1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:03,400 Welcome to the Cross Power Church podcast. 2 00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:06,800 You're listening to a service from our church in Campbell, TX. 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:10,480 We pray this message strengthens your faith and points you to the 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:12,840 cross. Now let's join the service. 5 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:16,200 Think about what Scripture says and you know, on that day, it 6 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:21,000 says that all things in heaven are going to be new. 7 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:23,640 Thinking about that, you know, where there's there's things 8 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:25,800 we're going to receive, we're going to we're going to receive 9 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:29,160 a glorified body, a body that's not going to ache, a body that's 10 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:31,400 not going to get tired, a body that's not going to get sick. 11 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:34,000 Hey, man, how's that going to be? 12 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:36,000 You know, I was thinking about something else the other day. 13 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:39,280 I heard something on it. But you know, the Bible says 14 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:41,120 we're going to eat in heaven. We're going to set down a 15 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:43,720 preacher, we're going to have a glorified body, but yet it says 16 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:46,280 we're going to sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb. 17 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:48,920 Amen. So think about that. 18 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:52,040 You know, if a lot of people, well this would preach in a 19 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:56,960 Baptist Church, we're going to eat food we've never tasted. 20 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:01,080 You ever thought about that? If. 21 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:03,120 All things become new. They'll be no more old. 22 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:07,080 Eggs in the morning. Casserole. 23 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:08,680 I used to have a joke about that casserole. 24 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:12,240 I don't forgot what it was about a Baptist in a casserole. 25 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:15,400 But. Think about it. 26 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:23,280 Yeah, Yeah, that's it. But what a day that's going to 27 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:24,240 be. Food's going to be. 28 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:25,360 Now what are the? What is it going to be? 29 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:27,440 Like, you know. I mean gets. 30 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:28,240 Tired of the? Food. 31 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:29,120 Weed. Here some days. 32 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:30,800 You just have to. Make yourself a 'cause you're 33 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:32,960 like, you know, I don't know, don't really want nothing 34 00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:38,160 anybody like that. We always find something though, 35 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:39,680 don't we? But good to be in the House of 36 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:44,320 the Lord tonight, so Saline if you'd come get you a new cover 37 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:59,510 here. No germs please. 38 00:02:12,150 --> 00:02:17,150 Exactly. How's everybody doing? 39 00:02:18,640 --> 00:02:21,120 Big old crowd we got going on here tonight. 40 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:24,880 Y'all told them I was preaching, right? 41 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:34,640 Well, as I was getting ready, trying to figure out what in the 42 00:02:34,640 --> 00:02:38,240 world, Lord, what do you tell people that's already hurt it 43 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:43,200 all? And so I, I, I pray and pray and 44 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:45,680 pray and pray and pray and pray. I wanted to do something about 45 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:50,280 Resurrection morning, something about the triumphal entry, you 46 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:53,160 know, just something because we're close to Easter. 47 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:55,520 And so I thought, well, I want to do something there, Last 48 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:58,880 Supper something, Passover something, and this is what the 49 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:01,680 Lord put in my heart. So here we go. 50 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:09,040 Now this is going to be Hosea chapter 1, and I'm going to read 51 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:11,200 some out of that and then we're going to go to chapter 2. 52 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:13,520 But that's where we're going to go here. 53 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:26,200 And I want y'all to see Jesus in this cause Hosea is a warning. 54 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:31,680 But it's also a love letter to us if we read it because we 55 00:03:31,680 --> 00:03:34,640 always think of Hosea as oh he was the one married that 56 00:03:34,640 --> 00:03:37,800 prostitute and all that she had all the kids had to go buy her 57 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:42,600 back. Yes, he did exactly did so Hosea 58 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:47,360 one start with verse 2. This is when the Lord began to 59 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:51,040 speak by Hosea. The Lord said to Hosea, Go take 60 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:55,560 yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry, for the 61 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:59,240 land was committed great harlotry by the parting from the 62 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:02,160 Lord. So he went and took Gomer, the 63 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:06,280 daughter of Diblun, and she conceived and bore him a son. 64 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:10,960 Then the Lord said to him, Call his name Jezreel, for in a 65 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:14,200 little while I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the 66 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:17,839 House of Jehu and bring an end to the Kingdom of the House of 67 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:20,720 Israel. It shall come to pass in that 68 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:25,320 day that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel. 69 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:28,480 Stop for a second. Got a little nerd moment going 70 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:32,560 on. The Valley of Jezreel is 71 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:36,440 considered to be the very spot in the future battle of 72 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:39,720 Armageddon. The Valley of Megiddo is also 73 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:43,360 known as the Valley of Jezreel. I just thought, Lord, he's just, 74 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:46,840 he said I'm going to stop the Kingdom of the House of Israel 75 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:48,320 right here. And he said it's going to come 76 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:52,880 to pass on that day. So there's prophecy here in this 77 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:57,040 book of Hosea. I'm going to go to chapter 2 78 00:04:57,040 --> 00:04:58,360 now. Start with verse one. 79 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:04,760 It says, say to your brethren, my people and to your sisters 80 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:08,120 mercy as shown. Bring charges against your 81 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:10,240 mother. Bring charges for she is not my 82 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:14,600 wife, nor am I her husband. Let her put away her harlotries 83 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:18,360 from her side and her adulteries from between her breasts, lest I 84 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:22,040 strip her naked and expose her as the day she was born, and 85 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:25,800 make her like a wilderness and set her like a dry land and slay 86 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:29,000 her in the thirst. I will not have mercy on her 87 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:32,040 children, children, for they are the children of harlotry, for 88 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:35,040 their mother has played the harlot she was conceived. 89 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:37,680 She had. She who conceived them has 90 00:05:37,840 --> 00:05:42,440 behaved shamefully. For she said I will go after my 91 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:47,120 lovers who will give me my bread and my water, my wool and my 92 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:51,040 linen and my oil and my drink. What was she doing? 93 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:56,000 She was looking towards other sources for her strength, for 94 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:59,840 her food, for her provision. And this is a type and shadow of 95 00:05:59,840 --> 00:06:01,800 Israel. We all probably know that. 96 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:06,560 But God is telling the people that I'm not putting up with it 97 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:08,560 anymore. It's got to stop. 98 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:14,440 And so we see that Gomer, she was going after other gods and 99 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,240 other things that she shouldn't have been going after. 100 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:21,160 She should have been Israel should have been looking to God 101 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:26,400 for everything. So the story of Hose Hosea shows 102 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:33,600 us that God is, if you will, in relentless pursuit of his 103 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:37,840 covenant people. You need to see that this and 104 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:40,320 this is what I thought, well, this is not really an Easter 105 00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:42,040 message. Lord, I talked to him like you 106 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:44,280 talk to him like that. I talked to him, you know. 107 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:49,560 So God told Hosea to marry a prostitute, not because God was 108 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:56,960 endorsing sin, but because God wanted to reveal his heart 109 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:03,720 through the life of Hosea. Hosea was commanded to enter 110 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:10,000 into a covenant that would cost him emotionally, spiritually and 111 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:12,720 publicly. He was going to be put to shame. 112 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:16,680 Can you imagine what the people thought about him spiritually? 113 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:22,240 This had to be degrading to him. You know, emotionally, we most 114 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:26,040 of a lot of us know the emotions of going through unfaithful 115 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:30,960 relationships. You know, this is a prophetic 116 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:38,360 life laid down in obedience. Say this was a prophetic life. 117 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:42,480 Hosea's life was laid down in obedience to God. 118 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:47,040 He was asked to love somebody who would be unfaithful, already 119 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:50,200 knew that was going to happen. He was asked to remain where 120 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:54,520 most people would have left her. And he was asked to feel the 121 00:07:54,520 --> 00:08:00,720 heartache of covenant betrayal. Now, who knows about covenant 122 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:07,040 betrayal, but God, he's the one. Now our flesh, we want to obey 123 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:10,640 God when it feels good. We want to obey God when it 124 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:14,160 makes sense, and we want to obey God when it's comfortable. 125 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:16,640 I mean, if you don't have the AC on, we are not coming. 126 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:20,160 You know, we want to be comfortable and we want, it's 127 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:23,040 got to make sense. And you know, the flesh wants 128 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:28,920 its dignity protected. You know, it wants to serve God 129 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:35,200 as long as it's convenient getting out here at the right 130 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:37,240 time. Now it's got to be convenient 131 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:42,440 for dark, and it wants to make sense to the natural mind. 132 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:45,440 Lord help us if we do something that doesn't make sense. 133 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:48,840 Somebody can't figure it out. You know, I don't want people to 134 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:52,400 think that I'm a fanatic or that I'm a weirdo. 135 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:56,960 You know, that happens that keeps people from standing up 136 00:08:56,960 --> 00:08:59,760 and lifting their hands in worship service because their 137 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:02,320 mind goes to well, what do they think if I think, you know, they 138 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:05,080 may think they've never seen me stand up like that and worship 139 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:06,440 and they you know, what do they think? 140 00:09:06,560 --> 00:09:08,800 I sure do not want to be inconvenienced. 141 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:11,480 You know, that's our flesh. That's what we want. 142 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:19,640 And but God's instructions to Hosea was actually shattered the 143 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:25,240 mind of human logic. He said, what, God, You want me 144 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:28,760 to do what? But it didn't make any sense. 145 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:34,240 But Hosea said, OK, whatever you say, Lord, I'm going to do it. 146 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:36,040 Man. How many of us would do that? 147 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:39,640 We should. We should do that. 148 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:46,480 Israel had played the harlot. Israel had gone after other 149 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:49,760 sources for its protection, for its provisions. 150 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:53,720 It had gone after other altars and after other gods. 151 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:58,240 And that's what he was trying to show the people that you've 152 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:02,040 you've left the covenant, my covenant. 153 00:10:02,320 --> 00:10:08,240 God chose to show the people the agony of divine love to the 154 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,160 suffering of a man who obeyed God. 155 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:15,080 Sometimes we don't understand why people do things they do 156 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:17,560 when they're saying, well, I'm whatever God tells me to do, 157 00:10:17,560 --> 00:10:19,920 that's what I'm going to do. And we don't. 158 00:10:19,920 --> 00:10:23,240 It doesn't make sense to us. But if you keep, stay faithful, 159 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:26,240 keep working, doing what God, you'll see the end. 160 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:33,920 This story shows that covenant love, what it looks like when 161 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:37,480 it's rejected. That's the story of Hosea. 162 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:42,800 It shows what faithfulness looks like when it's not reciprocated. 163 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:49,000 It shows what obedience looks like when it cost more than 164 00:10:49,560 --> 00:10:54,120 convenience. It shows what it means to keep 165 00:10:54,120 --> 00:11:00,160 moving forward with God even when the task breaks your heart. 166 00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:02,760 And sometimes you have to do that. 167 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:06,200 Sometimes God will tell you to do something that you that 168 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:09,080 breaks your heart. Yeah, I don't know. 169 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:13,000 You know, I've got some examples, but I'm not even going 170 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,840 to go into it. But sometimes God says this is 171 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:17,760 what you needed, It's time to move. 172 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:21,800 But God, I'm comfortable here, got it going on. 173 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:24,960 You know, we're good. Everything's rolling smoothly 174 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:27,480 along. And he says it's time to move. 175 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:31,240 And you cry and you weep and you go, why, why? 176 00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:32,520 Why? But you move. 177 00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:38,160 You just keep moving. After everything that Gobert 178 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:43,240 did, God told Hosea to go and get her back. 179 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:47,560 Every time God says go get her back. 180 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:53,080 Not to grieve her, not to expose her, not to preach to her. 181 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:56,440 Yeah, well, if you had done this, you know, he didn't say 182 00:11:56,440 --> 00:11:58,520 any of that. He said go get her back and 183 00:11:58,520 --> 00:12:01,040 redeem her. And we know the story. 184 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:04,760 He bought her back. He just kept buying her back. 185 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:10,160 You know what God does to us? He just bought us back. 186 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:16,440 He loves us so much. Redemption is costly, very 187 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:18,320 costly. You know, this is where our 188 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:22,280 flesh would rebel. This is where our common sense 189 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:24,520 would protest. Lord, people are going to make 190 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:27,680 fun of me if I take that our pocketbook would revolt because 191 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:30,080 you know it's going to cost me something. 192 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:34,360 You paid tithe. Oh, I I won't go there but paid 193 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:39,160 tithe. Yes, be obedient to God, but my 194 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:43,040 pocketbook don't want to Well, you need to get it straight. 195 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:52,120 This is God's the story in this book of Hosea is a revelation of 196 00:12:52,120 --> 00:13:00,560 God himself. He loved her, you, He was 197 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:09,200 betrayed and wounded by her, us, Yet he redeemed us. 198 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:13,400 Do you see it? Do you see the Easter story now? 199 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:19,240 You see yourself in this story. It's not weakness, it's the 200 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:22,920 heart of God. That's how much He loves us. 201 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:26,480 This is a covenant that does not bow to unfaithfulness. 202 00:13:26,680 --> 00:13:32,960 It doesn't bow to humiliation, pain, disgrace, public disgrace. 203 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:35,880 It doesn't bow a covenant. And that's what we're in with 204 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:38,720 when we're with God. We're in a covenant with Him, 205 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:43,000 and we should stand firm in that covenant because it cost Him 206 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:47,200 something too. We are in covenant with God and 207 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:50,520 this is how God sees it. I don't know that I've ever 208 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:52,640 heard it as I was getting prepared. 209 00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:56,000 I'm going Lord, Lord, you're showing you're. 210 00:13:56,200 --> 00:14:00,080 I never have seen, certainly not seen it as an Easter message, 211 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:05,760 but here we go. Humanity has prostrated itself 212 00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:13,880 with idols, rebellion, pride, rule, self rule, sin. 213 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:17,600 We've broke the covenant. We did. 214 00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:21,080 We polluted what it means to be holy. 215 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:26,560 That breaks my heart when I say that we've polluted what it 216 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:31,240 means to be holy. My God, help us. 217 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:35,600 Show us once again. Let us get it back to there and 218 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:40,120 then, God in the flesh. Enter Jesus. 219 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:48,240 So good Jesus. God did not stand back and 220 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:50,680 announce guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty. 221 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:53,160 No, he didn't do that. He even told us. 222 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:56,800 He said I didn't come to condemn you, I came to save you. 223 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:00,040 Even the woman who was caught in adultery. 224 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:02,800 Remember, he says I don't condemn you. 225 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:05,360 Go and sin no more. Just don't keep doing it. 226 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:09,680 Go and sin no more. Jesus entered in. 227 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:14,560 He came in and he saved us. He came after us. 228 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:18,800 He came running after us. God says these people are mine 229 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:20,680 and I am not going to let them go. 230 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:27,840 That's how he feels about you. He loves you so much that he 231 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:31,160 sent his only son to die a horrible death on the cross. 232 00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:33,320 And we're getting ready to celebrate the resurrection. 233 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:35,480 We're getting ready to celebrate all that. 234 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:39,160 We broke the covenant. We polluted holiness, but here 235 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,640 comes Jesus. He came after us. 236 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:45,240 He redeemed what belonged to him with a price. 237 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:51,520 It was not cheap. He didn't pay with silver or 238 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:54,840 gold or barley. He paid with his own blood. 239 00:15:55,680 --> 00:16:00,760 That's just the the height and the depth of God's love for you. 240 00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:04,640 I want to make it personal. I've already been beat over the 241 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:07,640 head with it. I'm preparing, but guy it this 242 00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:10,600 is the how high does God love you? 243 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:16,600 How deep does God love you so much that he gave his son to die 244 00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:22,320 on a cross for us and he redeemed us covenant breaking 245 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:28,560 people, He's redeemed us. Hosea bought back an unfaithful 246 00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:34,960 bride as a prophetic sign. Jesus bought back an unfaithful 247 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:38,560 people, which is an eternal reality. 248 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:45,400 Talking about heaven, it's real. Heaven is real, hell is real. 249 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:47,920 This earth is just going to pass away. 250 00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:53,160 And Jesus bought us back so that we can have eternity with Him. 251 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:58,440 It shows us that God doesn't think like men think. 252 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:00,920 We'd already kicked them out and forget about it. 253 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:06,000 Man says leave them alone, they made their bad light of lying in 254 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:10,800 it. God says redeem them, He's so 255 00:17:10,839 --> 00:17:13,680 good. Man says they don't deserve a 256 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:16,800 second chance. How many has fallen more than 257 00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:17,880 once? I won't look. 258 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:22,280 God says they're mine and I'm not going to let them go. 259 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:29,480 Thank you, Lord, we cannot reduce God's nature to human 260 00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:36,560 comfort or modern preference. And we do it just turn. 261 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:39,560 You watch, you know, just watch the Sunday morning. 262 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:45,440 Whatever you see, watch it. We've reduced it to our 263 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:49,640 preference, not necessarily what God calls us to do. 264 00:17:54,120 --> 00:17:59,040 Hosea teaches us that obedience is not justified by how easy it 265 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:03,560 is, it's justified by the fact that God spoke it. 266 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:08,800 God says be holy, for I'm holy. God spoke it. 267 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:12,040 He said thou shalt not do 10 things. 268 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:16,160 He said you shall love God with all your heart, and you shall 269 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:19,200 love your neighbor as yourself. And if you do those two things, 270 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:25,360 you fulfilled the other 10. But we just take it as casual. 271 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:29,320 And God says go after these people. 272 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:33,520 In fact, now I'll share when I was doing this, getting ready 273 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:34,840 for this, I was praying and praying. 274 00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:37,240 And Lord, Lord, you know, you go to bed at night, you're 275 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:39,520 thinking, God, what do I tell these people that they don't 276 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:43,760 already know? And I had a dream and I woke up 277 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:48,960 from this dream and I was Texas. I was bawling my eyes out, 278 00:18:50,360 --> 00:18:59,680 crying, feeling for people that are not here, for family members 279 00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:04,640 that I love dearly. You got them or is it just me? 280 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:13,440 For friends that are lost, God says go to the altar, Weep 281 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:16,560 before the altar. When was the last time you 282 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:20,120 bawled your eyes out? Forgot about what somebody else 283 00:19:20,120 --> 00:19:24,520 is going to think and you're get up with the red eyes and a 284 00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:29,200 snotty nose. When was the last time you did 285 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:35,520 that for somebody? We stand and we say a little or 286 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:37,920 we don't even say it anymore. Most people don't even say 287 00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:39,800 anymore. They just whatever the pastor 288 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:40,760 says. That's right. 289 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:46,360 When was the last time we had a heart for somebody? 290 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:52,160 A Gomer And we go out and we try to even, well, it don't make any 291 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:53,840 sense. You know what they did to you? 292 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:56,520 You know what they said about you, you know, and it's hot 293 00:19:56,520 --> 00:19:59,960 outside, so you don't want to really go talk to him today or 294 00:19:59,960 --> 00:20:01,840 it's cold or it's raining or whatever. 295 00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:07,880 We need to be like God. That's what he's showing us 296 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:10,200 here. We're supposed to have his 297 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:12,640 heart. We're supposed to go after 298 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:15,280 people. We don't even have to go after 299 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:16,880 strangers. There's so many people that we 300 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:20,880 know personally that we don't even need to go after strangers. 301 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:27,760 That's God's heart, that's his heart because he said it. 302 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:31,680 Now Romans 925, you don't have to put it up there. 303 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:33,600 It's up to you. It says. 304 00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:42,360 God says also in Hosea. I will call them my people who 305 00:20:42,360 --> 00:20:48,360 were not my people. That's us and her beloved who 306 00:20:48,360 --> 00:20:51,920 was not beloved. That's what he's telling us. 307 00:20:53,360 --> 00:20:56,640 That's us. God wanted his people to 308 00:20:56,640 --> 00:21:00,440 understand that the covenant is not cheap and love is not 309 00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:05,880 emotional. Jesus in the garden, he prayed 310 00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:10,440 and his emotions were like this cup can pass for me the flesh. 311 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:14,760 But he says, nevertheless, I'm going to do it. 312 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:19,800 And Jesus, on the cross, he wasn't cheap. 313 00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:23,560 He was beaten and beaten and beaten. 314 00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:26,920 And hair, I don't know, don't go whizzers and let me pull some of 315 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:28,160 y'all's hair out and see if it hurts. 316 00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:36,400 Let's see if it hurts, does it? Skin coming out, falling off 317 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:43,280 your back, sweaty, that burns. He was so weak he couldn't even 318 00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:47,280 carry his own cross in the flesh. 319 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:51,840 It was not cheap. The covenant that we were in 320 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:59,600 with God cost him everything it cost. 321 00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:04,840 We can't even understand redemption until we see what it 322 00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:08,480 cost. We should celebrate Easter 323 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:13,960 everyday we should talk about Easter if you will resurrection 324 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:21,160 the love of God all the time and until we understand what it cost 325 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:26,040 we don't understand fully understand how we got redeemed 326 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:30,320 taken off of trash heap. That's what redeem it takes you 327 00:22:30,320 --> 00:22:32,600 off of the trash heap. Here's a whole big old bunch of 328 00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:34,640 trash and broken furniture and broken. 329 00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:37,880 You know y'all been everybody been to the dump yard at one 330 00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:39,920 point or another probably if not I have. 331 00:22:40,360 --> 00:22:43,200 And you, you see something and you go grab it off and it looks 332 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:48,640 like useless leg broken off of it, covers all ripped off of it 333 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:55,680 and he redeems it, puts another leg on it, puts a new cover over 334 00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:59,000 it. What did it cost him? 335 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:02,120 Everything. What does it cost you? 336 00:23:04,360 --> 00:23:10,160 Nothing believe redemption. That's what we're talking about 337 00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:14,320 in Hosea is redemption. We can't understand God's heart 338 00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:19,840 until we real realize he pursued a people who had betrayed him 339 00:23:20,120 --> 00:23:24,360 over and over and over and over again. 340 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:29,080 The whole Bible and he pursues them. 341 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:32,440 Yes, he's still doing it. He sent his son to pursue us. 342 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:35,640 Come after him, go get him. They've got the Holy Ghost. 343 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:39,680 The Holy Ghost will go get you. He will. 344 00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:47,080 God's ways don't make sense to human logic because His ways are 345 00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:51,080 not shallow and they're not governed by wounded pride. 346 00:23:54,640 --> 00:23:59,680 His ways are holy, redemptive, and eternal. 347 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:03,680 Hallelujah. No more pain, no more sorrow. 348 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:07,000 Walking on streets of gold. There's going to be rivers there 349 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:09,600 because there's going to be the Crystal River one, if there's 350 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:11,800 going to be fruit there, because you're going to get the fruit 351 00:24:11,800 --> 00:24:13,880 trees that bear 12 different kinds of fruit. 352 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:18,200 Go figure that one out. And there's going to be houses 353 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:19,880 there because we're all going to have a mansion. 354 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:23,840 There's going to be animals there because they're riding 355 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:30,840 horses to come get us. Think about it, the lines wolves 356 00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:35,800 and the lambs, yes. Think about what he's done for 357 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:47,240 us, man. He's holy, he's redemptive, and 358 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:51,840 he is eternal. The point of this story, come to 359 00:24:51,840 --> 00:25:00,200 the point is not what Hosea did. The question is, how would you 360 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:06,400 respond to His love? Go to chapter 14 of Hosea if you 361 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:08,920 want to put it up there. If not, go there anyway. 362 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:16,280 Chapter 14, verse one, This is so good. 363 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:20,600 This is the love of God. It sounds different, but it's 364 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:24,360 the love of God. O Israel, return to the Lord 365 00:25:24,360 --> 00:25:28,800 your God. He is calling them, for you have 366 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:30,600 stumbled because of your iniquity. 367 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:33,280 Take words with you and return to the Lord. 368 00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:38,240 Say to him, Take away all iniquity, receive us graciously. 369 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:41,320 That's what we should be praying when we come down for an altar 370 00:25:41,320 --> 00:25:46,280 call and we're sinners. Take it away, Lord, receive me. 371 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:50,080 Take away all the iniquity. Receive us graciously, for we 372 00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:52,360 will offer the sacrifices of our lips. 373 00:25:53,040 --> 00:26:02,520 That's praise, Praise the Lord. Assyria shall not save us. 374 00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:06,680 We will not ride on horses, nor we say any more to the work of 375 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:09,600 our hands. You are our gods, for and you 376 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:12,760 the fatherless find mercy. I will. 377 00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:17,600 This verse 4 is awesome. I will heal their backsliding. 378 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:23,000 I will love them freely, for my anger has turned away. 379 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:27,840 Thank you, Lord, thank you, Lord. 380 00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:29,960 That's what you get when you come to the Lord. 381 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:35,440 His angers turned away. Go on, it says, I will be like 382 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:38,600 the dew of Israel. He shall grow like the Lily and 383 00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:42,640 lengthen his roots like Lebanon. His branches shall spread his 384 00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:47,200 you might instead of his you might say, you my, my beauty 385 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:50,080 shall be like an olive tree, and his fragrance like Lebanon. 386 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:53,320 Those who dwell under his shadow shall return, and they shall be 387 00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:56,000 revived like grain and grow like a vine. 388 00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:59,040 Their scent shall be like the of wine of Lebanon. 389 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:03,000 Ephraim shall say, what have I to do anymore with idols? 390 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:05,400 In other words, why in the world am I messing with idols? 391 00:27:07,120 --> 00:27:11,600 I have heard and observed him. I am like a green Cypress tree. 392 00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:14,560 Your fruit is found in me. Who is wise? 393 00:27:14,680 --> 00:27:18,400 Let him understand these things. Let him understand these things. 394 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:22,040 Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? 395 00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:26,560 Let him know them. That's when we read the Bible. 396 00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:29,760 That's when we come to church. That's when we preach and teach 397 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:33,000 and do ever all the things we so that we can know them. 398 00:27:33,360 --> 00:27:35,440 For the ways of the Lord are right. 399 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:39,760 The righteous walk in them. But transgressors, aggressors 400 00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:44,960 stumble and they do people stumble. 401 00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:47,240 What are we supposed to do, kick them while they're down? 402 00:27:48,120 --> 00:27:52,000 No, we help them up. We should be sharing this, this 403 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:55,040 book of Hosea. I've never seen it quite so. 404 00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:57,520 You know, sometimes he gives us revelation. 405 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:01,000 Well, here you go. The same God who told Hosea to 406 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:04,360 go after Gomer is still calling us today. 407 00:28:04,560 --> 00:28:07,160 He's still calling the backslider today. 408 00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:10,040 He's still calling those that are wandering around in the 409 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:13,280 dark, doing the things, going after other things, other gods. 410 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:19,440 He's still calling them. Maybe we need to go after 411 00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:22,840 somebody. Somebody come to your mind. 412 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:27,000 When was the last time we pursued God for somebody else? 413 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:34,560 God, I need, God, I need. God, I need. 414 00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:40,320 We should be saying, God, send your Holy Spirit to move on 415 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:43,720 them. Give them revelation, knowledge. 416 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:46,360 Let the Holy Spirit woo them and draw them. 417 00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:50,120 O God, bring them back to the cross. 418 00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:54,520 Not God I need. That probably makes him sick. 419 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:59,840 He probably anyway. Family members, friends, Co 420 00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:02,320 workers. When was the last time we 421 00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:07,400 pursued God for somebody? We're God's representatives. 422 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:12,320 Isn't that crazy? His vessels, that's even more 423 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:16,680 crazy. He pours in US what He wants us 424 00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:20,280 to have. Sad to say, some people are 425 00:29:20,280 --> 00:29:26,000 walking around empty. We're his vessels. 426 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:29,080 Shouldn't we go after the people the way God went after us? 427 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:33,240 I know He hounded me. Oh my goodness, He hounded me 428 00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:35,520 because of the prayers of my grandparents. 429 00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:41,440 I know that He hounded me and would not let me rest because of 430 00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:45,280 the prayers of my grandparents. And long after they were dead, 431 00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:48,640 the light came on. Thank God. 432 00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:54,120 Thank God. It may cost us some dignity, it 433 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:59,520 may cost us some embarrassment, but crying out to God is what we 434 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:04,280 need to be doing. I don't care if you're praying 435 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:08,920 for somebody and you got a burden on your heart, pray. 436 00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:12,120 Come to the altar. That's the best time to pray 437 00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:14,760 when you're here with other believers and they can lay hands 438 00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:19,040 on you and help you believe. Also wonderful time. 439 00:30:20,040 --> 00:30:23,680 Or just pray. We need to share this story. 440 00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:27,720 Not an embarrassment because of the subject matter. 441 00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:31,320 A lot of people bypass the Hosea thing because of the subject 442 00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:37,080 matter, but because it shows God's heart to us. 443 00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:43,520 Or maybe we just need to lay it all down in obedience, come back 444 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:45,640 to what we know. Maybe that's it. 445 00:30:47,960 --> 00:30:51,920 Either way, God's not standing in the distance. 446 00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:54,520 He sent His Son. We're about to celebrate the 447 00:30:54,520 --> 00:30:58,120 resurrection, just a couple week, 10 days, something, 448 00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:01,840 whatever. He's not waiting to condemn or 449 00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:07,720 shame anybody, but to restore them, to redeem them, just like 450 00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:11,560 you did, you and me, so many others. 451 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:14,720 He doesn't want to expose their sin. 452 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:21,200 He wants to cover them up again. Can you, can you just see God 453 00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:25,800 bring that one here? Let me love on that one for a 454 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:30,080 while. Can you just see that God just 455 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:32,560 wants to love on them? He wants to cover them. 456 00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:35,440 He says, I did not come to condemn you. 457 00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:39,040 I came to save you. So what? 458 00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:46,200 He says His love is not exhausted, His mercy was not run 459 00:31:46,200 --> 00:31:50,240 dry, and His pursuit of us has not stopped. 460 00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:54,880 His pursuit of you has not stopped because you get out of 461 00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:58,520 line, the Holy Spirit will get you back in line. 462 00:31:59,840 --> 00:32:02,520 Some of my family get out of line. 463 00:32:02,520 --> 00:32:04,640 I know. I have to believe that the Holy 464 00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:10,520 Spirit is moving on them. I know that His mercy is not run 465 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:14,120 out. He has not stopped pursuing us. 466 00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:20,320 God says, and I'll say, I will heal their waywardness and love 467 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:25,160 them freely. In the story of Hosea, we can 468 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:28,960 see God's heart for people. I want to leave you with this. 469 00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:41,400 The heartbeat of the Church must always, always sound like 470 00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:47,600 heaven's burden for souls. I want to say that again, the 471 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:53,320 heartbeat of the Church must always sound like heaven's 472 00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:57,280 burden for souls. For the Son of Man is come to 473 00:32:57,280 --> 00:33:02,120 seek and to save that which is lost. 474 00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:07,880 He didn't come to condemn. He didn't come to make fun. 475 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:13,200 He didn't come to embarrass. He came to seek and to save. 476 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:20,640 We're his vessels, and we're supposed to do that on this 477 00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:22,960 earth. We can take the word of God. 478 00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:24,200 Well, He's got the Holy Spirit to him. 479 00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:26,520 I understand that. But sometimes people just need a 480 00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:29,200 human arm wrapped around them a time or two. 481 00:33:30,520 --> 00:33:34,440 Sometimes they just need a kind word from somebody. 482 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:46,440 A church that loses the burden for the lost loosens its reason 483 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:53,120 for existence. So true. 484 00:33:54,480 --> 00:34:02,440 Maybe we just need to get back. Just get back for the lost. 485 00:34:03,880 --> 00:34:09,120 Father, thank you for your word. Thank you, Lord, for speaking to 486 00:34:09,159 --> 00:34:12,679 us tonight. Thank you, Lord, for showing us 487 00:34:12,679 --> 00:34:18,600 your love, how deep your love is, how wide your love is, how 488 00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:23,600 high your love is for us. Father, don't let us neglect the 489 00:34:23,600 --> 00:34:27,719 cost for this redemption that we enjoy so greatly. 490 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:31,960 Let us take it and go out and share it with others. 491 00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:36,000 Let us be that arm wrapped around somebody that's hurting. 492 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:40,239 Let us be the one that prays and prays without recognition. 493 00:34:40,600 --> 00:34:42,280 We don't need recognition, Father. 494 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:45,560 Let us pray for those souls that need salvation. 495 00:34:45,560 --> 00:34:49,320 Father, those people that we see on the sidewalks, those people 496 00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:51,639 that we come in contact with all the time. 497 00:34:51,639 --> 00:34:55,239 Father, we can stop for a moment and say a prayer. 498 00:34:56,920 --> 00:35:03,960 Give us a burden Lord, for the lost, once again, in Jesus name, 499 00:35:05,320 --> 00:35:07,520 Amen. Thanks for listening to the 500 00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:10,840 Cross Power Church podcast. May you know that true hope, 501 00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:13,920 peace, and salvation can only be found in Jesus. 502 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:18,120 If you're near Campbell, TX, we would love for you to join us in 503 00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:20,600 person. You can find service times at 504 00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:22,200 crosspowerchurch.com.