Please turn in your copies of God's word to Hosea chapter 14. Hosea chapter 14. And we come now to the end of this great prophecy which Jehovah gave to the people of Israel. And what we see here is the culmination of it all. This is the last great movement in that cycle, which we have seen throughout this book. In chapter 12, we began the final cycle with the Lord condemning the wicked practices of Israel. And then in chapter 13, we saw His judgments being pronounced upon them for their sin. But here in chapter 14, we see that Jehovah still offers the hope of salvation to all who would turn to him. So with that in mind, please give your attention to the reading of God's word from Hosea chapter 14, and we'll be considering the whole of the chapter this afternoon. Oh Israel, return unto the Lord thy God. for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words and turn to the Lord. Say unto him, take away all iniquity and receive us graciously. So will we render the calves of our lips. Asher shall not save us. We will not ride upon horses. Neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, ye are our gods, for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for mine anger is turned away from him. I will be as the dew unto Israel, He shall grow as the lily and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread and his beauty shall be as the olive tree and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall return and they shall revive as the corn and grow as the vine. The scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim shall say, what have I to do anymore with idols? I have heard him and observed him. I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found. Who is wise and he shall understand these things. Prudent and he shall know them. For the ways of the Lord are right. and the just shall walk in them, but the transgressors shall fall therein. Amen. May God add a blessing to the reading of his word. Let us go to him once again in prayer. Heavenly Father, we come before thee, and we come now to thy word. that perfect, holy, providentially preserved word. And as we have spent many weeks thinking upon the dark nature of this prophecy, the death and destruction that comes from those who are lost in their sins and iniquities. As we have spent much time meditating upon those truths, we have only seen glimpses of the hope that is found in Christ. And Lord, today we come to see not just a glimpse, but the beauty of it in full measure. So we ask, Lord, that we would behold Christ in this text. that we would behold thy mercies, thy goodness, thy grace, and that it would drive us to greater love and devotion for thee. O Lord, this is a beautiful, beautiful prophecy. Let us never lose sight of this chapter, that in thee is found hope. So Lord, we ask that thou would speak this word of hope to us through the words of thy servant this day. Use thy minister to proclaim thy truths to us and open our hearts to receive it with gladness and joy. Oh Lord, let this transform us as we leave from this place. Father, bless our preaching. And we ask this in Christ's name, amen. Hosea preaches this last sermon to Israel very likely after they had already begun being brought into captivity by the Assyrians. Remember that this book is not one continuous prophecy, but it's a compiled recording of as many pleadings with Israel prior to their destruction for their sins. This prophecy likely spanned some 80 years of Hosea's life, meaning that the prophet spent nearly all of his life pleading with his fellow countrymen to repent. and it ended with them being destroyed and led away into captivity. This may not seem like a successful ministry. This may not seem like what we would think should have resulted from 80 years of faithful gospel preaching. But this is precisely what the Lord had ordained for this nation. And He used the words of this prophecy precisely for His purpose. Let this sink in. For 80 years, the Lord had stretched forth His hand stretching it forth to His covenant people, calling upon them to repent and turn to Him, warning them of the destruction that awaited them. What a marvelous picture we have of the long-suffering nature of God. He promises time and time again that if they would just return unto Him, that He would save them. He would protect them. He would provide for them. So now we come to this final chapter. We see once again the same merciful, gracious, and long-suffering God calling out to His people, showing forth His great love for them. Friends, if you feel condemned by God because of your sins, or if you feel that you're so desperate from His love that you wonder how you can find your way back, then this chapter gives you words for coming back home to God and laying hold of that great hope that's found in Him. So this will be our theme this morning, that great hope found in God, or this afternoon. And we will consider this theme in three ways. First, the call to repentance. Then the assurance of mercy. And finally, we'll look at some final remarks. We first see the call to repentance. Look at verse one. Oh Israel, return unto the Lord thy God, for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Jehovah is calling upon his people to return to him. to turn away from their idols, to turn away from their iniquities, to turn away from the path which they are on that leads to destruction, and to turn unto Him. This is what repentance is. Turning away from sin and turning unto the Lord. And notice the reason for this call to repentance. for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. This word that is translated as iniquity is not the common word for sin, neither is it the word that is often translated as transgression, but instead it's a word that highlights the perversity of their actions. It emphasizes that what the people had done was commit a moral evil. The Lord is particular in using this word to speak of the sins of Israel because they had committed perverse evils against him. Remember that the primary sin which Jehovah charged the people with was that of adultery, spiritual whoredom, spiritual adultery, spiritual perversity. And so it is that which he confronts here in this call to repentance. This is not what we've seen all throughout this prophecy and especially in the living parable of Hosea and Gomer and their marriage. People go off a whoring after strange lovers and their husband diligently seeks them out and purchases them from the slave auction block, calling them to return unto him and bringing them back home and putting them in right relation with him. Friends, that is the primary theme and story of this prophecy. Yes, it's intended to confront the wickedness of the people. Yes, it is intended to show that there is a judgment which awaits them for their rebellion against the Lord. Yes, it is intended to tell forth that great destruction which will come upon Israel by the Assyrians. But most importantly, this prophecy is intended to show that even when man is given over to perversity and wickedness, even when a man is fully entrapped in the bondage to sin, even when judgment and destruction are imminent, the Lord still lovingly issues forth this call to return to Him. Friends, what we see here in this call to repentance is the first step in repentance, admitting your iniquity against the Lord. The path of repentance begins by admitting that the misery that you have suffered has been caused by your own sins and iniquities. The way of transgression once seemed to you to be a direct route to success, but you soon found that it produced a dead end. You must see the heinousness of your sins and iniquities against the Lord. You must see the evil of it. that you have fallen by your iniquity, you must recognize that because of your iniquities, you deserve utter destruction in the torments of hell. John Calvin writes, Unless then men become displeased with themselves and acknowledge that they are worthy of perdition, they will never be touched by a genuine feeling of penitence. I ask you, friends, do you see the weight, the gravity of your sins against the Lord? Do you recognize how truly heinous your iniquities are? Far too many people think that the little sins that they commit every day are no big deal. That they aren't the iniquity that's spoken of here. Make no mistake. There is no such thing as a little sin in the eyes of God. Whenever children tell their parents a lie or every time they hit each other or every time that they're disrespectful to one another, those are sins against God and they must repent of them. And every time you utter a curse word while you're in traffic, or every time that you tell a little white lie, or every time that your eyes linger where they should not, and even every time you don't give unto God that which He has required of you, those sins against you, and you must repent of them. You must turn away from them and turn to the Lord. Our society is too comfortable with the small sins. And I fear that we as the church are too comfortable with the small sins. You must repent and turn to the Lord. And when you repent, you must admit your guilt before the Lord, recognizing that you don't deserve any of his mercy or forgiveness. Simply returning unto him because in him is forgiveness and life. We see here in our text that Jehovah instructs his people in his call to repentance. Look at verses two and three. Take with you words and turn to the Lord. Say unto him, take away all iniquity and receive us graciously. So will we render the calves of our lips. Asher shall not save us. We will not ride upon horses. Neither will we say any more to the work of our hands. Ye are our gods. For in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. Notice here that it is the Lord who gives his people the words of repentance. He tells them exactly how they are to repent, how this repentance is to take shape What comfort this is, brothers and sisters, that even when you may not know what to say to God, even when you may be at a loss for words in your sorrow over sin, Jehovah provides you with even the very form in which you are to repent. You have no reason to fear saying the wrong thing because He is the one who gives you the words to say. And the first thing you must say is, take away all iniquity and receive us graciously. You must cry out to God, confessing your sins to Him and pleading with Him to take away your sins. and to receive you in His grace. And He will do that. He will do that which you ask Him to do when you come to Him in faith and repentance. This is His promise in 1 John 1, 9. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And notice that he will not just take away some of your iniquity, he will take away all of it. He will forgive you of your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. When you realize your iniquity and you pray to God, the only place to begin is with an appeal to his sovereign mercy and grace. Calvin beautifully comments, it is then the beginning of love when he cleanses us from our vices and wipes away our spots. Friends, the Lord Jesus Christ stands ready this very day to take away all of your sins and iniquity. And in this call to repentance, there is a change which takes place in the heart of one who returns to the Lord. So we will render the calves of our lips. Asher shall not save us. We will not ride upon horses. Neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, ye are our gods. For in thee, the fatherless findeth mercy. no longer will they put their hope and trust in Assyria, but now they'll put their hope and trust in the Lord. This is a great example here of repenting of particular sins, particularly. Remember, they had put their trust in foreign entities, in Assyria, in Egypt, but now they will no longer do that. Instead, they will put their hope and trust and the Lord. And remember that great sin which Israel committed against Jehovah. Idolatry. Giving the worship that is due the Lord unto false gods. Here we see that in their repentance, they would no longer worship those false gods. They would no longer sacrifice unto idols. They would no longer call those things that they created with their own hands their gods, but instead they would devote themselves to worshiping the Lord. It says they will render the calves of their lips. It's the praise of God that they will render unto Him. This is that same act of repentance that we see of in David in Psalm 51, chapter, verse. 14 to 17. Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise, for thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it. Thou delightest not in burnt offering, The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart. O God, thou wilt not despise. Remember that Jehovah desires not the blood of bulls and goats, but the sacrifice of praise. Hebrews 13, 15, by him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. Dear saints, when you realize that the Lord has forgiven you of all of your sins and iniquities in Christ Jesus, should it not be natural that you praise him for it? Praise and worship of your Savior must be your heart's response to the forgiveness that is found in Him. If you truly understand what your iniquity is and how it has offended the Lord, then you must praise Him when He shows His mercy and His grace in forgiving you. Friends, you must heed this call to repentance. Following that call to repentance, we see the assurance of mercy. Look with me at verses four to seven. I will heal their backsliding. I will love them freely, for mine anger is turned away from them. I will be as the dew unto Israel. He shall grow as the lily and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread and his beauty shall be as the olive tree and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall return. They shall revive as the corn and grow as the vine. The scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. These are some of the most beautiful words found in all of scripture. These are the words of the Lord to all those who would come to Him in faith and repentance. This is His promise to you, that He will heal you, that He will love you, that He will turn His anger away from you. Oh, what a glorious promise this is. He promises. to not just heal the effects of your sin, but your very sin itself. The backsliding which has caused you to descend into the depths of iniquity will be healed and you will no longer be in those depths. And he will love you freely. That He loves you freely means that He loves you of His own will, of His own heart, despite what you have done or what you deserve. He will not love you in response to your love. He will love you in spite of your rebellion. What he's saying here is that there is nothing lovely found within you, but he still chooses to love you. His love to you is free. There is nothing that you could ever bring to him or do for him that would cause him to love you any more than he already does. This is the gospel of the free grace. that you can come to Him and buy without money and without price, that He will love you even when you have nothing to offer Him, that He will save even the most vile and wretched sinner. Richard Phillips says he is the husband whose devotion never burns out and who is ready to restore the fullness of his love as soon as his wayward bride returns, even when it was he who paid the price. He will not love you reluctantly or reservedly or resentfully because of your sins. And His love for you is the only grounds for His promise that His anger is turned away from you. Friends, this is the gospel. His anger is turned away from you in His love for you. but we know that Jehovah's anger and wrath must be poured out upon sin. So if it's been turned away from you, where has it been poured out on? It's been poured out upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Why was Jesus sent into this world? Because of God's love for you. John 3.16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting. Christ came into the world to bear the wrath of God on your behalf. He is the one who took upon himself the anger of the Father for your sins. Isaiah 53 verses four and five. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. Do you see the sheer grace that's found in this text. Jehovah loved you really, such that he turned his anger from you and poured it out upon his own son. That's the core of the gospel. And so I ask you, dear friends, do you believe that? Do you see the grace of God put on display in this passage? Have you come unto Christ in faith and repentance, turning away from your sins and iniquities and turning unto Him? Putting aside any vain devotion that you had for the idols of this world and committing yourself wholly to worshiping the Lord? Have you had the anger of God turned away from you, knowing that it has been poured out on Christ Jesus, who drank the cup of God's wrath to the bitter dregs? And if you haven't, then the question remains, why not? What is stopping you this day from crying out to the Lord in repentance and receiving the grace which He promises to you? Do not let this moment pass. Return unto the Lord today and you will be healed. Return unto the Lord today and you will be loved. Return unto the Lord today and you will be saved. And here in this assurance of mercy, there is a promise of blessings which come only from God. I will be as the dew upon Israel and shall grow and he shall grow as the lily and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread and his beauty shall be as the olive tree and the smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall return. They shall revive as the corn and grow as the vine. The scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. There's found here a particular fulfillment of these blessings when the Lord brought back his elect from their captivity. being restored unto right relationship through Jesus Christ. But the ultimate fulfillment of these words is not limited to the nation of Israel. It extends to all people. Just as death brought sin to you, so too will the grace of God and repentance and faith bring life to you. The Lord will be your nourishment as the dew which falls upon the dry ground, causing plants to spring to life. You will grow as the lily, beautiful and pure, arrayed in all its splendor. But the lily is a plant that springs forth, but it's lacking stability. And this is why he adds that your roots will be as Lebanon. Speaking of the mighty cedars of Lebanon, which have their expansive and deep root systems. Matthew Henry comments, the lily indeed grows fast and grows fine, but it soon fades and is easily plucked up. And therefore, is there promise to Israel that with the favor of the lily, he shall have the root of the cedar? And your branches will spread abroad. reaching to the farthest places, pointing others toward the tree of life, which is Christ Jesus. You'll be as the olive tree, that tree which never loses its leaves and is plenteous in its fruit, and the sweet smell of Christ will radiate from you. This is what is yours if you repent and return to the Lord. This grace and the mercy and blessing is yours in Christ Jesus to lay hold of. What a beautiful picture this is. And what a glorious promise we are given that we can have this assurance of mercy. And then Hosea concludes this prophecy with some final remarks. Ephraim shall say, what have I to do anymore with idols? I have heard him and observed him. I am like a green fir tree, from me is thy fruit found. Who is wise and he shall understand these things. Prudent and he shall know them, for the ways of the Lord are right. and the just shall walk in them, but the transgressors shall fall therein. Here we see the final interaction between Ephraim and Jehovah. Ephraim's final words are, what have I to do anymore with idols? They've seen the folly of their ways. They've seen how their devotion to false gods has done nothing for them but incur the wrath of God. They've seen how wicked and abominable their practices have been. And they say in their repentance that they will have nothing more to do with such evils. And Jehovah responds to this. final word from Ephraim and he says, I have heard them and observed them. I am like a green fir tree, from me is thy fruit found. Calvin writes, but the prophet means no other thing than that the Israelites will be happy and that their condition will be prosperous and joyful when they shall be converted from their superstitions and other vices and shall wholly surrender themselves to be governed by God. Friends, just as the way of salvation for Hosea's adulterous wife, Gomer, led and passed that brought her back to her husband, so also for God's sinful people, the way back to the blessing of Eden and the fruit of the tree of life is found at the cross of Christ and leads us into the faithful arms of our ever-loving God. Jehovah promises to all who will return to him that he will be both a delight and a defense. Under his protection and influence, all may dwell in safety and ease, enjoying his bountiful fruits. And then this last verse is not just for Israel, it is for all who would take up this book of prophecy and learn from it. who is wise and he shall understand these things, prudent and he shall know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them, but the transgressors shall fall therein. The Lord is challenging you in this verse. whether or not you have understood the message and the meaning of this prophecy. Your wisdom is found when you understand the message of this book properly. Those who are wise, those who have taken this prophecy to heart and heeded its words, recognize that the ways of the Lord are right, and commit themselves to walk in them. This was the promise with unrepentant Israel. This was their foolishness. They had refused to acknowledge that the ways of the Lord were right. They continually sought to live by their own ways, thinking that they knew better than the Lord. But the wise see this and they recognize it. That's what we sing of in Psalm 1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. that bringeth forth his fruit in his season, his leaf also shall not wither, whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Foolish, they don't understand these things. Foolish do not grasp the meaning of this properly. They don't see the wisdom and obedience to the Lord. They don't see that His ways are right, and so they fall in them. This is what we sing of in the latter half of Psalm 1. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous, for the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous. The way of the ungodly shall perish. Friends, have you found the wisdom contained in this book? Have you come to see that the love of God is not merely some feeling like the love of man which waxes and wanes depending on the situation, but that it is an everlasting fidelity that is found in Him? Have you found the wisdom in this prophecy which recognizes that the ways of the Lord are right? And so you commit yourself to walk in them. Christ Jesus says that if you love him, you will keep his commandments. If you would just recognize this, turning away from your idols, turning away from your selfish ambitions, turning away from your desires and turn to God, you will be given this wisdom from above. This is the message and the meaning of this prophecy. But if you're unwise, if you're not understanding the message of this prophecy, then you will be numbered among the transgressors. and you will fall therein. You will end up as the unrepentant of Israel, destroyed for a lack of knowledge. Do not let this be you. Hear the words of this prophecy. See the work of the Lord. Hear His call to repentance and come and return unto Him. Brothers and sisters, this prophecy comes to an end with a plea to look at the glory and grace of our Lord and Savior. He calls you to repent of your sins and iniquities and turn unto Him. He calls upon you to put aside all your idols, to put aside all those things which you are trusting in and to devote yourself wholly to Him. He comforts you with his sure promises of mercy and blessing. He will bring life to those who are dead. He will bring healing to those who are broken. He will show love to those who are unlovable. He will show mercy to those who deserve wrath. He will call you to spring forth as a beautiful new creation, pure and holy. And you will be able to say with Ephraim, what have I to do anymore with idols? The sins which once ensnared you will not hold a place in your life any longer. Friends, if you're wise, if you're prudent, then you will hear this prophecy and you will be brought low in humble repentance before the Lord. You will hear what he has commanded to you this day and you will seek to walk in his ways. This prophecy is one of judgment for sin and the destruction that awaits those who remain in their sin. This prophecy is also one of hope that is extended to every sinner if they would only come to Christ. I started this series by saying that I believe what we have here is the clearest representation of the gospel in the Old Testament. And I pray that you've been able to see that as well. I pray that you have seen the comfort in the midst of affliction, the mercy shown to the undeserving, the grace offered in Christ Jesus, and the love shown to the unlovable. Friends, this is your God. He is the one who will love you freely. Amen. Heavenly Father, as we come before Thee, we recognize all of these great truths which Thou hast given us in Thy Word in this prophecy of Hosea. Lord, while we may not understand every detail, while we may not grasp every nuance, What we can do, what we must do, is understand the meaning and the message of this prophecy. And no matter what, no matter how far gone you think you may be, there is hope found in Christ Jesus. O Lord, we pray that this gospel message will implant itself deep in our hearts so that we will learn to love it more and more day by day. We thank Thee, O Lord, that Thou hast given us the pattern for repentance so that we can heed Thy call to repent and we can do so not worrying about what we will say, but simply trusting in Christ who has said it all. And Lord, we marvel at thy love and thy mercy. What an amazing love it is that thou wouldst send thy Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to die for a sinner like me. O Lord, we are pleased in thy goodness and thy mercy. Let us never forget. Let us be wise. Be thy ways are right. and to seek to keep our feet firmly planted along that path of righteousness, that we would not fall to the wayside and get ensnared by the schemes of the devil. Oh Lord, keep us on the straight and narrow as we walk alongside of the advancing towards that end in glory. Father, we ask thy blessing would be upon us as we continue to worship and serve thee this day. And let thy spirit pour out his blessings upon us now. We pray this in Christ's name, amen.