GOD'S PASSIONATE PLEA
Sunday (10/02), we continue the series in the book of Hosea (4:1-19). After Hosea experienced the heartache of betrayal due to his wife returning to a life of prostitution, he began to write to warn and plead with God’s apostate people. He now had first-hand experience of God’s broken heart and was fully aware of the judgment that awaited Israel if they refused to turn from their wicked ways. So, he meticulously and methodically laid out a legal case against them.
For their part, Israel refused to hear Hosea’s warnings and the other prophets that God had sent them. Why would they? Life was good; their King (Jeroboam II) had increased their lands, secured their safety from invading armies, and orchestrated a booming economy, thus making them one of the preeminent nations among their surrounding neighbors.
What Israel didn’t realize, and what Hosea was attempting to warn them of, is that first, the only reason they prospered was God’s unlimited grace and mercy (2 Kings 14:23-29). And second, they were less than forty years from the Assyrian invasion that would destroy their nation and take many of them into captivity (2 Kings 17:5-41).
Today, the church lives within the boundaries of a nation that has turned its back on God. It seems that anything that is said is drowned out by the prevailing winds of a culture that is Anti-God and Anti-Christ. And it is for that reason that the church must rise and be that clarion voice that calls our beloved nation to repent and place their trust in a loving, holy, and righteous God. Letting everyone know there will be a day when each one will stand before God to give an account of their life. And that the only way for them to escape is to turn to the One who, in His mercy, will grant them everlasting life.
I look forward to our time together. Please pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the entire Calvary Chapel family.
There are several opportunities for worship. On-campus (10:00 am), drive-in church (92.1fm), and online (Facebook and YouTube: Calvary Inverness)
In His Strong Love,
Pastor