The Preparation

Introduction

How’s your heart?

Could mean this physically.

Could mean this emotionally.

Could mean this spiritually.

Anyone remember the prophet Hosea?

Beautiful story of redemption in the midst of unfaithfulness.

ILLUST - Christine knew my message today would be from Hosea. Mentioned she and a friend watched a movie that is a modern retelling of the story of Hosea and Gomer.

Story of how God called Hosea to marry a woman known for her sin and unfaithfulness.

Hosea loved Gomer despite her unfaithfulness even going so far as to redeem her again even after she had been unfaithful to Hosea again and rejected him.

I said, “Yeah, not that part of Hosea.”

The first three chapters of Hosea are quite a bit different from chapters 4-14.

The first three chapters provide a living sketch of God’s love for his people even when they are unfaithful to him and how the people of God “shall come in fear to the LORD and to his goodness in the latter days.”

However, chapters 4-14 describe the judgment imminent for the people of God because they have not stayed true to God.

Chapter headings:

4- The Lord Accuses Israel

5- Punishment Coming for Israel and Judah

6- Israel and Judah Are Unrepentant

8 - Israel Will Reap the Whirlwind

9 - The Lord will punish Israel

11 - The Lord’s Love for Israel

12 - The Lords Indictment of Israel and Judah

13 - The Lords Relentless Judgment on Israel

14 - A Plea to Return to the Lord

Context

Hosea was a prophet in Israel during the 8th c. BC

He began his ministry around 740 BC and will spend about 30 years calling Israel to repent of worship of other gods - specifically Baal

Israel and Judah are split

Contemporaries: Amos, Micah, Isaiah

Hosea 10:1–2 (ESV) 1 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.

Speaking of abundance

Increase of fruit led to more altars - probably speaking of Baal who was a fertility God

Israel’s wealth is increasing and they falsely believe Baal is providing so they lean into Baal more by building more altars to him.

Comfort can lead to complacency.

“As long as we are content to live without revival, we will.” —Leonard Ravenill

Complacency can slip into idolatry.

This happens today when we falsely believe our job and hard work is what ultimately provides so we begin to pull away from the people of God and the mission of God to invest more time in working more.

This is the very thing Moses warned about:

Deuteronomy 8:11–14 ESV

11 “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, 12 lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, 13 and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,

Abundance is risky.

Israel could not “praise Baal” if the crops always failed.

You cannot become reliant on your bank account if it’s balance is zero.

Their heart is false

This is ultimately an issue of worship

If needed, God will break down the things keeping you from Him.

2 Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will break down their altars and destroy their pillars.

Notice the judgment is directly related to the very objects of worship set up by the people in their abundance that are keeping the people from true worship.

The wrath of God is a very real thing. We cannot expect that the immutable God of all Creation is somehow less concerned today about his people’s hearts being drawn toward other loves than he was in Hosea’s day!

This is actually an act of grace!

Proverbs 3:12 ESV

12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

ILLUST - you don’t discipline another person’s child, do you? (I didn’t ask if you have ever WANTED to discipline another person’s child!)

Notice, God breaks down the objects keeping the people from Him. He doesn’t break down his people.

Eventually, God will send Israel from the land (of promise) but he will NOT abandon his people!

As we will see in a moment,

God’s love for you (like Hosea’s love for Gomer) is always to redeem.

*In your abundance, have you come to trust more in what you believe is providing what you need / want?

Hosea 10:11–12 (ESV) 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.

Ephraim = Israel

Described as a farmer’s beloved calf.

Threshing was generally an easy task. Threshing sledge would be dragged over corn or the cow would trample over the wheat.

Cow can eat while treading the grain.

This cow was unyoked and unmuzzeled.

Picture of master and beast in a mutually beneficial relationship

Israel was God’s prized possession and enjoyed privileges; however, because of her obstinance to listen to her master, the relationship has changed.

but I will put Ephraim to the yoke; Judah must plow; Jacob must harrow for himself.

Perhaps the animal believes they know better now,

Perhaps the animal has become influenced by others around, or perhaps the cow is now simply older and required to work harder. Whatever the reason, the cow now requires a yoke and will be required to do harder work.

(Notice though, there is still a relationship. The cow still participates in the very important parts of farming — plowing and harvesting)

But the relationship is different. Not as free as it once was.

This is common among many Christians today as well. Not only will abundance dull the spiritual

Revelation 2:1–7 ESV

1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 “ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

familiarity does not necessitate a decrease in desire and enjoyment.

ILLUST - We’ve been married almost 25 years. I love this woman more than i did 25years ago. I enjoy her more now than ever.

*How is your love for Jesus? Is it the same as when you first learned about how he saved you from your sins?

*Has your love for Jesus cooled? Why? Did Jesus change? * If not, then would you dare to think that you can return to a place of even deeper intimacy with Jesus?

It’s a DTR - Defining the Relationship

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.

It is time to prepare your heart!

Because of Israel’s complacency and idolatry the soil of their heart has become “fallow”

ground that has generally been used for farming previously

now laid barren (intentionally or unintentionally)

Pretty much fruitless because seeds were not planted.

Breaking fallow ground is not easy:

It requires intentionality

It can be hard work

It exposes

It may require “fertilizer” to get things going.

The reason to sow. reap. break up the fallow ground is because it is time to seek the LORD

Why?

THAT he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

Revival cannot grow in unprepared hearts.

If we break up the fallow ground of our hearts, God will do what only he can do and RAIN righteousness on us!

What follows next is REVIVAL, fruitfulness, purpose, and joy.

What is reaped from that is steadfast love — hesed - the covenant love of God.

It is time to break the fallow ground of your heart!

God’s love predates and outlasts your unfaithfulness.

God will not give up on you (No matter how many times you’ve been unfaithful)

Hosea describes Israel’s unfaithfulness through several images:

adulterous wife

uncaring mother

illegitimate child

ungrateful son

stubborn cow

silly dove

luxuriant vine

grapes in the wilderness

And still, God is calling Israel to return to him so he can pour out his love on her.

God does not require revival to love you. He loves you through your need for revival. 

When did God start loving His people? 

• After they “cleaned up their act.” • After He vented His anger on them.

• When they were young, at the beginning of their existence. 

10. Do you think God ever stopped loving them? 

• Yes, at least for a while. 

• No. God always loved them, even when they needed discipline. 

The ESV Study Bible Theme

Yet Israel’s unfaithfulness and obstinacy are not enough to exhaust God’s redeeming love that outstrips the human capacity to comprehend.

You can’t out run God’s redemption. You can’t outlast

Conclusion

How’s your heart?

Check your pulse:

Have you become complacent?

Everything is good and flowing right along. Nothing really happening — I’ve got everything under control — and that’s the problem.

Has your spiritual temperature cooled?

You used to be on fire for Jesus - now you are more smoldering in Christianity. Jesus feels like a distant cousin instead of your brother, God the Father feels like an old grumpy neighbor and not your Father. You’re not sure WHAT to do with the Holy Spirit.

Seek the Lord for a prepared heart.

One that is opened again for what he wants to do in your life.

Be prepared to do the hard work of submitting to God in true worship and repenting of sin as he reveals it to you.

Benediction

Hosea 14:4–9 (ESV) 4 I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. 5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; 6 his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. 7 They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. 8 O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress; from me comes your fruit. 9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.