The book of Hosea is about a broken
heart, and the heart belongs to God.
Through his prophet Hosea and his subsequent marriage
to the harlot Gomer, we see the striking
imagery between the unconditional love Hosea has for
his wayward wife and the unconditional love God
has for the wayward children of Israel.
In verse 14 of chapter 8 we come
to the heart of the problem as God
laments, For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and
buildeth temples, and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities,
but I will send a fire upon his
cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.
The sad fact is the people of God
had forgotten God by getting on a building
program, much like we have today in this
nation of big church campuses, and like the
Jews had shifted their focus from spiritual things
to mere brick and mortar, just like we
have as well, friends.
But God has a bone of contention with
his rebellious and backslidden people who, by their
actions and by their lifestyle and through their
religious activity, are committing spiritual adultery against the
very God they claim to serve.
Now this is a serious situation, friends, when
the people of God serve God with a
divided heart that breaks the very heart of
God.
Chapter 9 and verse 1 tells it like
it is.
Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy is other
people, for thou hast gone a-whoring from
thy God, thou hast loved to reward upon
every corn floor.
And we see a striking principle played out
here, friends, in the book of Hosea, in
the lives of the children of Israel, who,
as they continue to worship idols, God keeps
on punishing Israel.
Let me ask you a question, friend.
Do you believe this nation of ours can
keep on shaking her rebellious fist in the
face of a holy God and get by?
Do you?
Do you believe a disobedient denomination can turn
its back on the God of the Bible
and get by?
Do you?
Do you believe a pastor that has traded
God for gain and personal ambition can get
by?
Do you?
Do you believe a church can conform herself
to the world and compromise the gospel and
still get by?
Do you?
I don't believe you can.
I believe we are all experiencing the withdrawn
presence of God today because of our divided
hearts.
I believe the Jews in Hosea's day had
a heart problem.
This time last year I was in the
hospital and my heart failed.
The doctors didn't have much hope for me,
and I came very close to dying and
leaving this world for a better one.
But God wasn't ready for me yet, or
I wouldn't be talking to you here today,
friends.
I know what it's like to have a
physical heart problem, and I also know what
it's like to have a spiritual heart problem,
as I've had to learn from my departures
from God to rely solely upon God for
all things.
I believe the church today, for the most
part, has a heart problem.
I don't believe many of us are broken
-hearted over the sins of the land.
At least we're not losing sleep over it
yet.
I don't believe the churches in this land
know much about the condition of the carpet
in their sanctuary, because although the carpets are
brand new, they are dry.
How can you call yourself a church and
not have the carpet in your sanctuary, soaked
wet by the tears of your broken-hearted
congregation, with desperate nights of prayer over the
lost and perishing souls in your community, let
alone in your families?
I believe we have more in common with
the Jews in Hosea's day than we think
we do, for I believe our hearts have
grown cold and hard like fallow ground that
lays out in an unused field.
God had a solution for the wayward Jews,
if they would only do it as seen
in Hosea 10 and verse 12, which is
our central text for today, friends.
Let me read it to you now, and
as I do, think about how it can
apply to you personally.
So to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy,
break up your fallow ground, for it is
time to seek the Lord, tell He come
and reign righteousness upon you.
Oh friends, how we need to go get
a pickaxe and bust up the fallow ground
of our hard hearts and do what the
text says and seek the Lord.
Wouldn't it be something if our churches across
this land began to do this very thing
and set an example for this godless nation
of ours who needs the Lord Jesus as
badly as a dying man needs a remedy
to save him.
God is faithful and true to His word,
and I believe if we do a thing
like He wants us to do, then He
will honor that in our lives and in
our churches and bless this nation of ours
like He has in former times and reign
righteousness upon us in revival and spiritual awakening.
Will we do it or will we ignore
the signs all around us and keep the
status quo in church on Sunday and do
business as usual.
Oh great God, get a hold of somebody
and break their heart so you can do
your wondrous works again is the prayer of
this poor preacher.
Amen.