The Bible is the truest story of redemption. Redemption is the act of rescuing from one from bondage or slavery.  Where does this story begin?  Genesis, literally meaning beginning is where the story of redemption starts. It’s where  your story of redemption starts.  From the first sin of our first parents every person has been in bondage to sin and that very sin leads to our eternal death.  But there in the garden after the first sin that led to all sin God promised to send a rescuer to redeem us from sin and death. He promised a baby, a child to come not from man but from woman. The story of redemption began in the shadows of the first sin. 

The Lord has tender care for people - even those who turn away from him. What does the heart of God do when his people turn away from him? God has steadfast, faithful love - to call, care, raise, teach, train, provide for, and to nurture his people. But their response to the tender love of God is to turn from him and go after other lovers. God’s steadfast love is not willing to let his precious children run to other lovers. He loves them too deeply to share their love with anyone else. But what stirs in the heart of God for his adulterous people is warm, tender compassion. He still loves them, with warm, deep, abiding, faithful love. And that love moves him to go and get his people back - by any means necessary. His compassion does not come from seeing anything redeemable in us. It comes completely from within his holy love. We too, have hearts bent away from the Lord. When we see the warm compassion in the heart of God for his prodigal children, it should draw all of us back to him.

The nation of Israel prospers but along with their prosperity comes more sin, more rebellion, and self-reliance. It leads to the question, "Does more mean better?"

The love of God moves him to act in discipline to intervene on the path of sin and destruction. As the nation of Israel has progressed into deeper and darker sin God speaks and tells them the discipline of their sin is coming in the destruction of the nation.

What happens when ordinary people are filled with extraordinary power?

In Acts 2, we see the Holy Spirit come like wind and fire, turning fearful disciples into bold witnesses who change the world/

The same Spirit who moved at Pentecost is still moving today — in our church, in our homes, and in our lives.

How does someone, or a nation of someones, progress from sin to full-blown rejecting God?

There is a predictable pattern of rebellion and sin that the nation of Israel followed, which remains as the natural downhill slope of rebellion that people follow today.

It starts by rejecting God’s way and giving in to sin and evil.

Progresses to rejecting God’s rule - he is no longer your king, and you place your trust in others.

Then progresses to rejecting God as your God altogether.

At the core of each of these is no longer putting trust in the Lord.

The question that each person must consider is :
How are we rejecting God’s way, rule, and God as God?

As a kid, we all know what it's like to hide from the discipline of our sins.

And the children of Israel are no different.

Today, we dig into the true reason for discipline.

Discipline is the steadfast love of God drawing us out of sin and back to Him.

How far is God willing to go to bring you back to himself?

The story of Hosea is a story of redemption. Redemption meaning to purchase something to take as your own.

As the story continues, God instructs Hosea to redeem his wife Gomer, purchasing her back from slavery and restoring her as his wife.

After all that Homer has done to hurt, cheat, leave and abandon Hosea - he is told to go and love her.

The shocking reality of the story is a clear picture of the Gospel.

God loves you and I, so deeply despite our rebellion and spiritual adultery.

He sends Jesus the Son to come purchase us out of our slavery to sin.

But it cost him his life on the cross.

This is how great God's love for you is.

If you've ever hurt or offended someone and had to come back and apologize, it's very common to have anxiety and worries about how they will respond.

The same can be true with God.

He has been faithful to us, and we have betrayed him with each and every sin along the way.

This week as we continue in the book of Hosea, we see that God's response to us when we come back to him is to shower us with his love and restore all that sin robbed us of along the way.