DEMONSTRATION OF GODS LOVE

Romans 5:6-11; Isaiah 43:1-9; Hosea 14:1-9.

The very existence of God before time began is Love. Everything He

created is a demonstration of His love towards mankind. He created
everything He created with mankind in mind. But His plan for mankind
suffered a setback when Adam and Eve heed to the dictates of the devil,
but God responded to the situation with Love.

Gods response to Satans disruption or interjection is Love. In Genesis

3:15 God said I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and
between they seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt
bruise his heel. Here God signaled Hope for reset, reinstatement and
revitalization of his plan and purpose the original plan of Love and
Fellowship with mankind. Because of his Love to mankind, He sent his son
to repair the damage done by Satan. This is the utmost demonstration of
love (John 15:13). This concept of Love to mankind can be fully explained
through the story of Prophet Hosea.

In Hosea, youll see a godly mans unfailing love for his wayward wife. This
illustrates Gods unconditional love. Even when we rebel, disobey or make
a mistake, God is relentless to pursue us. Gods perpetual pursuit of us
shows the enduring nature of love, which we are to display towards one
another. His sincere effort to engage his creation in a relational level and
enter in loving fellowship with us. Through Hosea, the Lord tells the story
of Israels disobedience, His discipline, and His steadfast, faithful love.

1. HELL NEVER FORSAKE YOU.

Isaiah 43:1-9, Hosea 2: 2, 13, 14-16, Ephesians 3:18 -19

Gods effort for relationship with mankind dates back to the Garden of
Eden. He further extend His hand to the children of Israel, but they were
unfaithful to him. God sees his relationship with mankind in form of a
marriage bound together by covenant. However, Israel was totally
unfaithful to God. Her infidelity grieved God to the point of rejection and
He uses the prophet Hosea to announce his utter disappointment.

Its not easy to accept our own failures. This may be one reason the God
of Israel wanted His people to remember Him as the God of Jacob- their
deeply flawed national patriarch. The prophet Isaiah called them by the
new name the Lord had given their father Jacob. He called them Israel. A
people he had made and redeemed for Himself. So He could show the
whole world what it means to have a God who loves us in spite of our
failures.

Hoseas wayward wife and unfaithful children (examined in the first three
chapters) would, in turn, serve as a metaphor for Gods turbulent
relationship with his bride. Chapter two of Hosea really is the crux of this
account, as God partakes in a long and emotional discourse regarding his
companion. The Lord begins with rather harsh words, in which one can
sense his feelings of rejection and scorn. In Hosea 2:2a, God says,
Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not my wife, and I am not her
husband.

Israel, through her adultery, had broken her marital bonds with Jehovah,
and he was sure to let her know about it. God, however, only intends to
chasten Israel and not divorce her. In fact, in spite of her habitual
transgression, Gods sole desire is to love her and be in unbroken
fellowship.

2. CHRIST BORE OUR SIN.

Romans 8:3, Hosea 2:14-16, Psalm 30:5a.

In the book of Hosea, we see the promiscuity of the nation of Israel. God
allow his mouthpiece to partake in his distress, commanding Hosea to
take an adulterous wife (Gomer) at the beginning of his ministry, so that
the preacher would not be disconnected from his message. This
figuratively describes what Christ did for us.

Israel through her adultery, had broken her marital bonds with Jehovah,
and he was sure to let her know about it. God however, only intends to
chasten Israel and not divorce her. In spite of her habitual transgression,
Gods sole desire is to love her and be in unbroken fellowship with her.
When the Israelite were taken captive by Babylon, they were seen at their
worst. Because of their sins, God allowed their enemies to conquer them.

God will not allow the sins of Israel to go unpunished, He allow them to
experience the consequences of their waywardness. God didnt let this
happen because he stopped loving Israel, or because he ran out of
patience, he did it as part of a plan for the redemption of his people. He
knows that man cannot pay the price of sin by following the dictates of
the law, so He paid the ultimate price of sin by dying for mankind on the
cross of Calvary. Anger turns into compassion and forgiveness is extended
to anyone who will genuinely ask for it, as the Lord is slow to anger,
abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion (Numbers 14:18a).

3. THERE IS HOPE FOR YOU IN CHRIST.

Hosea 2:5,15; 11:1-4, 8-9, Job 14:7.

In Hosea 2:14, the promise is introduced, that the Lord will lead back the
rebellious nation step by step to conversion and reunion with Himself, the
righteous God. The valley of Achor, which was situated to the north of
Gilgal and Jericho (Joshua 7:26) is mentioned by the prophet, not because
of its situation on the border of Palestine, nor on account of its fruitfulness,
but with an evident allusion to the occurrence described in Joshua 7, from
which it obtained its name of Akhor, Troubling.
This is obvious from the declaration that this valley shall become a door of
hope. Through the sin of Achan, who took some of the spoil of Jericho
which had been devoted by the ban to the Lord, Israel had fallen under
the ban, so that the Lord withdrew His help, and the army that marched
against Ai was defeated. But in answer to the prayer of Joshua and the
elders, God showed to Joshua not only the cause of the calamity which
had befallen the whole nation, but the means of escaping from the ban
and recovering the lost favour of God. Through the name Achor this valley
became a memorial, how the Lord restores His favour to the church after
the expiration of the guilt by the punishment of the transgressor. And this
divine mode of procedure will be repeated in all its essential
characteristics.

The Lord will make the valley of troubling a door of hope, i.e., He will so
expiate the sins of His church, and cover them with His grace, that the
covenant of fellowship with Him will no more be rent asunder by them; or
He will so display His grace to the sinners, that compassion will manifest
itself even in wrath, and through judgment and mercy the pardoned
sinners will be more and more firmly and inwardly united to Him. And the
church will respond to this movement on the part of the love of God.

Just like the Israelite, you might have walked close to the Lord at one time,
but something happened; you allowed other things to come between you
and him. It seemed that you took your eyes off of him for only a moment,
but that moment turned into an hour, and the hour into days, weeks,
months, perhaps even years. You used to hear his voice calling you back,
but now all you hear is deafening silence. You pray, but there is no answer.
You confess your sins, but you feel no release from the burden, and you
worry that somehow youve wandered so far away, or done something so
terribly wrong that you can never get home again.

Hoseas life has shown us that no matter what you might have done, no
matter how long its been since you walked with the Lord, no matter how
far you may have wandered from his presence, no matter what you may
have said to him in your anger, frustration, or disappointment, the truth is
that God has never stopped loving you, and he will never give up on you.
Weve seen from the example of Hosea and Gomer that sometimes deeply
broken relationships take time to heal. But I want you to know that no
matter how horrible your failure may seem to you, God has never stopped
loving you, and he will never give up on you. Why? -Because he has
always known the end from the beginning. Just like Hosea knew before he
married Gomer that she would be an unfaithful wife, and just like God
knew before he chose Israel that they would be an unfaithful people, so he
has always known everything about you, and me; and he chose to love us
in spite of what he has always known.

4. WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?

Hosea 10:13,12, Isaiah 60:26-31, Ephesians 2:8-9.

Perhaps youre reading this and youve never known peace with God;
youve never become one of his children. You can begin that relationship
today. You say, But I dont think I have enough faith. Well, theres good
news! It doesnt take much faith, and you can receive Christ right where
you are. Jesus said even a tiny bit of faith can accomplish great things,
and God will even give you the faith you need so with Gods help you can
do it! All you have to do is say Yes to ChristYes, I accept what you did
on the cross for me; Yes, I accept your offer to be my Savior and my
God; Yes, I accept your offer of forgiveness and reconciliation (John
1:12; Romans 10:9-10).

Maybe the thought of Gods presence no longer brings peace and joy, but
apprehension, maybe even dread. Somehow you cant believe God would
even want to look at you, much less put his arms around you. You say,
Where do I go from here? Well you know something, you cant repair the
damage yourself, and if you wait until you think you can, youll likely die a
very miserable person. But heres the message of Hosea: There is hope!
God can fix your life if you will step out of the shadow, and allow him to
put his arms around you, unworthy though you feel. Restoration might not
happen instantly, but be assured that God has not stopped loving you;
and if you have ever known him, he will never abandon you, no matter
where your choices may have led you.

Remember, its never too late to begin, or begin again; Gods redemptive
love is unfailing.