Genuine Repentance

Introduction

Background to Text

When we last visited the book of Hosea, we left off with a plea from God for His people to turn around. They were trying to seek God and seek sin at the same time. Which was not working. They drug Judah down with them into their idolatrous ways.

They were going down a destructive path, yet God in His grace still would give them a chance if they would repent. As we continue in this book and look at this next chapter, it almost sounds promising at the beginning.

It almost sounds like God had their attention and they saw the error of their way. As if they were ready to seek the Lord. But they didn’t want to get right with God, they just wanted to get out of the mess they were in.

They were not genuine in their repentance. They were sorry for the circumstance they found themselves in, not that they had offended God.

So tonight we look at this message, “Genuine Repentance.”

PRAY

-Do you remember when you were little and you would get in trouble? Immediately when you got caught red-handed, probably some of the first words out of your mouth was, “I’m sorry.”

-The reason that you were sorry most likely was not because you were sorry for what you did, but you were sorry for what was about to happen next. You hoped that with those two words you would get out of the punishment that was coming your way.

-We were more sorry about the consequences of our sin than the sin itself.

That’s exactly what is happening in this text. The people sound repentant. They even show some evidence of being sorry. But we find some subtle hints that prove that they were not genuine in their repentance.

Transition

So tonight I want us to look at Four Truths about genuine repentance and how we can tell whether we are sorry over our sin or just sorry we got caught in the act.

Genuine Repentance Does Not Blame God for Circumstances (v. 1)

Here the people blame God for the current state that they’re in. They’re torn and smitten. So now since God did that to them, He’s obligated to heal them. Or so they thought.

In essence it was all God’s fault that they were in the mess they were in. There was no remorse over sin. No confessing that they were wrong. All they could see was God’s punishment on them and His need to bring healing to them.

When we genuinely want to be right with God, instead of pointing the finger of blame at Him, or pointing the finger at others, we’ll point the finger back at ourselves. It’s not God’s fault that we find ourselves in messes.

Most the time, at least for me, I’m the one to blame. My foolishness, my stubborness, my ignorance gets me into trouble.

When we get into trouble a lot of times we try to judge the situation to where we’re not to blame. As if we’re the victims. We plot a story in our minds and rehearse it to the point that we believe.

We make ourselves to be the good guys and everyone else is wrong. Until we get to the point where we’re willing to fess up to the wrong we’ve committed, we will not be genuinely repentant.

-This last week as I was reading one of my daily devotionals: the author said the following:

“When you are confronted with a wrong, caught in a wrong, or feel internally uncomfortable with a wrong that you have done and you rise to your own defense—when you refuse to see that what you have done is wrong and then turn and work to make yourself comfortable with the wrong that you have done—you aren’t just rewriting your own history, you aren’t just being self-righteous, and you aren’t just deceiving yourself. You are fighting God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, who at that moment is gracing you with insight, conviction, protection, and rescue. In grace, he is blowing through your walls of spiritual blindness and self-righteousness to help you to see yourself as you actually are and, in seeing yourself accurately, to seek the grace that is yours in Christ Jesus.”

Friends, when Christ convicts us of sin, when it is clear we are in the wrong, that should cause us to run to God’s grace, not to make excuses for ourselves. Thank God for His conviction. Thank God He would get our attention.

Don’t run from it, embrace it. Confess it. Get it right. God was making it evident to these people that they needed to get right with Him. But instead of yielding to God in confession, they put the blame on God for their current situation.

Let me let you in on a little secret, if there’s a problem, the problem is not with God. The problem is with us.

Genuine repentance does not blame God for our circumstances. Rather it takes ownership for what we’ve done.

Genuine Repentance Does Not Dictate God’s Agenda (v. 2-3)

This is not God speaking to His people, this is the people dictating their agenda to God and what they thought He should be doing. They thought God should just heal them in a couple days. That everything was just going to go away.

In essence they were trying to manipulate God. If God brought healing to them, then they would seek Him. Instead of owning up to their sin and realizing that there were consequences for that sin, they expected for God to just make everything go away.

While I am thankful for God’s mercy in my life, keeping back from me what I deserve time and again, there are times in life where when we sin, the only just thing for God to do is to allow us to stay in the consequence.

-This is a pretty extreme example, but I think it gets the point across. Let’s say someone were to kill someone. And let’s say in the trial they confess their wrong, genuinely repent, and ask forgiveness.

-What would be the right thing to do? Just let them walk out free because they repented? Just act as if nothing ever happened? No, definitely not. It’s good that they’ve confessed and expressed sorrow. But there are consequences for the action they committed.

Why do you think God, in His Word, warns us constantly against sin? The Bible teaches us to stay away from certain things. Because if we get entangled in those things, there will be consequences.

God is not mean or unmerciful because He allows us to experience consequences for sin. Rather, we don’t take heed to His voice in trying to prevent us from doing things we know are sin.

Anytime we sin and do wrong, God is just in giving consequences for those sins. If there were no consequences for sin, then we wouldn’t see the seriousness of that sin.

Sin has a price tag attached to it. We must consider that.

If we truly are repentant we won’t try to dictate to God how He should handle the wrong we’ve committed. Rather, we should express our sorrow. Be sorry for offending God and not just the repercussions we’re dealing with.

Genuine repentance does not blame God for circumstances. Genuine repentance does not dictate God’s agenda.

Genuine Repentance Does Not Replace Adoration for Actions (v. 4-7)

God points out how these people were trying to sacrifice. They were giving burnt offerings all in the name of Jehovah. But this did not impress God.

In fact, verse 4 says that their goodness or in other words, their love, was like the morning dew. It would be on the grass for a little while, but then soon fade away. It was a fickle love. It wasn’t a long-lasting love.

These people were under a false impression that they were good with God because of all they were doing for Him. They thought their actions were enough to impress God. But they lacked adoration.

God wanted their love. He wanted them to actually know Him on a personal level. It goes back to the problem God had with the people in chapter 4:

Hosea 4:1 KJV 1900

Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: For the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

Oh sure, they were sacrificing. They had a semblance of spirituality. But it lacked a love for God.

I fear a lot of people fall into this trap of performance-based Christianity. That somehow we think God is impressed by what we do and how much we’re doing in His name.

But what God wants most from us, is US. If God doesn’t have you first, He doesn’t want your sacrifice. Your sacrifice is offensive then. It’s pointless. God wants your surrender before your sacrifice.

Too many times we gauge our spirituality by what we do. How much are we performing? How involved are we? Listen, those are bad things to be doing. God wants your sacrifice. He wants your labor. He wants your involvement.

But we cannot substitute adoration for actions. God wants our heart and our service.

He wants faithful love. Not something that comes and goes. Not something that only shows up when we get in trouble or have a great need. But a constant love and adoration for the Lord.

Genuine Repentance Does Not See Past Sin Issues (v. 8-10)

These people didn’t understand why God wasn’t bringing healing to them, as if they were some spiritual giants. But the true story of where they were at is in these verses.

Just like robbers would assault victims and shed blood, the priests have taken place of the robbers when it comes to worship to God. That which is holy has been thrown out. They are killing these people spiritually. They are defiled.

Yet, they think, “God’s going to heal us in a few days. Since He’s hurt us, He’s obligated to help us.”

They looked past the issues they had, and were blinded to the wickedness they were committing.

Jeremiah 17:9 KJV 1900

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

These people probably got to the point where they were numb to the sin around them. Where they saw no problem with how things were going because they had become accustomed to their sin.

But let me remind you tonight, God never gets used to sin. He is fully aware of it.

1 Timothy 4:2 KJV 1900

Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

They had become calloused to their sin. They would not see it for what it was.

I wonder, what in your life and mine, have we become accustomed to that is wrong in the eyes of God? How do we find that out?

We must get in the Word! We must ask God to search our hearts. And when the Bible contradicts what you’re doing, change! Don’t just look past the wrong you’re committing.

Don’t just sweep it under the spiritual rug. Confess it, forsake it, and you’ll have mercy!

But I want you to notice verse 11:

Hosea 6:11 KJV 1900

Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, When I returned the captivity of my people.

When you sow in sin you’ll reap a harvest of the same. That’s exactly what was happening with these people. The harvest was appointed. They were going to experience the repercussions of their sin.

Doesn’t it only make sense that what we sow we will reap.

Conclusion

So this is a warning from the Word of God. Stay away from sin. Don’t go down a path of wickedness.

But what should you do if you go down the wrong path? Repent. Be genuine.

Don’t blame God for your circumstances, own up to it. Don’t try to dictate God’s agenda, be willing to accept the consequences. Don’t substitute adoration for actions. God wants your heart. He wants your love. Don’t look past issues of sin. When God points out your sin, get it right.

“I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me up against the Rock of Ages” Spurgeon

Sin can bring difficulty. Sin can cause trouble. When God is gracious enough to reveal that sin to us, and lead us back to Him, thank God for those waves of life that lead us to the rock.