“Repentance”
Hosea 14, Amos 7 & 8
Intro: We’ve been reading in the minor prophets this week. Most of what we’ve read this week has been God’s messages of judgment for sin. Has there ever been a time in your life when you deserved judgment, but you were shown mercy? I can remember being 17 - one night I had been roller skating with some teens in my youth group. I was taking some kids home, and about 11:45 one girl asked, “What time is it?” I said it was 10:45. She said, “Oh, I’ve got to be home by 11.” I started going a little faster to get her home in time. Now, my lesson today is not that it’s right to break the law if you have a good reason. In fact, God helped remind me of that fact. After a few minutes, I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a flashing red light.
Officer Hillbish, I still remember his name, pulled me over and gave me a ticket. I remember dropping the kids off, and going home. My dad was waiting in the kitchen for me. I thought I’d try to lessen the blow by saying, “Dad, what would you say if I told you I wrecked the car?” He said, “You didn’t, did you.” I said, “No, what would you say if I told you I got a speeding ticket?” He said, “Let me see it.” I pulled it out and handed it to him. He took it, and said, “It’s your baby, you’ll have to take care of it, and tore it up in pieces.” Then he said, Officer Hillbish called and said his speedometer hadn’t been certified in the last 30 days, and you’re off the hook. Just drive more careful next time!
Let’s look at Amos 7. Read 7:1-6
I. Often God’s mercy withholds judgment from coming to us.
We see God had prepared some great judgment for his people: plagues of locusts, and devastation by fire. Yet, in each case, the mercy of God withheld judgment from coming. As Ronda and I were driving along this week we saw a sign that said, “Some people sow wild oats then pray for a crop failure.”
Often God’s mercy withholds the judgment that we really deserve. Romans 2:4 Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realising that God’s kindness leads you towards repentance?
God put up with the idolatry of his people for years and years, ptiently trying to call them to repentance. Yet they did not listen. They failed to respond to his mercy.
II. There comes a day when God gives the judgment that is due for our sin.
Read Amos 7:6-9
God told Amos that even though he had been patient, the judgment for sin was coming. The vision of one with a plumb line is given to show that God will determine very clearly that which is out of line.
I had some experiences this past week with keeping things in line. We needed a fence for our dog, Bobby. After pricing new fence, I decided that 100 feet of used fence that I found in the Peddler’s Post would be sufficient. I got the fence cleaned up, bought the 4x4’s, and dug the holes. I learned a lot about keeping things in line. It is not only important to make sure the hole is dug at the right spot, but you have to make sure the posts are level both ways. [**illustrate]
You can have a top in line, but the bottom can be out of line. You can be perfectly lined up, but be too short or too tall. Don’t look to closely at our fence, or you’ll see the mistakes. The fence can look great until you pull a straight line: then you see how far out of line it is. Then you know where the changes need to be.
How much like the plumb line is the word of God for our lives. We can think we’re doing just fine. We haven’t hurt or killed anyone, we try to do good to our fellow man, we don’t smoke or chew or go with girls who do. Yet, when we look into the word of God, we see ourselves as we really are.
James 1:22-26 - Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
Psalms 119:9-11, 105 - How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
God knows our sin. We don’t have to hide it from him. Many times we try to fool ourselves and think we are okay: God is not going to judge our sin. Yet it is only the goodness and mercy of God that spares us from judgment. Yet, we will not escape judgment. We will all answer one day for the sin we have done when we stand before God. It is appointed unto man once to die, and then the judgment. Yet, even here on this earth, we face the consequences of our sin. My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." {Heb 12}
There came a day when Israel paid for her sin. Look at Amos 7:9 - Israel is to be destroyed, the king is to be killed, in verse 17, the nation wioll go into exile.
Look at Amos 8:5-7
Often sin can look religious: worshiping God as an act of ritual. Yet, afterwards, going out and being unjust. God does not forget our sin. Remember when Jesus went into the temple: he met the Jews who were buying and selling in the temple, making profit off of those who came to worship. He cleansed the temple of those who were religious, but not righteous.
Look at 8:11. The final judgment was the scarcity of the word of God. We live in a society where almost every household has a couple Bibles. Yet never before has the word of God been so neglected. We have God’s word, yet fail to let it be part of our lives.
III. So, what is the solution when we see our sin?
It is not to hope for mercy from God. We would never know when we would receive it. That’s sort of like playing Russian Roullette. Sooner or later it’s going to kill you.
Hosea 14 give us the answer. Let’s read 14:1-3.
The answer is to return to the Lord. Repentance. To turn around and go the other way.
Like an alcoholic, the first step is to admit we need help. When we think we’ve got everything under control, we will never receive help.
Next, we need to change directions. When we have failed to do things God’s way, we need to change and start doing things the way He says.
Remember the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15?
"When he came to his senses, he said, `How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. "The son said to him, `Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ "But the father said to his servants, `Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.
In Hosea 14 we see the first step is to return to the Lord. Verse 2 gives us the next step,
to receive the forgiveness for our sins. No longer beating ourselves up or blaming ourselves, but to receive forgiveness. Yet in verse 3, we see that change will not come from just trying to help ourselves or get help from others. We need the help of God. In verse 4 we see that God brings change to our hearts.
Concl: Let’s look at verse 9 of Hosea 14. READ - the ways of the Lord are right - the righteous walk in them. This morning, let’s each ask ourselves, are we walking in the ways of the Lord. We normally don’t have a problem know what is the right thing to do. We have a hard time doing it. It’s so easy not to speak up when someone tells something a little questionable. It’s easy to look at something we shouldn’t. But God calls us to do right. Let’s return to the Lord. Let’s walk in the ways of righteousness. We have each received mercy from God. We each need to confess our sins to him. Is there an area of your life that is “out of line” with God’s standard? Today is the day to repent and seek his forgiveness.
We are going to pray, then we will sing a verse of 425. After that, the altar will be open for any who want to come and make something right with God. Not to announce it to the church, but to seek forgiveness and receive mercy from the Lord. Let’s pray.
