Sermons – Grace Evangelical Free Church // Wyoming, MN

Hosea 11:1-11 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 2 The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. 3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. 4 I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.

5 They shall not return to the land of Egypt, but Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me. 6 The sword shall rage against their cities, consume the bars of their gates, and devour them because of their own counsels. 7 My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all.

8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. 9 I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.

10 They shall go after the LORD; he will roar like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west; 11 they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt, and like doves from the land of Assyria, and I will return them to their homes, declares the LORD.

INTRODUCTION

Can you think of a time when two good convictions did battle in your mind? For instance, as a parent I never want my children to suffer. That’s a strong conviction of mine. I’d take their every pain, sickness, and heartache if I could. That means that I often take things upon myself to shield them from difficulty. At the same time, I want my children to honor God and walk in holiness. And that means that I need to discipline them when their hearts go astray. Discipline, of course, is always (temporarily at least) unpleasant. As you can imagine, then, as a parent of five kids, I regularly find these two good convictions competing with one another.

Similarly, perhaps you are convinced, like me, that it is often good to overlook the offense of a friend (Proverbs 19:11); that it is often wise to let something hurtful go. At the same time, you may also be convinced of the fact that helping a friend to see their sin is an act of love (Proverbs 27:6). If you share these biblical convictions, you have likely felt the kind of tension I’m talking about.

Our passage for this morning is a remarkable expression of divine tension. God is perfectly holy and just, and resolute and, therefore, will not tolerate Israel’s unrepentant sin and rebellion. At the same time, he is a God of love, compassion, and tenderness and, therefore, takes no pleasure in the death of his people—wicked as they may be (Ezekiel 33:11). Throughout the bible we see these two aspects of God’s being pushing and pulling one another. Hosea presents one of the more remarkable pictures of this tension. And 11:1-11 is one the most remarkable passages where we see the tenderness of God win out. There is no other passage where the tenderness of God is so clearly seen in His lament over Israel’s unfaithfulness and His resolution to rescue her nonetheless. Let’s pray that we’d know the tenderness of God as we walk in faith, not (as was the case for Israel) as we await judgment.

GOD’S TENDER LOVE IN ISRAEL’S YOUTH

In a somewhat unusual way (for Hosea), this passage is more than likely one complete thought and the structure of the passage is fairly clear. In it we see (1) God’s tender love for Israel in her youth, (2) Israel’s rejection of God’s tender love, (3) God’s tender love in Israel’s rebellion, and (4) the promise of God’s future, eternal tenderness toward Israel. In vs. 1-4 we see the first section—God’s tender love i...

Deuteronomy 10:12-19 “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good? 14 Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. 15 Yet the LORD set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. 17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. 18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. 19 Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome, once again to orphan Sunday. Our aim this morning is to help you all see how the greatness of God relates to the orphan and what that means for you and me.

I gave a version of this message in 2011 when we were getting ready to adopt Gabi. I gave another version of it in 2015 just before Presley came to live with us. I’m not sure if that means I should be expecting God to do something else in our family, but I do know that in the seven years since I first preached on God’s heart and commission for orphan care our church has adopted and fostered more kids than it had in the previous 15 years (since the church began) combined. What a remarkable work of God in our midst.

As a means of acknowledging our desire for God to cause that trend continue and even increase, I mean to answer five questions today: 1) How great is our God? 2) How does our great God view orphans? 3) How does our great God charge us to view orphans? 4) Why does our great God view and call us to view orphans in these ways? 5) What, then, should we do?

The answer to these questions and the essence of this sermon is this: God is greatly great, all of His greatness is for the orphan, He has called his people to join Him in directing His greatness to the orphan, and all of this is ultimately meant to be a picture of the gospel to the world. Let’s pray that these things and their implications would become increasingly clear and compelling to us this morning. That is, let’s pray that real orphans would find real, additional help (physical and spiritual) as a result of our obedience to the word of God today.

HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD?

If we are to have any hope of caring well for orphans it will begin with truly knowing the greatness of God. But how great is our God? Grace, his greatness knows no end. To catch a glimpse of that, let’s turn to Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the bible. It was written by Moses. Deuteronomy means “second law”. It is a second giving of God’s law and a second explanation of the covenant God had made with his people. The book tells the story of the history of the Israelites under the leadership of Moses. It brings the reader right up to the doorstep of the death of Moses, the leadership of Joshua, and the entering of the Promised Land.

However, while those are the historical events covered in Deuteronomy, ultimately Deuteronomy is the story of the great greatness of God. In chapter one God’s greatness is seen in his promise to the Israelites to give them the Land of their enemies in such a way that they need not fear or despair even a little bit (20-21).

Chapter two recounts God’s greatness through his constant presence and perfect provision (7), as well as through the decisive victories he gave the Israelites over their enemies.

Deuteronomy 2:25 This day I will begin to put the dread and ...

Deuteronomy 10:12-19 “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good? 14 Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. 15 Yet the LORD set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. 17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. 18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. 19 Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome, once again to orphan Sunday. Our aim this morning is to help you all see how the greatness of God relates to the orphan and what that means for you and me.

I gave a version of this message in 2011 when we were getting ready to adopt Gabi. I gave another version of it in 2015 just before Presley came to live with us. I’m not sure if that means I should be expecting God to do something else in our family, but I do know that in the seven years since I first preached on God’s heart and commission for orphan care our church has adopted and fostered more kids than it had in the previous 15 years (since the church began) combined. What a remarkable work of God in our midst.

As a means of acknowledging our desire for God to cause that trend continue and even increase, I mean to answer five questions today: 1) How great is our God? 2) How does our great God view orphans? 3) How does our great God charge us to view orphans? 4) Why does our great God view and call us to view orphans in these ways? 5) What, then, should we do?

The answer to these questions and the essence of this sermon is this: God is greatly great, all of His greatness is for the orphan, He has called his people to join Him in directing His greatness to the orphan, and all of this is ultimately meant to be a picture of the gospel to the world. Let’s pray that these things and their implications would become increasingly clear and compelling to us this morning. That is, let’s pray that real orphans would find real, additional help (physical and spiritual) as a result of our obedience to the word of God today.

HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD?

If we are to have any hope of caring well for orphans it will begin with truly knowing the greatness of God. But how great is our God? Grace, his greatness knows no end. To catch a glimpse of that, let’s turn to Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the bible. It was written by Moses. Deuteronomy means “second law”. It is a second giving of God’s law and a second explanation of the covenant God had made with his people. The book tells the story of the history of the Israelites under the leadership of Moses. It brings the reader right up to the doorstep of the death of Moses, the leadership of Joshua, and the entering of the Promised Land.

However, while those are the historical events covered in Deuteronomy, ultimately Deuteronomy is the story of the great greatness of God. In chapter one God’s greatness is seen in his promise to the Israelites to give them the Land of their enemies in such a way that they need not fear or despair even a little bit (20-21).

Chapter two recounts God’s greatness through his constant presence and perfect provision (7), as well as through the decisive victories he gave the Israelites over their enemies.

Deuteronomy 2:25 This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you on the peoples who are under the wh...

Hosea 10:9-15 From the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel; there they have continued. Shall not the war against the unjust overtake them in Gibeah? 10 When I please, I will discipline them, and nations shall be gathered against them when they are bound up for their double iniquity.

11 Ephraim was a trained calf that loved to thresh, and I spared her fair neck; but I will put Ephraim to the yoke; Judah must plow; Jacob must harrow for himself. 12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

13 You have plowed iniquity; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way and in the multitude of your warriors, 14 therefore the tumult of war shall arise among your people, and all your fortresses shall be destroyed, as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle; mothers were dashed in pieces with their children. 15 Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel, because of your great evil. At dawn the king of Israel shall be utterly cut off.

INTRODUCTION

For some reason a good number of my childhood memories are fuzzy. There are, however, a few things that are etched in my mind. One in particular is a phrase I heard constantly, “David, I’m running out of patience with you.” I’m told that I was a squirrely kid who loved to push boundaries and buttons. As I recall, my parents were, for the most part, patient with me. Eventually, however, I’d crack their patience and they’d crack down on me.

I remember one time in particular in which we were playing indoor bocce ball and I had decided to do the crappie flop around the living room every time I had a bad shot. I’m not sure how many times I got away with it before my dad eventually had enough and put my shenanigans to an abrupt end.

I have one main point this morning: God’s patience is limited as well. We must, therefore, repent of our sin because the end of God’s patience is devastating. Let’s pray, then, that God would cause us to look to Jesus today and therein find an end to our rebellion against God and peace with God.

GOD’S PATIENCE IS LIMITED

Our God is a patient God.

Exodus 34:6 The LORD [is] merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love…

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you…

Here’s something that might be a bit hard to swallow for some, but is nevertheless the unmistakable teaching of Hosea and the rest of Scripture: Apart from Jesus every breath that you and I take is an expression of God’s patience. You see, from the beginning God has told us that sin requires death. In the Garden God told Adam and Eve that if they disobeyed him (if they sinned), they “would surely die” (Genesis 2:17). In the New Testament Paul reiterated this truth proclaiming, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). When you add that to the fact that you and I have sinned (by nature and choice; in thought, word, and deed), it’s not hard to understand that if God’s justice were all that was at work in the world, we would all already be dead. Again, one of the central teachings of the bible is that it is the patience of God that kept us alive.

To impress this point upon Israel Hosea mentioned (in 10:9) the “days of Gibeah”.

The story of Gibeah is in Judges 19. It is one of the most horrific stories in the entire bible. It concerns a nameless Levite, his concubine, and his servant. After a strange scene involving the concubine and her father, the three main characters headed out on a journey. As evening came, instead of stopping in a gentile village, the trio pressed on to Gibeah (a city within the...

Hosea 10:9-15 From the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel; there they have continued. Shall not the war against the unjust overtake them in Gibeah? 10 When I please, I will discipline them, and nations shall be gathered against them when they are bound up for their double iniquity.

11 Ephraim was a trained calf that loved to thresh, and I spared her fair neck; but I will put Ephraim to the yoke; Judah must plow; Jacob must harrow for himself. 12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

13 You have plowed iniquity; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way and in the multitude of your warriors, 14 therefore the tumult of war shall arise among your people, and all your fortresses shall be destroyed, as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle; mothers were dashed in pieces with their children. 15 Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel, because of your great evil. At dawn the king of Israel shall be utterly cut off.

INTRODUCTION

For some reason a good number of my childhood memories are fuzzy. There are, however, a few things that are etched in my mind. One in particular is a phrase I heard constantly, “David, I’m running out of patience with you.” I’m told that I was a squirrely kid who loved to push boundaries and buttons. As I recall, my parents were, for the most part, patient with me. Eventually, however, I’d crack their patience and they’d crack down on me.

I remember one time in particular in which we were playing indoor bocce ball and I had decided to do the crappie flop around the living room every time I had a bad shot. I’m not sure how many times I got away with it before my dad eventually had enough and put my shenanigans to an abrupt end.

I have one main point this morning: God’s patience is limited as well. We must, therefore, repent of our sin because the end of God’s patience is devastating. Let’s pray, then, that God would cause us to look to Jesus today and therein find an end to our rebellion against God and peace with God.

GOD’S PATIENCE IS LIMITED

Our God is a patient God.

Exodus 34:6 The LORD [is] merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love…

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you…

Here’s something that might be a bit hard to swallow for some, but is nevertheless the unmistakable teaching of Hosea and the rest of Scripture: Apart from Jesus every breath that you and I take is an expression of God’s patience. You see, from the beginning God has told us that sin requires death. In the Garden God told Adam and Eve that if they disobeyed him (if they sinned), they “would surely die” (Genesis 2:17). In the New Testament Paul reiterated this truth proclaiming, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). When you add that to the fact that you and I have sinned (by nature and choice; in thought, word, and deed), it’s not hard to understand that if God’s justice were all that was at work in the world, we would all already be dead. Again, one of the central teachings of the bible is that it is the patience of God that kept us alive.

To impress this point upon Israel Hosea mentioned (in 10:9) the “days of Gibeah”.

The story of Gibeah is in Judges 19. It is one of the most horrific stories in the entire bible. It concerns a nameless Levite, his concubine, and his servant. After a strange scene involving the concubine and her father, the three main characters headed out on a journey. As evening came, instead of stopping in a gentile village, the trio pressed on to Gibeah (a city within the tribal land of Benjamin).

Hosea 10:1-8 Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars. 2 Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars and destroy their pillars.

3 For now they will say: “We have no king, for we do not fear the LORD; and a king-what could he do for us?” 4 They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants; so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field. 5 The inhabitants of Samaria tremble for the calf of Beth-aven. Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests- those who rejoiced over it and over its glory- for it has departed from them. 6 The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria as tribute to the great king. Ephraim shall be put to shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his idol.

7 Samaria’s king shall perish like a twig on the face of the waters. 8 The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed. Thorn and thistle shall grow up on their altars, and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us, and to the hills, Fall on us.

INTRODUCTION

Good morning. In order to understand this week’s text (10:3-8), we need to understand last week’s (10:1-2). And in order to understand last week’s, we need to consider for a moment the blessings of God in our lives. Consider the blessing of your health (or at least access to the greatest medical care in the history of the world). Consider the blessing of (most of us) never knowing a single day where we didn’t have access to food and clean water. Consider the simple blessing of being in a warm, dry place where the gospel is clear and people love you. Consider the blessing of having access to the will of God. Consider the blessing of having access to the power of the Holy Spirit. Above all, consider the blessing of Jesus Christ who offers everlasting life and joy to all who will receive him.

Our response to these gifts of God (and the countless others) ought to be awe and wonder. We ought to take these blessings of God and plant seeds of love and gratitude and worship and obedience and evangelism.

Therefore, consider the utter wickedness of denying God as the giver of these (and all) good things and of using them for evil. Consider using your health to oppress the sick. Consider using our food for gluttony. Consider using this building as a brothel. Consider using the bible to control and manipulate people. Consider attempting to use the Spirit’s power to profit. Consider using the grace of God as an excuse for sin.

Last week we saw that this is exactly what Hosea accused the Israelites of doing. We saw that Israel took God’s blessings and instead of using them to plant seeds of holiness and reap a harvest of righteousness, she used them to plant seeds of sin and reap a harvest of unrighteousness.

This week, then, we will see several specific varieties of Israel’s unrighteous fruit and several more divine consequences for her evil gardening. Last week was the planting. This week is the harvest. So here’s the central theme of this passage: God designed the world such that we harvest the seeds we plant. It was true for OT Israel and it is true today. We cannot plant anger and reap peace. We cannot plant selfishness and reap sacrifice. We cannot plant hate and reap love. We cannot plant lies and reap truth. We cannot plant worldliness and reap godliness. We cannot plant idolatry and reap God’s pleasure. Indeed, we cannot plant sin and reap holiness.

Let’s pray that through this text God would help us plant and reap to his glory. And let’s pray that everyone in this room would know this morning that Jesus Christ is our only hope to do so.

UNRIGHTEOUS FRUIT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

Once again,

Hosea 10:1-8 Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars. 2 Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars and destroy their pillars.

3 For now they will say: “We have no king, for we do not fear the LORD; and a king-what could he do for us?” 4 They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants; so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field. 5 The inhabitants of Samaria tremble for the calf of Beth-aven. Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests- those who rejoiced over it and over its glory- for it has departed from them. 6 The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria as tribute to the great king. Ephraim shall be put to shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his idol.

7 Samaria’s king shall perish like a twig on the face of the waters. 8 The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed. Thorn and thistle shall grow up on their altars, and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us, and to the hills, Fall on us.

INTRODUCTION

Good morning. In order to understand this week’s text (10:3-8), we need to understand last week’s (10:1-2). And in order to understand last week’s, we need to consider for a moment the blessings of God in our lives. Consider the blessing of your health (or at least access to the greatest medical care in the history of the world). Consider the blessing of (most of us) never knowing a single day where we didn’t have access to food and clean water. Consider the simple blessing of being in a warm, dry place where the gospel is clear and people love you. Consider the blessing of having access to the will of God. Consider the blessing of having access to the power of the Holy Spirit. Above all, consider the blessing of Jesus Christ who offers everlasting life and joy to all who will receive him.

Our response to these gifts of God (and the countless others) ought to be awe and wonder. We ought to take these blessings of God and plant seeds of love and gratitude and worship and obedience and evangelism.

Therefore, consider the utter wickedness of denying God as the giver of these (and all) good things and of using them for evil. Consider using your health to oppress the sick. Consider using our food for gluttony. Consider using this building as a brothel. Consider using the bible to control and manipulate people. Consider attempting to use the Spirit’s power to profit. Consider using the grace of God as an excuse for sin.

Last week we saw that this is exactly what Hosea accused the Israelites of doing. We saw that Israel took God’s blessings and instead of using them to plant seeds of holiness and reap a harvest of righteousness, she used them to plant seeds of sin and reap a harvest of unrighteousness.

This week, then, we will see several specific varieties of Israel’s unrighteous fruit and several more divine consequences for her evil gardening. Last week was the planting. This week is the harvest. So here’s the central theme of this passage: God designed the world such that we harvest the seeds we plant. It was true for OT Israel and it is true today. We cannot plant anger and reap peace. We cannot plant selfishness and reap sacrifice. We cannot plant hate and reap love. We cannot plant lies and reap truth. We cannot plant worldliness and reap godliness. We cannot plant idolatry and reap God’s pleasure. Indeed, we cannot plant sin and reap holiness.

Let’s pray that through this text God would help us plant and reap to his glory. And let’s pray that everyone in this room would know this morning that Jesus Christ is our only hope to do so.

UNRIGHTEOUS FRUIT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

Once again,

Hosea 10:1-8 Israel is a luxuriant vine

that yields its fruit.

The more his fruit increased,

the more altars he built;

as his country improved,

he improved his pillars.

2 Their heart is false;

now they must bear their guilt.

The LORD will break down their altars

and destroy their pillars.

3 For now they will say:

“We have no king,

for we do not fear the LORD;

and a king—what could he do for us?”

4 They utter mere words;

with empty oaths they make covenants;

so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds

in the furrows of the field.

5 The inhabitants of Samaria tremble

for the calf of Beth-aven.

Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests—

those who rejoiced over it and over its glory—

for it has departed from them.

6 The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria

as tribute to the great king.

Ephraim shall be put to shame,

and Israel shall be ashamed of his idol.

7 Samaria’s king shall perish

like a twig on the face of the waters.

8 The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel,

shall be destroyed.

Thorn and thistle shall grow up

on their altars,

and they shall say to the mountains, “Cover us,”

and to the hills, “Fall on us.”

INTRODUCTION

What do you fear the most? Worded another way, what is it that you would least like to see happen in your life? Worded another way still, what is the most dangerous thing you can imagine?

My guess is that the vast majority of your answers (maybe all of them) involve losing something (your home or job or finances or health or life or the life of a loved one, for instance). We tend to fear having the things we care about taken away from us. Likewise, we consider things especially dangerous when they put us or the things we value in vulnerable positions.

Of course, those are reasonable responses. It makes sense that we’d like to avoid losing the things and people we love—that’s part of what it means to love something. However, the bible (including our passage for this morning) speaks at least as much (and maybe more) about the danger of gaining things…good things. Prosperity is often more deadly than loss.

Grace, when is the last time you heard of someone living like that? When is the last time you found someone truly concerned about the temptation presented by their success? When is the last time you talked to someone who was genuinely as afraid of being promoted as they were of being fired; who was as afraid of being rich as they were of being poor; who was as afraid of being healed as they were of getting sick?

I’ve prayed with a lot of people—pleaded with God alongside more people than I can remember—as they contemplated a cancer diagnosis or the loss of a loved one or the breaking up of a relationship. But I can only recall one time in 20 years of pastoral ministry that someone came to meet with me out of genuine fear out of what a more comfortable life might do to their soul; out of their understanding of the potential peril of prosperity.

Let’s pray that God would help us understand that the path of the will of God is always, only, and exclusively one of life and peace and satisfaction and joy (of prosperity). But let’s also pray that he would help us to understand that there is a deep, deadly ditch on both sides of the path—a ditch of poverty and a ditch of prosperity.

THE MESSAGE OF HOSEA

I wanted to take a minute to thank Pastor Mike and Kyle for serving me and serving you all while I was away. It was a great joy to listen to their sermons ...

Hosea 10:1-8 Israel is a luxuriant vine

that yields its fruit.

The more his fruit increased,

the more altars he built;

as his country improved,

he improved his pillars.

2 Their heart is false;

now they must bear their guilt.

The LORD will break down their altars

and destroy their pillars.

3 For now they will say:

“We have no king,

for we do not fear the LORD;

and a king—what could he do for us?”

4 They utter mere words;

with empty oaths they make covenants;

so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds

in the furrows of the field.

5 The inhabitants of Samaria tremble

for the calf of Beth-aven.

Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests—

those who rejoiced over it and over its glory—

for it has departed from them.

6 The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria

as tribute to the great king.

Ephraim shall be put to shame,

and Israel shall be ashamed of his idol.

7 Samaria’s king shall perish

like a twig on the face of the waters.

8 The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel,

shall be destroyed.

Thorn and thistle shall grow up

on their altars,

and they shall say to the mountains, “Cover us,”

and to the hills, “Fall on us.”

INTRODUCTION

What do you fear the most? Worded another way, what is it that you would least like to see happen in your life? Worded another way still, what is the most dangerous thing you can imagine?

My guess is that the vast majority of your answers (maybe all of them) involve losing something (your home or job or finances or health or life or the life of a loved one, for instance). We tend to fear having the things we care about taken away from us. Likewise, we consider things especially dangerous when they put us or the things we value in vulnerable positions.

Of course, those are reasonable responses. It makes sense that we’d like to avoid losing the things and people we love—that’s part of what it means to love something. However, the bible (including our passage for this morning) speaks at least as much (and maybe more) about the danger of gaining things…good things. Prosperity is often more deadly than loss.

Grace, when is the last time you heard of someone living like that? When is the last time you found someone truly concerned about the temptation presented by their success? When is the last time you talked to someone who was genuinely as afraid of being promoted as they were of being fired; who was as afraid of being rich as they were of being poor; who was as afraid of being healed as they were of getting sick?

I’ve prayed with a lot of people—pleaded with God alongside more people than I can remember—as they contemplated a cancer diagnosis or the loss of a loved one or the breaking up of a relationship. But I can only recall one time in 20 years of pastoral ministry that someone came to meet with me out of genuine fear out of what a more comfortable life might do to their soul; out of their understanding of the potential peril of prosperity.

Let’s pray that God would help us understand that the path of the will of God is always, only, and exclusively one of life and peace and satisfaction and joy (of prosperity). But let’s also pray that he would help us to understand that there is a deep, deadly ditch on both sides of the path—a ditch of poverty and a ditch of prosperity.

THE MESSAGE OF HOSEA

I wanted to take a minute to thank Pastor Mike and Kyle for serving me and serving you all while I was away. It was a great joy to listen to their sermons on Psalm 103. I especially appreciated Kyle helping us to see that the text forces us to reconcile God’s justice and mercy and it compels us to acknowledge that our understanding of God is the most important thing about us.

15 As for man, his days are like grass;

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

and its place knows it no more.

17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

and his righteousness to children’s children,

18 to those who keep his covenant

and remember to do his commandments.

19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,

and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his word,

obeying the voice of his word!

21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts,

his ministers, who do his will!

22 Bless the Lord, all his works,

in all places of his dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Good morning Grace. Before I start, I just wanted to take a minute to encourage you to attend our quarterly business meeting after service. Maybe the words business and meeting don’t naturally excite you, but it really is a neat insight to how we function as a church. If you are a member, this is part of what we do at Grace Church. You don’t have to be a member to attend, but it is a great way to see how we conduct church matters. We will vote on new members, discuss other church items regarding membership, the building and finances. There will be something for the kids while we meet, and hey, there’s food.

This is our third week looking at Psalm 103. Let me give a quick recap of where we’ve been so far and I think it will help us better understand this morning’s text too.

As we’ve seen and heard the last two weeks, the Psalms are a gift from God to help us rightly conform our emotions to God’s word. Without tethering our feelings to truth, we can be led off course. That’s the big idea of why we spend time in the Psalms, so that we ground our emotions in truths about Who God is and what he has done for us.

Two weeks ago, we looked at verses 1-5. We are commanded to do two things: first to bless the LORD with our entire being. And second, to “forget not all his benefits”. We also looked at the benefits themselves as the fuel we use to better remember and move our emotions to bless the LORD.

Last week Kyle showed us who this benefit bestowing God is. He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. This is the God who forgives sin, who relates to us like a Father to children. Kyle emphasized that what we think about God matters. When we think wrongly about God, it affects how we live. A right view of God helps us to better obey and joyfully serve. A wrong view leads to idolatry, guilt and shame. At the very end of last week’s passage, it transitions from who God is, to who we are. Just as important as correctly seeing who God is, is correctly seeing who we are.

This is where we will pick up today. What are we truly like? And after comparing ourselves to what God is truly like, how does God relate to man? And finally we are again commanded to bless the LORD, along with everything else under God’s reign.

Would you join me in asking God to help us understand and apply his word to our hearts?

When you think of the word legacy, what comes to mind? We hear a saying like “life is short” but what do we actually think about this life? What will remain 10, 20, 100 years from now? After someone dies, what is passed on? Maybe we read books an author wrote that still impact us. We might think of celebrities or historical heroes and the impact they might have made on a culture or a nation. We might think of someone who was successful and is enshrined in a Hall of Fame.

What is the legacy we hope to leave? Maybe some of you think of setting your kids up financially or passing on a cabin or estate. Maybe it’s ensuring your kids get a fine education ...