but the promise of God's presence in the midst of conflict.

3. If we want to draw closer to God, we need to get rid of the things that are between us and Him.

Northern Israel is reminded of their family history as much as their own to show they were heading the wrong direction spiritually. They only had something to lose by ignoring the centuries of warnings they were given. Yet if they were going to go the direction of Egypt and Canaan, they’d see the judgment of God just like they did.

1. Failure to learn means you’ll repeat the course.

2. God calls people, especially His people, to account a lot sooner than Judgment Day.

3. Ignoring God’s Warnings are not wise.

It is always good to learn from our mistakes. We all make them, and some have more catastrophic consequences then others. The Bible gives us great principles to guide and guard us from making fatal errors in this life. Jesus teaches on a man who became so self absorbed, so self reliant & selfish, that he lost eternal life. He chose wrong. We can learn a lot from this parable of the rich fool, and pray we do not follow his path.

Northern Israel was repeating the mistakes of their patriarch Jacob. However, they could also learn from the things he got right when he came to the end of his resources and stopped trying to manage his life in his own strength.

1. Exchanging God for anything is always trading down.

2. The only walk with God you can control is your own.

3. People consigned to their identities apart from God can always exchange them for a new identity in Christ.

The motivation for a relationship with God isn't based on the promises we make to ourselves, but to live in light of what Jesus has done and has promised us in the future.

1. The Promises of God do not disappoint.

2. In terms of salvation, nothing we do or have done makes any difference apart from faith in Jesus.

3. The Christian life is motivated by what God has done and has in store for us.