Hosea 14
Redemption Gospel Meeting • Sermon • Submitted
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Shadows of Things to Come
Scott Ingram
TEXT: Hosea 14:1-4 “O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thous hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously:so will we render the calves of our lips. Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him”
THESIS: To convince everyone today that the idea of forgiveness, mercy, and the condition of confessing your sins is not new to the New Testament but has been part of God's policy all along.
INTRODUCTION:
1. Israel was told to return to God and that they had fallen in their iniquity, which can happen to us in the church today.
2. The people were to take their words and offer them up to God, showing that words have been an acceptable form of sacrifice throughout all time, that God wants our praise, communication, and honesty.
3. When we read passages in the New Testament we see that God always asks those who sin to be honest, and to own up to what they have done when they ask mercy.
DISCUSSION:
I. Israel's Call - Israel is told to return, they receive a call to come back to God, an invitation to be forgiven and to be treated as God's “bride” once again.
A. Israel had been told that they needed to return to the Lord, that they had fallen by the sins that they had committed, but that there was a way back and that God wanted them back.
B. They were given a call to come back to the Lord, to accept mercy and were made aware that it was there waiting for them.
C. Everyone alive today has the chance to accept Gods mercy through the gospel.
1. Matthew 11:28 we are all called to come to the Lord today.
II. Israel's instructions - God gives them instructions on how to seek Him and desires their return despite what they had done previously.
A. Israel was told to take with them words and to turn to the Lord and offer them, to render the “calves” of their lips.
They were told to take their words and to offer the calves of their lips which is an important illustration for us to understand in the New Testament / covenant, important in that a calve was what was used in the day of atonement as found in Leviticus 16:11
This echo leads forward to the words we read in 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all righteousness.
3. We offer up spiritual sacrifices today, not sacrifices for our sins to be forgiven but sacrifices of our lips, Heb. 13:15
B. This was a form of spiritual sacrifice, a reflection of things to come, a shadow of our means to approach God for forgiveness in the New Covenant.
There are many shadows of things to come found in the scriptures prior to the New Testament and this is another example of that but as well an example of what God was really seeking.
God want's peoples hearts, their minds, not the motions of some sacrificial ceremony that means nothing to the individual or the worship of one that does not truly care for what is, has, or will be done for them without their ever deserving it or anything good in the first place. When a man stands before God singing songs it makes no difference to God if the man isn't making the melody in his heart.
III. Israel's mercy - Honesty is important and required by God for all of those that seek to have His mercy and Grace.
A. Honesty is important in obtaining mercy of God, honesty with oneself and towards God concerning one's sins.
B. We can not simply ask God to forgive of of whatever we “might” have done and expect that to cover it when we know specifically what we have done wrong but we have to be humble enough to say it and learn from it.
CONCLUSION:
1. Israel was told to return to God, he gave them a call to come home which still goes out to all of us today that live in the New Testament system and are part of the church that was bought with Christ's blood.
2. There are many foreshadows and images of the New Testament found in the Old and this is yet another, which shows God's love in the time so many think of a harsh and less forgiving when it comes to God's wrath.
3. We have to be honest just like the Israelites were required to be and that is easily shown to be true in the New Testament text as well as the Old Testament scriptures.