Of Course Or Off Course? Series

Of Course or Off Course?

(Hosea 8-10)

1. This was an excruciating latter part of the week for Marylu and I and Luke

2. We had to move Luke out of Moody and then into SBTS.

3. I was saying "goodbye" to Moody a second time. I enjoyed my years there.

4. One of my professors retired 10 years go, and we called him "The Fox."

5. Before our first test, he said we did not need to memorize his outline…essay…

6. I was normally an A or B student, so when my first test came back with a C+…

7. I learned and made adjustments according to what I learned. But not everybody does this, & sometimes all of us have been guilty about making the same mistake over & over

Main Idea: We can learn from Israel's mistakes and make provision to stay on course by embracing three principles.

I. Principle One: Let God Have the STEERING WHEEL (8:1-7, 14)

A. Eagles of blessing or PREY (1)

Exodus 19:4, "You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself."

Deuteronomy 28:49, “The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand…"

House of the Lord = household (no specific word for family, Be yt)

The hawk and the piglet…

B. God has no interest in profession without PERFORMANCE (2-6)

You cannot believe everything people say

C. The wind matures into a WHIRLWIND (7)

D. The danger of FORGETTING God (14)

E. Application: Do we really view ourselves as God's SERVANTS?

We can learn from Israel's mistakes and make provision to stay on course by embracing three principles.

II. Principle Two: Choose CONTENTMENT in God's Will or Wander (9:15-17)

A. Becoming a WANDERER is a judgment from God (17)

Genesis 4:12, "When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.”

The Bible uses terms "peace" and "rest."

B. God would DRIVE them out (15)

Genesis 21:10, "Therefore she said to Abraham, “Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac.”

C. God's feelings turned from "Love" to "HATE"

1. Just as Hosea's feelings turned toward Gomer

2. But as Hosea took Gomer back, so God will take Israel back

3. God removes his "aheb" for a time, but not his "hesed."

4. A lot like the sinning believer…nothing can separate, sin breaks fellowship

aheb, "…The intensity of the meaning ranges from God's infinite affection for his people to the carnal appetites of a lazy glutton…" (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Volume 1, p. 14).

hesed, "Lovingkindness … is the idea of faithful love in action and often in the OT refers to God's lovingkindness expressed in His covenant relationship with Israel (His "loyal love" to His "Wife" Israel [cp Hos 2:18, 19, 20-see note, Is 54:5, Je 31:32] = His "loyalty to covenant"). God's hesed His denotes persistent and unconditional tenderness, kindness, and mercy … Hesed expresses both God’s loyalty to His covenant and His love for His people along with a faithfulness to keep His promises.

"…'In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting lovingkindness (hesed) I will have compassion (racham) on you," Says the LORD your Redeemer.' (Isa 54:8)

"'For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness (hesed) will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken," Says the LORD who has compassion (racham) on you.' (Isa 54:10)

"'The LORD'S lovingkindnesses (hesed) indeed never cease, For His compassions (racham) never fail.' (Lam 3:22)"

D. We are developing a culture of WANDERING

We can learn from Israel's mistakes and make provision to stay on course by embracing three principles.

III. Principle Three: Actively NURTURE Your Walk with God Internally and Externally (10:12)

A. We are responsible for what we SOW

1. Years ago, I tried planting some exotic Japanese greens

2. They tasted awful; not the seed co. fault, the seed, the soil...me

3. Sometimes we get away with foolish things, sometimes they catch up

4. We think sowing somehow gets us off the hook (claim innocence)

B. We are responsible to work the SOIL

1. My friend Charlie and his tomato plants

2. Need fresh soil, aeration, reinvigoration (part of church)

3. Two tracks of truth in God's Word that seem a paradox….

C. We are responsible to PERSIST

Spurgeon: My perseverance, the snail reached the ark…

D. Application: You must FARM your soul