Scandalous Love, Part 2

Encouraging message from Janine Greer when you feeling the pain of the heart ache that comes from stupid sinful choices that you have made. The father says to the son go again go again.

So what do you do not give up. I will never give up because I will not be happy again until I have restored you to salvation really hearing anyway right where worried patients. We feel like we need to clean ourselves that we go back to him.

So rather than moving towards him. Stop going to church for a while and put a hold on their prayers while we try to pull ourselves together. That's not how our relationship with God shouldn't hook today on Senate life strategically reminds us that even if we pull away from God never stops pursuing return to him after JD titled this message. Hosea chapter 1 verse two Isaiah has to go down in history as the man who received the worst ministry assignment ever want to go and marry a prostitute and have children with her, but a way to make matters worse and worse. Her name was Gomer Doyle, the gunrunner was a dude and it was goofy private on the file but God had a purpose for this verse to this will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and by worshiping other gods spiritual adultery might be the primary biblical illustration of sin.

Adultery is a betrayal of love. Adultery is when you give to somebody else.

What you really ought to be finding in your spouse, your dinner, see if you read the book of Isaiah. If you might've noticed this that were the primary sands that God identifies in Israel is that she looks to other nations for help instead of looking to God for help when Israel was afraid when she faced financial worry when she was worried about her harvest coming in that that fall orbits bring rather than turning to God. They ran down to Egypt or Syria and they said you got help us now, that may not on the surface sound that immoral but you see what happened to something had replaced God in their heart as their trust and their love and their treasure. So let me just ask you to consider. Where is it that you turn first. When you are worried Hosea by the way, didn't just go through the formalities you look very verse three after it talks about taking Gomer so she conceived and bore him a son.

He genuinely tried a lover.

He tried to start a family with her. They began to have children and so after they begin to build this family and after they get it established.

Chapter 2 Gomer returns her old ways. Look at verse five. In jeopardy she said I will again go after my lovers.

She does it in broad daylight so that everybody's like a amount. Hosea's wife. She shames him publicly. Eventually she leaves him for some man just pays her for sex. To make matters worse, this new guy. This new lover begins to abuser and so Hosea in chapter 2, he pleads with her to come back come back in and be the wife and the mother. I have created this home for you, but mainly she waltzed in chapter 2 verse eight is this even gives the man that she is now shacking up with gives her money so that he this man was abusing her can take care of will eventually this new lover get so tired of her that he tried to sell her back into the sex life drape man got appears to Hosea with the second assignment. Jabber three.

Verse 10 again love this woman again who is an adulterous you keep in mind that José is a real person just like you or me what had to be going through his mind. Buyer back.after given her everything you want me to go and put myself through that again.

Why would I do that, God says because I'm trying to make a point. But the rest of verse 1 billion love this woman even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, even though they they continue to turn to other gods so Hosea would've gone to the auction and their stance Hosea in line with a bunch of men who just want to buyer is a prostitute and all user body for their needs but also seller out to others in their stance Hosea just wants to love her and protect her and provide for. Which leads me to the first reflection I want to give you on the love of God number one God's love. When we properly say it scandalizes us is not one of us in Hosea situation that would not have felt perfectly justified and just walking away. Sometimes we wonder things like how God could have the audacity to judge us as if God's anger toward our sin is just too harsh, but any time you and I get put in a situation similar to what God is the end we rage with righteous anger and yet God kept coming for us. The second thing we learn about the love of God from the store number two God's love even for serrated him toward eviscerated means a little. He cut his heart out purchasing Gomer the second time evidently broke Hosea financially your salmonella to pursue their jabber three, so I bought her for 50 shekels of silver in a home or not. Let the barley you. So how does that show is it it it eviscerated him financially scholar say in those days the going price for a slave was 30 shekels of silver, which means the back that he bought 15 chuckle for 50 shekels of silver, and paid the rest in kind. The only reason you could get away with that is if you didn't have the full price. So the fact that he had to pay half the price, and by the rest in kind, or on credit that shows that he, in order to purchase or had yet to empty his savings account.

It eviscerated him financially in order to purchase or even out the rest you see that pointing forward to Jesus who is not just financially eviscerated eviscerated but literally eviscerated to say but he poured out his own blood so that we can be restored in order for him to save us.

He had to give something that he didn't have an abundance of an out with his own life.

That was his own life. Reconciliation always comes at a great cost. One of our pastors told me this way that he was born to a single mom don't want a single mom who was a drug addict. She said he said when my mom had me said my grandmother came to my mom and said you gotta stop. You gotta stop your messing up just your life before with the drugs, but now you're messing up your life in his life. She said he sees that she pleaded with my mom to change her ways. He said, but my mom was just too into that lifestyle and into a dictating since my grandmother face a choice.

He said my grandmother knew that she could return my mom in he's going to put me out for fostering her adoption she could cut my mom often she would have been fully justified in any of those things he said. But she knew that if she did that she would cut off any future possibility of reconciliation, restoration, since my grandmother who was in her late 60s did what I look back now and see was almost impossible. She took me in her house and as a woman approaching the age of 70. She begins to raise an infant, but she didn't want to remove the possibility of reconciliation from my mom, whom she loved so she took me in and she raised me to pray for my mom and she kept the lines of communication open. Yet eventually love broke through to my mom. My mom got off drugs you made better decisions that impact you become a Christian in our family has been restored but it all goes back to a grandmother who wouldn't let go and was willing to absorb the consequences of my mother's and said that she could literally be a bridge that held open the possibility of future reconciliation in the family. That is what Jesus did on the cross.

He took the consequences of our sin into his body holding the gates of heaven open for as long as it took for us to receive his love and just enter ran and what a price that he paid the cat of nine tails that rip the flesh from his body and the 9 inch nails it went into his hands and his feet. The crown of thorns that ripped his face from off of his skull. These are the things you went through because he didn't want to have an without us again. The only way to respond to that love is total. You can reject them as a phony and fraud and walk away or you can fall down on your knees and adoration and surrender. But please, please do not patronize God with halfhearted commitment of lethargic worship. He is worthy of more than that number three. Here's what we learn God's love persist until the end chapter 3 verse one is the recurring theme throughout the book of Hosea go again go again. I love this woman who is an adulterous go again Hosea and again and again. Don't give up on her, don't give up on her because unlike you to give up on you either. Hosea throughout this book. Hosea points to two events, one in the past one in the future as examples of God's salvation. The one in the past that he points to is the Exodus. The Exodus were God redeemed Israel out of slavery in Egypt to other gods by you by the blood of the Passover lamb that Hosea says is going to serve as the pattern for how he will deliver Israel his people again in the future. So in chapter 11 verse one. Here's what he says out of Egypt I called my son not what that is. Matthew chapter 2 in the New Testament says that that is one of the most important prophecies of the coming of the Messiah. Matthew says this was fulfilled when Joseph and Mary, Jesus, Joseph, Jesus adopted dad Mary, his mother.

I'm took Jesus implied that either because here to be greeted to kill all the boys two years old and younger and so heat they took Jesus to Egypt where Jesus stayed for were not quite sure how long few months for years. Whatever. And after things die down. They brought Jesus back about Egypt and Hosea said that can be the sign to God redeeming again if he's going just like you brought you out each of the first time you bring his son out of Egypt and he is going to redeem you. This time it's not to be the blood of the Passover lamb to be due his own blood.

It's an amazing prophecy, but the take away for you. Is this God did not give up on Israel. When Israel failed him and Hosea.

He says I redeemed you the first time and you forgot about me.

So I'm coming back to the auction block a second time in this time of night pay with the blood of a sacrificial lamb to pay with my blood. That is how God continues to feel about you when you fall back into sin like Israel did. God says to his son go again when you forget about him.

He says go again when you fall back into those same sins that God delivered you from the first time God says go again I'm not given up on him when you from feeling the pain of the heart ache that comes from stupid sinful choices that you have made. The father says to the son go again go again go again, do not give up. I will never give up because I will not be happy again until I have restored you to salvation. You may be you ask, what if we keep rejecting him for a whole life.

Yes the Bible is clear that he will not force himself on you and Scripture says that we can harden our heart to him and we can reject him but my friends missing the last voice you will hear as you step off into the abyss is God saying you don't have to do that, you'll have to do that just turned back to me, all you have to do is look up and read seems ready to receive you even right now. Right now he does not make sure you understand that your sin your pass your struggles, your habits are simple habits, none of those things separate you from God anymore because Jesus took care of all of them on the cross. The only thing that separates you from God and from his eternity for for you is an unwillingness to receive the grace that he holds out to you. He is come to you, just like he did to them is as I removed your sin. I paid your price.

I have set you free. All you gotta do is say yes and you can you do it right now. You can look up words of faith and receive it. Number four God's love is power, not reward.

Don't miss that Hosea's love is offered to this woman while she is a prostitute. You see, that teaches us the way that we escape the bondage of sin. Most people think that they have to clean themselves up and make a bunch of changes and then God will receive them, and God will approve of them in Christianity. However, we have a great reversal because in Christianity like stories like you see what Hosea you see that love and acceptance, and unconditional love comes first, and then change follows in response. Maybe one of the most riveting examples of this is Jesus's own encounter with a woman caught in the act of adultery recorded in John chapter 8 and John chapter 8 Jesus encounters his own drummer that you thought drummer story gets retold in the New Testament where she meets Jesus and Gomer this is John separate she's caught in the very act of adultery and so the Jewish leaders because it neither coordinates, flagrant act of adultery. You could be stone today bring this woman to Jesus and they say that the stones in their hands and tell her in and they say to Jesus. What should we do with this woman to test him in the looks of them, and is, famous door you probably heard Jesus looked at him and says well that he was without sin among you cast the first mail, phone or conviction they realize none of them are similar, so they'll draw the rocks and the goal announces Jesus and the woman which by the way for paid attention is the really dangerous part of the story because Jesus is without sin. He's got every right to do whatever he wants to with her in that situation. But Jesus looks at her. He says one where your accusers, and she says or there are none left. Jesus says to her, probably the most cogent gospel statement in all the Gospels, neither do I condemn you go and sin no more. What makes that such a cogent gospel statement is simply the order he puts the two phrases in neither do I condemn you go and sin no more.

The reason it's so counterrevolutionary is because you and I would almost always instinctively reverse the refrain phrases right and I were talking or I would've been okay if you go and sin no more than we will continue to go and change your life and then will give you acceptance but God. Jesus put acceptance before change because he knew she would never have the power to change until she had felt the warmth of acceptance. You see God's acceptance is the power that liberates us from sin.

It's not the reward for us having liberated ourselves. That's the difference in gospel and wall is the law says change and you will be accepted. The gospel says you are accepted. Therefore go and change. She Jesus understood Jesus understood that this woman like all of us had a gigantic vacuum in her heart and she was searching for something I don't know, maybe as a kid she searched for in the love of her father. Maybe she searched for the approval of writ. Maybe she'd been married before and she always kinda come up empty and so now she was just turning to adultery and Jesus knew she would never have the power to break the cycle of adultery until she had felt the love of the heavenly father which was better than the thrills of adultery.

Acceptance comes first in the gospel and change come second because it is only to the warmth of acceptance that you when I experience the power to change.

The Bible teaches what theologians call the gift of righteousness. Righteousness given to you as a gift freely that you just received and is most powerful thing on the planet because it changes you.

Martin Luther, who was one of my just a theological heroes 500 years ago. He said for years. I hated the phrase the righteousness of God because the righteousness of God. What it meant to me was that something was coming. When I died where I would be judged and where I did not live up to the righteousness of God.

There I would be condemn.

Can I hated it and I hated God I hated God to judge high hated the one who was going to judge me. He said, but then I discovered as I read the Bible that the phrase righteousness of God primarily refers to the gift righteousness that God gives to those who trust Jesus as their Savior that his righteousness was given to me as a gift that when I trusted Jesus the Savior. He took away my Sandy died for, and he gave me his position of righteousness.

He said, and then that phrase righteousness of God became the sweetest thing in all the world to me and it changed the heart of hatred toward God in the heart of love and I began to desire to please God Was free of all these idolatries in the adultery of sin, because God had put in my heart a heart of love and then went on to say this.

I love the statement. He said the only one to actually get better in Christianity are those who are the ones you understand that there acceptance before God is not dependent on them getting better. The only ones never get better are those who are understanding the fact.David is a gift. It is gift righteousness is the gospel, God's power. God's love is power does not reward number five last one we see the stories of God's love turns Gomer's into Hosea's God not only wanted Hosea to learn about his love for his people. God wanted Hosea to become a giver of that kind of love.

So he says to Hosea go again go again Hosea and it didn't go didn't go again because that's what I do with you every single dime. He wants those of us who have experienced his outstretched arms to become the outstretched arms of Hosea 4, we often say around here that those who believe the gospel become like the gospel it's impossible to experience the grace of the gospel not become like it, we become the outstretched arms of Hosea to the parent that is been forsaken by their child to the husband who feels neglected to the minority who is been sidelined the boss he feels misunderstood to the friend he was been forsaken to the wife, who is been taken for granted. Go again go again go again. Hosea I am not saying that your outstretched arms will always change the Gomer's in your life. Sometimes Gomer's like the one in the story.

Sometimes they don't change. But what I can guarantee you is stretching out your arms will change you. It will make you more like Jesus.

It'll make you more like Jesus. And that's been God's objective for you the whole time God wanted to take a former Gomer and turmeric, turn them into a Hosea from someone who is desperately dependent on the grace of the heavenly father to someone who dispense the grace of the heavenly father is what God told us his plan was for us in Romans 829 a verse that you should definitely understand and know for whom he foreknew you see predestined to be conformed what to the image of his son for you to be like Jesus and now he says, verse 28.

All things are working together for that good all things, means all the different Gomer's in your life. The Gomer that you complain about. I know you probably don't have this dramatic of the story where you were told to marry a prostitute, but you have Gomer's in your life you have people to treat you unfairly, you have people that take you for granted. You have people that mistreat you Jesus.

I appoint all those things for you because I wanted to teach you to be like Jesus. And that is my good purpose that is that the purpose that I have set out for you.

It's what I created you for the greatest thing that I'm doing in your life is making you like me.

You see, the Bible has what we call a self authenticating nature to it. When you read the stories you see that the love that we see in here that could only belong to the heavenly father, and you begin to crave that loving you begin to desire to be close to it and then you want to become like that's gospel secret is you crave it you see it you believe that anyone become like it little Donald Ray Barnhouse for some summarize all book of Hosea, the pursuing love of God is the greatest wonder in the spiritual universe. We see this love in word to the heart of Hosea, we may wonder if God really like that but he is he is think about. Many years later he would give man the ability to form the iron in the ground that he given him in the nails. God created the ground and created the world he gave us the ability to take the iron more than the males in the fashion the trees and the building created into across many stretched out his hands upon that Srini allowed us to nail him there in so doing, he took our sins upon himself. This is in our God.

Maybe the hymn writer says about and can it be that I should gain an interest in my Savior's blood I need for me because his name for me who him to death pursued amazing love how can it be that now my God would die for me. I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene wonder how he loved me a center condemned ongoing needs of my Santa my sorrow made him his very own bore my burdens in Calvary and he done, suffered and died alone. So what else can I say what else can I say but how marvelous how wonderful and my song shall ever be how marvelous how wonderful is my Savior's love for me seeing the love of God and what you see this is why opens the minor prophets is the fountain from which everything else flows so Martin Luther who him one last time, said progress in the Christian life is always the beginning you come back to the love of God because you never go beyond injustice fountain that keeps bubbling makes you love God and that you love others so Hosea starts the minor prophets and teach you about is loving everything else you're from now on, you interpret the lives of his love. Love you yourself and respond to God like you really believe that you're listening to Pastor Jeannie Greer with a message titled skinless left on Senate life if you'd like to listen again. You can find this message free of charge.

Jeannie Greer.com Pastor Janie in her new resource. The 20 day what is the gospel devotional.

But what are your hopes for the readers yet. Here's what I'm hoping will happen like for this to be a dedicated one month. For Christian living really simplifies for for you will remove all bunch that on generally made it labored and complicated religion keeps telling us that we need extra things to do extra layers, extra busyness, but what I want you to see is that Christian life begins at rest begins his rest in the knowledge of who Jesus is what he's promised to you and how he feels about you come to me says all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Yes, there are things that we begin to do out of love for Jesus and out of love for others in obedience to his command, but it begins with minutes founded and sustained by the rest that we have in him we produce this resource, a devotional that will just work about the mom take you more deeply into the beauty of that rest the beauty of the gospel want to give you one you go to JV Greer.com you can get a copy and for a small additional gift.

You can get the book of John Scripture notebook that we want to provide that will will be a tool for you as you work through reading the gospel along with a series of going through. I think it will help you get more out of that your study of the book of John, so you get both of those Jeannie Greer.com would love to have you as gospel partners with us in the ministry of seeing the gospel that a lot of people heard that it never really experience it taste to see it made access. Jeannie mentioned left to get you both the 20 day devotional for a donation of $25 and the book of John, Scripture, notebook for an additional $10 you can get the full experience.

Join our team of gospel partners today and remember to work. What is the gospel devotional 33585 go online.com or you can mail your Jeannie clear ministry, PO Box 12709, Molly minutes Thursday after Jeannie turned to Joel Thursday