Who Needs Revival? (Hosea 6:1-16)

 

[Slide] Who Needs Revival? (Hosea 6:1-16)

 

A local congregation hosted a revival. A guest preacher, a revivalist, was speaking on the curse of demon alcohol on society. He was building up the climactic peak of his sermon. “If I had all the whiskey in the world, I’d throw it in the river!” Say it with me, “Throw it in the River!” If I had all the illegal moonshine in the world, I’d throw it in the river, “Come on now! Say it like you mean it! “Throw it in the river!” “If I had all the vodka, gin and rum, wine and beer in the world, I would not partake. Not a drop! I’d throw it all in the river!” “Throw it in the river!” Again! Again! Like you mean it! Again!”

 

The revivalist took his seat. The hosting pastor got up to speak. Sheepishly he offered, “And now as our closing hymn lets all sing Shall We Gather at the River.”

 

It’s an oldie but a goodie! It’s finally here! We’ve been talking about The Revival Project for weeks and now it’s here! Together we’re setting aside everything else, all distractions, and placing our relationship with God at the forefront. Whatever else you got going on, it takes a back seat to this crucial effort, the renewal of our spirits in the love of God. God has called us to the time. Let’s make ourselves open and available to the Spirit of God. He is the potter. We are the clay. Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

 

Today, you begin to grow in Christ by daily tending to your love for God. Here is your tool, the Revival Project 40 Day Devotional. Pass out devotionals.

 

According to the creators of The Revival Project, this devotional is a crucial activity for us. Do not neglect spending time with God each day in prayer, reading, and reflection. As your offering to God, set aside 15 minutes each day to center on God and seek renewal in His love.

 

[Slide] The prophet Hosea (Salvation) was called as a prophet to speak to wayward Israel. If you know your biblical history, The Jewish people split after the rule of Solomon. Around 930 BC Jeroboam led ten tribes in rebellion against Solomon’s successor, Rehoboam. They refused to acknowledge the royal line of Daivd. They refused to worship in Jerusalem. They made Jeroboam their king. They established Samaria as their capital. They built two temples and placed a golden calf idol in each.

 

[Slide] Hosea appears during the reign of Jeroboam II in Samaria and Uzziah in Jerusalem in 787 BC, about 150 years after the split between Judah and the northern tribes. His prophetic ministry lasted over 60 years, all the way up to the Assyrian destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel.

 

Hosea confronts Israel for turning away from the living God to idolatry and all that goes with it. He did so by comparing Israel to a prostitute. God instructed Hosea to marry a prostitute as a sign. Hosea married Gomer who kept on prostituting. Gomer had three children while married to Hosea. It’s not clear who the fathers were. Each child was named by Hosea as God instructed. [Slide]

 

Son - Jezreel (God sows or God scatters)

Daughter - Lo-Ruhamah (not pitied)

Son- Lo-Ammi (not my people)

 

Lo-Ammi reminds me of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean. “The kid is not my son!”

 

These names and the adulterous nature of Gomer compared to the faithfulness of Hosea was a sign to Israel. God loved them faithfully, but they chased after other loves. God keeps forgiving them, but now God has had enough. He’s washing his hands of Israel. When Assyria invades, God will not rescue them. He will not pity them. God will scatter them among the nations.

 

How did it come to this? Decades, even centuries, of neglecting God.

 

Hosea paints a grim picture. [Slide]

 

There’s no faithfulness or loyalty in the land,
No one acknowledges God.

 ² There is only cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery… violence and bloodshed.
³  The land will mourn,
and all its inhabitants will perish. (Hosea 4:1b-3a)

 

Sound familiar? The corruption of society comes from decades of drifting away from obedience to the Lord. Our television and film, YouTube and TikTok reels are filled with distractions that take our eyes away from God. For decades, we’ve glorified sex and violence in movies and television. Our society shows its impact.

 

[Slide] Did you know that Americans are more likely to die by guns than by car accidents? Americans are 6 times more likely to die by gunshot than any other nation. Our country needs an intervention.

 

Hosea said, “God has injured us. He has torn us to pieces.” (Hosea 6:1) [Slide] The Assyrians destroyed their cities and dragged them into exile. To erase their culture, Assyria imported foreigners to northern Israel. They would intermingle with the survivors and replace Israel’s culture. The Samaritans were the result.

 

The consequences from turning away from God fell upon Israel. Is that not what’s happening to America? We have turned away from devotion to the Lord. [Slide] Weekly church attendance has plummeted from 70% in 1959 to 20% today. 7 in 10 Americans don’t bother. We’d rather watch a game. Other events take precedence in our calendars.

 

[Slide] We are experiencing the consequences of generations of people raised in families where Jesus is a stranger. We live our lives like good little consumers. With our faces planted in our smartphones, we chase after money, after thrills, after popularity. We think life is found in excitement and leisure. All the while, we neglect the Lord.

 

We all like hearing that God loves and forgives. We like knowing that Jesus is our Savior. But we are less inclined to humble ourselves before Jesus as Master of our lives. We’d rather do what we want to do, than obey His commands. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

 

[Slide] He commands us to “Go and make disciples.”

 

Are we being obedient to Christ’s command? Are we sharing our hope in Christ? Are we encouraging others with the good news of Jesus? [Slide] Have you developed your list of Friends, Relatives, Associates and Neighbors that you know do not have a church home? Are you working your FRAN Plan? When will you to act upon Jesus’ Great Commission?

 

See, it’s not just America that needs revival. It’s not just other people who need to turn to the Lord. We need revival. We need to turn to the Lord in obedience and place His mission at the forefront of our lives.

 

[Slide] Successful people have a why, the thing that gets them out of bed each day. Their why is their north star. What is your why? If my family is above God, if my entertainment is above Jesus, if my career is above Christ’s command to go and make disciples, then I need revival. Perhaps now is the time to reevaluate your why.

 

[Slide] Hosea calls through the millennia,

“Come on! Let’s return to the Lord.”

 

Let us search for him! Let us seek to know the Lord!
He will come to our rescue as certainly as the appearance of the dawn (Hosea 6:1, 3)

 

Israel did not repent. They did not return to the Lord.

And they ceased to be.

 

[Slide] The contemporary Church tells you about Buddy Jesus. God loves you. God forgives you. All this is true, but we shy away from telling you about judgment. Our work as disciples will be judged. Jesus warned His followers to stay alert. Be doing what the Master expects when He returns.

 

From Luke’s Gospel, Jesus taught said,

 

[Slide] But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. [Slide] The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces (Hosea 6:5) and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

 

[Slide] The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. ⁴⁸ But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. [Slide] From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

 

[Slide] You may think, “God forgive me for not doing what He has commanded me to do.” Yes, of course. This is a parable warning us to be faithful. It’s not a literal description of what will happen to you if you fail to do the work of a disciple. But be warned if you want to keep taking the easy way out.

 

[Slide] Those who are first in this life will be last in heaven. Those who continue to invest their lives in this corrupt and dying world to the neglect of the kingdom of heaven will receive a lesser reward at the judgment.

 

The apostle Paul wrote,

 

[Slide] Your work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. [Slide] If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

[Slide] Remember this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. (2 Co 9:6)

 

[Slide] So who need revival? Who needs to turn away from distractions and pursue God with all their hearts? We do! Revival starts with you.

 

I am praying that each one of us will set aside this time as holy, to daily tend to your love for God. Make yourself available for God to mold and shape you into a world changing disciple of Jesus.