Lesson Notes Hosea 11 Forgiveness

January 13, 2013 Darryl J. Dawson, Sr.

A Study of the book of Hosea (Gods Forgiveness of His Children)

Intro.: On the morning of October 2, 2006, Charles Roberts, a local milkman, charged into the West Nickel Mines Amish schoolhouse armed with an arsenal of weapons and ammunition. After emptying the room of all but the female students, he barricaded the door and had the girls to line up against the chalkboard. When his gun fell silent, five of the girls lay dead and the others were wounded. What is amazing is that the parents no only forgave the killer, but reached out to his family and attended his funeral. Thats forgiveness!!! Similarly, after all that Israel has done against God, God is willing to forgive. Read Hosea 11:1-10 Forgiveness (Webster): a : to give up resentment of or claim to requital for <forgive an insult> b : to grant relief from payment of <forgive a debt> 2: to cease to feel resentment against (an offender) : pardon <forgive one's enemies> Forgiveness:(Greek aphimi) pardon, cancel, to leave alone/behind, to let be, let go of, or let go on. Biblical Forgiveness: Its the theme of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. It means that God no longer holds us guilty/responsible for our sins. The wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23 Key points about Gods forgiveness: There is absolutely nothing that you can do that God is unwilling to forgive. Consider those that crucified His Son. Luke 23:34 Gods forgiveness includes forget-ness. Does He sovereignly choose not to remember our sins? See Psalms 103:10-14 teaches that Gods throws our sins as far as the East is from the West and He chooses to remember them no more. o Even when God punishes us, He does not give us what we fully deserve o His forgiveness is tied to His relationship with His children Gods forgiveness does not mean that there wont be consequences for our sin. Gods forgiveness should not cause me to presumptuously sin. See Psalms 19:13, Romans 6:1 Gods forgiveness removes the guilt of sin. See Romans 8:1 No condemnation o Guilt - a bad feeling caused by knowing or thinking that you have done something bad or wrong.
2013 Darryl J. Dawson, Sr.

o Condemnation (condemn) to sentence (someone) to a particular punishment, esp. death; a statement or expression of very strong and definite criticism or disapproval o 1st John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (See Biblos.com) o Romans 5:1 - Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. o Colossians 1:14 - in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. **If you are living with guilt for confessed sin, then it is either self-imposed or Satan imposed. **The greatest aspect of Gods forgiveness is the freedom from guilt Clean conscience Abraham lived with guilt of his sin with Hagar (Genesis 16; Genesis 21) David lived with the guilt of his sin with Bathsheba (2nd Samuel 11) o Consider his unwillingness to discipline his sons Paul lived with the guilt of prosecuting Christians Chief among sinners o 1st Timothy 1:15 **Forgiveness does not remove from the human mind the consciousness of sin and sometimes the guilt which it involved, but it does remove the mistrust (between us and God) which led to broken fellowship. Mistrust is changed into trust, and this produces: peace of mind (Psalm 32:5-7 Romans 5:1); consciousness of Gods divine love and mercy (Psalm 103:2); awakens love to God. Conditions for Forgiveness: Forgiveness is part of a mutual relationship; the other part is the repentance of the offender. God does not forgive without repentance. The effect of forgiveness is to restore to its former state the relationship which was broken by sin. Such a restoration requires the cooperation of both parties. There must be both a granting and an acceptance of the forgiveness. Sincere, deep-felt sorrow for the wrong which brings about repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10) is the condition of mind which insures the acceptance of the forgiveness. Gods forgiveness is conditional upon man's forgiveness of the wrongs done him, not because God forgives grudgingly but because forgiveness alone indicates that disposition of mind which will humbly accept the Divine pardon. Matthew 6:14-15 Consequences of Forgiveness: There is no essential difference between the human and the Divine pardon, though the latter is necessarily more complete.
2013 Darryl J. Dawson, Sr.

 It results in the complete removal of all estrangement and alienation between God and the guilty party. It restores completely the relationship which existed prior to the sin. The total removal of the sin as a result of the Divine forgiveness is expressed in the Scriptures: o "Thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back" (Isaiah 38:17); o "Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:19); o "I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more" (Jeremiah 31:34); o "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions" (Isaiah 43:25); Ideally this same result is attained in human forgiveness, but actually the memory of the sin remains with both parties as a barrier between them, and even when there is a complete restoration of amity the former state of alienation cannot entirely be removed from memory. When God forgives, however, He restores man to the condition of former favor. Release from punishment is involved, however in some instances punishment is not removed, but they lose all penal character and become disciplinary. Why is Gods forgiveness possible? Because Jesus died for our sins Ephes 1:7 Jesus death satisfied Gods righteous requirement for sin Heb 9:22 **God can only forgive based upon the full execution of the penalty for sin. The responsibility of the Christian in reference to Gods forgiveness: o Forgiveness is not optional for the Christian -it is expected and stems from Gods forgiveness towards us. Read Colossians 3:12-13, Ephes 4:31-32 o When we forgive we are modeling Christ-like behavior, when we dont it displeases Him Read Matthew 18:21-35 This person owed the king more than was owed to him. The king showed mercy and he did not. Why? Forgiveness is not natural, but possible via the power of the Holy Spirit. o Gods Forgiveness is unlimited, so should ours be. Read Luke 17:3-4
2013 Darryl J. Dawson, Sr.

 Un-forgiveness can be the ruin of the Christian. o Unwillingness to forgive will hinder your relationship with Christ Read Mathew 6:14-16, o Unwillingness to forgive will hinder your prayer life Mark 11:25-26 The rewards of forgiveness: o It endears you to Christ Matt 5:7 Blessed are the merciful o It sets you free! Corey Ten Boone says that forgiveness is setting a prisoner free only to find that you were the prisoner! o It identifies you with Christ

Conclusion: Ted Bundy testimony. The nature of God is amazing. He amazes with His power; He amazes with his love in sending His Son to die on the cross; equally amazing is His forgiveness.

2013 Darryl J. Dawson, Sr.

Notes (What is the Lord saying to me, and how do I apply it to my life?)

2013 Darryl J. Dawson, Sr.

Author Bio
An energetic, talented, and Spirit-controlled teacher, Darryl J. Dawson, Sr. - a 2011 graduate of Luther Rice Seminary and former youth pastor - keeps it real. Honest, open and transparent, he makes it easy to open up and have a lively discussion by sharing his own struggles, shortcomings, and successes. Biblically-sound and true to God's Word, Darryl always positions us and challenges us to leave class and go apply God's principles to our lives. Darryl and his wife Shari have three sons, and make their home in Stockbridge, Georgia. They are members of First Baptist Atlanta. Darryl is active in youth sports, coaching championship teams in football, baseball, and basketball. You can listen to the audio that accompanies these notes at http://www.fbalifelines.org/lessons.html

2013 Darryl J. Dawson, Sr.