Lessons From Hosea
Hosea 1:2 (12/5/13)
December 5, 2013 • Benham Brothers
God had to "make" Hosea the message before he could speak the message Before God does something THROUGH you He wants to do something IN you He didn't want Hosea to just speak the word, He wanted him to live it first Hosea 2 was God's message - "Israel has cheated on me and I will punish her, but then I'll take her back!" Hosea 3 - God now tells Hosea to "do" the very thing He was going to do for Israel - take his adultrous wife back! Rev 12 - 3 ways to overcome the devil: 1) Blood of Lamb 2) Word of Testimony 3) Not loving your life A testimony is powerful! It's a first-hand experience of God working in and through you God gave Hosea a testimony before He gave him a message The question is - do you have a testimony? Often times it's a choice
Hosea 2:2 (12/6/18)
December 6, 2018 • Benham Brothers
* God rebukes his people for three things. * These same three things will rip apart a marriage, as it did Hosea’s: * 1) Idolatry - competing affections. * God must be #1 in your life or you violate the law of priority. * 2) Ingratitude - this is received as rejection. * Ingratitude separates those who should be joined together. * 3) Hypocrisy - they said one thing but did another. * You cannot live a secret life.
Hosea 2:14 (12/7/17)
December 7, 2017 • Benham Brothers
* This is a great verse for men who’ve lost their loving feeling for theirs wives. * Allure - the quality of being powerfully and mysteriously attractive or fascinating. * In dating attraction leads to affection. * Then we get married and things will inevitably change as real life hits. * But in marriage it’s reversed - affection leads to attraction. * Affection - a bent of mind toward a particular object. * Affection takes place in the mind first. * Matthew 6:21 - Jesus tells us where our treasure is there our hearts will be also. * Our hearts will go where our minds take them. * Our attraction will go where our affection takes it. * Hosea 2:14 shows us this - even though the Israelites had cheated on God, He was going to win them back through the power of allure. * God would “speak tenderly” to her (affection) and this would win her back (attraction). * So do you want to be mysteriously and powerfully attractive to your spouse again? * Then be proactively affectionate even if you don’t want to, and just watch what happens.
Hosea 3:1-2 (12/7/17)
December 7, 2017 • Benham Brothers
* The essential element of love is sacrifice. * What you’re willing to sacrifice for those you say you love shows whether you really love them. * God “sacrificed” His own Son for us. * If the essential element of love is sacrifice then the essential element of sacrifice is surrender. * When it comes to covenant relationships, the surrender must be EVERYTHING. * You don’t really love God unless you’re willing to sacrifice everything. * Hosea 3:1-2 - Hosea was willing to sacrifice his career, reputation, money….everything. * The same is true in your marriage and family. * Once we surrender to Him then our lives become “living sacrifices” where we experience God’s love and express it to others! * Sacrifice sets the stage for us to experience God’s love, then surrender allows us to express it. * His love comes to us and then through us!
Hosea 4:2 (12/3/15)
December 3, 2015 • Benham Brothers
• Matthew Henry - “sin is a violent thing and when it breaks out blood will touch blood - murders touch murders. An abundance of murders will be committed in all parts of the country in a constant series and succession.” • 1973 - Roe vs Wade legalized bloodshed. • Innocent blood brings guilt to a nation. • 42 after Roe vs Wade, what's happening in America? • This is the same as what happened in Moses' day. • Ezekiel 35:6 - because they didn’t hate bloodshed, it pursued them. • Pharoah killed the babies and 80 years later God filled the Nile River with blood. • Because our nation doesn't hate bloodshed it's now pursuing us. • God is speaking - are we listening? • Amos 4 - bloodshed continued because they did not return to God. • If we return to Him and repent, as a church, He will hear, forgive, heal our land (2 Chron 7:14). • Genesis 6:11 - when God is removed violence fills the void. • When wickedness becomes general violence is not far off (Matthew Henry). • Hebrews 12:23 - Abel’s blood cries out vengeance, but Christ’s blood speaks a better word - He covers all sin and brings forgiveness.
Hosea 4:6, 10-12 & 5:4 (12/5/13)
December 5, 2013 • Benham Brothers
KNOW - Joseph didn't "know" Mary until after Jesus was born - this was personal physical intimacy Knowing is "experiencing" Him - it consumes the whole person (all 5 senses). It doesn't just engage the brain Westerners tend to view Scripture in terms of information, but Jews tend to view it in terms of Experience! The goal is to KNOW God, to have pure "unadulterated" intimacy with Him When God's seed takes root in us His life explodes in us! The devil doesn't want this - so he is attacking How is he attacking? By a spirit of prostitution A prostitute is someone who is "intimate" with someone who is not hers A prostitute reveals knowledge of herself to anyone who will pay for it A prostitute values the wrong thing - she gives up her most prized posession for temporary gain As an individual we are a child, as a group we are the church - the church is God's bride Satan wants the church to cheat Hosea 6:3 - Press on to KNOW Anything that we value more than God is a spirit of harltotry in us God won't stand for this because He's a jealous God If we prize anything other than God He will withdraw Himself from us We must press on to KNOW Him What's the result when we do this? The same thing that happens when it rains - LIFE explodes! Growth takes place How are we intimate? Time spent with him, communicating, enjoying, resting, etc. Phil 3:7 - "I press on to KNOW Christ"
Hosea 4:9 (12/6/18)
December 6, 2018 • Benham Brothers
* “And it will be: Like people, like priests.” * This is supposed to be the other way around. * The priests were to lead and influence the people to be more like them. * But these priests were not leading and they were allowing the people to influence them. * Their goal was to become more like the people. * Why? * I think it’s the same reason we see it happening today - they focus on relevance and lose sight of reverence. * They desire to be attractive to win people over. * But the result is they end up blending in with the very crowd they’re supposed to be setting an example for. * We are all priests today and we should stand out like a chocolate chip in the cookie dough of culture.
Hosea 7:8 (12/7/17)
December 7, 2017 • Benham Brothers
* Israel was the opposite of being a chocolate chip - they were like the flour that blended in with the other ingredients. * Chocolate chips don’t blend, they just mix. * They keep their form even when the heat turns up. * Because Israel blended God punished them. * Holiness means to be set apart. * There has to be something about us that makes us stand out from the rest of the world. * Otherwise we become just like Israel.
Hosea 7:10 (12/6/18)
December 6, 2018 • Benham Brothers
* Israel’s pride was proof there was evil in their heart. * Pride always points to a sin that’s deeper than what we see on the outside. * The sin of pride testifies against us. * Everyone can see what we’re struggling with when we talk about ourselves.