Hosea ch 10 v. 1 - 15 v. 12 "Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you."
1. A REVELATION OF THE WILL OF GOD "Sow to yourselves in righteousness"
2 Peter 3 v 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2. A REVELATION OF THE WORK OF GOD - Calvary God has made it possible
"Salvation is of the Lord"
3. A REVELATION OF THE WORD OF GOD - i.e.It's a -
Sovereign Word - John 2 v 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it
Settled Word - Ps 119 v 89 LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
Saving Word - "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path"
4. A REVELATION OF THE WISDOM OF GOD"And reap in mercy"
He knows more about eternity than anyone
Matt 19 v 16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
He showed respect for his Lord's person "good" Lord's position "master" Lord's purpose - "eternal life" - "I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly"
5. A REVELATION OF THE WAY OF GOD i.e. "break up your fallow ground"
It's a way of Co-operation "break up" day of Pentecost Acts 2 v 37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
It's a way of Condescension i.e. He waits
"Behold I stand at the door and knock" - patience
It's a way of Coronation i.e. crown him, personally, perfectly, permanently
It's a way of Consecration - "your fallow ground" A.W. Tozer - paths to power, plough
"The fallow field is smug, contented, protected from the shock of the plow and the agitation of the harrow.... But it is paying a terrible price for its tranquility: Never does it see the miracle of growth; never does it feel the motions of mounting life nor see the wonders of bursting seed nor the beauty of ripening grain. Fruit it can never know because it is afraid of the plow and the harrow."
6. A REVELATION OF THE WAY TO GOD "For it is time to seek the Lord" i.e. it is a time:-
(a) To Seek the Lord i.e. seek him in times of:-
(1) Prosperity - 1 Chronicles 22 v. 17 - 19 "David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, Is not the LORD your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side? for he hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand; and the land is subdued before the LORD, and before his people. Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD."
(2) Poverty - Deuteronomy 4 v. 25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:
26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.
27 And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.
28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
(3) Peril - 2 Chronicles 20 v. 1 - 3 "It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi. And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah."
(4) Promise - Ezra 6 v. 21 "And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat," seeking to honour the will of God, work of God, witness of God
(5) Purpose - Luke 6 v. 12 & 13 "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;"
(6) Potential - Ecclesiastes 12 v. 1 "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;"
2 Chronicles 34 v. 3 "For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, King Josiah began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images."
(7) Possibility - Isaiah 55 v. 6 & 7 "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
Note:-
The Pre-requisite to seeking - break up
The Priority of seeking - "it is time"
The Privilege of seeking - "the Lord"
The Promise in seeking - "till he come"
(b) To See the Lord - "till he come" He will come
Suddenly - Malachi 3 v. 1 "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts."
Surely - Revelation 22 v. 12 "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."
Solely - "till he come"
Savingly - "rain righteousness upon you." Lord never comes empty handed
Revelation 3 v. 20 "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
(c) To Serve the Lord - Because of:-
(1) Life's Brevity - James 4 v. 14 "For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."
(2) Death's Certainity - Hebrews 9 v. 27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"
(3) World's Apostacy - 2 Timothy 4 v. 3 & 4 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."
(4) Soul's Eternity - Luke 16 v. 23 "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."
(5) Christ's Expectancy - "Behold I come quickly"
