Before Peter Parker, the super-hero Spider-Man, went public with his newfound superpowers, he had a heart-to-heart conversation with his Uncle Ben. Sitting in the car, Uncle Ben admonished, “These are the years when a man becomes the man he’s going to be for the rest of his life. Just be careful who you change into. You’re feeling this great power, and with great power comes great responsibility.”
Citation: Spider-Man (Columbia Pictures, 2002), directed by Sam Raimi; submitted by Derek Chinn.
Podcast: Download
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Read at beginning of service:
1 Corinthians 12:12-18 (NIV)
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
INTRODUCTION
You think you’ve got problems at work. How about trading places with Ken Ruettgers? Ken worked for 12 years in a profession that required military discipline and made huge physical demands. Once a week during the busiest months in Ruettgers’ work schedule, more than 60,000 people showed up to critique his performance. His job was to protect the man acclaimed to be the most valuable person in the entire industry. When Ruettgers failed, not only did he face 60,000 immediate critics yelling at him, but hundreds of thousands of others second-guessed his work from the comfort of their living rooms. When the job was done well?which was most of the time?few people noticed. It’s the man he protected who got all the glory.
For 12 seasons from 1985-1996, Ruettgers earned his living as an offensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers. Protecting quarterback Brett Favre’s blind side and opening holes for running backs was a gruelling job, but one that had to be done.
That?s the problem with playing your position. We?re not all quarterbacks in football, pitchers in baseball, or centres in basketball. Coaches in every sport say that the toughest thing to teach team members is to play their position. The temptation is always to seize opportunities rather than to stay true to your position on the team.
Do you remember what was read from the Bible this morning??
“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body?whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free?and we were all given the one Spirit to drink?Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; 27).
The Holy Spirit?s work as Coach is to place you where you will best optimize the team objective. It?s the Spirit who recruits and gifts you. It?s the Spirit who has placed you in the body, wherever you?ve come from, Jew or Greek, slave or free, for a specific purpose and to play a specific position in the divine plan.
If you assume that all we?re talking about here is who will teach the junior high students, or who?ll be an usher, you?re making a profound mistake and missing a powerful point. God has a game plan for accomplishing His greater vision and purposes through His body, the Church. Wherever we happen to find ourselves, we?re never a lone ranger, or playing a solo sport. We always operate as part of something bigger. We?re on team Jesus, part of the body of Christ, the Church. Remember that?
The Coach has a POSITION for you.
Rick Warren?s book, The Purpose Driven Life, has enjoyed unprecedented success as a best-seller, especially for a book whose opening paragraph is one blunt line, “It?s not about you.” Warren goes on to say, “If you want to know why you were placed on this planet you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.”
Leonard Bernstein was the first American-born conductor/composer to earn international acclaim. He conducted the New York Philharmonic, and composed West Side Story and Candide. In an informal discussion following one of his televised concerts, Bernstein was asked, “What is the most difficult instrument to play?”
Bernstein gave a classic reply, “Second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violins, but to find somebody who plays second violin with as much enthusiasm or second French horn, or second flute, now that?s the problem. And if no one plays second, we have no harmony.”
This morning we?re going to look at a guy in the Bible whose life was transformative and inspiring. He was best known as ?second fiddle? to the apostle Paul. His name was Barnabas. He was a man with an essential calling. Barnabas played a strategic position in the long-term plan of God, even if he wasn?t playing front and centre all the time.
For our lives to have purpose and meaning, for us to achieve the goal for which we were born, we must awaken to our divine calling. There?s nothing more rewarding than finding your place in God?s great strategy and then playing your position well. Remember that the coach has a position for you, but that doesn?t really mean much if you aren?t?
SHOWING UP for the game
Woody Allen said, “Eighty per cent of life is just showing up.” It?s so true isn?t it? We miss so many opportunities to learn, grow and shine just because we?re not there. It?s when we show up that we can begin to make a difference.
We discover Barnabas in the early days of the church when he was called Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus. In those days the believers lived in a close-knit community, and shared everything they owned with one another.
Acts 4:34-37 (NIV)
34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. 36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
The church was more than 5,000 (perhaps up to 10,000) people strong at this point. Most likely Joseph was one believer in a crowd of thousands who saw a need and decided to fill it. He ?showed up for the game,? and before long the apostles got to know him as more than a nameless face in the multitude. They gave him a nickname. They called him Barnabas, meaning son of encouragement. It stuck. You never find him called Joseph again in the New Testament.
Have you ever felt lost in the crowd? Have you ever wondered if you can make a meaningful contribution? Just find a need and fill it, like Barnabas. He did what he could do. It doesn?t have to be heroic. Show up for the game, learn to play your part by doing what you can do, and eventually people will get to know you just like the apostles got to know Barnabas. First you?ve got to show up, then you need to learn to take your position and develop your gifts.
DEVELOPING your gifts
We all have natural gifts that need to be developed and strengthened by practice or use. Barnabas understood how important it was to develop his gift.
One day a man named Saul appeared in Jerusalem. People knew he was responsible for the persecution and imprisonment of many Christians. They didn?t want to hear about his conversion, nor his powerful defence of the gospel that he once rejected. Saul was on ?the outs? with the church.
Barnabas hated what he was seeing. He had a gift of encouragement. If nobody else was going to give Saul a chance, Barnabas would risk it. He learned about Saul?s transformation, and it didn?t take him long to size up Saul?s passion for Christ. Saul was one of the emerging Christian leaders of his day.
This was a crucial point in the development of Barnabas? ministry gifts. At the risk of his own reputation, Barnabas put himself ?on the line? to introduce Paul to the twelve.
Acts 9:27 (NIV)
27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
What would?ve become of the apostle Paul if Barnabas hadn?t stretched himself in developing his gifts? The history of the church proves that Barnabas? ministry of encouragement made a difference. It?s also important to remember that as our gifts develop, we have to learn to play where the Coach places us.
Playing where the Coach PLACES you
Following the stoning of Stephen in the book of Acts, a great persecution of the church began. Believers scattered, telling others about Jesus everywhere they went. Some Greek-speaking Jews from Cyprus went as far as Antioch in Syria preaching Christ to both Jews and non-Jews. This created a fuss back in Jerusalem and started the first major controversy the church faced: can non-Jews be right with God simply by trusting in Jesus? work on the cross?
With a tense situation escalating both in Antioch and Jerusalem, the apostles had to decide who to send to the church in Antioch to deal with the problems.
Acts 11:22-24 (NIV)
22 News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
Barnabas was just starting his ministry in Jerusalem when the word comes. “Pack your bags, we?re sending you to Antioch.” What if Barnabas didn?t want to go? After all, things were picking up and he was at the centre of all the excitement in Jerusalem.
If we?re going to learn how to play our position, we?ve got to play where the Coach places us. We don?t always have the privilege of going where we want to go and doing what we feel like doing. If the team matters, if the Coach matters, we?ve got to do it His way.
A.C. Green is another sports superstar. He has played in more consecutive basketball games than anyone in the history of the NBA. Green played 1,192 games over the course of his 16-year career that included three championship teams with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Thinking back over his career, Green recalls, “Men often talk about their ?glory years? in high school. At Benson High School, in Portland, Oregon, I was a sports-minded, egotistical maniac. I was the tallest guy on the team and could have broken scoring records, but Coach Gray wouldn’t let me?I was voted the Oregonian’s 1981 ?All-Metro Area Player of the Year,? and joined Dean Derrah on the all-metro team.
“Coach Gray wouldn’t allow me to be a hotshot scorer because he was more interested in the final stat?number one. He knew the only way we could reach that championship level was for us to become team players?Coach Gray made me pass the ball and play unselfishly. Regardless of individual stats, we, the team, reached the top. We went all the way!”
We don?t get to do it our way. We?ve got to play the way the Coach wants us to, but that?s how we reach our destiny. That?s how we discover our calling in life.
Three possible factors in your calling:
? Natural AFFINITY (Acts 11:20-22)
? Specific GIFTING (Acts 11:23) (Romans 12:6-8, Ephesians 4:11)
? Empowered USEFULNESS (Acts 11:24)
Let?s examine Barnabas? experience in Antioch for three possible factors in discovering our calling. First there?s natural affinity. What are the chances if you?re 5?3″ that you?re going to play NBA basketball? In Barnabas? case, his background as a Greek-speaking Jew from Cyprus aided him in his mission assignment. The guys who started the church in Antioch were also Greek-speaking Jews from Cyprus. Barnabas had a lifetime of experience growing up in a Gentile, non-Jewish world. He was the ideal person for the job.
He also had the specific gifting necessary for the job. Look at Acts 11:23. What did he do? He “encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.” The son of encouragement did just what you?d expect him to do. What more could a developing group of believers need in a tense situation? Barnabas had just the right gift at the right time.
The other factor in realizing our calling, and playing our position is empowered usefulness. “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord” (Acts 11:24). Empowered usefulness doesn?t always mean success in quantifiable terms. Sometimes we?re placed where simple faithfulness in spite of challenges is the measure of our usefulness to God?s purpose. Calling always needs empowerment, and the fullness of the Spirit to be useful.
Understanding these factors in your calling gives greater insight into knowing where the coach is placing you to play. But you also must
Know your LIMITATIONS: we NEED others
We can?t do it on our own. There are no superstars. Barnabas understood this concept. He realized he needed help, and asked Saul to come to Antioch.
Acts 11:25-26 (NIV)
25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Barnabas had known Saul for nearly 10 years and recognized Saul?s gifting and ministry of teaching. So he asked Saul to help in teaching and making disciples of the new believers in Antioch. The Bible notes that the synergy of their ministries together made a vibrant church where many people were being taught ? so effectively in fact that the believers in Antioch were called ?Christians.?
Once Paul arrived, Barnabas began to fade into the background (at least as far as the New Testament is concerned). The real star in the book of Acts becomes the missionary Paul, the writer of Scripture, planter of churches, and apostle to the Gentiles.
Here?s the measure of Barnabas? greatness. He knew how to play ?second fiddle.? He knew how to let someone else shine. He never seemed to feel that it was at his expense. Let me show you what I mean.
Basketball fans may remember when David Robinson was signed by the San Antonio Spurs, becoming the greatest scorer in their history. Clearly, he was their most valuable player, scorer and rebounder, but a few years ago, the Spurs drafted a number-one pick out of Wake Forest named Tim Duncan. Immediately there were rumours about who was going to be the star: Robinson or Duncan?
Duncan joined the Spurs in 1997-98, and was named ?Rookie of the Year.? Robinson said right from the beginning, “This kid is the heir apparent. This kid is our future. I?m glad he?s on our team, and I?ll tell you what I?m going to do. I?m going to pass this kid the ball because he?s a player. You watch him!” Tim Duncan became the ?Most Valuable Player? in the league. Both David Robinson and Tim Duncan became three-time world champions in the NBA. Why? Because David Robinson knew how to play second fiddle, he knew how to pass the ball and make another player look great. He knew how to play his position.
We need to know how to do that too. We need to know how to step out of the limelight and let someone else score. We do it by giving our best on screen and off.
Give your best? ON SCREEN and OFF
Let?s face it. Some of us really know how to act when the camera is on us. When people are watching we can appear great, but get us behind closed doors and it?s another story.
Some of the leaders of the Antioch church were praying, and looking for direction from the Coach. They wanted to know where the game was going.
Acts 13:2 (NIV)
2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Look at the word ?called.? God?s Spirit has a voice. All believers are urged to walk worthy of the holy calling we?ve received. Barnabas and Saul heard the call of the Holy Spirit, and responded. The church laid hands on them and sent them off on the first missionary journey. They brought John Mark with them, Barnabas? cousin. John Mark soon deserted them after a power encounter with a demon-possessed sorcerer named Elymas. Read Acts 13:8-13. Barnabas faded more and more into the background as Saul?s (now known as Paul) apostolic gift became more and more obvious.
The first journey was a success, and Paul and Barnabas began to plan their next trip. Barnabas suggested that they take John Mark with them, and Paul became angry.
Acts 15:39 (NIV)
39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,
Nearly 12 years later, Paul wrote to the Colossians and said, “Mark, the cousin of Barnabas concerning whom you have received instructions ? if he comes to you, welcome him” (Colossians 4:10b). He also wrote to Timothy, “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in the ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11). Soon afterwards, a gospel was written by a young writer named Mark.
Barnabas was happy to invest his life in a young ?Paul-reject? named John Mark. The Church today would be all the poorer if Barnabas hadn?t taken the time to help Mark develop his gifts and mature in his ministry.
We may never see the full impact of playing our position. We may never know what difference it can make in the eternal scheme of things. We may feel like a little cog in a big machine, and that it doesn?t matter what role we play, but we need to believe that what we do has eternal ramifications. We may never know until eternity what difference we make.
One evening a couple were out watching their grandson Scott play basketball. Scott played center. He was tall and handled the ball well. That night, they observed that every time Scott got the ball, he looked around for someone to pass to instead of shooting.
Later Grandpa asked, “Scott, why don’t you shoot when you have a good shot?”
Scott thought for a moment and replied, “When you throw the ball out to one of the other guys and he makes two points, then you run down the court giving high fives?that’s the real thrill. That’s the name of the game!”
It doesn?t matter who gets the basket. What matters is that we play our position and the team scores. For eternity, we?ll be running down the court of heaven giving high fives because Jesus won the game and He let us be part of it.
It doesn?t hurt to get a little practice right now. When the church scores, we can all celebrate. Let?s stand to our feet right now, and give a round of high fives because we?re on the winning team.
Coming next week: Guidance ? Reading His Signals ? How to understand God?s leading.
READ AT BEGINNING OF SERVICE:
James 4:8 (NIV)
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
INTRODUCTION
Hosea 6:1-3 (NIV)
1 “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. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. 3 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 rains that water the earth.”
Before we even begin to look at the text for this morning?s message I think it would be appropriate if we first of all look a little bit into the background of the man who wrote it and the context of what he wrote.
Hosea was a prophet who ministered to the nation of Israel in a time when Israel had reached the furthest boundaries since King Solomon?s reign. He was a prophet to Israel and Judah at the time Israel was a separate nation from Judah and it was living in affluence ? buildings were going up all over the place and the land was producing ? a time of economic and political prosperity.
Hosea?s name is equivalent to Joshua and the Greek form of his name is Jesus. His name means salvation. Some of the things Hosea speaks against in his ministry were:
Israel?s flagrant disregard for the Law (4:6)
Hypocrisy (4:7)
There was no priestly direction (4:7)
Pride (Amos 760BC) (5:5)
Calf worship at Bethel and Dan (2:8;10:15;11:2)
Sacred Prostitution (4:10-12)
In fact, if you look carefully at the writing of Hosea you?ll discover that the word used frequently to describe Israel?s sins is prostitution. But this carries much more significance than what first comes to mind.
Hosea?s writing can be divided into two main parts:
Hosea?s marriage to an Adulterous Wife (1-3)
Hosea?s message to an Adulterous Nation (4-14)
Threading through what Hosea has recorded can be found two reoccurring themes:
The nations? violation will cost Israel her national integrity.
God?s loving mercy solicits repentance.
It is interesting to note that the account of Hosea begins with the Lord telling Hosea to, “Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness?” (Hosea 1:2). I know if I had of been in Hosea?s shoes I probably would have said, “Huh? Am I hearing right from you Lord?” I mean, marrying someone who is unfaithful doesn?t isn?t fit the bill of a “good” wife for a prophet! Can you picture Hosea looking for a wife to fit that description?
“Uh, Hi ? the names Hosea. Um, do you know of a woman in this town who sleeps around?” “Aren?t you a prophet?” “Uh, well, yes ? but God told me to marry an adulterous woman.”
Eventually Hosea found and married Gomer ? and as it is recorded she fit the bill perfectly. Not only was she adulterous and sold herself as a prostitute but she also bore three children conceived by her relationships with other men! Ouch! Hosea?s personal life and his relationship with his wife read a little bit like a soap opera and if it had happened today would have been grounds for divorce and bitter separation. Gomer ran away from Hosea in her adulterous affairs but then the scripture records in Hosea 3:1 God telling Hosea to go and be reconciled to his wife and Love her. Ouch again! I don?t think I could have put up with what Hosea went through!
The thing I admire about Hosea is that he obeyed what God told Him to do even though it probably cost him great personal pain. Talk about commitment! But there was a reason for God telling Hosea what He did. Hosea?s life was to be prophetic of the relationship between God and Israel. For in the same way that Gomer was unfaithful to her husband was Israel unfaithful to God. In the same way that Gomer prostituted herself to other men ? Israel had prostituted themselves to other gods. Hosea?s marriage to Gomer gave conviction to his words to Israel because he was able to identify with what God was feeling towards Israel.
Today I?d like to focus on just a portion of Hosea?s message that is almost smack dab in the middle of the book. I believe that Hosea?s message is not only pertinent to the nation of Israel but also to the church of Christ. For the same imagery is used later on in the New Testament to describe the Church of Christ as the Bride of Christ and I think there are some parallels that can be made with Hosea?s message to the Israelites and what Christ would say to His church. I?d like to focus on four things Hosea says in the text for this morning but before we begin, let?s pray.
PRAY
“come, let us return to the Lord” (6:1)
Hosea begins with an urgent request to the nation of Israel to return to the Lord. In this time of affluence and prosperity Israel had become a little slack in their relationship with God and had moved away from Him.
There?s a story of a couple who were traveling in a car and one day the wife said to her husband who was driving, “Honey, do you remember how we used to sit close to one another in the car? Why don?t we sit that way anymore?” As he drove on his response in a loving and joking manner was, “Who moved?“
Sometimes Christians and churches may find themselves wondering and crying out to God ? where have you gone? I miss the good old days when everything was fresh and new and exciting. If you feel that way, you need to ask yourself this question, “who moved?”
Hosea, a prophet of God having a wife who left him, cries out for a return. His wife had become a harlot (modern day prostitute) in the world. Now we might think that to compare ourselves to the likes of Gomer, a prostitute, is a bit harsh. However, it is not our assessment of our lives that really counts. It is God who looks at the heart and declares? “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” (Revelation 2:4).
Israel, as a nation, had lost their first love ? they had “prostituted” themselves to other gods. Are there any “gods” in your life that have caused you to move away from your first love? Money, Sin, Career, Popularity, School, Friends, Popularity?
“Let us return to the Lord.” How might we return to the Lord? Through prayer, the Word, worship, service and actions. We might be tempted to say like the rich ruler said to Jesus, “All these things I have done.” But the essence of the matter is, are we praying to return? Too much of prayer is asking what we want. Are we reading the Word as a map to return to God? Is our worship ritual or a means to return? Do our actions to others give evidence of our return to the Lord?
Hosea 5:4 (NIV)
4 “Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. A spirit of prostitution is in their heart; they do not acknowledge the LORD.
“He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us” (6:1)
Difficult times are on the horizon for the nation, family, or individual, who moves away from God. Hosea was making obvious reference to the tearing away of Israel from Judah and the splitting of the nation in two. He was speaking also prophetically of the nations dispersement as a result of God?s judgement on them. Times of tearing and wounding fell upon the nation of Israel and times of tearing and wounding will fall upon those who move away from God. But bear in mind that these times are for the purpose of our return to God. God wants people to return to Him daily.
The beautiful thing is He will bandage, heal and raise us up as we return to Him.
Jeremiah 3:22a (NIV)
22 “Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.”
The return is not to be with slumped shoulders and hanging head. Our return is for the purpose of life.
Hosea 6:2c (NIV)
that we may live in his presence.
That we may live in his presence! When we try to live apart from God life is not as it is meant to be. But when we return to the Lord and give Him the first place in our hearts we may live in His presence which is life at its best. That is why David cried,
Psalm 51:11-12 (NIV)
11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
“let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge Him.”
Hosea speaks words of challenge and encouragement? “let us know, let us press on to know the LORD.” Hosea uses the Hebrew word yada for “know”. Essentially this word means: (1) to know by observing and reflecting (thinking), and (2) to know by experiencing. To “know” God is to have an intimate experiential knowledge of Him. Hosea is urging the Israelites not to be satisfied with being acquainted with God but to press on to know Him.
Many people in our world today have an acquaintance with God or know about Him. They have some vague idea that God exists ? but they don?t know Him. The sin of Hosea?s day was a lack of knowledge,
Hosea 4:6a (NIV)
6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
Lack of knowledge of what?
Hosea 4:1-2 (NIV)
1 Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. 2 There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
This lack and destruction continue today because people don?t know God. Hosea?s voice cries out today, “Let us know!” Know what? Let us be challenged to move away from our smug attitudes of indifference. Let us know that we have moved away and prostituted ourselves to the other gods in this world of?time, money, work, and pleasure. Let us know that confession and repentance are required.
Let us be encouraged to press on to know the Lord once again in intimacy. Press on to forgiveness! The certainty of God must confront us and draw us back, the certainty of His grace and mercy must confront us and draw us back, the certainty of His holiness must confront us and draw us back.
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
“He will come to us” (6:3)
Hosea speaks to the Israelites of God coming to them like the winter and spring rains which water and nourish the earth. They bring nourishment for new life and abundant fruit of the land. Everything Hosea is saying is also a prophetic description of the joy that Christ brings to those who return to Him. The beautiful truth about this word picture is that God desires to bring life into our lives. He will come to those who return to Him. He promised it to the Israelites and it is His promise to sinners ?
James 4:8 (NIV)
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
At the beginning of the message I asked the question, “Who moved?” Hosea?s cry to return is voiced in the certainty and trustworthiness of our God. God said through the prophet Malachi “I am the LORD, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6). Who has moved in your life? Folks God does not move away from us ? we move away from Him. But the hope we can have ? the joy of the Christian life is founded on the grace that when we move to Him ? HE actually moves to us!!
CONCLUSION
Look at your life this morning. Have you wondered where God went? Have you wondered where the excitement, the joy, the life of Christianity went in your life? I want you to know that God hasn?t moved. Hear the cry of Hosea, “Let us return”, “Let us know, let us press on to know God” and rest in the knowledge that as you return to Him ? He moves to you!!