HOCF SERMON 2023

Hosea 7: Be Willing

HOSEA 7: BE WILLINGHosea 71 whenever I would heal Israel,the sins of Ephraim are exposed and the crimes ofSamaria revealed.They practice deceit, thieves break into houses, bandits rob in thestreets;2 but they do not realize that I remember all their evil deeds.Their sins engulf them; they are always before me.3 "They delight the king with their wickedness, the princes with their lies.4 They are all adulterers, burning like an oven whose fire the baker need not stir from the kneading of the dough till it rises.5 On the day of the festival of our kingthe princes become inflamed with wine, and he joins hands with the mockers.6 Their hearts are like an oven; they approach him with intrigue.Their passion smoldersall night; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.7 All of them are hot as an oven; they devour their rulers. All their kings fall, and none of them calls on me.8 "Ephraim mixes with the nations; Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over.9 Foreigners sap his strength, but he does not realize it. His hair is sprinkled with gray, but he does not notice.10 Israel's arrogance testifies against him, but despite all thishe does not return to the LORD his God or search for him.11 "Ephraim is like a dove, easily deceived and senseless—now calling to Egypt, now turning to Assyria.12 When they go, I will throw my net over them; I will pull them down like the birds in thesky. When I hear them flocking together, I will catch them.13 Woe to them, because they have strayed from me! Destruction to them, because they have rebelled against me! I long to redeem them but they speak about me falsely.14 They do not cry out to me from their hearts but wail on their beds. They slashthemselves, [a] appealing to their gods for grain and new wine, but they turn away fromme.15 I trained them and strengthened their arms, but they plot evil against me.16 They do not turn to the Most High; they are like a faulty bow. Their leaders will fall bythe sword because of their insolent words. For this they will be ridiculed in the land of Egypt.SERMON:"Gusto ko untang ayohon ang mga taga-Israel. Apan ang akong makita kanila mao angilang [a] pagkadaotan. Nagapanglimbong sila, nagapangawat sa kabalayan, ugnagapanulis didto sa mga kadalanan. 2 Wala sila nakahunahuna nga gihinumdoman koang tanan nilang daotang buhat. Sa gihapon nagapos sila sa ilang mga sala ug nakitako kining tanan. 3 Gilipay nila ang ilang hari ug mga opisyal sa ilang kadaotan ugpagpamakak. 4 Maluibon [b] silang tanan. Sama sila sa labihan kainit nga pugon nga dilina kinahanglan sugnoran sa panadero—gikan sa pagmasa sa harina hangtod sapagtubo. 5 Sa adlaw [c] sa ilang [d] hari, gihubog nila ang mga opisyal niini. Ug ang harinakig-inom usab sa mga bugalbugalon. 6 Ug samtang nagapaduol sila aron sa pagpataysa hari ug sa iyang mga opisyal, sama sa pugon ang kainit sa ilang kasuko. Kay sadihang nagahulat pa lang sila sa takna sa ilang pagsulong, tibuok gabii silangnagpugong sa ilang kasuko, ug pagkabuntag midilaab kini sama sa kalayo. 7 Silangtanan daw nagdilaab sa kasuko sama sa mainit nga pugon, busa gipamatay nila angilang mga pangulo. Nalaglag ang tanan nilang mga hari, apan wala gayoy bisan usakanila nga nangayo ug tabang kanako.8 "Ang mga katawhan sa Israel [e] nakig-uban sa ubang mga nasod. Dili silamapuslan. Sama sila sa nipis nga pan nga wala mabali. [f] 9 Gikuha sa mga taga-laingnasod ang ilang katakos, apan wala sila makamatngon. Gituboan na silag uban apanwala sila makamatikod niini. 10 Ang ilang pagkamapahitas-on nagapamatuod nga angaysilang silotan. Apan bisan pa niining tanan nga nahitabo, wala gihapon sila mobalik ugmodangop kanako nga ilang Dios. 11 Sama sila sa salampati nga dali rang matunto ugwalay panabot. Didto hinuon sila sa Ehipto o sa Asiria mangayo ug tabang. 12 Apan inig-adto nila niining mga dapita, pugngan [g] ko sila. Mahisama sila sa langgam nga itsahanko ug pukot ug birahon paubos. Silotan ko sila sumala sa giingon ko na sa ilangpanagtigom. 13 Alaot sila tungod kay nagpahilayo sila kanako. Laglagon ko sila tungodkay mirebelde sila kanako. Buot ko silang luwason, apan nagsulti sila ug bakakmahitungod kanako. 14 Dili kinasingkasing ang ilang pagsangpit kanako. Nagminatayhinuon sila ug hilak diha sa ilang mga katre sa pagpangayo ngadto sa mga dios-dios ugmga lugas ug bino. Gisamaran nila ang ilang mga lawas, [h] ug nagpalayo silakanako. 15 Gidisiplina ko sila ug gilig-on, apan nagplano sila ug daotan batokkanako. 16 Midangop sila sa butang nga walay pulos. [i] Sama sila sa hiwi nga pana ngadili kasaligan. Mangamatay sa espada ang ilang mga pangulo tungod kay garbososilang manulti. Tungod niini biay-biayon sila sa mga tawo sa Ehipto."SERMON: BE WILLING TO BE RESTOREDGood evening Church! We are now on chapter 7 of Hosea and for us to understandwhat the Lord is trying to teach us tonight in His Word, let us picture this out. What doyou think of a person swimming in fresh water yet cry out because he is thirsty?Imagine ang tawo nga naglangoy sa tab-ang nga tubig pero naga syagit gihapon ngauhaw siya.What do you think that person should do to quench his thirst? Ano ang dapat niya ngabuhaton para maumpawan siya sa iyang kauhaw? Obviously, all that person should dois to simply open his mouth and drink the water that is readily available around him.Isn't it stupidity to cry out in thirst when you are swimming in fresh water? Isn't itfoolishness to be suffering when the solution to all your problems is just right before youbut you are just not willing to take it?This is what the Word on Hosea 7 is trying to teach us tonight. At the beginning of thepassage, God expresses His willingness to heal Israel from all its misery, but evenwhen He wants to heal Israel, all He could see were the sins of Israel. On the very firstsentence on Verse1 the Word says, 1 whenever I would heal Israel,the sins of Ephraim are exposed and the crimes of Samaria revealed.This tells us that God is always willing to save Israel, but God is also looking for areason to do that. Yet, all that God could see are the sins and crimes of Israel. Think ofthis, would you want to save a wicked person who is not willing to change? Why wouldyou save a wicked preson? So he could continue with his wickedness? Why would yousave a murderer? So he could continue to kill? God will not allow that.You see sometimes the reason that God doesn't grant us healing, because our healingwill only lead us to continue our wickedness. It is not an issue about God's power toheal and restore, but an issue of the heart. God is always willing to help us. God isalways willing to heal and deliver us, but most of the time, we are the ones who refusedto be healed.And so on the rest of the chapter, we could see that God enumerates the very reasonsthat instead of healing, God says he will bring destruction on Israel. That's why on verse12 the Word says13 Woe to them, because they have strayed from me! Destruction to them, because they have rebelled against me! I long to redeem them but they speak about me falsely.Now again, imagine yourself swimming in fresh water yet screaming in thirst, if youcontinue to be foolish and not drink the water, what do you think will happen to you?Even when you are surrounded by water, if you do not drink it, you will eventually die.Many of us come to church so we could hear the Word of God. Many of us come herehoping to find hope and that God would help us, but most of the time we are like thatperson swimming in fresh water yet still screaming of thirst.You see, when you come to church of course, you will hear the Word of God. Everytime we have worship service, Bible study, everyday you are being fed through ourWord to God, our pastors post numerous Bible Verses to inspire us, but if we ourselvesare unwilling to apply the Word into our lives, nothing will happen.Even if you come to church everyday, even if you read the Bible everyday, even if yousing worship songs everyday, if you do not do anything to apply the Word in your life,nothing will change.It is like going to the hospital or a clinic because you know you are sick and you needhelp, but after being diagnosed and given your prescription, and even if you are givenfree medicine, but if you did not take it, you will not get better. Dili ka maayo if indi nimopag imnon and imong medicine.Many of us, come to church, listen to the Word and ang uban magpasakay pa. Amen.Ame. pero pag abot sa situation, wala man gihapon gipangabuhi ang Pulong, ano angpulos? Daw giilad lang naton aton self. We are only fooling ourselves.That's why satan is not afraid of us reading the Bible, he himself knows the Bible fromstart to finish. But satan is afraid that we live in righteousness in accordance to what iswritten in the Bible. So do not be arrogant if you think you have read the Bible, but ifyou do not apply the Word into your life, then wala lang gihapon sang maayo naoutcome. You still be the same.Remember that the Word of God will direct us to live a righteous life, and most likely, ifour life is in a mess is because of the sinful life we live and we are only harvesting thefruit of our wickedness, so the best thing that we should do, is to seek God. And thefirst thing that God would require of us would be repentance. And true repentance wouldthen require us to live a life of transformation and this is what many of us are unwillingto do.It is easy to listen to the Word of God, but when it comes to living it, many cannotsurrender. Many cannot surrender because we enjoy the very sins that wound us.That's why many Christians are half-baked. Just like what the Word is telling us tonight.8 "Ephraim mixes with the nations; Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over. We are like aflat loaf not turned over. A bread not fully baked. If we do not turn over, then we are ofno good. Sino man ganahan magkaon sang tinapay nga di naluto? Half-baked lang.Many Christians are half-baked. Half-Christian, half-worldly just like Ephraim mixes withthe world. The Lord calls us to separate ourselves from the world, but if we still enjoythe things of this world, then we are living a life of compromise. Dili genuine and atonpagka Christian that's why even when we already accepted Jesus Christ, there is littledevelopment sa aton life. Di naton ma fully access ang mga promises sa Ginuo saIyang Word, kay di man kita fully surrendered na magsunod sa Iya mga rebukes andcorrections, as well as His instructions.At times when we are having a hard time, we call out to God, but many of us are notsincere in praying to God. Many of us call to God but unwilling to repent from the thingsthat separate us from God. That's why God cannot help us. Not because he doesn'thave the power to. Not because God is not willing to, but because WE AREUNWILLING.God is always ready to heal. His arm is not short to save us, but most of the time, weare the ones who are not willing to take His hand so God can pull us out of our miseries.In today's Word, the whole chapter of Hosea 7 tells about God's willingness to healIsrael. Gusto sa Ginuo na ayuhon ang mga taga Israel. However, God is looking for areason to help Israel out of their misery but here on chapter 7 God says all that He seesare the sins of Israel.Many of us want God's help but we are not willing to repent. We are not giving God thereason to heal us. We are not giving God the chance to show His power over our lives.We are not willing to drink the Living Water that is the Word of God so that we would behealed, delivered and restored.2 timothy 3:16 says that All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful forteaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, and the reason for thiscorrection, rebuke and training is that as servants of God, we will be thoroughlyequipped for every good work because God cannot use a dirty vessel.It means brothers and sisters, if we want to be healed, if we want to be delivered, if wewant to be restored, if we want to be of good use to God, we must be willing to repentand live in accordance to what the Word of God is saying.It is not enough that we only listen to the Word. We HAVE to live out the Word. For Godnothing is impossible.