The desire of God
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Hosea 6
Hosea 6
Introduction: Peter Dieson,
In his book
The Priority of Knowing God,
On p.91.
Said
An airline pilot
flying over
the southeastern U.S.
called the local tower
and said,
"We are passing over
at 35,000--
give us a time check."
so
The tower said,
"What airline are you?"
"What difference
does it make?
I just want
the time."
replied the pilot.
so
The tower responded,
"Oh,
it makes a lot of difference.
The tower said
If you are TransWorld Airline
or Pan Am,
it is 1600.
If you are United
or Delta,
it is 4 o'clock.
If you are Southern Airways,
the little hand
is on the 4
and the big hand
is on the 12.
If you are
Skyway Airlines--
it's Thursday."
And the point is
Perspective
Is everything
And as we begin
This evening
Let me say that
Our perspective
On the Lord
Is everything too.
And with that In mind
Let’s read our text
For this evening
As I’ve already mentioned
It is in is in
The book of Hosea
Hosea 6
The Bible says
In Hosea 6 “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: For he hath torn, and he will heal us; He hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: In the third day he will raise us up, And we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; And he shall come unto us as the rain, As the latter and former rain unto the earth. O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? For your goodness is as a morning cloud, And as the early dew it goeth away. Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: And thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth. For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. But they like men have transgressed the covenant: There have they dealt treacherously against me. Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, And is polluted with blood. And as troops of robbers wait for a man, So the company of priests murder in the way by consent: For they commit lewdness. I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: There is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled. Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, When I returned the captivity of my people.”
Let’s go to the Lord
In a word of prayer
(Pray)
I. The historical significance of the book of Hosea
Declaration
Now then
Notice if you would
Our key verse
For this evening
It is verse 6
Where God said
(Hosea 6:6 “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
Now
By way
Of historical significance
Hosea 6 takes place
in the context
of Northern Israel’s
severe
spiritual infidelity.
see…
There was a time
When Israel
Was walking with God.
They weren’t perfect
But they were walking
With God.
They were endeavoring
To heed
God’s commands
As given by Moses.
And
They even said
Whatever God commands…
That’s
What we will do.
In fact
At the foot of Mount Sinai
Exodus 19:8 “all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.”
Then again
We are told
That
In Exodus 24:3 “Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do.”
Then
In verse 7
Of the same chapter
It says
(Exodus 24:7 “And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.”
And think about that.
After leaving Egypt
After being redeemed
From the bondage of Egypt
God’s people
Stated
Again and again
That they would do
Whatever God said.
And for the most part
They did.
All the way
Through the reign
Of King David.
And even Solomon.
But
If you know Bible history
You remember then
That after Solomon
Left the throne
And after his son
Rehoboam
Became the king of Israel…
The kingdom
Split in two,
With
The southern Tribe
Of Judah Judah
And the northern tribes
Of Israel.
And for a while
The Southern tribe
Stayed faithful
To the Lord
Yet
When That split
Took place…
The northern Tribes
Of Israel
Forsook of the Lord.
Their king
Jeroboam
The Bible says
Over and over
Made them
to sin
In fact
Keep your place here
In Hosea 6
And turn back
If you would please
To the book of 1 Kings
1 Kings 12
And read with me
Verses 28 – 33
The Bible says
In 1 Kings 12:28 – 33
Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Beth-el, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Beth-el the priests of the high places which he had made. So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Beth-el the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.
And
The king referenced
In verse 28…
Was King Jeroboam.
And in chapter 14:16
The Bible says
(1 Kings 14:16 “And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.”
And that horrible sin…
That Jeroboam committed…
Led Israel
And particularly
The northern tribes…
That sin
Led Israel
Down
a horrible path
Of spiritual infidelity.
They strayed far…
From God
And His holy Word.
And after
The death
of Jeroboam …
The
nation of Israel
increasingly
adopted Canaanite worship…
including
erecting altars
to Baal
and Asherah.
they Likewise…
burned
their children
as offerings
and used sorcery, divination,
and omens.
Then …
Due to economic
prosperity,
they ignored
God’s laws
against oppression,
Something which
By the way
led to injustice,
greed,
and the abuse
of the poor.
And
To make matters worse
they
disregarded messages
from prophets
like Amos
and Hosea.
And rather often...
They became angry
at the warnings
From those profit
Discussion
Now
By way of information…
The book of Hosea
Is set
In the mid-
To late
Eighth century BC
Somewhere between
750 to 722 BC
Which
Was a time
Marked
By prosperity…
Rapid idolatry…
And political decline.
And we know from history
That
Hosea’s ministry
spanned
the chaotic final decades
of the Northern Kingdom,
witnessing rapid political decline,
economic instability,
and the rise
of the Assyrian empire.
Because again
The nation of Israel
the
Northern tribes
had abandoned
their covenant
with God,
turning to Baal worship
and seeking alliances
with foreign powers
like Egypt
and Assyria.
Discussion
And
In order
To paint them a picture
Of what they had done …
God commanded Hosea
to marry a woman
named Gomer,
who was unfaithful,
to him
Something which
acted
as a living,
prophetic symbol
of Israel’s unfaithfulness
to her God.
And as you read
The book of Hosea
You find that
The book
alternates
between indictments of sin
and the promises
of restoration.
Something which
By the way
highlights
God
as a spurned husband
and yet
a loving parent.
And
There is a lesson
In the book of Hosea
For all of us.
Even though
We sometimes too
Aren’t faithful to God...
Yet
Like Hosea
With regards to Gomer
God
Loves us.
And he continues
To come after us…
When we have forsaken Him.
And I say
Aren’t you glad
For the great grace
And mercy of God
Where all of us
Is concerned?
But
As we get
To the sixth chapter
Of this book…
We find that
Hosea 6
takes place
in the context
of
Northern Israel’s
severe
spiritual infidelity
and
the impending judgment
From God
by way of Assyria,
following God's decree
in chapter 5
to abandon them
To their sin
In fact
Turn back
Just one chapter
To Hosea 5
And let’s read
The entire chapter
It’s not that long
So let’s read
The entire chapter.
Because
It is important for us
If we want to understand
Chapter 6
But
The Bible says
In Hosea 5 “Hear ye this, O priests; And hearken, ye house of Israel; And give ye ear, O house of the king; For judgment is toward you, Because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, And a net spread upon Tabor. And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, Though I have been a rebuker of them all. I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: For now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled. They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: For the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, And they have not known the Lord. And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: Therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them. They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord; But they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them. They have dealt treacherously against the Lord: For they have begotten strange children: Now shall a month devour them with their portions. Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, And the trumpet in Ramah: Cry aloud at Beth-aven, After thee, O Benjamin. Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: Among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be. The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: Therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water. Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, Because he willingly walked after the commandment. Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, And to the house of Judah as rottenness. When Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah saw his wound, Then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, And sent to king Jareb: Yet could he not heal you, Nor cure you of your wound. For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, And as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him. I will go and return to my place, Till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: In their affliction they will seek me early.”
But then
As we arrive
At Chapter 6
We find that
It highlights
the fleeting,
superficial nature
of Israel's repentance,
contrasting
their empty rituals.
So
Let’s read
From Chapter 6
Once again
And remember
that Hosea 6
takes place
in the context
of
Northern Israel’s
severe spiritual infidelity
and impending judgment by Assyria,
following God's decree in chapter 5
to abandon them
to their sins.
It highlights
the fleeting,
superficial nature
of Israel's repentance,
So
Listen if you would
To the first 3 versus
Here in Hosea 6
The Bible says
(Hosea 6:1–3 “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: For he hath torn, and he will heal us; He hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: In the third day he will raise us up, And we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; And he shall come unto us as the rain, As the latter and former rain unto the earth.”
see
After God’s threat
In chapter 5
And after God graciously
Endeavored
To call them back
In Hosea 5:14–15
Where God told them
“For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, And as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him. I will go and return to my place, Till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: In their affliction they will seek me early.”
Well
In chapter 6
They
Said
in...insincerity
Come
And let us return
To the Lord.
And what a picture
That is
Of
The believer
Sometimes.
As God punishes
Their waywardness…
And as they
Halfheartedly
Repent
From their sins.
But
We ought all
Keep in mind
That God sees
right down into our hearts.
see
Half heartedness
May fool people.
But it never Fools God!
He
Knows the very thoughts
An intents
Of our hearts.
But Israel did…
They said
Halfheartedly
(Hosea 6:1–3 “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: For he hath torn, and he will heal us; He hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: In the third day he will raise us up, And we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; And he shall come unto us as the rain, As the latter and former rain unto the earth.”
my..
Don’t they sound
Like they want
to do right?
Oh
But God
knew the intents
Of their heart.
Because
Listen to what He said
In verse 4
(Hosea 6:4 “O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? For your goodness is as a morning cloud, And as the early dew it goeth away.”
Now
Do you know
What God was saying?
He was telling them…
Just as soon
As the threat of my judgment
Is past…
Your supposed goodness
Will go away!
Determination
And
There is a warning here
For all of us…
As Christians.
That
When God judges us
For our sins
Or threatens judgment
For our sins…
The
Thing then
to do
Is not to repent
In a halfhearted way.
The thing to do
Is to
Without hesitation
Without reservation
Without conditions
We
Must give God
Our unconditional surrender.
Which
Remind me
Of the end
Of World War II
When
President Roosevelt
announced
the acceptance
of “nothing less
than the unconditional surrender
of Germany,
Japan
and Italy”
in a speech
on January 24, 1943.
He
Would not accept
A conditional surrender
In order to give them peace
No
Pres. Roosevelt
Demanded
Unconditional surrender
From the axis powers
and
This policy
aimed
to unite the Allies
in achieving the unequivocal eradication
of the Axis Powers …
and concurrently demarcate
a clear line
of victory
at war's end.
And
the God whom we serve
Likewise
requires
That when we sin
He requires
An unconditional surrender.
That we turn away
From the sin
Wholeheartedly
Without conditions
Without reservation
That
We turn away
From our sins
And turn back
To our God
II. The heartfelt statement in the book of Hosea
Declaration
And
As we continue
Reading here
In chapter 6
We find out why
God requires
Unconditional surrender.
In fact
Let’s read
Versus 1 – 6 again.
After The Lord
Threatened them
For their sin
In chapter 5…
The Bible says
in Hosea 6:1–6 “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: For he hath torn, and he will heal us; He hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: In the third day he will raise us up, And we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; And he shall come unto us as the rain, As the latter and former rain unto the earth. O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? For your goodness is as a morning cloud, And as the early dew it goeth away. Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: And thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth. For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
Now then
I call your attention
To the word
Desired
In verse 6.
The word desired …
refers
to God’s deep…
heartfelt pleasure…
His
longing,
or delight .
It signifies
what He truly values
most.
So
Listen
What God desired…
And remember
He had heard
Their halfhearted
Testimony
Of repentance
Where they all said
Let’s return
To the Lord
He had heard
Them say
Let us follow on
To know the Lord.
They were saying…
We have decided
To start learning
About God again.
But God knew
These were only
Halfhearted platitudes.
So
God said Israel…
Can I tell you
What I desire?
God said
(Hosea 6:6 “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
The word "mercy"
Used here
By the way
refers
to a Hebrew word ,
which signifies
Steadfast love…
And absolute loyalty.
In fact
It is a
covenant-driven commitment
to God
that results
in righteous behavior.
Discussion
And
The point is…
The thing
That God values
The most
From those of us
Who are His children
Is love
And loyalty.
I’m reminded
Of something
The Lord Jesus said
In the Gospel of Matthew
He said
In Matthew 22:37–38 “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.”
See
The thing
That God values
The most
From
Those of us
Who are Christians
Is
That we love Him.
And
That we are
Loyal
To him.
Which
Reminds me
Of something that is said
In Deuteronomy 5
Turn there
If you would please
And read with me
Versus 27 – 29
The people of Israel
Told Moses
(Deuteronomy 5:27–29 “Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it. And the Lord heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the Lord said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken. O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!”
They said
Moses
You go find out
What God says
And come back
And tell us
And we will do
Whatever God says!
But God said…
I hear you.
But Israel
I so wish
That you had a heart
That would lead you
To fear me like that.
How I wish
Your heart would drive you
To keep my commandments
Because
All I want to do
Is bless you.
And the point is
God wants
Loyalty
From all of us
He values
Two things
From you and I
Our love
and our loyalty.
So
Let me ask you…
When it comes
To God’s desire
In this day and time…
When it comes
To what God values
The most
From all of us…
Do
We give God
What He desires?
Do we love Him
With all of our heart
Soul
Mind
And strength?
Are we
Loyal to Him?
Completely loyal?
Because
Let me tell you
He sure has been loyal
To all of us.
In fact
The Lord
Loyally…
Saved our souls
And the Lord
Has loyally
Sustained our lives.
And
God
Has loyally
Supplied our needs
Safeguarded our lives
Given us a presence
That is sure
God
Has loved us
With an everlasting love.
And God
Has been loyal
To all of us.
So don’t you think
We What to love
And be loyal
To our God?
Absolutely
Determination
Oh
But Israel
Did not love the Lord
Particularly
Not the people
In Hosea’s time.
They were likened
unto Hosea’s wife
Gomer.
In fact
Look back
To chapter 3
And read with me
Versus 1 – 3
The Bible says
(Hosea 3:1–3 “Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine. So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley: And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.”
And
The point is
Like Hosea’s wife Gomer
The people of Israel
Were engaged
In spiritual idolatry
Spiritual harlotry
They weren’t faithful
To the Lord their God…
Even though
They said
In chapter 6
Let us return
To the Lord.
But all they really wanted
Was for the heavy hand of God
In his judgment
To be lifted!
Oh but
God
Wanted love
And loyalty
From them
Listen to Him again
In Hosea 6:6 “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
God was saying
More than anything else
I high-value love
and loyalty
Rather
Then some sacrifice
And
At the same time too
God said
I value
The knowledge of God
More than burnt offering.
now
the knowledge
of God"
Does
Not mean
An intellectual Knowledge
Or religious ritual.
But instead
It means
An intimate
Relational
And experiential acquaintance
With God
And
With His will.
see
God desires
a personal,
deep connection
with His people
rather than
just the outward,
often hypocritical performance
Of one kind or other
God
wants us
To know Him
In a personal way.
In fact
I’m reminded
Of something
The prophet Jeremiah wrote
In Jeremiah 9
He wrote
In Jeremiah 9:23–24 “Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Neither let the mighty man glory in his might, Let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, That he understandeth and knoweth me, That I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: For in these things I delight, saith the Lord.”
Now
Did you catch that?
He said
How I wish
My people knew me
And understood me.
that I am the One
Who exercises lovingkindness
Judgment
And righteousness.
That’s
What I delight in.
God said
I delight
When my people
Understand Me
I delight
When my people know Me.
And my dear friend
That’s why
We as God’s people
Ought to strive
To know our Lord better
In 2026
And by the way
Paul said
In Philippians 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”
The apostle Peter wrote
In 2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”
But see
That’s what God desires
From all of us
As His children.
More
Than anything else
More than making sacrifices
More than Giving offerings…
God values
Our love and loyalty
And God values
Our longing
For an intimate
Knowledge
and understanding
Of the Lord our God
Because
To know Him
Is to love Him.
Because as we know Him
And discover
How good He is
How wonderful
He is
How
Very kind
Our Lord is…
Knowing Him
That longing
to know Him
Will most certainly
Deepen our love
And loyalty
To Him.
Determination
So
Let me ask you
This evening
Do you know
The Lord?
And I’m talking to Christians
But do you know
The Lord?
Somebody said
Pastor
Of course I know the Lord
I was saved
In 1969
Or 1980
Or whenever.
I trusted Jesus
As my Savior
So I know the Lord!
But
That’s not
What I’m talking About
And it wasn’t
What God was talking about.
But I’m asking you…
If you have
An intimate
Relational
And experiential acquaintance
With God?
Is
Your relationship
With the Lord
Intimate
Where
You just can’t help
But to talk with Him
As if as if
He were your. closest relative
Which
Reminds me
Of my mother
now
My mother
Knew the Lord
She knew the Lord
Intimately.
In fact
She read her Bible
Hours at a time.
She had a prayer list
That was very long
And she prayed daily
And
So often
She would call the Lord
Daddy
In fact
Not long before she died
She spent a little time
In the hospital
And on one occasion
The staff
Of the hospital
Thought that mom
Had become delusional
Because she was talking about
Her Daddy
As though she had talked
To Him
that day
But
They didn’t understand
That her Daddy
That she was talking about
Wasn’t Howard Tester…
But it was her Heavenly Father.
And the point is
My dear mom
Had a close
Intimate
Personal knowledge
Of her Lord
And
That close
Intimate
Personal knowledge
Of her Lord
Made her
Want to be loyal
And loving
To Him
It
Made my mom
Talk to Him
For hours
Sometimes
It made my mom
Listen to Him
As she read His Word
For hours
At a time
It
Compelled her
When she was younger
To be willing
To clean the entire church
Without compensation.
It compelled her
When she was able
To be in God’s House
Every time the doors
were opened
It
Compelled my dear mother
To stay at her church
when there were problems
In the church.
It compelled my mother
To love the Lord her God
With all
that was within her.
And
Mom’s knowledge
Her intimate knowledge
Of her Lord
Drove her
To intense loyalty.
In fact
I remember one occasion
Where
Mom was watching television
And someone
Took the Lord’s name in vain
And because of her loyalty
To Him…
She almost threw
the remote
Through the television screen
See
My mom
knew her Lord
And in knowing
Her Lord
She couldn’t help
But to love
And to endeavor
To be loyal
to Him
III. The honorable saint in View of the book of Hosea
Declaration
But now
That we have looked at
The historical significance
Of the book of Hosea
And Now that we
have looked...
At this heartfelt statement
That God made
Where He said
After
Pronouncing judgment
Upon Israel
For their sins
And after their halfhearted repentance
God said
(Hosea 6:6 “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
But
Now that we looked
At the historical significance
Of the book of Hosea
and this heartfelt statement
In Hosea 6..
Let us consider
The honorable saints
Today…
In view of the book of Hosea
And
Let me say that
I don’t think
Any of us
Are quite like
The northern tribes of Israel
I don’t think any of us
Are so embedded
In sin
That
We have embraced
Idolatry
And wickedness
To the degree of Israel
A nation
That produced people
Like Omri
and Ahab
I don’t think any of us
Would ever engage
In acts of lewdness
Like they did.
But
Sometimes
Perhaps all of us
Stray
In our lives.
And sometimes
We can’t even see it.
Sometimes
We are so wrapped up
In ourselves
That
We can’t even tell
When we’re doing the wrong thing.
And that
Is a very dangerous place to be.
Because
When you’re so wrapped up
In self
Your spiritual eyes
Can become blinded.
You
Can then
Easily lose your way
Or you can easily
Stray from the way
That God wants you
to follow
Determination
But
That’s why
Is so important
To regularly
Perhaps
Even daily…
That’s why
It is so important
To
Take spiritual inventory.
To check
your Spiritual temperature.
And let me recommend
A few things
Along those lines.
Knowing
What God values most
You ought to
first of all…
Check…
And make sure
That you are loving God
Like Jesus said.
(Matthew 22:37–38 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.”
By the way
The word first
In that verse
Verse 38
Means foremost.
And the Word great
Means
The most important!
So....
Jesus said
The foremost
And the most important Commandment
in all of the Scripture
Is to love the Lord your God
With all of your heart
Soul
And mind.
That’s
What God values!
So
Have you checked
On your love for God lately
And by the way
Loving
Is not just something you say
It is something that you do.
so
Do you give God
Every part of your life?
see
That’s love
Secondly
Have you checked
On your loyalty
To your God?
By the way
The word loyalty
Describes allegiance
It is a strong feeling
Of allegiance
So
Have you checked
Your loyalty
To your God, lately?
Are you loyal
To reading His Word?
Are you loyal
To spending time in prayer
Are you loyal
To be in His house
Are
You loyal
To His people
Are you loyal
To give your tithe
Are you loyal
In witnessing
Have you checked on your loyalty
To God recently?
And
Then thirdly
Have you checked on
Your longing
To know your Lord
More intimately?
Your desire
To be so close
To your Lord
That You think of Him
as your Daddy?
I
Am reminded
Of something
The apostle Paul said
In the book of Romans
Romans 8
Paul said
In Romans 8:13–15 “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
Now
The phrase
"Abba, Father"
is a powerful
Biblical phrase
combining
the intimate
Aramaic/Hebrew word
Abba
meaning "Daddy"
or "Papa"
with
the Greek
Pater
meaning "Father"
So
Paul Was saying
Because we have
The Holy Spirit of God
Living in us
And as
We’re not living
After the flesh
But as we are being led
By the Spirit…
Therefore
Because
Of our close
Personal relationship
With our Lord
We call Him
Daddy
so
are you that close
To God
This evening this evening?
He wants you to be
That close.
Listen
Again if you would
To our text
It says
In Hosea 6:1–6 “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: For he hath torn, and he will heal us; He hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: In the third day he will raise us up, And we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; And he shall come unto us as the rain, As the latter and former rain unto the earth. O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? For your goodness is as a morning cloud, And as the early dew it goeth away. Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: And thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth. For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
God
Was saying
I don’t want
Your religious platitudes.
No
The things
I desire most
From you…
Is
Your love
Your loyalty
And your Longing
to know the Lord.
So
Christian
My question for you
Is
Does your life
Satisfy
The desires of God?
Or maybe
It brings
A little dissatisfaction
to His heart
You
Might need
To come to the altar
To get things right
with the Lord.
In
Just a moment
When the piano
Begins to play
I want to invite you
To come to the altar
And do a spiritual checkup
Check up..
On your love
Your loyalty
And your longing
To know God better
I hope you will
Conclusion: Let’s close in prayerFor the question about55935593
