Sermons – Grace Evangelical Free Church // Wyoming, MN

INTRODUCTION

When it comes to sermon preparation, my aim on Tuesdays is to read and pray over the text I’ll be preaching on several times in order to wrap my mind around its meaning and logic. Many weeks that’s as far as I’ll get. Occasionally, however, if nothing unexpected pops up and I’m really cooking with gas, I’ll also be able to put together the sermon outline. On Tuesday this week, I was able to do both, and I was really excited about it. It was another harsh passage in Hosea, addressing Israel’s persistent whoredom, God’s warning to them to keep it away from Judah, and a particular rebuke to the priests and leaders. It was a hard message, but Hosea is a hard book. We’re fairly used to it by now.

Then I went to DG that night and was reminded that Sunday is dedication Sunday and Mother’s Day. I tried really hard to figure out a way to make the passage fit with the joy of new babies and our collective appreciation for the mothers of Grace. I thought about tying 4:15-19 (what would have been our text for this morning) back to 4:5 (“and I will destroy your mother”) or 4:6 (“I also will forget your children”), or even 4:10 (“they shall play the whore but not multiply”), but none of that seemed to capture the spirit of Dedication and Mother’s Day. So then I tried figuring out how the hyper-contagious nature of whoring, the stubborn heifer, Ephraim’s idolatry, and the wind’s wing wrapping spoke to our love for mothers and motherhood, but I couldn’t do so with exegetical integrity.

And so… no Hosea this morning. We’re going in a different direction. You’ll have to wait until next week to hear about Hosea 4:15-19.

This morning, then, I mean to highlight God’s good design in/for motherhood. To do so, I’m going to start by briefly sharing four facts about Mother’s Day and then finish with seven biblical thoughts on motherhood. Happy Mother’s Day. Let’s pray that God would help us to see his glorious plans and purposes for mothering, and that he would help us order our lives accordingly.

FOUR FACTS ABOUT MOTHER’S DAY

So, where did Mother’s Day come from? How significant is it in the U.S.? And what other fun facts can you tell me about Mother’s Day? I’m glad you asked. Very quickly, then, here are a few facts about Mother’s Day:

* In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation that officially established the first national Mother’s Day holiday to celebrate America’s mothers. Many individual states celebrated Mother’s Day before then, but it was not until Wilson lobbied Congress in 1914 that Mother’s Day was officially set on the second Sunday of every May.

* President Wilson established Mother’s Day after years of lobbying by Anna Marie Jarvis and the World’s Sunday School Association. Before that, though, Anna Jarvis’ mother, Ann Jarvis, had attempted to establish a version of Mother’s Day during the Civil War as a time for remembrance.

* Mother’s Day was the most important Sunday on the organized crime calendar. According to Joe Pistone, an FBI undercover agent, the mafia often closed for business when Mother’s Day arrived each May.

* Mother’s Day is the third-largest card-sending holiday in the United States, with 141 million cards exchanged annually. It is also the largest card-sending holiday for the Latino community. Interestingly, Ann Jarvis is quoted as saying, “A printed card means nothing except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world. And candy! You take a box to Mother—and then eat most of it yourself. A pretty sentiment.”

The point of this section is not to wow you with my ability to u...

Hosea 4:9-14 And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. 10 They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply, because they have forsaken the LORD to cherish 11 whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding. 12 My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore. 13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the whore, and your brides commit adultery. 14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes and sacrifice with cult prostitutes, and a people without understanding shall come to ruin.

INTRODUCTION

On an exciting morning where we have commissioned a new pastor it seems appropriate to spend some time in a text describing what’s at stake in taking on the reigns of leadership; in accepting the call to shepherd this flock. Our passage for this morning is very relevant for Mike, and all Christian leaders, as it holds up, high and clear, the consequences of failing to lead as he should. The heart of this passage (and sermon), therefore, is to answer three questions: 1) What was the heart of Israel’s offense against God, 2) What led Israel to such an offense, and 3) What would result from Israel’s offense? In other words, Hosea meant to answer address the consequences of God’s leaders refusing to lead for God’s purposes in God’s ways. In order not to end on such a harsh note on this day of celebration, I’ll close the sermon by offering eight, very brief, biblical results of good leadership. Let’s pray, then, that God would grant us many years of faithful service from Pastor Mike, all the leaders of Grace Church, and all the leaders of Christ’s Church around the world.

LIKE PEOPLE, LIKE PRIEST

To this point in chapter 4 we’ve seen that, on account of spiritual adultery, all Israel (including her priests) will experience the mourning, languishing, and disappearance of the land (4:3). We also saw that all Israel will be destroyed (4:6). In addition we saw that the priests will stumble (4:5), have their mother’s destroyed (4:5) and children forgotten, and be rejected from serving in the priesthood (4:6).

Last week (in 4:4-8) we saw how loving it was/is of God to reveal all of this to his people and how He is particularly concerned with how His leaders, the priests, respond to this expression of his love.

All of that brings us to new answers to familiar Hosea questions.

What was the heart of Israel’s offense?

As I mentioned in the introduction, our text for this morning was primarily intended to answer three specific questions. It doesn’t do so, however, in a straight line. Instead, in typical Jewish/Hebrew fashion, the text takes a particular shape. In this case it takes a V shape. First and last, Hosea named the consequences that Israel and her priests are facing for their actions. That is, in 9-10a and 13b-14 Hosea answers the question: What would result from Israel’s sin? Then, second and forth, Hosea described the specific sind of Israel. In other words, in 10b-12a and again in 12c-13a Hosea answers: What was the heart of Israel’s offense? And finally, third, Hosea gave the reason for their offense. That is, in 12b he answers the question: What led Israel to commit such an offense?

To make Hosea’s message easier to follow, I mean to be more linear in this sermon. That is, I will ask each question in order and then point you to Hosea’s answers wherever they may be in the text.

Hosea 4:9-14 And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. 10 They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply, because they have forsaken the LORD to cherish 11 whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding. 12 My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore. 13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the whore, and your brides commit adultery. 14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes and sacrifice with cult prostitutes, and a people without understanding shall come to ruin.

INTRODUCTION

On an exciting morning where we have commissioned a new pastor it seems appropriate to spend some time in a text describing what’s at stake in taking on the reigns of leadership; in accepting the call to shepherd this flock. Our passage for this morning is very relevant for Mike, and all Christian leaders, as it holds up, high and clear, the consequences of failing to lead as he should. The heart of this passage (and sermon), therefore, is to answer three questions: 1) What was the heart of Israel’s offense against God, 2) What led Israel to such an offense, and 3) What would result from Israel’s offense? In other words, Hosea meant to answer address the consequences of God’s leaders refusing to lead for God’s purposes in God’s ways. In order not to end on such a harsh note on this day of celebration, I’ll close the sermon by offering eight, very brief, biblical results of good leadership. Let’s pray, then, that God would grant us many years of faithful service from Pastor Mike, all the leaders of Grace Church, and all the leaders of Christ’s Church around the world.

LIKE PEOPLE, LIKE PRIEST

To this point in chapter 4 we’ve seen that, on account of spiritual adultery, all Israel (including her priests) will experience the mourning, languishing, and disappearance of the land (4:3). We also saw that all Israel will be destroyed (4:6). In addition we saw that the priests will stumble (4:5), have their mother’s destroyed (4:5) and children forgotten, and be rejected from serving in the priesthood (4:6).

Last week (in 4:4-8) we saw how loving it was/is of God to reveal all of this to his people and how He is particularly concerned with how His leaders, the priests, respond to this expression of his love.

All of that brings us to new answers to familiar Hosea questions.

What was the heart of Israel’s offense?

As I mentioned in the introduction, our text for this morning was primarily intended to answer three specific questions. It doesn’t do so, however, in a straight line. Instead, in typical Jewish/Hebrew fashion, the text takes a particular shape. In this case it takes a V shape. First and last, Hosea named the consequences that Israel and her priests are facing for their actions. That is, in 9-10a and 13b-14 Hosea answers the question: What would result from Israel’s sin? Then, second and forth, Hosea described the specific sind of Israel. In other words, in 10b-12a and again in 12c-13a Hosea answers: What was the heart of Israel’s offense? And finally, third, Hosea gave the reason for their offense. That is, in 12b he answers the question: What led Israel to commit such an offense?

To make Hosea’s message easier to follow, I mean to be more linear in this sermon. That is, I will ask each question in order and then point you to Hosea’s answers wherever they may be in...

Hosea 4:4-8 Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest. 5 You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night; and I will destroy your mother. 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. 7 The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame. 8 They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity.

INTRODUCTION

I mentioned in the introductory sermon that Hosea is one of the most textually challenging books in the bible. I read six commentaries on this section this week and there were four different opinions on what constitutes “this section” (and I followed none of them). That is, there is no real consensus as to where the prophecy, which begins in 4:4, ends. Some of that is owing to manuscript issues and some of it is owing to the way in which Hosea’s prophecies were compiled. Regardless of where it begins and ends, however, this much is certain: no one in Israel, not even its leaders, were exempt from God’s charge of spiritual adultery.

There are two main things I want you to take away from this sermon. First, I want you to consider deeply the reality that being specific about what constitutes sin and righteousness is a remarkable expression of God’s love. And second, I want you to understand that it is an especially heinous affront to the glory of God when His leaders lead His people into sin. Please pray, then, that we would be eager to press into the depths and specifics of God’s will for us and that we’d properly examine, esteem, and protect our leaders.

THE LOVING STING OF GOD’S CHASTISEMENT

Before we get into the specifics of the text, I’d like to draw your attention to two crucial implications of this text. I mean to do so because I think it will set us up well for the rest of today’s sermon and the coming passages. Again, here’s the situation: God had graciously agreed to enter into a covenant with Israel. He charged Israel to love, hope in, and obey Him. If they would remain faithful, God would be with them to protect them and bless them and glorify His name through them. However, Israel failed to do so and therein brought upon herself a level of peril that is impossible to fully capture. What’s worse, in a very significant way Israel didn’t even understand (because she lacked knowledge, 4:1) that she had betrayed God and incurred His righteous wrath. Hosea was called by God to inform, warn, and call Israel to repent of all of this.

1. God’s Warning of Sin Is a Remarkable Gift

The first thing to see is that this—God’s warning through Hosea—was a remarkable gift. It certainly didn’t feel like it to the Israelites. Evidently the most common response to God’s messages of warning was anger and murder. For that reason Stephen would later say of the Israelites, “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute [and kill]” (Acts 7:51-52)? And yet, as harsh as this book is in its indictments, it is really a loving call to Israel to recognize the danger she was in, in order that she might get the help she needed and God offered.

Of course no one wants to be told they have cancer, but what’s worse than having cancer? Not knowing that you have cancer and therein not knowing that you need to get treatment for it. The question to ask ourselves, then, is whether or not we truly appreciate this. Do you want to be made known of the danger you are in? If you are a non-Christian and hell is real,

Hosea 4:4-8 Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest. 5 You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night; and I will destroy your mother. 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. 7 The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame. 8 They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity.

INTRODUCTION

I mentioned in the introductory sermon that Hosea is one of the most textually challenging books in the bible. I read six commentaries on this section this week and there were four different opinions on what constitutes “this section” (and I followed none of them). That is, there is no real consensus as to where the prophecy, which begins in 4:4, ends. Some of that is owing to manuscript issues and some of it is owing to the way in which Hosea’s prophecies were compiled. Regardless of where it begins and ends, however, this much is certain: no one in Israel, not even its leaders, were exempt from God’s charge of spiritual adultery.

There are two main things I want you to take away from this sermon. First, I want you to consider deeply the reality that being specific about what constitutes sin and righteousness is a remarkable expression of God’s love. And second, I want you to understand that it is an especially heinous affront to the glory of God when His leaders lead His people into sin. Please pray, then, that we would be eager to press into the depths and specifics of God’s will for us and that we’d properly examine, esteem, and protect our leaders.

THE LOVING STING OF GOD’S CHASTISEMENT

Before we get into the specifics of the text, I’d like to draw your attention to two crucial implications of this text. I mean to do so because I think it will set us up well for the rest of today’s sermon and the coming passages. Again, here’s the situation: God had graciously agreed to enter into a covenant with Israel. He charged Israel to love, hope in, and obey Him. If they would remain faithful, God would be with them to protect them and bless them and glorify His name through them. However, Israel failed to do so and therein brought upon herself a level of peril that is impossible to fully capture. What’s worse, in a very significant way Israel didn’t even understand (because she lacked knowledge, 4:1) that she had betrayed God and incurred His righteous wrath. Hosea was called by God to inform, warn, and call Israel to repent of all of this.

1. God’s Warning of Sin Is a Remarkable Gift

The first thing to see is that this—God’s warning through Hosea—was a remarkable gift. It certainly didn’t feel like it to the Israelites. Evidently the most common response to God’s messages of warning was anger and murder. For that reason Stephen would later say of the Israelites, “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute [and kill]” (Acts 7:51-52)? And yet, as harsh as this book is in its indictments, it is really a loving call to Israel to recognize the danger she was in, in order that she might get the help she needed and God offered.

Of course no one wants to be told they have cancer, but what’s worse than having cancer? Not knowing that you have cancer and therein not knowing that you need to get treatment for it. The question to ask ourselves, then, is whether or not we truly appreciate this. Do you want to be made known of the danger you are in? If you are a non-Christian and hell is real,

Hosea 4:1-3 Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; 2 there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. 3 Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away.

INTRODUCTION

As you’ve likely heard me mention more than once, the first major section of Hosea, Hosea 1-3, contains an abbreviated version of the entire message of Hosea. God determined to communicate that message through what’s been called, “enacted prophecy”—that is, through the marriage of Hosea and his wife, Gomer. In the first section, in the marriage of the prophet, we find the unfaithfulness of God’s people (referred to as harlotry) and its subsequent warnings of judgment and promises of restoration. The warnings and promises are close together and often alternating. We also find the primary message delivered in prose.

This morning then, we are set to begin the second section of Hosea. In it Hosea speaks plainly to Israel concerning her unfaithfulness and its consequences. That message fills verse after verse and page after page. Compared to the first section, there is very little relief from God’s accusations and judgments upon Israel. At times it can feel like an unrelenting tide. There are small traces of mercy and grace sprinkled throughout, but they are relatively few and far between. While the first section is primarily delivered in prose, this section is primarily delivered in poetic language.

Hosea 4:1-3, our text for this morning, serves as the introduction to this new section. In it we see four main points: 1) God addresses his people, 2) God addresses his people because he has a controversy with them, 3) God has a controversy with them because they have been unfaithful to him, and 4) The result of all of this will be suffering for everyone and everything. It is my hope that as we plumb the depths of sin’s grip on mankind (and all of creation), we will be left even more amazed by the grace of God that reached us in our depths. Let’s pray that it would be so.

GOD ADDRESSES HIS PEOPLE

Way back in Jr. High all of my classmates were given the opportunity to write a question about drugs. This was during the time of the former first lady, Nancy Regan’s “Just Say No” campaign. My question, along with three others, was chosen from the rest. The four of us each received a giant piece of candy and the chance to meet NBA All-Star, Detroit Pistons point guard, Isaiah Thomas. What’s more, my question was selected to be asked directly to Isaiah Thomas. This was when the Pistons were known as the “Bad Boys” and won back to back NBA titles. In other words, this was a big deal for me. I was in awe that I was able to shake Isaiah Thomas’s hand and talk to him—even briefly.

Before we get too deep into the text, I want you to consider something remarkable. The God of the universe, the one who holds the oceans and galaxies in the palm of his hand, the one who knows every grain of sand and every hair on our heads, the one who speaks and the dead come alive, the one who governs all things according to his sovereign will, and the One who made all things and holds all things together (including every NBA All-Star), that God speaks directly to his people.

Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel…

Grace, let’s not take this for granted. God is under no obligation to speak to us or to interact with us on any benevolent level; especially in light of our rebellion against him…and yet he does. In love he has revealed his will to us,

Hosea 4:1-3 Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; 2 there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. 3 Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away.

INTRODUCTION

As you’ve likely heard me mention more than once, the first major section of Hosea, Hosea 1-3, contains an abbreviated version of the entire message of Hosea. God determined to communicate that message through what’s been called, “enacted prophecy”—that is, through the marriage of Hosea and his wife, Gomer. In the first section, in the marriage of the prophet, we find the unfaithfulness of God’s people (referred to as harlotry) and its subsequent warnings of judgment and promises of restoration. The warnings and promises are close together and often alternating. We also find the primary message delivered in prose.

This morning then, we are set to begin the second section of Hosea. In it Hosea speaks plainly to Israel concerning her unfaithfulness and its consequences. That message fills verse after verse and page after page. Compared to the first section, there is very little relief from God’s accusations and judgments upon Israel. At times it can feel like an unrelenting tide. There are small traces of mercy and grace sprinkled throughout, but they are relatively few and far between. While the first section is primarily delivered in prose, this section is primarily delivered in poetic language.

Hosea 4:1-3, our text for this morning, serves as the introduction to this new section. In it we see four main points: 1) God addresses his people, 2) God addresses his people because he has a controversy with them, 3) God has a controversy with them because they have been unfaithful to him, and 4) The result of all of this will be suffering for everyone and everything. It is my hope that as we plumb the depths of sin’s grip on mankind (and all of creation), we will be left even more amazed by the grace of God that reached us in our depths. Let’s pray that it would be so.

GOD ADDRESSES HIS PEOPLE

Way back in Jr. High all of my classmates were given the opportunity to write a question about drugs. This was during the time of the former first lady, Nancy Regan’s “Just Say No” campaign. My question, along with three others, was chosen from the rest. The four of us each received a giant piece of candy and the chance to meet NBA All-Star, Detroit Pistons point guard, Isaiah Thomas. What’s more, my question was selected to be asked directly to Isaiah Thomas. This was when the Pistons were known as the “Bad Boys” and won back to back NBA titles. In other words, this was a big deal for me. I was in awe that I was able to shake Isaiah Thomas’s hand and talk to him—even briefly.

Before we get too deep into the text, I want you to consider something remarkable. The God of the universe, the one who holds the oceans and galaxies in the palm of his hand, the one who knows every grain of sand and every hair on our heads, the one who speaks and the dead come alive, the one who governs all things according to his sovereign will, and the One who made all things and holds all things together (including every NBA All-Star), that God speaks directly to his people.

Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel…

Grace, let’s not take this for granted. God is under no obligation to speak to us or to interact with us on any benevolent level; especially in light of our rebellion against him…and yet he does. In love he has revealed his will to us,

Intro

Good morning Grace Church. I’m glad you made it this morning. It is always good to be with you, especially on Sundays for gathered worship. And it’s an incredible honor anytime I get to preach God’s word. My name is Mike Maruska and I’m a member here. If you are new to Grace, we are excited you are here and would love for you to stick around a few minutes after service so we can meet you. It gives us a chance to learn more about you, how you found your way here today and answer any questions you might have about Grace church.

This text is probably very familiar to many, if not all, of us. It’s an incredible passage with loads of glory, but there’s a danger that we simply assume we already know it. It can be tempting to skate ahead and not think about how amazing this text is. We hear about a miracle Jesus performs, nod or heads in agreement and quickly explain it away. It’s Jesus, of course he can do that. Kids, have you ever seen your mom or dad turn water into wine? Ask them to try when you get home today. This doesn’t happen very often. so please pray with me. Pray that I would faithfully reveal the truth in this text and it would hit us all freshly.

This morning we are obviously taking a break from Hosea. In the few times I’ve been able to preach here at Grace I’ve tried to pick a text that strikes a balance to wherever Pastor Dave preaches from. So I wanted to go to the New Testament, and find a text where Jesus would amaze us. As I searched and studied and prayed, it was hard for me to get beyond John’s gospel. Why John? As many of you know I love Biblical theology, which is simply a way of seeing how all of the threads of scripture run through the whole story of redemption. And in the book of John we find these kinds of threads all over the place. Biblical theology can also simply look at the themes within one book, which John does really well.

To give a picture of what Biblical theology, and specifically John’s gospel is like, here’s an illustration: Kids, imagine it’s the morning of your birthday. As you get up, you notice there’s a small gift and a string tied to your door knob leading down the hallway. You open the first gift and it’s a bell. So you follow the string to the next room where there’s a slightly bigger gift. Inside is a helmet. And as you keep following the string and find more presents until you reach the end of the string and sitting there with a big bow on it is a new bike! All the other gifts were clues that built to this final, glorious gift.

That’s what John’s Gospel is about. When we start pulling on the string, John is going to lead us to the glory of Christ in increasing amounts. He builds his book around a series of miracles that John calls signs. And John isn’t hiding anything either. He makes his point clear at the end of his book.

20:30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Keep this idea in the back of your mind as we go through our text. The entire purpose of John’s book is for us to believe in the Son and gain eternal life.

John could have chosen a number of other stories, but he arranged his book to include these signs. We will look at the first of those miracles in our text, but it’s important to remember that all the signs are connected.

The main point of our text is this: Jesus abundantly satisfies our greatest needs. And there’s more to come.

And to be clear, our needs are not based on what we think we need most. If we defined what we need, we’d settle for far less than what Jesus, the Creator of the universe knows we need.

The text is is composed of three interconnected scenes: The Deeper Problem, The Satisfying Solution and the Glorious Result.

I. The Deeper Problem (v 1-5)

First,

Intro

Good morning Grace Church. I’m glad you made it this morning. It is always good to be with you, especially on Sundays for gathered worship. And it’s an incredible honor anytime I get to preach God’s word. My name is Mike Maruska and I’m a member here. If you are new to Grace, we are excited you are here and would love for you to stick around a few minutes after service so we can meet you. It gives us a chance to learn more about you, how you found your way here today and answer any questions you might have about Grace church.

This text is probably very familiar to many, if not all, of us. It’s an incredible passage with loads of glory, but there’s a danger that we simply assume we already know it. It can be tempting to skate ahead and not think about how amazing this text is. We hear about a miracle Jesus performs, nod or heads in agreement and quickly explain it away. It’s Jesus, of course he can do that. Kids, have you ever seen your mom or dad turn water into wine? Ask them to try when you get home today. This doesn’t happen very often. so please pray with me. Pray that I would faithfully reveal the truth in this text and it would hit us all freshly.

This morning we are obviously taking a break from Hosea. In the few times I’ve been able to preach here at Grace I’ve tried to pick a text that strikes a balance to wherever Pastor Dave preaches from. So I wanted to go to the New Testament, and find a text where Jesus would amaze us. As I searched and studied and prayed, it was hard for me to get beyond John’s gospel. Why John? As many of you know I love Biblical theology, which is simply a way of seeing how all of the threads of scripture run through the whole story of redemption. And in the book of John we find these kinds of threads all over the place. Biblical theology can also simply look at the themes within one book, which John does really well.

To give a picture of what Biblical theology, and specifically John’s gospel is like, here’s an illustration: Kids, imagine it’s the morning of your birthday. As you get up, you notice there’s a small gift and a string tied to your door knob leading down the hallway. You open the first gift and it’s a bell. So you follow the string to the next room where there’s a slightly bigger gift. Inside is a helmet. And as you keep following the string and find more presents until you reach the end of the string and sitting there with a big bow on it is a new bike! All the other gifts were clues that built to this final, glorious gift.

That’s what John’s Gospel is about. When we start pulling on the string, John is going to lead us to the glory of Christ in increasing amounts. He builds his book around a series of miracles that John calls signs. And John isn’t hiding anything either. He makes his point clear at the end of his book.

20:30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Keep this idea in the back of your mind as we go through our text. The entire purpose of John’s book is for us to believe in the Son and gain eternal life.

John could have chosen a number of other stories, but he arranged his book to include these signs. We will look at the first of those miracles in our text, but it’s important to remember that all the signs are connected.

The main point of our text is this: Jesus abundantly satisfies our greatest needs. And there’s more to come.

And to be clear, our needs are not based on what we think we need most. If we defined what we need, we’d settle for far less than what Jesus, the Creator of the universe knows we need.

The text is is composed of three interconnected scenes: The Deeper Problem, The Satisfying Solution and the Glorious Result.

I.

Hosea 3:1-5 And the LORD said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. 3 And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” 4 For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. 5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the LORD and to his goodness in the latter days.

INTRODUCTION

If you’re just joining us, Hosea 1-3 is an “enacted prophecy”. That is, God called Hosea as a prophet and then commanded him to marry a prostitute as an example of how Israel was acting toward God. God also commanded Hosea to name his three children according to God’s imminent judgments upon Israel: Jezreel (which means bloodshed), No Mercy, and Not My People (those are some serious names/judgments). In other words, God commanded Hosea to act out God’s message to Israel in his marriage and family.

All of that happens in chapter 1. Chapter 2, however, waivers back and forth between Hosea and Gomer and God and Israel (it is at times difficult to tell who is really being addressed). Chapter 3, our text for this morning, includes some of the same wavering as in chapter 2. There are clear references to Hosea and Gomer and clear references to God and Israel.

The main point of all of this, once again, is that Israel had long been acting unfaithfully to God and, consequently, God sent Hosea to plead with Israel to understand that and repent from it.

This morning we’re going to wrap up the “enacted prophecy” section of Hosea by looking at all of chapter 3—a truly remarkable chapter. If you were listening carefully to chapter 2 (or last week’s sermon), you probably realized that it raises a very important question. In the first half of chapter 2 we saw the promised punishment that God would bring upon Israel. In the second half we saw the promised blessings that God would later (on “that day”) lavish upon a remnant of Israel. The important question this raises is: how do we get from promises of total destruction to unimaginable blessing? What made that shift possible? The main point of this text and sermon, one again, is answering that question. Let’s pray that God would grant us all the gratitude and repentance a right understanding of this passage requires.

GOMER’S REDEMPTION

Again, how do we get from the promised punishments of 2:2-13 to the promised blessings of 2:14-23? We find the answer immediately in chapter 3. Look at the first two verses.

Hosea 3:1-2 And the LORD said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley.

In these verses God commanded Hosea to continue (“go again”) to remain faithful to a woman (whom I believe to be Gomer), who was having an emotional and sexual affair with another man. We don’t know the details of the relationship—when or how or why it began or how she ended up in a place where she needed to be ransomed from it; we don’t even know for sure if this is Gomer or a different woman—but we do know three things:

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First we know that God’s command to Hosea was not merely to refrain from handing her over for punishment (for her sin under Jewish law) or even to merely allow her to come back home or even to merel...