← ArchiveSunday, February 19, 2017DateFebruary 19, 2017Speaker—Text—Passages in this sermonPsalms 141:57TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00Transcribed by ESO, translated by — Transcribed by —0:30Transcribed by —1:00Transcribed by —1:30Transcribed by —2:00Transcribed by —2:30Transcribed by —3:00Transcribed by —3:29Transcribed by — Transcribed by — Transcribed by —3:49Transcribed by —4:09Transcribed by —4:29—5:09Transcribed by — Transcribed by — Transcribed by — Transcribed by — Transcribed by — Two, take words with you. Return to the Lord. Say to him, take away all iniquity. Receive us graciously, for we will offer the sacrifices from our lips. Assyria shall not save us.5:40We will not ride on horses, nor will we say any more to the work of our hands, You are God's, for in you the fatherless finds mercy. And the Lord speaks back and says,6:20They will grow like a vine, their scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim shall say, what have I to do any more with idols? I have heard and observed him. I am like a green cypress tree. Your fruit is found in me. And the conclusion to the book says, At the conclusion of our time together, we will have a period of response.6:39Because I believe every time God's word is opened and proclaimed, people who hear it are changed. So I ask you right now, begin praying, Lord, how are you going to move me with your word?7:05Because, Lord, I am willing. And if you are not willing, pray now, Lord, make me willing to be moved by your spirit. Let's pray. Father, how wonderful your love is towards us. You have lavished on us your amazing grace that we might be called children of yours. So this morning, help us comprehend, Lord, the love that you have towards us.7:32While we were yet sinners, you died for us. So, Lord, may we make a simple confession of faith, knowing that you speak wonderfully to us when we do. So, Lord, what we have is yours. Take it, use it for your glory and your kingdom. And we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. I want to speak to you first about an amazing invitation. An amazing invitation. Look at verse 1 with me.8:02O Israel, return to the Lord your God. Now, some of you are thinking, okay, here we go. Talking about Israel again, that's not us. Now, hold that thought. Israel, as Romans tells us, are those not by birth, but those have true faith in the one true God. So, by extension, if you have put your faith in God through Jesus Christ, you are now adopted as a son and a daughter. You are grafted into the branch. So, anything that is said to Israel, by extension, if you have faith in Christ, is said to you.8:32So, Israel, listen up. God's people, listen up. The Lord says, return to me, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. So, we find embedded at the very end of Hosea, a beautiful, wonderful invitation for us to return. The exhortation is a summons to those who have already, though, stumbled. Look at verse 1. God's word says, you have already stumbled because of your sin.9:02Many of you are asking that question right now. You're saying, Pastor, you don't realize I've already sinned. So, what is God going to do about that? God says, I knew you were going to sin. And before you knew you were going to sin, He sent His Son to offer forgiveness and redemption in our place. The invitation here is to return. This is a call to those who have neglected the call of God on their life. You see, this amazing invitation is for you and I.9:33Because if you've been tracking with us for all six weeks in Hosea, you will remember that the word turn is in old friends. Often we see in Hosea, if you flip back through the book, what are God's people normally turning to? Idols? Works of their hands? They say at the end of here in Hosea, we will no longer turn to Assyria. We will no longer proclaim we are waiting for chariots.10:00Those of the chariots are found in Egypt. We will not turn to outside powers. God, we will not turn to ourself. We will return to you. That is repentance. Because the truth is that we all turn somewhere. That we all turn to something for our comfort and our hope and our joy. We live in the South. Some of us parents turn to our kids and their accomplishments in their three-year-old baseball team to find satisfaction in our life.10:27How foolish are we? And we get bummed out when our child wants to pick flowers and not hit a home run. As if we created that child and God didn't. I think God's reminding us, Josh, you don't realize you didn't make your kids in your image. The Lord made them in his image. But we put our hopes in funny and silly and foolish things sometimes. We turn around and say,10:56Lord, I'm going to reach for this. I'm going to reach for Assyria. And God says, Don't reach for your church to find your strength because religion will not save you. Don't hope in the membership. Don't hope in the things that you hold dear. Don't hope in the team that you cheer for as if you play. And your whole week is wrong when they lose. God says, Quit turning to foolish things. Turn to me instead. That is the invitation to us.11:24God says, Find redemption. He says, Turn back to me, Israel, for you have stumbled. Remember, though, that this is not a call for those who have never heard. We can't point fingers and say, Well, these people have never heard of God. That's why they turned to sin. Israel knew deeply the love that God had for them. It's as if they had been sitting in church all their life. And yet they refused to follow the true way of righteousness.11:52The true way of redemption. You see, God's call to repentance in our life to turn back is not just a call to come to an altar. It is a call to turn back. So what are we turning from and what are we turning to? Repentance means a change of mind, which leads to a change of heart, which leads to a transformed life because of Jesus Christ. And you cannot repent if you are not willing to turn from something. You say, Well, Pastor, where are you getting at?12:21We must turn from our selfish ways and turn to Jesus Christ. You see, God does not call us to a half faith, a weak faith. He calls us to a faith where we are filled with his spirit from the moment we put our faith in Jesus Christ. I was thinking of a way to illustrate this. How can we turn to God? Lord, how does that make sense in us? I began to think of a game that I played as a child.12:50It was called Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Anyone play Pin the Tail on the Donkey? I don't know why for the life of us that we thought at one point that we would blindfold, especially children. We're going to blindfold them. We're going to spin them around and give them a sharp object. And that's going to turn out okay. It's now the new games if you buy them from the stores because the lawsuits, they actually have pinned the Velcro tail on the donkey.13:17That way no one gets hurt. But the way we play growing up, that you would have a child and you would blindfold them, you would spin them. And then you have an adult that if they veer too far, they would turn them back to the right direction. So they wouldn't give them the exact location, but they would bring them back to the right direction. Here is the reality of our sin. It's as if we are stuck in this game. And our sin blinds us so much that the blindfold on our eyes, we have no hope to get righteousness right.13:44Because if we're honest, some of us are walking through life and you just hope, well, if I do a good job, by the end of my life, God will accept me. If I work hard, if I make a good life for my family, if I keep my nose clean, then God will accept me. And what you are doing, you're walking around in the darkness, hoping that you will get it right. And hopefully that the tail will get in the right place.14:13But our sin is so dark and our blindness is so deep that we have no hope of even walking in the right direction. And not only that, our world is so disorienting that not only are we blinded by our sin, the Bible says, that we're turning the wrong way. And here's the beauty of the gospel. God says, return to me. He gives us the location of where we need to go. God gives us a location of righteousness. And not only does he give us a location of righteousness, he gives us the guide of righteousness.14:43His name is Jesus Christ. So as if God puts Christ with us and says, you are too blind and you are too disoriented and dizzy to find your way. But I sent my son to provide the way out. That is repentance. Repentance is standing here today and saying, God, I'm too dizzy and I'm too blind. I don't stand a chance. And God says, I'm glad you mentioned that because I have already provided a way.15:11Return to me, you who have already stumbled. What a beautiful invitation that is. But this invitation is amazing because he doesn't want our half-hearted attempts. God doesn't want us to say, you know what, I'm dizzy, but the blindness I am okay with. Or God doesn't want to say, you know what, I'm going to save you from being blind, but you know, I'm going to leave you dizzy. That's not what God does for us.15:40But God doesn't want our half-hearted attempts at religion. God doesn't say, I'm going to take the blindfold off and I'm going to let you find your way. He doesn't want our half-hearted attempts at worship or repentance or salvation. God doesn't even ask us to earn our salvation. Look what he says in verse 1. Return to the Lord your God. For you have stumbled because of your iniquity. And then what does God do for Israel and what does he do for us? He says, I'm going to give you the words.16:09So I'm going to bring you to a point where you need me, where you can see that. And then I'm going to give you what you need when you're on your back looking up. That is the beautiful invitation of our Savior. That is the invitation for those who have fallen in sin. See, God is not calling us to do church. Rather, he's calling us to repent and to find his grace. And so I ask you this morning, does he have your heart? Does Christ have your heart?16:40Your full attention, your full repentance. If he does not, maybe you haven't truly repented. That's the beautiful invitation of our Lord today. That he says, follow me. For James and John, for Andrew. They're fishing and God's invitation to them is what? Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. He says, trust me. I invite you to do that. That is the invitation that God is offering to you today.17:09See, God invites us by his grace because he looks down on our sinful depravity and he knows that we have stumbled. Yeah, I thank God that he is not like us. We have two little ones at our house. The youngest one is two. She thinks she's 22, but she's two. And there are times that we watch her fall because she's not graceful yet. She might never be. She gets it probably for myself. But there are times where she'll fall and we're watching it and before she realizes she's in pain, we realize it first.17:38Have you ever watched a child fall and you realize it's not going to be good? And before they cry out, you're already there to protect them. You're already there as a parent to watch over them. That's the beauty of what Christ has done for us. Before you realize the pain of your sin and the depth of it, his grace was provided. That's the invitation of our Savior. So I ask you, are you crying out to God?18:07Because as with our kids, when my kids cry out, I listen. And when you cry out a cry of repentance, say, God, heal me. God, save me. He will listen. But he will not listen when you say, God, I'm going to save myself. You watch. God says, that's not what I require of you. He's waiting for us to turn from our sin. He's waiting for us to turn from myself and turn back to him. That is his invitation.18:38Do not miss the invitation. And if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, do not close your ears because we are prone to wonder. If you are following Christ, you are now fighting this natural desire to turn to yourself and not turn to spiritual things. So the invitation that's extended daily to us is don't turn to yourself. Don't trust in your strength. Trust in my spirit. That is his invitation. That is his invitation. And it is wonderful. It is grace filled.19:08So I ask you, have you accepted his invitation this morning? What an amazing thing to hear. Return to the Lord your God. Because you have stumbled because of your sin. And we say, well, how do we return? If God calls us to return, calls us to repent, turn from our sin and turn towards him, then how do we do that? I think God, he's already answered our question. Verse two. What a simple confession he requires of us.19:37Take words with you. Return to the Lord. Now, some of you who are analytical or thinking ahead, you're asking the question, well, if God asks us to say words, then what words should I say? The Lord provides it. So he takes away our excuses, doesn't he? Some of us say, Lord, I can't do that because of this. Moses, I can't speak because I stutter. And God says, don't you realize I created that stuttering mouth?20:07I provided. Some of you say, well, God, you can't save me because you don't know what I've done. And God says, I've already provided for you. So often God takes away our excuses and brings us to a point where we need reconciliation and where we need to say, Lord, you are what I need. So verse two, the words are this. Say to him, take away iniquity.20:33But we missed a word. Take away what iniquity? Oh, so God doesn't want us to say, Lord, I'm going to give you part of me. I'm going to give you this part because it's not near as bad. I'll work on the other things later. Our confession should be, God, take away all. Now, here's the struggle. The confession is, God, take away all. The problem is, it takes a while for us to get to the point where we're willing to open up all the closets of our life for God to deal with us.21:00So if you are not yet perfected and you struggle and you say, well, I'm doubting my salvation because God has not dealt with everything in me. Well, maybe he's working on that. And maybe there are doors you're not willing to open, but we must be willing to confess and say, God, everything I have is on the table right now. It's like walking through a dark house with a lot of closets and God has constantly opened up dark closets and say, you know what?21:28I've cleaned out these. Let's address that one now. This is the confession that God wants in our life. You see, to accept his mercy and grace is profoundly difficult, yet amazingly simple. I believe the invitation to follow Jesus Christ is one of the most difficult things a man will ever do in his life. And at the same time, on the same coin, the other side, is the most easy thing that's required of us.21:54Because you can't earn his grace. I can't earn his grace. And we don't respond to God's invitation by RSVP. You don't send a postcard in. You don't come forward. You don't join a church. You don't send a text. There's not an automated message. The response to our Savior and his invitation is this. It is a confession of faith.22:23You say, well, what is that? It is, Lord, take all my sin. Lord, I am an open book. It is all right here. Here's the reality of our dark hearts. You have sinned and I have sinned in my life. We don't even know it's sin yet. That's how dark we are. You say, well, I don't like to hear that. Good. It's healing for us to do things that we don't like to hear. In Noah's day, the Lord says about the people, the heart of man is wickedly continually. There's evil in our hearts.22:55And so the invitation is to confess all of that. You see, repentance is an act of the heart and the voice. Repentance is not a silent, private affair. It is a public confession. Now, before you worry if we're going to haul people on stage and start confessing sins, we're not going to do that because I can't confess any. I can't forgive anything that you've done and you can't forgive anything I've done. But we confess to a Savior who died on the cross23:23to forgive us of everything that we could conceive of doing against his name. So what does that look like? How do we know we've truly confessed and what does a confession look like? First, I believe that in one moment and at all times, we should renounce our sin and ask the Lord to take sin away. So confession is not a one-time event, which you've already seen in Hosea. Confession is a lifestyle. So if you are holding to a confession you made 50 years ago23:51and you are not willing to confess your sin today, I would say you didn't confess. You did something. It was an emotional response. But if we are not in a lifestyle of confession, we have not confessed Christ as Savior. Because the confession takes us looking at the Lord and saying, it is all yours. What is his? Lord, all my sin. Which is why we should constantly be growing in our faith because God is constantly calling us to confess.24:18And some of the most godly people I know are the people that are years advanced of me, and yet they look in the mirror and they still see the darkness in their heart. And we struggle with that. We say, but you've been walking with the Lord 70 years. And the reality is, the closer we get to the light of Christ, the darker we see our lives. So are you living a lifestyle of confession? Are we living a life where we say,24:49you know what, I don't need to come confess. I did that already. Well, I would say maybe you didn't because you don't understand confession. And maybe the Holy Spirit is working on you right now to call you into that lifestyle. To say you have fallen short, you are falling short, and he has provided away. Are you constantly confessing? So how do I know if I believe or not? Is God asking you to repent of your sin? Remember, when we are convicted, that is the Holy Spirit working. It's not a pleasant voice,25:19but it's a voice of the Lord. So are you living that lifestyle of confession? Say, Lord, daily renew me. I believe in our confession. A thank you is not good enough. We must repent. For us to look at the cross and say, thank you, God. That was really nice. That's awesome. Thank you for your sacrifice. And go on our way. That's not confession. That's not repentance. And until we deal with our sin, salvation cannot be found.25:47Until we deal with our sin, salvation cannot be found. You see, secondly, I believe that my confession and a confessional lifestyle asked the Lord to receive us by his grace. See, God's people said, Lord, take away all our sin and do what? Then receive us graciously. Why? Because we should remind ourselves that grace is not earned. And those that are in the muck,26:18in the mire of sin, understand that. Those that really see their sin understand that grace is not earned. But those of us who have been in a pew for a while sometimes forget that grace is unearned. Because we don't think we're as bad as we really are. Because we're looking at our life not by God's standards, but by ours. So we say, well, God, I'm glad you saved the old Josh. He was really bad. And God's saying, but you don't understand in February 2017, he still has a lot of work to do.26:48Are we constantly saying, Lord, revive me by your grace? And in that, we're constantly saying to ourselves, you can't do it. And for me, that is freeing. You say, well, that's terrible. You can't do anything. That is freeing because Christ, his finished work has paid it all for me. That frees me up to live a life for his glory and for his honor. Thank God that he offers us his daily grace. You see, the Christian life27:18is not only about what we're not doing. The Christian life is also about what we are now receiving. And I think we have it wrong sometimes. I think the world looks at believers and they look at things we don't do. And they say, well, you guys don't, you don't party like you used to party and you don't drive as fast and you're using your money in a different way. You're giving it to missions. I don't understand that. And why don't you spend money on things that are not godly and some of you don't dance not because God told you not to just because you can't27:48and some of you don't drink and some of you don't play cards and things like that. And the world knows and don't hear what I'm don't mishear what I'm saying. Some of those are good by the way. I think the world should look at what we're not doing if we're not sinning and say there's something different. But I believe more than what we're not doing, the world needs to look at us and see what we have now. Because what is greater than forgiveness of my sins is the grace that I have received.28:17And so does your life look like something that has received something from heaven? Verse 2, right? Receive us graciously. So focus now on what we have received and what a beautiful response that is through His grace and His mercy. That we are not only do not, do not, do not, do not people but we are those that say you don't understand how much God has given me. And we don't fully understand it28:47understand it because I don't think on this side of the eternity we understand how much God's grace and mercy transform us. So may we say with a lifestyle confession, God give me your unmerited favor today and Lord graciously pour into me today that I may grow and thrive in your glory. And thirdly, my confession is this, for we will offer the sacrifices of our lips. I believe that our confession and the Lord's transformation in our lives should be public.29:17Transformation and confession should be public. God saves me privately, right? That is a private prayer of faith. But yet He saves us publicly. You say, well, how do you know that? I know that because we see a cross here. and that cross looks a whole lot nicer than the one our Savior died on. And I've been to the place where they think Golgotha, the place of the skull, was. And if you go to Israel today, and by the way,29:47we're planning a trip next year if you want to go. Lord willing, that would open up for us. But if you go to the place of the skull today, you know what it is? Some of you have been to Israel. Did you go to Golgotha? You remember what's there at the modern Golgotha? A transit station. That's where the public buses go. You know why that's the case, I believe? Because Jesus was crucified by a major highway. A public display30:17of the redemption to the world. And I believe that our transformation in Jesus Christ must be just as public. I believe that's why He calls us to make a public profession of faith. I believe that's why He calls us to be baptized publicly that the world may see in the same way our Savior offers forgiveness to the world that He may see our public profession. And you say, well, I can't do that. You can't, but He can through you. So at the end of our time together,30:47I'm going to ask you this question. Do you need to make your faith public? Because if we are a confessional people, our faith is not a private matter. It began that way. It began in my heart, but now it is public for the world to see that His grace is sufficient for me. That we may say, Lord, take all iniquity, receive me graciously, and Father, I will offer now sacrifice of my lips to the world. What a wonderful invitation. What a simple confession.31:16Lastly, I want to leave you with this thought. What a beautiful song that God offers to those of us who believe. What a beautiful and wonderful song. Look at verse 4 with me. In 1972, some would remember this singer, Carly Simon. She wrote a song called, You're So Vain. And I invite you to sing along with me. You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you. You're so vain. I bet you think31:46this song is about you. Don't you? Have you ever wondered what God thinks about you? And maybe you're vain enough to think that God would actually write a song about you. Here's the beautiful picture we see that Hosea leaves us with. God, in verse 4 through 8, writes a song to Israel and tells them, I don't want you to wonder what I think about you.32:15I want you to know. And this is not a love song like the ones we write sometimes. Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you. This is not a simple lip service to His love for you. This is exactly what God thinks of you. So if you wonder, what does the Lord think of me? Do not ask a man what God thinks of you. Because there is no finite mind that can comprehend what an infinite God thinks towards you.32:45His thoughts are higher than our ways. His paths are greater than ours. You know, how deep the love that God has lavished on us. So what does that song to us look like? What does that song towards you look like? First, He says this, and I just want you to let God's word wash over you as we end our time together. Verse 4, I will heal their backsliding. God says, I will heal your backsliding. See, faith in Jesus Christ33:14is very personal and deep. He says, I will heal you. I will heal. Not only is this because we willingly disobey God, but it's our spiritual blindness that is in need of a cure. That's why God says He will heal. So how bad is our sin? It needs a cure. Why do we pray to God? Why do we spend time in our services and pray to God for healing? Because I know He can heal. Because I know He healed my heart. And if He can heal my heart,33:44my heart, healing our infirmities is no issue. God says that He will heal your backsliding. And so if you're struggling with putting your faith in Christ and now you still struggle, you go to church and on Mondays you struggle. Lord, help my tongue and then you're cursing someone out tomorrow. Lord, help my anger and then you're driving in traffic. Lord, help this. And you struggle and there's that give and take of backsliding. I want you to know that God says He will heal you of that. And the word34:14backsliding is not a good word in English because backsliding for us makes it sound like it's petty and it's not as difficult. The word is actually in Hebrew that you have turned again to something else. So it's not, oh, bless your heart, you backsliding, come on back. No, it is, you've turned away from me again. But I still care for you and I will heal that. So if you struggle with backsliding, God says His song to you is I will heal you. Secondly, He says this, that I will love you34:44freely. This is one of the most pure expressions of God's grace in the Old Testament. The word can actually mean spontaneously. So why does God say that He will love you freely? One, I believe He says that because we're unlovable. Now I know some of you think that, hey, it doesn't take much for God to love you, you're wrong. What does it take for God to love us? It took the death of His only Son. But He loves us freely.35:13Why is it free? Because He's reminding us we cannot earn our salvation. And even if you could earn it, you don't have enough money to buy His salvation. You don't have enough cred spiritually for salvation. I don't care who your dad was. I don't care what church their name is on. We cannot earn our salvation. And we will get to a point where we35:42try to cast out demons in His name and the demons will laugh at us because they know our faith more than we do sometimes. Because we're trying to earn His love and His redemption. I want you to know that His song towards us is, I will love them freely. And this is a song to church folk. You cannot earn His love. Thank God we cannot earn His love. And yet, He loves us spontaneously. He loves you freely. And I think we're36:14reminded His love is free because it will no longer be hindered by our sin once we come to faith in Jesus Christ. His love is not hindered by what I do. His love is free because of the cross of Jesus Christ. We also see that His song towards us, He, I will heal your backside and I will love you freely in verse 4. And then He says, my anger has turned away from Him. My anger is turned away. So what does God think of you?36:44you? God is not angry at you. Some of you need to hear that because sometimes we hear from others, well, God is angry at you because of your sin. And that is drilled in. God pours out His wrath on our sin. It is true. But if we have put our faith in Christ, His wrath is satisfied. So God is not angry at you. God is not waiting for you to mess up and He's going to smoke you with fire and brimstone from heaven. How do I know that's true? Because I would already be smoldering37:14at this point. And some of you would already be long gone. And so we can't walk around thinking, God, you're angry. God is mad at me. His wrath was fully poured out on the cross. Look at the word used here. He says, my anger has what? It has turned away from Him. That same word, right, shuv, that you turn to me, you will backside, you have turned to yourself, but my anger has now turned from you. And look at the tense of the word. He didn't say my37:44anger will be assaged or will be taken away. He says, my anger has been, is a completed action. In Jesus Christ, His anger is satisfied. And that frees me up to say, Lord, you're no longer angry because you poured out your wrath on your son for my sake. So if you struggle with, is God angry at me, I still, I'm backsideing, is He angry? No, He will not put up with our disobedience.38:14disobedience. But He is not angry at you because if you put your faith in Christ, the wrath has been satisfied at the atonement of the Lord in Jesus. We also see this, not only will He heal you, not only does He love you freely, not only has His anger been turned away, I love this song. He says, I will be like the dew to Israel. Now why dew? Because dew is a symbol of refreshment. It's a symbol of38:43early morning when it's cool outside that God will refresh us. And I was reminded of this as I was meditating on the sermon Friday. I was doing chores. On Fridays I had the day off so I tried to clean the house as much as I can, as much as a man can clean. So I man clean on Fridays. And some of you know what I'm talking about, that's why you're laughing. Some of you wives are thinking, mm-hmm, I know what He's talking about. But my39:13But my wife, she knows my love language. I'm a very simple guy. I don't really like gifts. I mean, gifts just don't hit me in the heart. You could bring a new car and say, look, here's a Lamborghini. I'm like, okay, thank you. But it doesn't really do much for me. But the one thing that she knows that I love are peanut or almond M&M's and Coca-Cola. I really prefer a glass Coke. And so what I got for Valentine's Day were those two things. Now, I've had to share them, which39:42them, which is okay, because I love my family. That was not a joke. I don't know. I do love my family more than I love my Coke. But I was drinking that Coke Friday and thinking, man, what refreshment I get from this. It really, it almost felt like it revived my soul. And as I was drinking it, because, you know, in the glass bottle, they can carbonate it more, so it kind of bites you when you drink it. And this40:12And this scripture jumped out at me, that if this Coke refreshes your soul, how much more so is the refreshment that comes daily from Jesus Christ, the dew that comes from the Lord. So God's desire for you is that you would find refreshment. So if you are here and you're worn out, that God provides rest for the weary. Come to me, all who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. If you have come here thirsty today, that Jesus says He is the living water, and40:42those who drink of the living water will never thirst again. If you come here hungry, physically or spiritually, Jesus says that He is the bread of life. So we find refreshment, and so if you are not daily coming to the table of the Lord finding your refreshment, you are missing out for His refreshment in your life. So pray constantly. Jump into His word. He wants to refresh you by His grace. Not only does He want to refresh you, He says this in verse41:128. Israel will say, Ephraim will say, what have I to do anymore with idols? I have heard and observed Him. I am like a cypress tree. Your fruit is found in me. God wants us to be fruitful. And our struggle often in our lives is that our desire to be fruitful is different than God's desire for us to be fruitful. And this word fruit really is the word almost, and we see the word roots, it sounds like a tap root that a plant would put down deep41:42into the ground, that when there's not moisture on the surface, that there's still moisture in the surface. That there's still moisture deep down that they can grab when the moisture is not there. And begin to think, Lord, what fruit do you want us to be then? What tree do you want us to be? We see in Psalm 1 that blessed is a man who meditates on the law of the Lord, and he'll be like a tree planted by still waters whose leaf will not wither, and it will produce fruit in season, Psalm 1, 3, and 4 says. I began to think42:11of a carrot. I don't know if you've ever grown carrots, but above the soil there's just a small, leafy, green substance. But if you pull the carrot up and it's mature, the fruit is really the bulk of the plant. If you never pull the carrot up, you never see what's going on below the surface. But we know that the deliciousness of the carrot is in the soil. It's not seen by many42:40people. And I believe in our lives often God wants fruit to be that way. God wants us to have a depth of character that the world cannot deny. He wants our faith to be so rooted that we will not be pushed to and fro in the circumstances of life. And some of us pray, Lord, bless me, and Lord, make me bear fruit. And what we're asking is for the Lord to help sprig up little green things in our life. And really what God desires is He wants to43:10put a root in us that's below the surface. So I just challenge you, God, His desire for you is to grow. And maybe spiritual growth in your life is not how you planned, but it's still there. I say grow deep. Grow in a way that you can find nourishment in Christ that when struggles come, your root remains. That when you are hungry, the carrot is there to provide that nourishment that is given in His word through His Son. So I challenge you in43:39this way. What does the Lord want for your life? He has sung a song of redemption over you. A song that's echoed in Isaiah that Jesus Christ was pierced for our transgressions, that He was crushed for our sin, that the punishment that was upon Him brought us peace, and by His wounds we are healed. If you have never put your faith in Jesus Christ, I'm going to invite you to do that right now. That is a personal44:09decision. I cannot pray that prayer for you. You say, well, how do I confess? How do I seek the Lord? It's very simple as we see in Hosea. Say, Lord, all my sins are yours. Lord, give me your grace and help me live through Jesus Christ. And in doing so, you say, I will turn from my sin and myself and I will turn from you. That is repentance. If you have not done that, you have heard the word of God. You have heard what He requires of you. I pray that you would44:38respond and that the Spirit would move mightily in your life. Maybe you're here and you say, well, I've responded to God and, yeah, I've confessed and that's water under the bridge. Oh, no, it's not. We are to daily confess our sins. We are to daily read His word and find nourishment. So I'm going to ask you, maybe you just need to spend time in our time of response and celebrate. I don't think we celebrate enough as Christians. If the world has reason to celebrate, it is through45:08Jesus Christ. So as we sing, I'm going to ask that you sing a song of joy and celebration. Our altar will be open if you would like to come to pray. I'll be down front to greet you if you need me to talk with you. And we will have counselors on the side if you need to do that. But I ask you to respond to the gospel of Christ who lovingly died for you. A beautiful invitation, a simple confession, and yet a beautiful song over us. Let's pray. Father God.
