Hard Work giving Good News

10 and read at verse 11 and verse 12 there.

Oseah chapter 10 at verse 11.

Ephraim was a trained calf that loved to thresh, and I spared her fair neck.

! But I will put Ephraim to the yoke. Judah must plough, Jacob must harrow for himself.

Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap steadfast love, break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord,

that he may come and reign righteousness upon you.

There are perhaps certain books that you go to in the Bible, and you can turn to them,

and there's always a danger of feeling a sense of despondency and a sense of despair.

Books like the book of Acts, and you see great things happening in the book of Acts.

See the early chapters of the book of Acts, and you find thousands being added to the church in one day.

And you say to yourself, how can that be discouraging?

Well, it's because when you're reading it, you think to yourself, if only we were seeing days like that ourselves.

We feel a sense of despondency, wishing that the Lord would pour out his blessing in that way.

We would see thousands added to the church in one day.

So if we don't see it happening, we maybe begin to question ourselves, to question our prayers,

to question things that we're doing, to question maybe even God.

Where is God in the midst of everything that's going on in our day?

And you ask, do we live in the days that they lived in the days of Acts?

Do we live in a similar kind of time?

Well, we do, but we don't always see it.

The media doesn't present great things happening for the gospel around the world.

The main media, that is.

But if you listen to people, missionaries from around the world,

if you listen to people who are going out with the gospel around the world,

even in our own nation, there are great things happening.

The Lord is working.

And so we shouldn't lose heart, because the good news is going out and people are responding.

So maybe we don't see it in our own midst, maybe we don't see it in the way we would long to see it,

but the Lord is still working.

Whether it's thousands, whether it's one or two,

we are constantly reminded that the Lord is working.

So there can be a sense of despondency when things are good,

but there are other books that you can turn to,

and you can feel a sense of despondency because things are so bad.

We see it very often throughout the Old Testament,

and here's another example of it.

We looked at Habakkuk recently,

and we were seeing there how things were so difficult,

and here the day of Hosea.

As well, it was a difficult time.

But I want us to reflect this evening on Hosea and the hardships that he had to endure,

and just to see how it still gives us hope.

It's a book that's full of many difficulties,

difficulties for Hosea himself and difficult days for God's people,

and yet we still see God at work.

And if we were to ask ourselves,

do we see this kind of day in our own experience just now,

we would say yes.

The gentlemen have been praying.

We've been reminded of so many situations around our nation

or around the world that show us the kind of despondency and despair that we live in,

the uncertainty of the world in which we live,

the pain and grief that's around us both in a local sense but also nationally and internationally.

There's so much going on that would leave us thinking,

where can we go?

How can we go forward?

And that's very much the kind of day that Hosea was living in.

But what you see is God is faithful.

God is still with him,

and God is still calling a people to himself.

And you see it very much here in verse 12 of chapter 10.

So for yourselves righteousness,

reap steadfast love.

This is a reminder here of God's covenant love towards his people.

For it is time to seek the Lord.

So it's clear that people have been going away from the Lord.

They've turned their back on the Lord,

and he's saying it is time to seek the Lord,

that he may come and rain righteousness upon you,

that you might know his blessing.

And it was Hosea that was called into this ministry as a prophet.

And Hosea, with his own life, as we'll see in a moment,

he didn't find it easy to do it.

He didn't come into it in an easy background either,

and yet God used him in a powerful way,

and yet he had to be faithful.

He had good news to give,

but what he found was a people who didn't want to hear.

And that can resonate with ourselves today as well.

Think of the Gideons,

or good news for everyone as it's called now,

putting out Bibles,

putting out the word of God to people,

individuals, to schools, to hospitals, hotels,

all of these things used to be so easy for them to get the word of God in.

And yet now people are saying,

we don't want it.

Or if they take it,

they put it in a corner somewhere,

so that then if somebody asks,

they can get a Bible.

Whereas it used to be in many hotels,

you'd go in,

you'd open the drawer,

you'd find it on the bedside cabinet,

there would be a Bible there.

There is good news,

but people don't want to receive it.

And that's the same for Hosea.

He had great news to give the people,

but they had so turned their back on God

that they didn't want to hear.

And it's hard work for him,

but yet he stays faithful to the course.

And it's a reminder to ourselves,

in whatever we are doing for the Lord,

to stay faithful to him,

and to trust him,

and to serve him,

both faithfully and cheerfully.

In Colossians chapter 3, verse 17,

Colossians 3:17

it says,

whatever you do,

whether in word or deed,

do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.

So we are to be faithful in the name of Jesus.

But it also says,

giving thanks to God the Father through him.

So there's to be a sense of thanksgiving,

a sense of delight and cheerfulness

in what we are doing for the Lord.

We are serving our King.

We are serving our Lord.

And so Hosea worked in the midst of great difficulty,

but with that great assurance

that he was serving his Lord.

And when you see the people,

it's reflected in what they wanted in society

in verse 3 there.

For now they will say,

we have no king,

for we do not fear the Lord.

They don't want God,

but they don't want a king over them either.

In a natural way,

and a king,

what could he do for us?

There's this sense of confidence

in themselves,

and in what they are doing for themselves.

We don't need the Lord.

We don't need a king.

We can look after ourselves.

And that's the world today as well.

We don't need the Lord.

We don't need anybody to rule over us.

We can get on fine by ourselves.

But the gospel is what was needed here,

the good news,

and it's the good news

that our world needs today.

And in Hosea here,

we just want to see three things

that we can take from these verses,

verse 11 and 12.

Three things that remind us

just to be faithful

in the midst of difficult days.

And the first thing we see

is that we are in difficult days,

and Hosea was in a difficult day.

But then we see it was a day of dedication,

a day of devotion,

a day of giving to the Lord.

And then thirdly,

we see a day not to despair,

a day not to despair.

So it was a difficult day first.

If you know anything of Hosea,

maybe you know his own background,

his own life,

his home situation wasn't easy.

We see that in chapter one of this book.

Hosea's family life was far from straightforward.

He was told by the Lord

to take a wife who was unfaithful,

and then he had children.

And you look at the names of the children,

and they reveal so much of what was going on

in his own experience,

but also it was reflecting the nation of the Lord.

So you see that in chapter one.

You see in verse two down to verse 11 there,

it speaks about Hosea's home setting.

And he had children.

One was called Jezreel,

and behind that name was,

it means I will scatter.

I will scatter.

Then he had a daughter,

and she was called Lo-ru-ama,

which means no mercy,

as you see it here in English.

No mercy is the name of the daughter.

And then another son,

Lo-ami,

which means not my people.

And this is just reflecting

what's going on around us,

a people,

as a nation.

That the Lord is showing a people

who are unfaithful to him.

And through his children,

he's showing what he's going to do.

He's going to scatter his people.

He's not going to show mercy to his people.

And he's going to say,

you are not my people.

So as you are rejecting me,

this is the outcome.

And so Hosea's life was a witness,

was showing the people

just what their relationship

of the people with God was like.

They have turned their back on God,

just like we saw there

in verse 3 of chapter 10.

We have no king.

We do not fear the Lord.

So we don't need anything from God.

There was this disobedience.

But because of this,

there was consequences.

And you see that as you read through.

In chapter 8, for example,

it's very much a vine

that is being described here as the people.

And the vine is not bearing fruit

or it's bearing sour fruit.

And in chapter 8,

verse 7 and 8 and verse 14,

you see it very much seen there

that in verse 14, for example,

Israel has forgotten his maker

and built palaces.

And Judah has multiplied fortified cities.

So I will send fire upon his cities

and I shall devour her strongholds.

It's very much a sense of judgment.

The people have broken the covenant with God.

They have forgotten their maker.

They have replaced God

with an idol in the form of a calf.

Verse 5 and 6 of chapter 8 say that to us

and also verse 5 of chapter 10.

So they're more concerned

about this golden calf

that their idol that they've made

than the fear of losing God.

And what you see is

the complete turnaround from the people.

Instead of,

and there's two place names

that are important here as well.

First of all, you have Bethel.

And Bethel is the place

where God is worshipped.

And that's what the people had had.

The place that they would worship God.

It's mentioned in verse 15.

Bethel's mentioned there.

But they have turned from Bethel,

the place they worship God,

to Beth-Avon.

And this means the place of wickedness.

So they've turned away from the place

of worshipping God.

And they've turned instead

to the place of wickedness,

the house of wickedness.

So everything that we're seeing here

is outlining the relationship

of the people to God.

A difficult day.

But is our own day

any different?

Because we're seeing

almost exact same things.

We do not fear the Lord.

What can a king do for us?

We've turned away from Bethel,

the place of worshipping God,

to Beth-Avon,

the place of wickedness.

And you see it

in so many different ways.

Where the vine

that was once here

has not been tended.

The vine of the word of God.

Because we have known

God's favour.

We have known

God's blessing.

But the vine

has been turned away from.

And we're,

instead of tending it,

we've just abandoned it.

We've abandoned God.

And we're bearing

sour fruit.

You think of places.

The place of worship

of God, Bethel,

became,

they turned instead

to Beth-Avon,

the place of wickedness.

There's so many examples

of that

around our nation.

For example,

in Aberdeen,

the church where

Douglas Macmillan

once ministered

back in the 60s

and 70s.

It was changed

into a nightclub

back in the 80s.

And what did they call it?

Instead of being

the place of worship,

it was called

the ministry of sin.

Place of wickedness.

Place of just

turning away

from God.

And you see it

in so many ways

throughout our nation.

Places that were

once the foundation

of our Christian faith

are now mocked

or turned into

other things.

There's a hotel

in Peebles

down in the borders.

and it's an old

building.

And above the doorway,

the words carved

into the stone

was,

prepare to meet

thy God.

It was like

there was a warning.

Warning to the people

as they would come,

prepare to meet

thy God.

Not in the sense

there was danger,

but just that God

was real.

And so they were

to be aware of God

and to be ready

to meet God.

But now it's just

something that's used

as a joke

as people go in.

Something just for

a bit of laughter

as people go in.

The seriousness

of being ready

to meet God

is just taken away

from it.

So Bethel,

the place of worship

even in our own land,

has become Beth-Avon.

The place of wickedness.

The place of mocking God

and turning our back

on God.

So,

just like Hosea's day,

it is a difficult day.

So,

what can we do

in difficult days?

Where do we start?

Well,

with Hosea,

as you see here,

it's a day

for dedication.

It's a day

for dedication.

It's not a day

to forget God

or turn away

from God.

And as you go through

the book of Hosea,

it's a challenging book

to go through.

There's so many images

of despair

and hopelessness.

But in the midst,

you find some gems

and wisdom

and hope.

Just like Habakkuk,

which we looked through

recently

when we were thinking

of the nuggets of gold

that you find

in the midst of darkness.

Here again in Hosea,

we have that same theme

as well.

In the midst of

all the difficulties,

in the midst of everything

that is going wrong

in their day,

there's still hope.

And that's what we have

in verse 11

and verse 12.

There is hope.

And it's all about

turning back

to God,

dedicating

ourselves

to Him

and continuing

to show others

the need

to turn

to God.

So what we have

in verse 11

reminds us

that the people

were made

with a purpose.

Ephraim

was a trained

calf

that loved

to thresh

and I have spared

her fair name.

But I will put

Ephraim

to the yoke.

Judah must plough.

Jacob must harrow

for himself.

It's a reminder

there that

we were made

to worship

God,

to serve God.

the trained calf

as is mentioned there.

That's the illustration

for us.

We are made

for God

and to worship God.

But we turn away.

Hosea was faithful.

Amos,

another prophet,

was faithful.

Habakkuk,

Isaiah,

the prophets

faithfully proclaiming

the good news

of the gospel.

But what kind of people

did they come up against?

Well,

we find,

just what we find today,

a stubborn people.

The trained calf

as it's mentioned there,

the one

that the Lord

is able to use,

is contrasted

in chapter 4,

verse 16.

There it says,

like a stubborn heifer,

Israel is stubborn.

Can the Lord

now feed them

like a lamb

in a broad pasture?

the stubborn heifer.

They will not listen.

They will not budge.

Are we like that sometimes?

Are we sometimes

the stubborn heifer

it's talking about here

where we won't budge?

We hold on to things.

Yes, we are.

And they're all around us too.

We've all got that stubborn nature in us.

But there are many who,

when it comes to hearing the gospel,

even just wanting to

be close to them

in the sense of

giving them the gospel,

they're stubborn.

They don't want

to hear.

And it's hard

to keep going in the work

when that's what you're

coming up against.

But yet,

we are being reminded

in these verses

that God has made

everyone

with a soul.

God has made everyone

with a soul

that is accountable

to God.

We are made

to worship God.

And therefore,

we don't lose heart.

We don't lose heart.

We keep on

knowing that God

has his people.

Knowing that God

is working

in his people.

And even though

as it goes on here

to talk about the yoke

and the plough

and all of these things,

it's showing the hard work

of delivering

the good news

of the gospel.

Even into verse 12,

break up

your fallow ground.

It is hard ground.

It's a difficult ground

to work.

We're coming into

this season now

with March time.

Many people

start getting

plots ready

or fields ready

for planting.

But if you start

on new ground,

it's hard.

Fallow ground,

it's hard

to break into.

It's hard

to break down.

And it's going

to take time

to turn that ground

into good ground.

But there's still

that need

to plough.

There's still

that need

to work,

to break up

the fallow ground.

It's not always easy.

And that's

the image

of the vineyard

that you see

right throughout.

We'll see a vineyard

that takes time.

It takes tending to

in order to bear

good fruit.

And so it is

with the ministry

of the gospel.

It needs

that dedication.

It needs

that devotion

to it.

And that's

the kind of people

that God calls

on us

to be as well,

to be faithful

as we do

all for the Lord.

And you see it

in different ways

throughout the scriptures

as well.

In different ways

we are not to give up,

we are not to lose heart.

Jesus in Luke 18

he spoke the parable

of the woman

who kept coming

to the master.

And it's called

in verse 1

he says

he told them

a parable

to the effect

that they ought

always to pray

and not lose heart.

Always to pray

and not lose heart.

To break up

the fallow ground.

To not give up

in our prayers.

And to keep on

praying.

In Psalm 126

which we sang together

it says there

he goes out weeping

carrying seed to sow

will return

with songs of joy

carrying sheaves

with him.

So

you're going out

weeping,

you're going out

sowing,

you're wondering

what's going to come.

You're maybe feeling

a sense of despair

and yet the Lord

assures

there will be a day

when you return

in song

carrying the sheaves

the harvest

will come.

The Lord

can do it.

We're reminded

even how Jesus

himself

wept over

his people.

Luke 19

Luke 19:41

verse 41

as he approached

Jerusalem

and saw the city

he wept over it

and said

if you

even you

had known

on this day

what would bring

you peace

but now

it is hidden

from your eyes.

He was weeping

because he had

what could bring

them peace

yet it's hidden

and so

we are in

difficult days

but yet it's still

a day

for dedication

a day

for devotion

to the Lord

because

we have

what can bring

peace

to the people

so we still

have hope

and so

finally in 30

we see here

it's a day

not to despair

it's a day

not to despair

as chapter

10

verse 12

tells us

there is this hope

sow for yourselves

righteousness

reap

steadfast love

break up

your fallow ground

for it is time

to seek

the Lord

that he may come

and rain

righteousness

upon you

one commentator

put it this way

Hosea

is a story

heavy

with tragedy

but buoyant

in hope

I think that's

just a great way

of putting it

heavy with tragedy

there's so much

that's tragic

in the book

of Hosea

but yet it's

buoyant

with hope

because there is

still

the hope

of the Lord

and why

why can they hope

why could Hosea

hope

because the Lord

because the Lord

is with him

the Lord

is there

it is time

to seek

the Lord

the Lord

is bringing them

down to that point

where there's

nowhere else

to go

and again

that's the kind

of world

in which we live

a world

that as

you often see

the wheel

go round

where there's

a turning

away from God

after a time

of blessing

and we can

have everything

we do not

fear the Lord

we don't need

a king

over us

until we come

to the point

where we're

so low

we've got

nowhere else

to go

and where

do we go

then

well that's

the answer

that Hosea

has

it is time

to seek

the Lord

and we have

a day to day

where people

are looking

for these answers

and we have

the good news

to give them

it is time

to seek

the Lord

and we should

be encouraged

that there are

things that are

happening

where the

Lord

is working

I'm speaking

to somebody

this week

who was speaking

about

Christian unions

and the

blessings that

they are

in schools

and we're

privileged here

to have

some of our

schools have

Christian unions

being run

in them

it's a great

delight

but we maybe

think to ourselves

if only

they were

happening in

other places

in the mainland

they are

and in

amazing ways

there were

an update

given where

schools down

in the borders

there's just

a hunger

for the gospel

because

the young

people

they know

that there's

something missing

they know

the answers

aren't coming

in the way

that we're

going

and in many

ways

they're seeking

the Lord

great

opportunities

and there

is hope

because

the gospel

is always

filled with

hope

we were

down in

Manchester

a few

years ago

in a small

town

south of

Manchester

and on

the Sunday

on the Lord's

Day we

went along

to church

in the

town

and we

went in

got a

very warm

welcome

into the

place

and there

was quite

a number

in it

was a

reasonable

congregation

but as

we were

looking around

we thought

there's not

many young

people here

it's mostly

a more

elderly

congregation

or middle

aged

congregation

there's one

or two

young people

and one

or two

infants

but as

as we

sat down

the preacher

came in

one of the

first things

he said

was

we're going

to be

praying

today for

our youth

group

who are

away

for the

weekend

80 of

them have

gone

on a

trip

and I

was like

we're

blown

away

80

children

and if

they'd

been there

as well

the place

would have

been pretty

much full

and you're

thinking to

yourself

we didn't

expect this

we didn't

expect this

you almost

think that

the gospel

has come

out of our

nation

it hasn't

there are

many congregations

all over

the country

where the

Lord is

working and

working in

amazing ways

so we don't

lose hope

we don't

lose heart

and Hosea

didn't

lose heart

he kept

devoting

himself

to

proclaiming

the word

of God

now at the

beginning we

said about

his children

and what

their names

meant

Jezreel

I will

scatter

my people

how he had

then a

daughter

no mercy

and then

another son

not my

people

but it's

actually in

these names

that you

see the

hope that

he had

because if

you just

turn back

to chapter

two as

we conclude

you see

there the

names

mentioned

again

from verse

20

I will

betroth you

to my

faithfulness

and you

shall know

the Lord

and in

that day

I will

answer

declares

the Lord

I will

answer

the heavens

and they

shall answer

the earth

and the earth

shall answer

the grain

the wine

the oil

and they

shall answer

Jezreel

and I will

sow her

for myself

in the land

so you're

seeing with

Jezreel

that although

they were

going to be

scattered

there was

going to be

a sowing

and if there

was a sowing

there would

be a harvest

so the harvest

although it

was difficult

days

was promised

and then

you go on

and I

will have

mercy

on no

mercy

so the

Lord

is able

to show

mercy

even in

the midst

of no

mercy

the Lord

is able

to show

mercy

and then

he goes

on

and I

will say

to not

my people

you are

my people

and he

shall say

you

are my

God

and so

you see

even in

the imagery

that was

given to

Hosea

of his

own

family

and the

misery

that there

was in

it

a scattered

people

a people

of no

mercy

a people

who are

not my

people

the Lord

says

he is able

to turn

it

he is able

from the

scattering

to bring

sowing

to bring

a harvest

he is able

to have

mercy

on no

mercy

he is able

to say

to you

are not

my people

you are

my people

and what

do the

people

say

you are

my God

so there

is hope

the people

who say

we will

have no

king

over us

we do

not fear

the Lord

there is

the hope

that they

will return

and say

you are

my God

so Hosea

breaks the

fallow ground

for it is

time

to seek

the Lord

and so

that as

we do

likewise

as we

seek

to proclaim

the good

news

of the

gospel

we do

so in

light of

that

it is

time

to seek

the Lord

the Lord

who is able

to bear

a great

harvest

the Lord

who is able

to show

mercy

and the Lord

who is able

to turn a

people who

are not

his people

into a

people

who are

his people

that they

would say

with one

voice

my Lord

and my

God

we have

difficult days

it's days

for dedication

and devotion

and it's a

day

that we will

see the

delight

as we see

God

working

there is

good news

for all

so we are

to keep

proclaiming

that good

news

in the

hope of

God

hearing

and answering

our prayers

well let us

pray

Lord our

gracious God

we do

thank you

for your

word that

fills us

with that

hope

that in

the midst

of the

heaviness

of tragedy

as that

commentator

put it

that we

see that

too

that it

was filled

and buoyant

with hope

and we

thank you

Lord

that that

encourages

in our

day too

that we

would see

a world

that is

so full

of tragedy

in so

many

different

ways

but yet

that we

would see

the hope

that there

is in

seeking

the Lord

we ask

Lord that

you will

bless us

in every

endeavour

to show

forth that

good news

to show

it to

all around

us

to be a

people who

do not

lose heart

in doing

so

even though

there are

difficulties

Lord

that we

would be

filled

with that

dedication

to you

and that we

would see

Lord

a delight

in you

that we

would see

a people

coming to

rejoice

in the hope

that there

is in

Jesus

so we

ask all

these things

Lord

confessing

our need

of you

confessing

our short

comings

and our

sins

but thankful

for the

one who

is on

our side

our Lord

and Saviour

Jesus Christ

as we pray

in his name

Amen

we voy

voy

voy