Title: God’s Overwhelming, Unexplainable, Incomprehensible, Reconciling Love For His Children
Text: Hosea 3:1-5
Theme: God loves His children in spite of their sin.
Introduction
The most destructive force in the entire universe is the unbridled wrath of God. The Bible uses anthropopathic (from the Greek "Anthropos", meaning "man" and "Pathos", meaning to feel or suffer, his is the assignation of human emotional characteristics to a non-human subject) expressions to express the wrath of God. Human terms, however, cannot give the full meaning of the infinite and sovereign God’s emotional experiences. As His love is infinitely incomprehensible, so are his displeasure, hate, anger, wrath, and vengeance. (Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology).
Consider these passages that describe God’s wrath.
Psalms 7:11
“God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”
Romans 1:18
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,”
Hebrews 10:30-31
“For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Matthew 10:28
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
2 Peter 3:10-13
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
For now, though, God’s wrath is tempered with His grace.
· The fall – Adam and Eve suffered spiritual death, they were cast out of the Garden of Eden, but still God performed a blood sacrifice to cover their sins. (Genesis 3:21, 24)
· The flood – God destroyed all humanity except for Noah who found grace in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:5-8)
· Sodom and Gomorrah – Destroyed because of their wickedness and depravity, but Lot was saved. (Genesis 19:24-25)
· The Egyptians – Destroyed in the wrath of God so the children of Israel could escape. (Exodus 15:7; Psalms 78:49-51)
· At the cross – God poured out His wrath against sin upon His Son so that you and I could be saved. (Psalms 38:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 5:9)
However, from the gospel of John we find that God’s love, condemnation, and anger are directed at the unbeliever simultaneously. (John 3:16, 18, 36)
All those who continue to scorn Jesus Christ have insulted the Holy Spirit. (Hebrews 10:28-29)
Hell is a real place where the wrath of God against sin will be poured out without mercy for all eternity (Mark 9; Luke 16).
WHAT HOPE IS THERE FOR ESCAPING THE WRATH OF ETERNAL DAMNATION?
Hosea 3 – (Complete Jewish Bible)
Adonai said to me, “Go once more, and show love to [this] wife [of yours] who has been loved by her boyfriend, to this adulteress — just as Adonai loves the people of Isra’el, even though they turn to other gods and love the raisin cakes [offered to them].”
So I bought her back for myself with fifteen pieces of silver and eight bushels of barley. Then I told her, “You are to remain in seclusion for a long time and be mine. You are not to be a prostitute, and you are not to be with any other man; and I won’t come in to have sex with you either.” For the people of Isra’el are going to be in seclusion for a long time without a king, prince, sacrifice, standing-stone, ritual vest or household gods. Afterwards, the people of Isra’el will repent and seek Adonai their God and David their king; they will come trembling to Adonai and his goodness in the [latter days] acharit-hayamim.
THE ONLY THING THAT PREVENTS ME FROM BEARING THE FULL WEIGHT OF GOD’S WRATH AGAINST SIN IS HIS LIMITLESS, IMMEASURABLE LOVE.
In this chapter we see several contrasts that depict man’s need for forgiveness and God’s provision of redemption.
I. REBELLION – MY SIN IS REBELLION AGAINST GOD
FORGIVENESS – GOD LOVES ME AND WANTS ME BACK (Hosea 3:1)
A. Every Sin Is Rebellion Against God. (Psalms 41:4; Psalms 51:3-4)
B. Every Individual Has Sinned And Rebelled Against God. (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-9)
II. REDEMPTION – I OWED A SIN DEBT I COULD NOT PAY
FULL PAYMENT – GOD PAID THE PRICE TO REDEEM ME (Hosea 3:2)
A. Jesus Is Our Propitiation. (Romans 5:8; Romans 3:24-25)
1. Propitiation – to conciliate (an offended power); appease or satisfy. (Isaiah 53:10)
2. The Greek word also means mercy seat.
3. The wrath of God (Romans 1:18) is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness.
4. But Jesus intervened with His own blood so that the wrath of God upon all those who would trust in Christ was poured out upon Him in His sacrificial death.
5. Because only He was able to intercede in this way, His vicarious suffering vindicated God’s righteousness, and His wrath was abated so that He might pour out upon us His grace.
B. Jesus Is Our Ransom. (Mark 10:45)
III. RENEWAL – I NEEDED A FRESH START
FREEDOM – GOD JUSTIFIED ME, COUNTING ME AS ONE WHO HAD NEVER SINNED (Hosea 3:3)
A. God May Hide His Face From Us Temporarily. (Isaiah 54:4-8)
B. But He Remembers That We Are Dust. (Psalms 103:12-14)
IV. RESULTS – SIN HAS CONSEQUENCES
FRUITION – GOD ALLOWS ME TO CHOOSE MY SIN, BUT NOT MY CONSEQUENCES (Hosea 3:4)
A. Sin Will Cost Us God’s Blessings. (Judges 16:19-20)
B. We Will Reap What We Sow. (Galatians 6:7-8)
V. RESTORATION – I LONG FOR FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD
FELLOWSHIP – I WILL HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD AS IT WAS MEANT TO BE (Hosea 3:5)
A. We Long For The Redemption Of Our Body. (Romans 8:19-25)
B. We Yearn For Deliverance From This Body Of Death. (Romans 7:22-25)
Conclusion
Our ultimate redemption is yet future.
· In the millennial reign there will be a new covenant. (Jeremiah 31:33-34)
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ’Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
· Creation will be restored to its original state. (Isaiah 11:6-10)
"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze;
Their young ones shall lie down together;
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.
"And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse,
Who shall stand as a banner to the people;
For the Gentiles shall seek Him,
And His resting place shall be glorious."
· There will be a glorious new creation. (Isaiah 65:17-25)
"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,
And her people a joy.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
And joy in My people;
The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her,
Nor the voice of crying.
"No more shall an infant from there live but a few days,
Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days;
For the child shall die one hundred years old,
But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.
They shall build houses and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit;
They shall not plant and another eat;
For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people,
And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labor in vain,
Nor bring forth children for trouble;
For they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord,
And their offspring with them.
"It shall come to pass
That before they call, I will answer;
And while they are still speaking, I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
The lion shall eat straw like the ox,
And dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,"
Says the Lord.
· All things will be made new. (Revelation 21:1-7)
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."
And He said to me,"It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
