Some of you may know of Fiona Coote.
At the age of 14 she became youngest heart transplant recipeant in Australia.
However Fiona has another claim to faim,
She has received not just one heart transplant but 3.
On 3 occasions she has been given a chance to live.
On 3 occasions she has been given a new heart.
And the song we heard earlier, “The heart of worship”
Was the result of Matt Redman a worship leader with a contemporary Christian church
Heart being changed by God.
Instead of the sound system, and band.
The church Redman was a worship leader of, had become to realize that church, worship and life
was not about what they wanted.
What pleased them.
What they liked.
Rather it is about God.
Now this change of heart came about because of them listening to God.
Hearing what God had to say through the scriptures.
And this is the message that each of us need to remember and reflect on.
At times we need a change of heart.
A heart that is open to hearing and receiving God’s message.
And today’s Old Testament reading from Hosea gives us an insight into what it means to have a new heart.
A heart changed by God.
To understand our reading from Hosea we need the broader picture.
Hosea is a minor prophet.
Hosea is a love story,
but a love story with a twist.
God instructs the prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute.
Listen to Hosea 1:2
When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord."
Now parents would you recommend that to your children.
But this is exactly what God said.
And not only that.
Hosea was to remain faithful to her no matter what?
And Hosea does exactly that.
He goes and finds a lady called Gomer.
Now fellas does a women with the name Gomer sound like the woman of your dreams?
Gomer bears his children.
But then she has affairs.
She continues her adulterous lifestyle.
She is stubborn.
She does what she wants.
Her life is all about her and what she enjoys.
And not only this…
She does what most of us would be upset with.
Not only does she desert her husband
She deserts her children.
So she can continue pleasing herself.
But Hosea continues showing his love for her.
No matter what she does Hosea remains faithful and loves her.
He goes after her.
He never gives us, never stops loving her.
This happens not just once but numerous times.
Hosea never gives up,
even though Gomer continues to remain stubborn
and live life in a way that suits her regardless of the consequences to others.
Gomer even gets herself into the predicament of being a slave.
But Hosea doesn’t leave her there.
He spends a small fortune to buy her out of slavery.
By this stage she is not an attractive woman.
She is toothless, beaten and abused.
She has scars physically and emotionally.
And even knowing this Hosea is determined to love her.
But this story is not just about Hosea and Gomer
God uses Hosea’s life to demonstrate to Israel that despite their frequent straying from God
their constant stubbornness
that he is always willing to love them.
And this story is also a message to us
About how God is always willing to love us,
not matter what has happened and not matter what we have done.
No matter what happens.
God is constantly waiting to forgive us, to give us a new life.
Not to force His forgiveness on us.
But waiting for us to return to him.
Listen again to Hosea chapter 5 verse 15.
Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me.
God is waiting for each of us to return to Him,
So He can show His love to us.
Now it is important to understand something about returning to God.
Often we think it is a one off event.
Something we do once or twice in a life time.
And there maybe some times in our lives when we make a major return to God.
However everyday when I pray and place myself before God
I realise that I need to return to God daily.
Not just once or twice in my life, but everyday.
Everyday we stray from God.
It may not be physical, but in our minds.
Like when we want revenge,
or think in ways that are not consistent with God’s approach to life.
And when we do…
We get to experience God’s love.
Unfortunately though we are enjoying life.
Doing what we want to do.
Thinking that we are alright because life appears alright.
And it is not until we experience some difficulties
Or when life is tough do we consider returning to God.
It is interesting that immediately after the initial terrorism attacks.
Churches were full.
And missionaries from places like China where despite persecution the church is flourishing often say what countries like USA, Australia and UK need is a tragedy so people will return to the Lord.
So people’s hearts will be changed.
Personally I don’t believe that we need such a major tragedy.
Because the realization that we have messed things up with sin is enough to cause misery.
When we realise this remember God is waiting for you to return.
Not with excuses or reasons why you have sinned
but with a heart open to receive His forgiveness and His ways.
Now our returning to God is not about us saying,
Hey God we have stuffed up now we are going to prove how good we are.
Listen again to Hosea 6 verse 6 about what it means to Live with a new heart
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
God’s word translations says it like this;
I want your loyalty, not your sacrifices. I want you to know me, not to give me burnt offerings.
I am not sure if you realise this but we live in a time when people are trying to buy their way through life.
And whilst this is helpful and good, especially if you are hopeless at somethings.
When it comes to Christianity God what is important in our relationship with God is not what we have done.
Not how much money we contribute.
Not how much time we have given to the church.
These sort of things are what God refers to as burnt offerings.
The problem with these things is not they are not what God wants,
But rather we use them to give ourselves a false sense of security in our relationship with God.
At times we can think because I have come to church on Sunday, or given $X, or dedicated X amount of time in church work that it doesn’t matter what we do or say outside Christian circles.
But it does.
God doesn’t require our sacrifices but our loyalty.
He wants us to know Him.
To be open to receive his love and forgiveness.
This is the effect that a new heart has on us.
That we are loyal and dedicated to God in every situation.
And when our hearts are open to receive God’s love,
We are healed.
Listen again to verse 1 from chapter 6
Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.
And when we do we are healed
our hearts are healed.
However it is difficult for us to receive healing from God when we are stubborn
Like Gomer when we want to continue living life our own way,
rather than be open to God’s approach to life
of love and forgiveness
it is difficult for us to be healed. .
However in returning to God
We have the opportunity to receive God’s healing.
Healed as a result of sins we have committed or sins that have been committed against us.
So the what do you need healing for?
Are there any sins of your past that you need healing for?
Sins either you have committed or sins committed against you.
This week spend time with God in prayer seeking his healing.
And remember that no matter what God is waiting to love you.
However not only is our heart healed when we return to God
Our heart is also revived.
Listen again to verse 2
After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.
Our heart is revived because rather than being worried about our relationship with God
We see that God loves us
That God forgives us.
And that rather than ourselves being central to our life
That life is orientated around loving God and loving others.
Do you need reviving?
This week spend time listening and being open to God and his approach to life.
And living with a new heart involves acknowledging God in all things and situations
From verse 3 we hear
Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth
When we have a heart to acknowledge God above all things it is a sign that our heart has been changed by God.
When we say look what God has done, rather than look what I have done
We are acknowledging God.
When we have a desire to share God’s love with others
We are acknowledging God
Our heart has been changed by God’s love.
A person with a changed heart acknowledges that without God they are lost
That everything they have,
Everything they have achieved
And their future is from God.
And what leads anyone to acknowledge God
it is because they realise that
God is always waiting to show his love to us no matter what a person has done or failed to do.
So as you live this week with a changed heart.
Don’t avoid God, spend time with him,
seeking his blessings of love, healing, renewal, and living out your purpose of sharing his Good News in your life.
Let us pray
