Participants: John Lomacang
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000580S
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01:01 Good evening and welcome to Focus on Revival.
01:04 We're coming to you from Thompsonville, Illinois, 01:07 the 3ABN Worship Center, 01:09 which is also the home of our Thompsonville 01:12 Seventh-day Adventist Church. 01:13 And we're so glad that you could join us tonight. 01:16 This is the beginning of a three part series, 01:19 Pastor John Lomacang will be our speaker. 01:22 And we have a wonderful message 01:24 from the Lord for this evening. 01:27 So now what I would like to do 01:29 is introduce to you our associate pastor, 01:33 Pastor John Stanton and his wife Rochelle, 01:36 who will be leading us in the scripture and prayer. 01:43 Good evening. Good evening. 01:45 I'd like to invite you to turn in your Bibles 01:47 to the Book of Hosea 2:6-7. 01:52 It's Hosea 2:6-7. 01:57 It says, "Therefore, behold, 01:59 I will hedge up your way with thorns, 02:02 and wall her in, 02:03 so that she cannot find her paths. 02:06 She will chase her lovers, 02:07 but not overtake them, yes, she will seek them, 02:11 but not find them. 02:12 Then she will say, 02:14 'I will go and return to my first husband, 02:16 for then it was better for me than now.'" 02:19 John, lead us into prayer. 02:21 Would you bow your heads with me? 02:24 Father in heaven, Lord, 02:25 we are so grateful this evening, 02:28 to be confident that Your presence is with us. 02:31 And we invite Your Holy Spirit to move mightily through us 02:34 to open our hearts to receiving 02:36 Your Word and the blessing that You have for us today. 02:40 We ask that You will indwell 02:41 our Pastor Lomacang here this evening 02:44 as he breaks forth the Word, 02:46 that You will give him power and strength to speak 02:48 mightily in Your behalf as You speak to Your people. 02:52 Lord, we thank You and we love you 02:54 in Jesus' name, amen. 02:56 Amen. 02:58 You know, this is a time for revival and reformation. 03:02 The Bible says in Hosea 10:12, 03:05 "To sow for yourselves seeds of righteousness, 03:08 break up your fallow ground, 03:10 your uncultivated ground, 03:11 and seek the Lord until He comes 03:15 and rains righteousness on you." 03:17 And tonight, we have Pastor John Stanton. 03:20 He is our senior pastor here at the Thompsonville 03:23 Seventh-day Adventist Church. 03:25 And he is a wonderful speaker. 03:28 You all are, I'm sure 03:29 very familiar with Pastor Stanton. 03:32 He hosts House... 03:33 Pastor Lomacang, did I say that? 03:36 Pastor Lomacang hosts the House Calls program, 03:41 he also hosts The Today program and he's a wonderful singer. 03:46 And he will be the next voice that you hear right after 03:50 this special song by Denise Barclay 03:53 called "Take Me Back." 04:14 Now I don't love you 04:16 Like I used to 04:21 When nothing came between My God and me 04:29 And somehow it seems 04:31 I've lessened my dependence 04:37 And wonder why it is my soul Can't find peace 04:43 But I'm ready to learn 04:47 How to faithfully love you 04:53 With my heart, My soul and my mind 05:02 Take me back 05:06 Take me back To 05:11 O Lord The time I fell in love 05:31 Now I don't serve you Like I used to 05:38 'Cause I'm too busy serving me 05:47 And I don't take the time With you I need to 05:53 And wonder why it is my soul Can't find peace 05:59 But I'm ready to learn 06:03 How to faithfully serve you 06:08 With my heart, My soul and my time 06:17 Take me back 06:21 Take me back To 06:26 O Lord The time I fell in love 06:35 O Lord And love 06:43 O Lord I didn't love 06:49 Now I don't love you 06:57 Like I used to 07:01 When nothing came between My God and me 07:07 But I'm ready to learn 07:11 how to faithfully love you 07:17 With my heart, My soul and my mind 07:26 O take me back 07:30 Take me back to 07:35 O Lord the time I felt in love 07:49 The time I fell in love 07:57 Amen. 08:02 Can we say amen again? Amen. 08:04 Thank you so much Denise, for reminding us that 08:08 we're living in a time 08:11 where the Lord wants to take us back. 08:14 You know, as I thought about this message tonight, 08:17 I think about the many 08:19 who are joining us via satellite, 08:22 maybe in their homes, maybe in their church. 08:26 And they can think of a name of someone that 08:28 used to worship with them, 08:31 used to sing with them, used to attend their church 08:34 and became a part of their church family. 08:36 But today, maybe their name is not even mentioned. 08:40 Maybe their face has been forgotten. 08:44 Maybe their names have been crossed off 08:46 of the churches books. 08:48 But we're living in a day and age 08:49 where God's love for us is so great that, 08:52 Brethren, the Lord wants to pursue us 08:54 and take us back home. 08:56 What do you say? 08:58 As I looked at the Word of God, 08:59 I couldn't find a God so vengeful that 09:01 He would throw us away and forget us. 09:05 I don't find a God that says, 09:07 I will never have anything more to do with you. 09:11 But I find people that have walked away from God, 09:13 people that have disappointed God. 09:15 But I still see a God 09:17 whose love is beyond our comprehension. 09:19 And He has promised that I will contend with those 09:22 who contend with me, and I will save their children. 09:27 I know in my own fellowship raised in New York 09:28 and in California pastoring, 09:31 there are people whose names came to my mind 09:33 as I was preparing the sermon. 09:35 And I had eyes filled with tears thinking that 09:39 while we're comfortable in the house of the Lord, 09:43 there's someone that Jesus is pursuing, 09:45 and he wants to bring them back home. 09:48 I try to find a narrative in Scripture 09:49 to communicate that message 09:51 and I found one of the most profound striking accounts 09:54 of the relentless love of God for His children. 10:00 If you have your Bibles with you tonight, 10:01 if you have your Bibles at home, 10:03 in your church, 10:04 open to the Book of Hosea right after the Book of Daniel. 10:08 And we're going to see how God is revealing a love 10:11 that is humanly incomprehensible. 10:14 We cannot imagine a love that will not let us go. 10:18 But this story had given me hope, 10:20 because tonight, I'm praying for family members 10:23 that I know are not in the truth. 10:25 I'm praying for a sister that walked away 10:27 from the truth many years ago. 10:30 I'm praying for a brother 10:31 that I'm hoping will accept the truth. 10:33 I'm thinking of those 10:35 that worship with us that honestly 10:37 I can say, I don't know where their addresses are. 10:39 I've forgotten their faces and sometimes even their names. 10:43 But tonight we serve a God that has not forgotten 10:47 the face of anyone that He shed His blood for. 10:49 What do you say? 10:51 And in the story of Hosea, 10:53 Hosea takes the place of God Almighty 10:56 in this narrative and he introduces a character 11:00 into the scene that we never hear about 11:02 after the Book of Hosea. 11:03 We never hear about her before the Book of Hosea. 11:06 But God uses this actual story to illustrate 11:11 how powerful His love for us really is. 11:14 Now, God's love is not conditional. 11:17 God doesn't love us because we are lovely. 11:20 God loves us because God is love. 11:24 I picture young man one evening sitting down, 11:27 a godly young man, a righteous young man. 11:31 And in my mind, I think of Hosea, 11:33 the prophet of God as a young man 11:36 who's thinking about the necessities of life 11:38 preparing to serve the Lord. 11:40 But like any pastor joining the ministry, 11:44 he's thinking that he needs a wife 11:46 to complete the picture. 11:48 And he's sitting down going through the list of names 11:51 he's seen sister so and so 11:53 attend his church as a young intern. 11:56 He remembered graduating from Andrews University, 11:58 or Oakwood College, or one of the schools out there 12:01 and he thinks about that young lady 12:03 that he had an opportunity to get to meet. 12:05 And he thinks, 12:06 is she the candidate to be my wife. 12:09 He's going through his righteous black book, 12:11 if it were that. 12:15 And he's saying, in order for me 12:16 to be a successful pastor, 12:18 I've got to have a supportive wife 12:21 to stand by my side. 12:22 For the Bible does say, friends, 12:24 it is not good that man should be alone. 12:27 And I believe that applies to pastors. 12:30 While he is reading, and going through 12:34 the list of possible candidates for a wife, 12:36 the Lord breaks into Hosea's moment. 12:39 And we go to Hosea 1:2 to see how God breaks in. 12:44 Hosea 1:2, 12:45 "The Lord breaks into his moment of contemplation," 12:48 and he's thinking about how wonderful it would be 12:51 to have a wife by my side, and the Bible says, 12:56 "When the Lord began to speak to Hosea, 12:58 the Lord said to Hosea, 'Go.'" 13:03 Now, if that's all that the Lord said, 13:06 then this would be the story 13:07 like any other story in the Bible, 13:09 where you can find 1487 other references 13:13 where God says go. 13:16 But when you read the story, 13:18 you'll discover a couple of things about Hosea. 13:20 Hosea is an obedient young man to the Word of God. 13:23 And I wish that God's people would simply move 13:28 and go when God says go, 13:30 in spite of whether or not we know 13:32 where God is sending us. 13:33 It's always good to trust God and when God says go, 13:36 what should we do? 13:37 We should go. 13:38 Hosea is the kind of young man 13:40 and evidence in Scripture points out 13:41 that Hosea did not hesitate before we go to verse, right, 13:45 remainder of verse 2 and then verse 3. 13:47 The Bible says, "Go take yourself 13:51 a wife of harlotry, and children of harlotry, 13:57 for the land has committed great harlotry 14:01 by departing from the Lord." 14:04 Now verse 2 and 3 14:06 could be summarized simply this way, 14:07 is the Lord said to Hosea, "Go," and in verse 3, 14:11 "And Hosea went." 14:13 The Lord said, "Go," and Hosea did what? 14:16 He went. He didn't hesitate. 14:18 Now, Brethren, when you hear what God asked Hosea to do. 14:23 This is what amazes me about the story. 14:25 Now, God sometimes asks us to do things that 14:28 just don't make any sense. 14:29 Now, if you could say amen to that. 14:31 I mean, sometimes God comes up 14:33 with some things that you got to even question 14:35 whether or not that really is the voice of God 14:38 giving you that kind of instruction. 14:42 I mean, sometime God just does not make sense. 14:44 God does not have to harmonize with ordinary logic, 14:47 because God is a God of faith. 14:49 He does not see as we see. 14:52 Man looks at the outward appearance, 14:53 God looks at the heart. 14:55 God sees the end from the beginning. 14:58 He sees us through our trials. 15:00 We see ourselves in our trials. 15:02 And so when God says, "Go," 15:04 I think we do well 15:06 to follow the instruction of God. 15:08 But when I read this story, 15:12 this is one of those rare accounts 15:14 that do not seem to harmonize 15:16 with the righteousness of God. 15:19 Follow me carefully. 15:21 Because what God told Hosea to do, 15:24 I don't think any marriage counselor, 15:26 any pastor would tell and in turn to do. 15:30 God said, "Go take a wife, 15:33 that is a wife of harlotry." 15:37 In other words, Hosea, 15:38 go get a woman that's going to be 15:40 a risk to have around. 15:43 Go get a woman that knows what it's like 15:45 to not be satisfied by one man. 15:49 Go get a woman whose eyes are going to be 15:51 wandering before you marry her 15:53 and wandering after you marry her. 15:57 Go get a woman whose heart is not gonna be totally yours. 16:01 You need to marry a woman 16:03 that will be unfaithful to you, Hosea. 16:08 That does not harmonize with God's righteousness 16:12 and God's people said. 16:14 Now, some Bible commentators have a problem with the story. 16:18 Some suggest that this was a vision 16:20 that God had given to Hosea. 16:22 Now, Brethren, this is not the kind of vision 16:24 that anybody wants of a wife that's going to be a harlot, 16:26 what do you say? 16:27 Husband said amen. 16:30 When you think about this, 16:31 some commentators had to justify 16:33 what God is about to do here, 16:35 this has to be a vision, this cannot be something 16:37 God is really asking Hosea to do. 16:42 The second group of individuals having a problem 16:44 with the story is commentators that say, 16:46 this has to be a parable, because a righteous God 16:49 will never tell a prophet to marry a woman 16:53 that's going to be unfaithful to him. 16:56 I mean, God wouldn't do that. I mean, God loves... 16:59 God loves people that are faithful. 17:02 God loves there to be 17:04 one wife and one husband. 17:08 But when you read the story, 17:11 you discover that this is a literal account 17:13 of an event that happened in Hosea's life. 17:15 Because Hosea and Gomer's ancestry is mentioned, 17:19 their past is mentioned, 17:21 the names of their children are mentioned. 17:24 Gomer's parent is mentioned, either mother or father. 17:27 The name is so unusual 17:29 that Bible writers have not concluded that 17:31 the name mentioned is Gomer's father nor mother. 17:34 And you're turning with me now to Hosea 1:3. 17:37 The Lord comes up with a name that is not on Hosea's list. 17:43 This is not the woman that 17:44 Hosea was thinking about marrying, the Bible says. 17:47 So he went, the Lord comes and gives him name 17:50 and Hosea being obedient, the Bible says so he went 17:53 and he took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim 17:57 and she conceived and bore him a son. 18:02 The first son was named Jezreel, 18:04 you find that in verse 4, which simply means God sows. 18:08 Now, Brethren, what would you do 18:10 if before you got married, 18:11 you knew that your wife is going to mess up? 18:16 You're quiet. 18:18 I mean, would you send the cake back? 18:20 If your wife said to you, as soon as we get married 18:23 not long after we have our first child, 18:25 I'm going to begin to mess around on you. 18:28 Would you still go through with a marriage? 18:31 I see Larry shaking his head. Somebody is responding. 18:33 I mean, if you knew beforehand, 18:35 that this marriage was not going to last, 18:39 would you go through with all the planning, 18:42 all the decorations. 18:44 Hosea, the Bible says, 18:46 he went and he took a wife named Gomer. 18:48 And then the Bible says, 18:50 she conceived and bore him a son. 18:54 The marriage got off to a good start. 18:56 But a wise man said in Ecclesiastes 7:8, 19:00 "The end of a thing is better than the beginning." 19:04 In other words, what he means is, in the end, 19:06 you're going to see that God worked it all out. 19:09 But in the beginning 19:11 it's not going to look like that. 19:12 Have you ever been in the situation 19:14 where it did not look like God was going to work it out? 19:16 But when God finally worked it out, 19:18 you saw that God knew what God was doing all along. 19:21 Can you say amen? 19:23 The end of a thing is better often than the beginning. 19:26 How is God going to get me to pay that bill? 19:28 The end is better than the beginning. 19:30 How is God going to pull me through the tough times? 19:32 The end is often better than beginning. 19:34 When sickness comes, we don't see the end. 19:37 But God is saying, when you trust Him, friends, 19:39 the end is better than the beginning. 19:42 I say amen for trusting God, what do you say? 19:45 But the Bible goes on to say in verse 6, 19:48 and she conceived again, Hosea 1:6, 19:51 and bore a daughter. 19:54 And God said to him, that is to Hosea, 19:56 call her name Lo-Ruhamah, 19:59 for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, 20:03 but I will utterly take them away. 20:06 The marriage begins to take a turn at the second child. 20:09 First one, God sows a good relationship. 20:12 And I must say that when Hosea said I do, 20:15 and Gomer said I do, and they had their first child. 20:18 Hosea must have said to himself, 20:20 God knew exactly what he was doing. 20:23 She's a lovely woman. We've got a lovely son. 20:28 And so, Lord, from now on, I'm not going to distrust you. 20:31 I'm going to move when you say move, 20:33 I'm going to do what you say do 20:34 because Lord after all, I mean, 20:36 I would not have picked Gomer. 20:38 But it seems that it got off to a good start. 20:40 Thank you, Lord, for suggesting her name. 20:43 I think you know what you're doing. 20:46 Second child is born, Lo-Ruhamah, 20:48 which means no mercy in this house. 20:52 Now, Brethren, you don't need to be technological, 20:54 you don't need to be theological. 20:56 You know, you don't need to have a degree in psychology 20:58 to realize that things began to go downhill pretty fast, 21:01 because the mercy between 21:03 a husband and wife began to wean. 21:06 And God gave them the name of the child 21:10 to verify that Hosea from now on this marriage 21:14 is going downhill. 21:16 But it didn't stop there. It did not stop there. 21:19 I would wish it stopped there. 21:21 Now, there's something else. 21:24 When I look at this text, it says, 21:26 I will no longer have mercy. 21:28 Brethren, have you ever heard of God as a God without mercy? 21:33 David the Psalmist says, His mercy endures for how long? 21:36 Forever and forever. 21:39 So when God says that He will no longer have mercy, 21:42 it does not seem to match a God where the Bible says, 21:48 "The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting 21:50 on those who fear Him and His righteousness 21:53 to the children's children. 21:55 God is a merciful God." Psalms 103:17-18. 22:01 It doesn't seem to match that God is going to 22:03 take His mercy back at a time 22:06 when His man needs it more than ever before. 22:10 When your marriage begins to go downhill, 22:13 when relationships in church begin to go downhill, 22:15 what we all need is God's mercy. 22:17 What do you say? 22:18 But, Brethren, it didn't stop there. 22:22 Verse 8, when it seems it could not get any worse, 22:26 the narrative continued, verse 8, 22:30 "Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, 22:33 she conceived and born a son. 22:36 Then God said, call his name Lo-Ammi, 22:40 for you are not my people 22:42 and I am not your God." 22:46 Now, Brethren, it doesn't say how long it was, 22:48 but if the natural biological cycle 22:50 has anything to do with this, 22:52 I would say it took about three years 22:53 for that marriage to go from ideal to terrible. 22:58 From Hosea saying, I do to saying I wish I didn't. 23:03 From them loving each other and remembering 23:05 how sweet the cake was to wishing 23:07 they had never ever ate any wedding cake together. 23:11 Sorry for the grammar there, 23:14 eaten any wedding cake together. 23:18 The marriage went downhill from mercy, 23:21 God sowing to no mercy, 23:23 God backing out to not my people. 23:27 Now, I don't know if you caught that or not. 23:28 But in the story, 23:30 the Bible does not include words for no reason. 23:33 If you remember in verse 3 that we just read a moment ago, 23:37 the Bible suggest 23:39 that the only time in the relationship 23:41 that the children had anything to do 23:44 with Hosea was the first child. 23:48 The second two were not Hosea's child. 23:51 Look again to verse 3. Follow me carefully. 23:54 Hosea 1:3, the Bible says, "So he went and took Gomer, 23:59 the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived," 24:02 and what does it say? 24:03 "And bore," what? "Him a son." 24:07 The next two it doesn't say that 24:09 she bore him a son. 24:10 It says she conceived. 24:14 It doesn't say that she had that child 24:16 as a result of a relationship with Hosea. 24:19 It said, she conceived. 24:21 In other words, those children came 24:25 from the seed of somebody else. 24:27 It did not come from Hosea seed. 24:31 She conceived. 24:33 But those were not his children. 24:35 Just in case you're doubting me, 24:37 go with me to Hosea 2:4, 24:39 just in case there's some doubt in your mind. 24:40 I got to clear this up. Are you there with me? 24:43 Here we are. Hosea 2:4. 24:47 The Bible makes it very clear that these children 24:50 Lo-Ruhamah Lo-Ammi were not Hosea's children. 24:54 And you know what amazes me 24:56 about this is God told him before they got married 24:59 that this was going to happen. 25:02 Now, Brethren, you may not know 25:03 where's Pastor John going with this sermon 25:06 about Hosea and Gomer, and Lo-Ruhamah, 25:08 and Jezreel, and Lo-Ammi. 25:10 This is an illustration in Scripture about 25:14 how God feels about His wayward children. 25:18 You see, Brethren, 25:19 when our relationship with God starts out, 25:21 we're all excited. 25:23 But those of us that have made bad choices 25:25 after giving our lives to Christ, 25:27 the wonderful thing about this story is that 25:28 although God does not identify with our seed, 25:32 although God does not identify with our relationships, 25:35 although God does not identify with our sin, 25:37 God always identifies with us. 25:46 The Bible says in Hosea 2:4, 25:49 "I will not have mercy on her children, 25:52 for they are the children of," what? 25:54 "Harlotry." 25:56 It's one thing to say that we're married to Christ. 25:59 Are you hearing me? 26:00 It's one thing to say we're married to Christ, 26:02 it's something altogether different 26:05 when the offspring reveals that 26:07 somebody has been sleeping with the enemy. 26:13 Let me make it very clear. 26:18 Lo-Ruhamah and Lo-Ammi were not Hosea's babies. 26:23 Lack of love in the church is not God's child. 26:29 Backbiting and gossip is not God's child. 26:33 Unfaithfulness to our vows of baptism 26:37 and marriage is not God's child. 26:41 Provocative dress and worldly music 26:43 in the church is not God's child. 26:48 Violation of God's Sabbath is not God's child. 26:53 Robbing God in tithe and offering, Brethren, 26:55 is not God's child. 26:59 Disrespecting God's leadership is not God's child. 27:04 And the list goes on and say it with me, 27:07 and on and on and on. 27:11 There are those that say, and I've heard it before. 27:15 But their works reveal that 27:17 there's a different relationship all together. 27:19 They are those that sing to the glory of God, 27:21 but they don't live to the glory of God. 27:24 There's those that say that I believe that time is short, 27:27 but their works deny the fact that they honestly believe that 27:30 we're living in the end of time. 27:35 It's one thing to say, I love the Lord, 27:36 is something altogether different to live 27:40 as though I am trusting in and relying on, 27:44 and I'm falling in love with the Lord. 27:46 In the church today, 27:48 the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 27:49 and I would say this is probably true 27:51 in a lot of other Christian denominations 27:52 is we are living in the day 27:53 and age where religion has taken on a new flavor 27:55 all together. 27:56 It's about the music. 27:58 It's about how good we can feel 28:00 when we come to church. 28:02 But the Bible prophets are saying that 28:04 we're living in a time 28:06 where sound doctrine is unpopular, 28:10 and Christian things have become 28:13 the popular direction the church is going. 28:15 Let's have Christian music, but not Christian living. 28:19 Let's have Christian clubs and Christian socials. 28:23 But what God is looking for 28:25 is not outward appearances of Christianity, 28:29 God is looking for a place to reside inside the hearts 28:33 of those claiming to be sons and daughters of God. 28:35 What do you say? 28:37 There are those that sing, 28:39 but their lives do not reveal that they are waiting, 28:41 watching and in a position of holiness and righteousness. 28:46 What if God were to come tomorrow? 28:48 Don't raise your hands, 28:50 but how many of us would be ready? 28:55 Well, I've got good news for you. 28:58 And you said amen. 29:01 Because if I only had bad news for you, 29:03 you really wouldn't want to hear the rest of the sermon. 29:06 But I've got good news for you 29:07 because in spite of our condition, 29:09 in spite of the prevailing condition in the church, 29:12 in spite of those who profess to know God, 29:15 and don't live like they know God, Brethren, 29:17 God still has a plan to save His people. 29:23 I mean, God is not caught off guard by the things 29:27 that exist in the church 29:28 as though something strange is occurring. 29:31 Somebody once said to me, 29:32 look at the condition of the church, 29:34 can you imagine what the church has become? 29:38 And I say, Brethren, you sound as though this is a surprise. 29:42 This is something that God doesn't know about. 29:44 But in His Word, the Lord says that 29:46 they will not come unless 29:48 there comes a falling away first. 29:50 So if the falling away has started, praise the Lord, 29:53 the Day of the Lord is not far away. 29:55 What do you say? 29:56 If there's unrighteousness in the church, the Lord said, 29:58 it's going to be that way before I come. 30:00 Praise God that it's happening. 30:03 But not that it is happening, 30:04 I'm praising God that it is the precursor 30:07 to the coming of the Lord. 30:08 He says, as it was in the days of Noah, 30:10 so shall it be in the days 30:11 of the coming of the Son of man. 30:13 You know that we're living in the last days 30:15 when the church is beginning to ordain same sex marriages. 30:20 They say in some countries, you can't talk about that. 30:21 Well, I'm sorry, I'm not in a country like that. 30:23 Praise the Lord. We can talk about it here. 30:26 There's some places where preachers have said, 30:27 "Well, you know, 30:29 as long as they love each other." 30:30 Brethren, God is love, 30:32 and that kind of love is not godly. 30:38 They're those that say, "Well, they're not harming anybody." 30:40 Well, it's not about harming anybody, 30:41 the devil makes it appear 30:43 as though nobody's being harmed. 30:44 But what we fail to realize is when men and women 30:46 are joined together, it completes the image of God 30:49 and the human race. 30:50 And although they do not harm anybody by their activity 30:52 in their own private homes, 30:54 they are marring the image of God 30:56 and the human race, 30:57 and God wants to be seen in man. 31:01 God never intended man with man and woman with women 31:04 to be a reflection of who He is. 31:06 The Bible says, "God gave the maleness 31:09 and the femaleness of His divinity 31:13 to man and woman." 31:14 And when they joined together, 31:16 they complete the image of God on the human race. 31:18 The two things that God ordained in the Garden of Eden 31:21 had been the two targets of Satan's attack 31:24 ever since the entrance of sin, 31:26 the Sabbath and the marriage. 31:30 But nowadays, Satan has taken on a new role. 31:33 Because Satan now attacks the church where it breeds. 31:37 Satan has come in and has given new meaning 31:39 to what we call religious music. 31:44 And we're more comfortable with the religious music 31:48 than we all with living righteously. 31:53 Now the Bible, I want to say this, 31:54 somebody may write me an email, that's okay. 31:56 I don't mind, send it to my email address. 31:58 I won't give it to you. 31:59 You'll have to find out what it is. 32:03 But the Bible supports the lifting of hands. 32:07 But the Bible does not support 32:08 the lifting of hands in lieu of living righteously. 32:14 The Bible supports the proper use 32:16 of any kind of musical instrument. 32:19 But the Bible does not support 32:21 the use of musical instruments in place of living righteously. 32:29 There are those that say, 32:30 "Well, either we have good music, 32:34 or we have good sermons." 32:36 Now, I believe that we could have both. 32:38 What do you say? 32:39 Down here in Thompsonville we need to have both up. 32:41 And we praise the Lord, we do have both of them. 32:43 But there are those that are preaching that says, 32:45 "Now in order for our church services to be effective, 32:47 the people that are coming in seeker sensitive services, 32:50 let's tone down the message and crank up the music." 32:55 That's not God's child. 32:57 Because when you have to choose between 32:59 message and music, 33:00 the message is the direction of salvation, 33:03 because there was a whole lot of music 33:05 played on the plain of Dura in Babylon 33:08 that had nothing to do with righteousness. 33:12 Nowadays, somebody says, 33:15 "Well, now look at all the people 33:16 coming to church. 33:18 We obviously are doing the right thing." 33:19 But, Brethren, I discovered that 33:22 the numbers of those on the outside of the ark 33:23 were more than those on the inside of the ark. 33:26 So numbers is never an indication that 33:28 what you're doing is right. 33:32 Somebody said, "Look at all the people coming in." 33:34 Well, now, let's go down to the local stadium. 33:36 We don't have one in Thompsonville, 33:38 the local one is probably out there in St. Louis. 33:40 If you go to the local stadium 33:41 and there's a rock concert going on, 33:43 and there's 60,000 people, it doesn't mean that 33:45 the numbers now make the activity righteous. 33:53 Men shall be lovers of themselves, 33:57 boasters, proud, blasphemers, 34:01 disobedient to parents, 34:02 unthankful, unholy without natural affection, 34:05 truce breakers, incontinent, 34:07 despises of those that are good, 34:10 heady, high minded, 34:12 lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. 34:15 And here's the end part, having a form of godliness. 34:20 Gomer had enough godliness to get Hosea to marry her. 34:27 Now, what I'm so excited about is that 34:30 Gomer's unrighteousness 34:33 was not a shock to God. 34:37 Let me go a step farther. 34:40 When we live out of harmony with God's revealed will, 34:44 it's not a shock to God. 34:46 Because God sees our life as it is unfolding. 34:51 Matter of fact, God sees our track before we walk it. 34:55 God sees our future before we get to it, 34:57 and God can tell by the patterns of our lives 35:00 where we're going to be when we get there. 35:04 God sees us before we get there. 35:06 And he can say, based on what you're doing, 35:08 based on how you're dressing, 35:10 based on where you're going, 35:11 based on what you're listening to, 35:13 based on the things influencing your life, 35:15 I can tell exactly where you're going to be 35:17 in two years. 35:19 So when God told Hosea to marry Gomer, He didn't say, 35:22 "Now, I wonder what's going to happen." 35:24 God knew that Gomer was going to mess up and it got so bad, 35:29 Brethren, it got so bad that Gomer walked away 35:32 from the marriage 35:34 and pursued a life of decline. 35:39 That's a nice way of saying, pursuing a harlot life. 35:45 Bible says in Hosea 2:13. 35:49 Hosea 2:13, describing the direction that she took. 35:54 Hosea 2:13, The Lord says, 35:58 "I will punish her for the days of the Baals 36:03 to which she burned incense." 36:06 Now, you got to catch this, 36:07 this is not so much about adornment. 36:09 You got to catch the words and I'll go back on it. 36:13 She decked herself with what? 36:16 Her earrings and what? 36:19 And jewelry, and went after what? 36:22 Her lovers, but she forgot me, says the Lord. 36:27 Now follow this carefully. 36:31 You've heard me talk about adornment before 36:33 and don't get too nervous. 36:38 But what's happening on the inside 36:40 is always reflected on the outside. 36:48 Those that apostatize more, 36:50 those that are walking away from the truth, 36:52 tend to put on more things after they walk away 36:55 than they had on before they accepted the truth. 36:59 That's when it comes to adornment. 37:01 Those who accept the truth and then walk away from it 37:04 tend to wear less after they walk away 37:09 from the truth than they were before they accepted the truth. 37:14 Those who are alcoholics before they accepted the truth. 37:18 After accepting the truth, if they walk away, 37:20 they tend to go head over heels back into 37:22 what they did, 37:23 but 10 times worse than they did before. 37:27 And the Bible makes it clear that 37:29 when our lives are swept and put in order, 37:31 but if our lives are empty of the Spirit of God, 37:34 Satan goes out and bring seven more demons in 37:38 and does more harm after than he was able to do 37:41 before we came to a knowledge 37:43 of the truth of God's Word. 37:48 My favorite author, Ellen White says 37:49 in Our High Calling, page 172. 37:52 She says... 37:53 This gave me encouragement by the way. 37:55 You know, it sounds like I'm preaching hard and I am, 37:57 praise God for that. 37:59 But let me just give you some encouragement here 38:00 because a lot of people look at the church and say, 38:02 "You know what? 38:03 All the junk that I see 38:05 in the Seventh-day Adventist Church 38:07 causes me concern. 38:08 Therefore I need to leave and start my own movement." 38:13 Brethren, if the ship 38:15 which is larger than a rowboat is shaking, 38:18 how is the rowboat going to handle 38:20 the rough waters of time? 38:26 Some people forget that the Lord has guaranteed that 38:30 His church, the place of salvation, 38:33 the Bible says, although it may look like 38:36 it's in trouble, 38:38 the gates of hell shall not prevail against, 38:41 come on now, the church. 38:44 So don't get caught off guard by how it looks, 38:46 because God is still at the helm of this ship. 38:49 And God is going to carry it through. 38:51 Listen to what she says in Our High Calling, page 172. 38:55 "The Church of Christ enfeebled 38:58 and defective though it may appear 39:02 is the one object on earth 39:04 on which He bestows in a special sense 39:08 His love and regard. 39:10 The church is the theater of His grace, 39:14 in which He delights to make experiments 39:17 of mercy on human hearts." 39:21 In other words, God says, it may look bad, 39:23 but there's a whole lot of mercy left in the church 39:25 because God is still in charge of His people. 39:31 I think about the story of Hosea and by now... 39:38 it got really bad. 39:41 Gomer left the house. 39:43 Gomer went back downtown to the life that 39:46 she was accustomed to before. 39:48 But, Brethren, what encourages me is that 39:50 when we take somebody's name off of the church books, 39:53 I want to say this again, 39:55 when we take somebody's name off 39:57 the church books, 39:58 God puts that person's name on His books. 40:02 Now don't misunderstand what I'm saying, 40:04 I'm not talking about the book of righteousness. 40:06 But when we forget their name, God never forgets their name. 40:11 When somebody even walks away, and decides to run from God, 40:16 I have news for you, 40:17 God can run after you faster than you 40:19 can run away from God. 40:22 Because Gomer's out there now living the life 40:25 that she decides to choose, and there are a lot of folk 40:27 that used to be a part of the church 40:29 that are living a life 40:30 that is a shame to the sight of God. 40:33 But, Brethren, the encouragement is this, 40:35 God want you to be saved more than you want to be lost. 40:38 And when Hosea 40:41 thought about the goodness of God, 40:42 I know Hosea had to remember 40:43 what Jeremiah the prophet said in Jeremiah 31:3, he says, 40:47 "The Lord appeared to me of old saying, 40:48 'Yes, I have loved you with," 40:50 what kind of love, church, say it with me? 40:52 "An everlasting love, 40:54 therefore, with loving kindness, 40:58 I have drawn thee.'" 41:01 While she's out there living her own life, 41:04 Hosea is now left to the task 41:07 of raising the children by himself. 41:11 He's got to go to church on Sabbath morning now 41:13 and make excuses. 41:15 What happened to your wife Gomer, Hosea? 41:17 Well, you know, she's not feeling well this weekend. 41:21 And Hosea knows that 41:23 when he woke up to go to church, 41:24 she woke up to go downtown. 41:28 "What happened to your wife, Hosea?" 41:29 "Well, she's spending some time with her mother 41:33 this weekend." 41:35 Failing to tell the truth that her life is getting more 41:40 and more critical by the moment. 41:43 Hosea is now left to raise the children by himself. 41:46 And then there are days he sits down 41:48 when she comes home late way after the midnight hour, 41:52 and he wants to ask her where she was, 41:54 but how she's dressed makes it obvious 41:57 to where she was. 42:02 And with tears in his voice, he gets out a good night, 42:06 good to see you home. 42:08 And she passes him by unnoticed and goes to her room 42:11 to get her rest to do the same thing the next day. 42:16 But I like how the story brings out about God, 42:20 because there's a relentlessness about God. 42:23 Hosea sees, and he becomes restless. 42:25 And one day he makes up his mind, 42:27 Pastor Murray, that he wants his wife back. 42:30 Brethren, no matter how long you've been out there, 42:32 God has made up His mind that He wants you back 42:35 where you belong. 42:37 God is not satisfied with the 99 42:40 and there's one out there. 42:42 God is not saying, 42:43 "I've got enough folk in the church 42:45 that just don't want to live right. 42:46 Let me leave those out 42:47 who are not living right out there." 42:49 God wants to go after them, 42:50 because He's not willing that any should perish. 42:53 One day Hosea gets up enough courage 42:56 and I can almost see it in my mind. 42:58 I like to think and I like to imagine things, 43:00 and I put a contemporary spin on this. 43:02 I think of Hosea getting up in the morning 43:05 and getting into his car 43:08 after the kids are off to school, 43:11 and he calls in that day and says to his boss, 43:13 "I'm not coming in today. 43:18 I won't be in tomorrow either." "What's wrong Hosea?" 43:21 "Well, I'm not feeling too well." 43:22 And Hosea, his love for his wife is so great. 43:26 Hosea goes downtown 43:30 to his wife's district, 43:34 a woman of harlotry 43:38 and he sits on an adjacent corner 43:42 and he watches her walk the streets. 43:46 He watches her living in her unfaithfulness. 43:50 You know, Brethren, we can be unfaithful, 43:52 but everyday God's longing for us 43:54 is going to bring the Lord down 43:55 to our corner looking for us, watching us, waiting for us, 43:59 waiting for an opportunity to break in 44:02 and interrupt our direction. 44:04 Hosea sits there. 44:06 And I can see the longing in his eyes 44:07 for the one that he loved with all of his heart. 44:12 One day comes and she notices the car 44:14 and begins to make her trek toward the car and Hosea says, 44:16 "I've gotta leave." 44:18 I go and I go home, and the next day he comes, 44:20 Brother, and he invites a cab driver 44:22 to take him downtown that day. 44:25 He wants to remain incognito, inconspicuous, 44:28 and he sits there longing for his wife 44:31 to come back home, longing for that love 44:34 to be back in the house where it used to be. 44:40 But he doesn't interrupt her. 44:42 He just continues praying for her. 44:44 One day though he gets the courage. 44:45 And the Bible says, 44:47 he decides to interrupt her direction. 44:50 As you read with me in Hosea 2:6-7. 44:54 He gets to the place where he says not even her sin 44:57 and rebellion can keep me away from her. 45:01 And the Bible says, God steps in 45:03 and he says this about Gomer. 45:06 "Therefore, behold, I will hedge up your way 45:09 with thorns, 45:10 and wall her in so that she cannot find her paths." 45:14 Can you say amen? 45:16 "She will chase her lovers but not overtake them. 45:19 Yes, she will seek them, but not find them. 45:23 Then she will say, I will go and return to my first husband. 45:28 For then it was better for me than now." 45:31 Can somebody say amen? 45:33 She sees him one day, and one day 45:35 Hosea gets the courage to get out of the car 45:38 and walk over to where his wife is. 45:39 He stands there, and he begins to reminisce with her. 45:42 Go with me in the Bible to see this reminiscing. 45:44 He begins to reminisce 45:46 with her about the good old days. 45:47 You know, Brethren, 45:48 when you think about how good God is, 45:50 God's good old days 45:51 are better than our good old days. 45:54 The best in our sin can never compare 45:58 to the worst of our experiences in following the Lord. 46:03 I would rather have a tough time as a Christian 46:05 and be saved than have an easy time 46:08 as a sinner and be lost. 46:13 And the devil sometimes makes the place that 46:15 God wants us to be, appear to be the place 46:17 that God does not want us to be. 46:19 And we get so frustrated by our own self righteousness, 46:22 that we says, I can't be among hypocrites like that. 46:25 Let me tell you some, Brethren, 46:26 I'd rather live with hypocrites, 46:28 and finally be saved in the end 46:30 than walk away from hypocrites and be lost all together. 46:38 Hosea 2:16, 46:44 "And it shall be in that day, says the Lord, 46:48 that You will call me," What, Brethren? 46:51 "My husband and no longer call me," what? 46:54 "My master, for I will take from her mouth 46:58 the names of the Baals, and they shall be remembered 47:02 by their name no more." 47:06 Look at verse 23, 47:08 "Then I will show her for Myself in the earth, 47:12 and I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy. 47:17 Then I will say to those who are not My people," 47:20 say it with me, church. 47:21 "You are My people. 47:24 And they shall say, 'You are my God.'" 47:27 Tonight, there's somebody out there that has been out 47:31 there for a long time, the names and the faces 47:34 are too numerous to even mention. 47:38 You can think of names right now, 47:40 I think about the people. 47:41 There's that young lady that used to sing in the choir, 47:45 but a bad choice got her put out of the choir. 47:47 And eventually she left the church. 47:50 She's probably watching tonight thinking about the hardship 47:54 of walking away from God, 47:55 thinking about how tough it is to make her way back. 47:58 God, Sister, God's got you on his book 48:01 and God's love for you is not going to cease 48:04 until He finds a way to bring you back home 48:05 and make you whole. 48:07 What do you say? 48:08 There's that man that used to be 48:09 a deacon in his church. 48:12 Now, his name is not even mentioned, 48:15 let alone what he used to do for the church. 48:18 There's that pastor tonight 48:20 that may be watching from his home, 48:21 that used to be a great preacher. 48:23 But now he spends his days in silent regret, 48:27 because of one momentary lapse 48:30 of correct decision making. 48:33 There is that pathfinder leader, 48:36 husband wife team 48:37 that was one of the best pathfinder leaders 48:39 that some church could ever have. 48:41 But now today, it is said in their congregation, 48:44 whatever happened to them, 48:46 oh, they're even off the path now. 48:51 There's that young lady that had a baby out of wedlock. 48:55 And the church did all they could 48:57 to get rid of her because they said, 48:58 she's not good for the young men around here. 49:04 There's that young man that had the kind of music 49:07 that just upset the members. 49:08 And they went to the pastor and said, 49:10 "We got to stop him from singing 49:11 that kind of music." 49:13 But now he sings in the clubs, because he says, 49:16 "They love him more in the clubs 49:19 than they love his music." 49:23 Brethren, we're living in the last days, 49:24 our love for those who are out there 49:26 has to be greater than our love for ourselves. 49:30 And tonight, as we listen to this song, 49:34 I can't help it to think there's somebody tonight 49:36 thinking about what God has in store for them. 49:39 Brother and sister, discouraged about 49:42 the flaws in your character. 49:44 Feeling that temptation 49:45 is greater than your ability to resist it. 49:48 I want you tonight to listen to this song 49:49 because God wants to make you whole all over again. 49:55 And as Denise sings this song, I'm praying that you will hear 49:58 the voice of God calling you back 50:00 at this late hour. 50:02 Realizing that you are to remember 50:05 how it was and come back 50:07 and respond to the pleading of a God 50:09 whose love for you has never grown cold. 50:13 Listen to this message, "Make Me Whole Again." 50:37 I'm alone, dear Lord 50:41 Alone in my heart 50:45 No one hear but me 50:49 With my hands Stretched out to thee 50:53 Please forgive my past 50:57 Give me faith that will last 51:02 I still believe I found 51:05 But one more time hear my call 51:11 Hear my call 51:15 Make me whole again 51:20 Take control again 51:24 It's your wayward child 51:26 Return with lessons learned 51:32 Touch my soul again 51:36 Welcome me home again 51:42 I'm finally back where I belong 51:47 Make me whole again 52:01 I don't know why I strayed 52:06 Years ago my own way 52:09 I'm not good when we cry 52:14 Just makes pieces of my heart 52:17 All the blatant sins I've been 52:22 Bring me back to you again 52:26 You've seen me through all 52:30 One more time hear my call 52:34 Make me whole again 52:39 Take control again 52:43 It's your wayward child 52:45 Return with lessons learned 52:49 Oh, lessons learned 52:51 Touch my soul again 52:54 Welcome me home again 53:01 I'm finally back where I belong 53:05 Make me whole again 53:13 See, there are so many things 53:16 That I regret 53:20 But don't give up on me 53:24 Don't give up on me yet 53:30 No not again believes 53:34 Make me whole again 53:39 Take control again 53:43 It's your wayward child 53:45 Return with lessons learned 53:49 Lessons learned 53:51 Touch my soul again 53:54 Welcome me home again 53:59 Oh, yes, I'm finally back 54:03 Where I belong Oh, Lord, yes 54:09 I've finally found my way home 54:14 Make me whole again 54:27 Oh, Lord, make me whole again 54:37 Amen. 54:39 Friends, tonight while the sands of time 54:43 are winding down, 54:46 the Lord is winding up to make one great push to gain 54:49 His kids, to go back and get His sons and daughters. 54:53 Tonight, all heaven is concerned about 54:55 those who have walked away. 54:57 It may have been one year or two years 54:59 or 10 or 15 or 25 years, but God is concerned about 55:04 you my daughter, you my son, you my pastor, 55:09 you, former deacon, former deaconess, choir leader. 55:13 Somebody may have hurt you in something they said. 55:17 But tonight, Lord's heart is longing, 55:19 beating, pulsating to have you back home again. 55:25 And I know you've heard God speaking to you many times. 55:27 But as the sands of time are winding down, 55:30 the opportunities are becoming less 55:32 and less as the days draw near for the coming of our Lord. 55:37 And tonight, we want to join in praying 55:38 with all the angels of heaven. 55:41 Tonight we want to join our hearts 55:45 with the call of heaven, 55:48 that when Jesus comes back, 55:50 that wayward child would have returned home. 55:55 Tonight, there's somebody here sitting thinking about somebody 55:57 that they've known that's not in the church today. 56:01 Somebody that has strayed away that needs to be back 56:04 in a relationship with Christ. 56:06 Remember how it was. 56:08 Gomer said it best, 56:10 "I'm going to return to my husband, 56:13 the husband, man, Jesus Christ. 56:16 For friends, it was better with me then 56:19 than it is now. 56:21 If there's somebody you want to pray about tonight, 56:23 that's not in the church, I want you to stand with me. 56:25 If you can agree with us at home, 56:27 just bow your heads where you are, 56:28 we're going to pray tonight ask God to continue 56:30 contending that when time winds up, 56:34 they'll be walking through the gates 56:36 into the New Jerusalem. 56:37 Father God in heaven, tonight our hearts 56:39 are bleeding with yours as we think that 56:42 we don't have the luxury of playing church, 56:44 but we are praying tonight 56:46 that somebody will hear the voice of God 56:47 before it is ever too late. 56:49 Tonight, Lord, work on that heart 56:51 of that young man, that young woman, 56:52 that person that has filled with gifts and talents 56:54 that the devil has abused and used. 56:57 Lord, go out and make them whole again. 56:59 Welcome them back home and remind them 57:02 no more of their sin, but show them 57:05 what kind of a Savior you are. 57:06 Forgive them and welcome them back. 57:08 And, Father, may we make it a place 57:10 with a lustful desire to come back and we pray this, 57:13 that your name may be glorified in Jesus name, we pray. 57:17 Amen. |
Revised 2020-01-16