“Returning to God – or Faking It”
Hosea 14:1-9 July 23, 2006 Play
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The Folly of Over-Confidence
○ dwarfed by giant sequoias, redwoods
○ feeling sorry for snipped pine, never to re-grow
Superficial Repentance Doesn’t Cut It
○ prefer to avoid toughness of “R”epentance
○ Israelite confession didn’t take sin seriously
(6:1-3)
○ words of God’s mouth convicting, deadly, piercing
(6:4f; Heb 4:12; Rev 1:16, 2:16)
○ genuine return involves getting rid of idols, new
commitment (14:1f; Is 55:7; 1Sam 7:3f)
○ sources of sin: world (Assyria), flesh
(horses/army), devil (gods) (14:3; 5:13; 12:1; Ps 20:7; Mic 5:12ff)
○ famous general responded humbly to Peter
Cartwright’s warning
Faithful, Fragrant, Fruitful
○ maintain love(checed), justice, wait for God always
(12:6)
○ God desires mercy(checed) & acknowledgment >
sacrifices (6:6; Mt 9:13; 12:7)
○ fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon - aroma of Christ
(14:5f; 2Cor 2:14,16)
○ fruitful as vine – when connected to Jesus (14:7f;
Jn 15:5)
Blessings, Unlimited
○ owner of largest Christian retail chain
acknowledges it’s God’s, not his; ‘it’s not all about the money’, so
not open Sundays