Old Testament Lesson; Hosea 5:15-6:3
Epistle Lesson; Romans 8:1-10
Gospel Lesson; Matthew 20:17-28
Sermon Text; Hosea 5:15-6:3

Today we are gathered together under the theme, Be Faithful. We have seen that theme play itself out in the two previous scripture readings that we looked at today, from the Epistle Lesson and also from the Gospel Lesson. In the Epistle Lesson from Romans, chapter 8, we hear God in His Word telling us,

"Therefore there is now no condemnation

for those who are in Christ Jesus."

We are reminded that God is faithful. God has given to all believers in Jesus, as their Savior, eternal life in Heaven. There is no condemnation. Today, too, when we looked at the Gospel Lesson, we first of all see the selfishness of two disciples, James and John, when they ask Jesus if they can sit at Jesus' right and left in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus said, "whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant."

After all, Jesus "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." And so, instead of being selfish and looking out for our own interest, Jesus encourages us to be faithful, to be faithful to Him and to His work, and to be a servant, just like He was.

Such, also, is the case as we look at our Old Testament Lesson for today, from the book of Hosea. Hosea is an interesting book from the Old Testament, but also a little bit confusing. And so, to help us out today, I have put together a few things for us to view, as we look at Hosea, as we look at his marriage, and also as we look at the message that he proclaimed.

Hosea was a prophet in Israel. He was a prophet about 800 years before Jesus. God had a very distinct message for Hosea to proclaim to God's people. The message is, "Be Faithful".

Well, the Children of Israel weren't faithful. And the Children of Israel decided to do what was right in their own minds. They no longer went to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices. Instead, they offered sacrifices to false gods, the gods of Baal, and Asherah. Well, God was going to speak to the Children of Israel through Hosea's marriage.

In order to understand Hosea's marriage, we need to look at the two people who are married to one another. First of all, we have Hosea. Hosea's name means ‘deliverance’ or his name means ‘salvation’. Hosea was to marry a woman whose name was Gomer. (Now, today we hear that name and we laugh a little bit, because it sounds a little bit silly, but that was the name of Hosea’s wife.) Gomer stands for ‘unfaithfulness’. You see, Gomer was an adulterer. She was a promiscuous woman. And yet, God had a good reason for asking Hosea to marry this woman, because it would be a picture to the Children of Israel of God's relationship with His people. It was Gomer who would be unfaithful to Hosea, but God asked Hosea to be faithful to Gomer.

You may be thinking to yourself this morning, "How could Hosea, the prophet, marry a woman such as this?"

As you think about that question, take it a step farther, and ask yourself, "How could God 'marry' such a nation, love such a nation as the Children of Israel?"

Take it a step even farther and ask yourself the question, "How is it that God can love such a person as me?"

You see, it is you and me that are just like Gomer. It is we who have been unfaithful to God, and yet, how is it that Hosea can love Gomer? How is it that God can love Israel? How is it that God can love us? Well, scripture tells us.

"God demonstrates His own love for us in this.

While we were still sinners,

(while we were unfaithful, what happened)

Christ died for us."

Even when we are faithless, God promises to be faithful and He shares that with us through the death of His Son on the cross.

Before we look at Hosea's message this morning, I want to talk about the children that were conceived through Gomer. They help us understand a little bit more of the prophesies that were given, that were fulfilled. Gomer had three children. Usually, in scripture, when a child is born, it talks about husband and wife coming together, but here in the book of Hosea, it does not. It just says that Gomer had three children. Oftentimes we talk about these children as being children of unfaithfulness.

The first child born to Gomer was a son. His name was Jezreel. His name means ‘God scattered.’ The name of the child comes true, because after Hosea made this prophesy, forty years after he made that prophesy, the name of the son comes true. In 722 B.C. another nation came in, carried Israel off into captivity and they never returned. God scattered the Children of Israel, because of their unfaithfulness.

The second child born to Gomer was a daughter. Her name was Lo-Ruhamah. It means, ‘not loved.’ God loves His children. But the time of grace for the Children of Israel was running out. It came to pass in the year 722 that the time of grace did run out, and God stopped loving His people, when they were carried away into captivity.

The third child born to Gomer was another son. His name was Lo-Ammi. It means ‘not my people.’ What a tragedy that God's chosen nation, that God's chosen people were no longer considered to be His people, no longer considered to be His nation. Why? Because, they were unfaithful to God.

Knowing the reason why God presents to us in His Word the prophet's marriage, Hosea's marriage, it sets the stage for us to hear the message that Hosea has to share with us. It is recorded at the end of Hosea chapter 5 and the beginning of Hosea chapter 6. As we look at the very end of Hosea chapter 5, I want you to see this is a conversation God is having with the Children of Israel. Listen to what it is that God says to His children.

Hosea 5:15

"Then I will then go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me."

Notice what it is that God is asking from the Children of Israel. He is asking them to admit their guilt. He is asking them to say they are sorry, because of their sin. Have you ever received an apology that was not sincere? When you hear that insincere apology, it almost hurts more than the wrong that was initially done. Let's say somebody sins against you. They want to make things right, again. They come to you but they are insincere. We all have been guilty of insincere apologies, but typically, we think of children. Your son or daughter has wronged you. You ask them to say they are sorry and they flippantly say, "I'm sorry."

You, as a parent, know when they are not sincere. All God is asking of the Children of Israel is for them to admit their guilt. All He is asking of them is to say they are sorry, because of their sin.

Well, let's look at the response of the Children of Israel, and you will note that there is no admitting of guilt. There is no one who says they are sorry, because of their sin. This is what the Children of Israel say.

"Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; He has injured us, but He will bind up our wounds. After two days He will revive us; on the third day, He will restore us, that we may live in His presence. Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring waters that water the earth."

Their response is just like people who say, "God is only a God of love, and not a God of justice. There is no way God would send anybody to Hell, because of their sin."

Yes, it is true that God is a God of love, but He is also a God of justice, as well. We are all living in a time of grace, right now. Today, through our prophet, we see what happened to the Children of Israel. Their time of grace ran out. God scattered them. He no longer loved them and they were not considered His nation, anymore. Because they were insincere in admitting their guilt.

Well, before we become too critical of the Children of Israel, we need to look at ourselves, this morning, as well. We see that there are times when we are insincere in our worship of God, and when we are faithless. Have you ever gathered together for worship and cruised through the Confession of Sin, without really thinking about what it is that you are saying? I am guilty. If so, we have been insincere in our apology for our sin and in admitting our guilt.

Or, have you ever gathered together for worship and cruised through the words of the Apostles' Creed or the words of the Lord's Prayer, just saying the words but not thinking about what they mean? If so, we have been insincere in our apology and insincere in the admission of our guilt.

How is it that God responds to us, when we have been faithless to Him and insincere to Him? Let me go back to the relationship of Hosea and Gomer. As we continue through the book of Hosea, we see that Gomer left her husband Hosea for another man. God went to Hosea and said, "I want you to go and take Gomer back. I want you to buy her back. And, I want you to love her."

That is what Hosea did. He had every right to divorce her, but he took her back. He bought her back for 15 shekels of silver and he loved her.

What a beautiful picture that is of God's relationship with you. Just as Gomer was unfaithful to her husband, we have been unfaithful to God. What has God done to us?

He has taken us back.

Thanks be to God!

He has bought us back.

What is the price that God paid to buy us back? Well, it was not gold or silver, but it was Jesus' holy precious blood, His innocent sufferings and death.

And why? In order that we might be His own, live under Him in His Kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.

And even though we don't deserve to be loved, God has loved us with an everlasting love.

Knowing that God has been and will be faithful to us, may we be people, may we be His children who continue to be faithful to Him. And yes, we know that there are times in which we are going to slip and fall, and there are those times when we are going to be faithless. What God is asking of us, though, is that we admit our guilt, that we say that we are sorry because of our sin, so that He can take us back, buy us back, and love us with an everlasting love.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, as we leave our worship this morning, may we take note of what scripture says, when it encourages us after having heard God's Word to be faithful.

Be faithful

even to the point of death,

and God promises

He will give the crown of life.

Amen.