"Time for Repentance" Hosea 13: Pastor Daniel Reese

If you have your Bibles, we are going to cover Hosea 13 this morning.

I'm not going to lie to you, this is a hard one. It's a tough one.

This is a graphic chapter in regards to how God views sin.

We were joking the other day at lunch with the staff that maybe we should skip this chapter and just head to chapter 14.

It would have been easier. It would have been less cringy, I don't know if that's a word or not.

But the benefit of going through a book is that it forces us to look at hard texts.

We can't just skip over the parts that we don't like.

So let's summarize real quickly where we've been throughout the book of Hosea up until this point.

It starts off with God telling Hosea to marry a whore named Gomer.

And that is going to be a living example of the relationship between God and His people Israel.

Hosea remains faithful to Gomer while Gomer is consistently chasing other people.

She's consistently chasing other experiences.

His children are given names to represent the future judgment of God on the people of Israel.

Every day of Hosea's life, he is reminded that his wife is a whore.

His children might not even be his and God is unhappy with his people.

That is his reality.

Chapter after chapter we see Israel choosing idolatry.

Failing to recognize God for who he is.

Refusing to repent and continuously trying to get themselves out of their own situation

with their own power and their own creativity.

All the while God is sending warning after warning after warning.

God is long suffering.

He is faithful. He is loving.

The people kind of come to their senses for a short time.

They give themselves a little speech and they say, hey, come let us return to the Lord.

Let's get back on track here, but it doesn't last for long.

They are never in a place of submission, but just keep going through the motions of church

and it not affecting their day to day life.

If you have seen anything in this book, if you have learned anything from this book,

I hope that you have seen the love that God has for his people, even in the midst of complete disloyalty.

So now we're in chapter 13 and we're going to see what the future of God's wrath has in store

for the people of Israel.

As we read, I want to remind us that the people of Israel are no different than the people of today.

They get a bad rap because we can see the progression.

We can see the warnings. We can see the history.

But the truth is, every generation since has had the same issues.

We think we're smarter than God.

We go through the motions of religion.

We try to appease God by doing good things.

So before we jump into Hosea, I want to read a well-known passage in Galatians to set the tone.

And I'll just read in Galatians chapter 6 verse 7 that says,

Galatians 6:7

Do not be deceived.

God is not mocked.

For whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

For the one who sows to his own flesh will also reap the flesh of corruption.

But the one who sows to the spirit will reap the eternal life.

At our last house in La Mesa, we had this big tree in our backyard.

It's called a fruitless mulberry tree.

I don't know if they have those here or not.

Those trees are popular in that part of the country because they grow real fast and they don't need a lot of rain.

Now the problem with them though is because they don't need a lot of rain, their roots don't go very deep.

They're really shallow and cause a lot of damage to sidewalks and things like that.

In our case at our house, it provided a lot of shade, but it had destroyed our back patio because the roots were barely under the surface.

In order to fix the patio where it was flat and smooth and not like humpy,

we would have had to taken down the tree and got rid of it,

which would have eliminated a ton of shade in our backyard, which is not a good idea if you live in Texas.

So we just kind of lived with it.

The people that planted that tree years before we owned it probably did not care about the future of the patio.

They just wanted shade, not thinking about the destruction that that tree would cause.

And as we turn to Hosea, we will see that Ephraim has sowed without giving much consideration to the destruction that it's going to cause.

We have to be aware of the seeds that we are planting.

And so Hosea 13, starting in verse 1, it says,

When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling.

He was exalted in Israel, but he incurred guilt through bail and died.

And now they sin more and more and make for themselves metal images.

Idols skillfully made of their silver.

All of them the work of craftsmen.

It is said of them, those who offer human sacrifice kiss calves.

Therefore they shall be like the morning mist or like the dew that goes away early away.

Like the shaft that swirls from the threshing floor or like smoke from a window.

I'm going to stop right there.

Did you see how all of this started, what we're about to read?

In verse 1, it says that Ephraim was exalted in Israel.

That tribe was feared because of the power and the influence that they had.

This is where things start.

This is where it begins.

We start thinking more highly of ourselves than we are.

People start puffing us up so you begin to think that you are better than you are.

So notice the progression.

It starts with exaltation.

Then it leads to sin. Then it leads to death.

This is not always immediate, but you can take a look at people and even nations and see the progression.

Outside of the Bible, they call this the law of returns.

We use phrases like what goes around comes around.

Garbage in, garbage out.

There's this idea of karma.

No pain, no gain.

You can take something as small as a seed.

Over time, it can turn into a tree or it can turn into a full-on harvest.

As we study history, we can see how people came into power.

How they were celebrated.

Then the spiral begins.

Do you think Hitler rose to power by campaigning on the idea of exterminating the Jews?

Of abolishing their democratic institutions.

By running on the fact that he said, I want total control.

No, he didn't run on that, right?

But it ended badly for him and the Germans.

Exaltation can happen in many ways.

Ephraim was the strongest and largest of the tribes.

Everyone looked to them for an example.

When good is going on around you and things are thriving.

And you're starting to see success.

People will begin to celebrate you.

They'll begin to praise you.

You'll realize that everything you touch is gold.

And when that happens, it's easy to forget the Lord.

I got that race.

I bought that house.

I won that race.

I was the star of that game.

We become exalted.

We become prideful.

Then in verse 2 it says, and now they sin more and more.

They're exalted and then they sin more and more.

Think about that phrase.

They sin more and more.

Once you get away with one sin, it's easy to get away with the next one.

Once you start down that path the first time, the second time is easier.

You might even up your game and start to test the boundaries

to see what you can get away with.

I don't know anyone who woke up one day

and decided to have an affair on their spouse.

It starts with little things that get us there.

Maybe it starts by seeing someone on the cover of a magazine.

Then it leads to pornography.

Then it leads to starting to skip time with your family.

Which leads to isolation and the feeling that nobody cares about you.

Then you start looking for affection.

You start flirting with someone at work.

The next thing you know, your family is broken and your kids have two Christmases.

It starts with one thing that leads to another.

It starts with thinking that we know better.

We become prideful in our thinking.

Everyone around us starts feeding into us

and makes us think that we are doing really well.

Our sinful nature is constantly trying to win a battle.

Think about how valuable your soul is.

The enemy is willing to steal, kill, and destroy for it.

He's willing to use any means necessary to keep you on the path of destruction.

He will lie to you constantly.

He will distract you.

He will make you think you're awesome.

He will make you think that you have no need for God whatsoever.

Your soul is his mission field and he's desperate for it.

That's how valuable you are.

And because Ephraim bought into the sly,

the Scripture says that he sinned more and more.

He sowed a seed of destruction.

He just wasn't aware of how much destruction it was going to cause,

even though he was warned time and time again.

So then God reminds the people of who he is.

In verse 4 it says,

But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt.

You knew no God but me.

And besides me, there is no Savior.

It was I who knew you in the wilderness in the land of drought.

For those of you unaware,

ministry can be heartbreaking at times.

It can be difficult at times.

There are times where there is an attitude from people that you minister to

of what have you done for me lately?

There was this couple at our previous church that Sina and I put a lot of time and energy into.

We met them at a party that we had for our neighborhood and they came.

We heard their story.

We got to know them.

They started coming to church.

They grew up in church but hadn't been in church in a very long time.

As we got to know them,

we began to be aware of some issues that they had.

They had some marriage issues.

They had some addictions that they needed to deal with.

They didn't have many friends.

And so we pour into them.

I met with him almost every week.

Sina would meet with her pretty often.

And we started to see some things change for the better.

It was to the point where he would have called me his best friend

and she would have called Sina her best friend.

Then Satan came in and he started lying to them.

That they would become offended at things that I would say.

They'd become offended at the tone in which I might say them.

They would make up things and then tell anybody that would listen to them.

It was like, forget all the help that you've given us.

Forget all the time that you've poured into us.

We don't like the way the church is spending money.

We don't like how you say those things.

So they left.

No explanation.

They just left.

And I just wanted to grab them and shake them

and remind them that a couple years before

where they were desperate for anyone to listen,

for anyone to help them.

And I feel like that is what God is saying in this text.

He's like, hey, I'm the God that brought you out of Egypt.

I'm the one that walked you through the wilderness.

If it wasn't for me, you'd still be in slavery.

I led you. I helped you overcome these massive armies.

But this whole book of Hosea seems to be from the people.

What have you done for me lately?

What have you done for me lately?

Because it says in verse 6,

they grazed and became full.

They were filled and their heart was loaded up.

And therefore they forgot me.

Translation.

They needed me when they were desperate.

But once their spirits were lifted,

once they were in a good spot,

they didn't need me anymore.

Is that you?

Are you filled and content

that you have forgotten all that God has done for you?

From there, God is going to paint a picture

of just how bad things are going to get.

The results of sin are ugly.

They're not pleasant.

Now keep in mind that there have been warnings.

There's been warnings throughout generations.

This isn't a situation where the people of God

messed up once and God's just raining down judgment on them.

They have sowed seeds in sin.

And now they're going to reap the harvest.

Verse 7.

So I am to them like a lion.

Like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.

I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs.

I will tear open their breasts.

And there I will devour them like a lion.

As a wild beast would rip them open.

How angry does God get when we forget Him?

Like an angry bear who's had her cubs taken away from her.

Like a lion who hasn't eaten in days.

Think about that.

Think about how your instincts would kick in

if someone were to take your child

or take your grandchild from you.

There are many of us in this room

who would not think twice about going to jail in that moment.

If you were trying to hurt or take my children,

Sina would not just be giving you a lecture.

She would rip your face off.

There would be no mercy.

God has to be that way because He's holy.

His people have been filled with sin.

They have forgotten about Him.

If you take the cubs of a mama bear,

she has every right to be angry.

Those are hers.

She knows how to care for them.

She knows what they need.

And anything that can keep them from loving on those cubs

has to be destroyed so that her cubs can be protected.

Things are going to go badly for Ephraim.

Now God in His sovereignty knew that this would go badly for Him.

His wrath was shown when He let them do things on their own way.

God reminds them in verses 10 and 11,

you wanted a king when I wasn't enough.

Think back to Saul.

You wanted this king because I wasn't enough for you.

How's that going for you?

Where is the king that you wanted to protect and lead you?

I wasn't good enough to lead,

so I gave you a king in my anger.

How's that working out for you?

Look at where you are.

Bad decision after bad decision.

Then in verse 13, He basically calls them a bunch of idiots.

Because as childbirth comes,

they can't even find the opening to come out.

As the pain of sin comes,

they still don't see that God is their redeemer.

They still don't see it.

Now I don't know if this is a reference to see section babies,

and they might not be the brightest bulbs in the lamp.

I'm not saying it's a reference, I'm saying.

But the point is,

the way that we think is right and good usually isn't.

So because they have failed to acknowledge God,

because of their unwillingness to repent and humble themselves,

God says compassion is hidden from His eyes.

They're going to continue to flourish in their own eyes.

They will continue to be exalted amongst themselves and other tribes.

But a time is coming when God's going to take all of that away.

They might appear that things are going well,

but there's coming a time when God's going to take those things away.

In verse 15, it says that the wind of the Lord shall come,

and dry up the water, and the land will be parched.

God is going to allow the Assyrians to come

and take everything away that is precious to them.

Then they're going to face the brutality of the Assyrian army.

They will be killed by the sword.

Women will have their babies cut out of them.

Children will be slaughtered in the streets.

And from what we know about history,

and how the Assyrians functioned,

all this came to pass.

They were ruthless.

Sin is detrimental and takes no prisoners.

The enemy will not stop until he has killed

and destroyed everything in you that's from God.

So what seeds are you sowing?

Destruction doesn't happen overnight.

You don't plant a seed in the morning

and get ready to harvest it at dinner time.

How is the law of returns affecting your life?

Leslie Jameson wrote a book about recovery.

In that book she states that addiction is the human condition.

We are addicted people.

Now, it might not be addicted to drugs or alcohol,

but we are addicted to lots of other things.

Now, we call it addiction.

Jesus calls it slavery.

We are addicted to success.

Money.

We're addicted to what people think about us.

We're addicted to sex and pornography.

Pride.

Some of us are workaholics.

Some of us are addicted to our kids' athletic careers.

We're addicted to hobbies.

We're addicted to saving for retirement and many other things.

The truth of the matter is that none of us

can overcome any addiction by ourselves.

We need help.

We need support.

Every single one of us in this room

could benefit from life recovery.

Ephraim was exalted because of their power and their status.

And every day they themselves or those around them

were continuously sowing seeds

that led to a harvest of destruction.

Studies show that over 50% of us in this room,

men and women,

50% are addicted to pornography.

That is a seed of destruction.

And the enemy will lie to you and say,

if you confess that, if you try to get help for that,

it will bring shame upon shame on you and your family.

So instead, you'll let your marriage or your future marriage

implode because you exalt yourself

and you think, no, I can overcome it.

Church attendance across the country is down significantly.

And it starts with the little seed of,

I'm tired today.

I'll go next week.

And the next thing you know,

you're only coming to church when you have nothing else going on.

When nothing better is going on on a Sunday,

then you'll come to church.

We are losing a generation of young adults

because we have made church a suggestion.

Instead of, like Hebrew says,

do not neglect the gathering of the saints.

Marriages are crumbling

because we don't make room for date night.

Because we let things fester

and we fail to communicate

because we aren't giving the Lord space in our homes.

We are a people who are satisfied.

And therefore, we have forgotten God.

Now, maybe we still do religious things.

Maybe we still serve the Lord because it's expected of us.

But we have failed to submit.

We have failed to repent.

We have failed to remember all that He has done for us.

So my plea this morning

is that we will till up some ground of our hearts

and begin to plant new seeds.

This is one of those texts

that should get our attention in a significant way.

You know that feeling when you're a kid

and you've got busted doing something?

You get sent to your room.

You get told just wait till your dad gets home

or whatever it was for. You know that feeling?

You're sitting there in remorse for all that you've done wrong.

When I was growing up,

my mom had a 1994 Honda Civic.

It was sweet.

Not really, it's a Civic.

No offense to no offense.

When I was 14 or 15 years old,

I thought I should be able to drive that thing whenever I want.

So I did.

I would sneak it out, drive around the neighborhood,

drive by my friend's house and honk so they thought I was cool,

and then sneak it back into the garage before anyone knew.

I started off just driving around the block.

I got away with it. Nobody knew.

Next time I'd go a little bit further.

Didn't get caught again.

Next thing you know, I'm making runs to the store and nobody knows.

That's when I was making runs to the store after picking up my other dumb friends.

Well, my parents went away for the weekend and left me with my grandparents.

Now, grandparents, listen.

As a grandchild, I knew that I could get away with anything I told them

because they thought that I could do no wrong.

Parents are different.

So I convinced my grandparents to leave me at home by myself for the afternoon.

Now, parents are not that trusting.

My parents are gone. My dad knew what I was going to do.

So he parked a truck behind the garage of the car.

And it was a manual. And at the time I couldn't drive a manual.

He marked the tires. He checked the odometer.

And I was unaware of all of this.

So I'm home alone. I put the truck in neutral. I could do that.

I backed it up far enough where I could get the Civic out of the garage.

I'll just push that truck back up later.

I get the car out, swing by and pick up my friends.

And we are just going to joy ride around El Paso.

I didn't have to rush back. My parents were gone for the weekend.

Long story short, I rear end a car about 15 miles from home.

Police get involved.

Grandparents are called to come get me home.

We get the car parked back in the garage.

I push the truck up to back where it was and I just wait.

My parents get home. The first thing my dad does,

hey Daniel, goes right to the garage because he's checking the odometer.

He knows nothing of the severity in which I'm in trouble.

But he did know that I took the car.

I will never forget that moment I rear ended that car and knew I was busted.

What started off as a drive around the block ended with a bunch of fines,

a bunch of lectures and a whole lot of punishment.

One seed grew into a harvest of destruction.

What seeds are you planting?

What seeds need replaced?

Will you be reminded today of all that God has done for you?

Your soul is valuable.

The enemy will do anything that he can for it.

But so will God.

Your soul is so valuable that he sent his son to redeem it.

He sacrificed his own son to redeem it.

So you are not worthless.

You have purpose.

You are loved by the Creator of the world.

He placed you on this earth to reflect his glory to everyone around you.

When your life is complete, what returns will people see?

Every month I get a statement.

Every month I get a statement to show how my money has grown in various accounts.

I see a return on what I have invested.

Are you investing in eternal things or temporary things?

Are you feeding into your pride?

And it is causing you to sin more and more to the point where God is an afterthought in your day to day life.

Are you sowing seeds of joy and thanksgiving even in difficult times?

Are you sowing seeds into your children that other things are more important on Sundays than worshiping the Lord?

Are you sowing seeds of contentment in what you have?

Or are you always looking for the next thing?

What is your soul at stake?

Don't let him.

Make a commitment today to remember the Lord and his faithfulness to you in your life.

What have you been putting off that God is calling you to?

What have you been ignoring?

What lies are you believing?

What is your soul at stake to walk more closely with him?

Let today be the day that you remember.

Let today be the day that you return.

Warning after warning after warning the people heard it and they failed to return.

They failed to remember.

They continuously walked in their pride.

What people follow them because so many people are boasting them up.

Whatever the reason is they continue to exalt themselves and walk in their own pride.

And because of that they sinned more and more and more.

We need to return.

We need to remember.

So I'm going to pray for us and we'll sing another song like we will have time to respond.

This is not church.

Don't play church.

Don't look at your watch.

I think, okay, we're going to sing one more song and then I'm going to hit the donuts hard.

Don't let the enemy win.

Don't let the enemy distract you.

What is he calling you to do?

How is he calling you to repent?

How is he calling you to return?

And just walk in obedience.

Let's pray.

Father God, I pray.

I pray for the hearts of our people.

I pray, Father, that you will surround and protect every single mind and heart in this place right now.

I pray that you will free us from distraction right now.

I pray that your Holy Spirit will fill this room to guide and lead to help us remember all that you've done for us.

Help us see the severity of our sin.

Help us see how offensive it is to you.

So Father, I pray that you will lead us to return.

This won't be about going through motions. This won't be about just getting through the next 10 minutes.

This will be about a time, a stake in the ground saying today I remember.

So Father, I pray that you'll meet us here.

That's probably the same as your name.

I pray that your text should affect every one of us.

And one of my greatest concerns every single week is how do I lead in this?

I don't ever want to appear that I have everything figured out and y'all need to be like me.

That's the last thing I want.

How do I communicate this in a way that people will understand?

And I don't know the answer today except to say that I am just as broken as every single one of us.

And I don't have all of need to return.

And so the altar is open.

I'm going to ask the prayer team and elders and whoever wants to be available take that step of obedience today.

And I'm going to call on the Lord today as we sit.