This is the Truth Network. Welcome to the broadcast ministry of Finding Purpose with Russ Andrews, where we seek to glorify God by making Him known and guiding others towards their true purpose in life. No one is here by chance. God put us here for a reason. And the most important thing we can do is discover his plan for us and commit ourselves to it.
Keep listening as we learn from the Bible how to live wisely in God's world. which is the first step towards finding your purpose.
Okay, take your Bibles and turn to Hosea chapter 6. And as much as I would like to cover chapter 6, verse 4 all the way to chapter 7, verse 2, I'm only going to cover three verses tonight. And the reason is because if I covered the rest of them, we'd be here for a couple of hours.
So we're going to look at Hosea chapter 6, verses 4 through 6.
Well, the song that we just sang, Prone to Wander, was written by Robert Robertson in 1758. Come thou found of every blessing. He pinned the words to this now famous hymn. Because he was describing his own personal experience. In his relationship with God.
He loved the Lord, however, he found himself often wandering away from him. And I love the third stanza, which says, O to grace how great a debtor Daily I'm constrained to be. Let thy grace, Lord, like a fetter Bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it. seal it for thy courts above. Notice what he says. Bind my heart, Lord, like a fetter. Do you know what a fetter is?
Shackles. It refers to a chain or shackles that are used to restrain a prisoner. See, Robertson knew how prone he was to spiritually wander away from God.
So he prayed to the Lord to bind or secure his heart that would prevent him from straying or wandering away from God. Do y'all need that? I do. Do you find yourself often wandering away from the Lord? Sadly.
This has been my personal experience way too often. And this is why I pray just as Robertson did, Lord. And I'm serious, man, this is what I pray. I pray, Lord, bind my wandering heart to Thee. Here's my heart, Lord.
Take and seal it. In other words, put shackles on my hearts to prevent me from wandering away from you. Is that the desire of your heart? That's the desire of my heart.
Some of you know that I went through a difficult year back in 2003. You've heard me, 23, you've heard me share this when I experienced a battle of depression that I never thought would happen in my life. I've never been melancholy. But I really looking back I actually think God caused it. You say, why would God do that?
Well, I think he caused it because it was his way of binding my heart to him to keep me from wandering. It was during that dark time that the Lord spoke this wonderful verse to me, which I've shared, I think, here on Tuesday night before. It comes from 1 Peter. Chapter 5, verses 10 and 11. My wife and I read through this book like a river, and this verse was in there.
And when my wife read it, she said, I believe this verse is for you. And when I read it, I felt the same way. It's like, you know, God lifts a verse off the page. And he speaks to you. Have you experienced that?
That's how you come to know him. Here's what he said to Russ Andrews in the dark period of the summer of 2023. And the God of all grace. Who called you to his eternal glory in Christ? And he called me to his eternal glory when I was about nine or ten years of age.
After you have suffered a little while, by the way, that depression lasted for 12 months. But you know Went by like that. It was a little while. He says, Will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. To him be the power forever and ever.
Amen. I believe that God has sealed my heart then. to keep me from wandering away from him. Do you need that? I would ask you to get on your knees tonight.
and ask him to bind your heart to his heart. To keep you Walking in obedience to him because that's where you'll experience joy and peace. It took me a long time to learn this truth.
Well tonight, as we look at Hosea. If any group of people were prone to wander from God, it was which group of people? The Israelites. And so, from these three verses, I want to answer five questions. And here's the first question I want to answer: What is God like?
Well, look at the first half of verse 4. What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? See, God, in essence, is throwing up his arms in frustration. With the Israelites.
He's disgusted with them. He's basically saying, what else must I do after all that I've done? for the benefit of you Israelites. Over the past 230 plus years, from the time of Jeroboam, remember him? Right after Solomon, Jeroboam became the first king, all the way down to the time of Hosea, had been 230 years.
God had been reaching out to them. Remember from chapter one that God instructed Hosea to go out and find a prostitute and do what? Marry her. And that's what he did. He married Gomer.
And then what did Gomer proceed to do? She left him for another man. Garba was an unfaithful adulteress. She failed to even acknowledge Hosea as her husband. She wandered away from him to pursue other lovers.
So, what did God tell Joseph to do? To hater? To let her go all the way? No, what did he do? Look, in chapter 3, verse 1, the Lord says to Hosea, Go, show your love to your wife.
Again. Though she is loved by another and is an adulteress, love her as the Lord loves the Israelites. though they turn to other gods. What do we learn from God about this?
Well, we learn two incredible qualities of God first. God, listen, man. God loves us more than we will ever know. Did you know that? Meant he loves you.
More than you will ever know. You can't even fathom how great his love is. In fact, Paul tries to describe it in Ephesians chapter 3, verses 17 through 19. And I pray that you. He's talking to the believers in Ephesus, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
When I think about the width of God's love, I think of Jesus with his arms spread out on the cross, saying, Come to me, all who will. When I think about how long his love is, it refers to his patience. He's long-suffering. When I think about how high his love is, that's the high cost that he paid so that you could be sitting here tonight and know you're going to heaven. When I think about how.
Deep our sin is. It doesn't matter how deep you sunk into sin. His arm will reach down and pull you up and rescue you. That's how deep his love is. Not only does God love us beyond our understanding, But God is also patient with us beyond our understanding.
2 Peter 3:9 says, God is patient with you, not in wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to what? Repentance. God has been so patient with me. It's ridiculous. When I think about all the wanderings and ups and downs and turns down the wide road that I've made.
since I was 10, it's amazing. It's amazing that I'm standing here tonight. Preaching his word. You know what it shows? It shows that God is willing to use a sinner.
Has God been patient with you? Why is he so patient with us? Do you know why? he understands us. He understands that we are nothing more than dust.
Did you know that? He understands how weak and frail we are in our flesh. In Psalm 103, 13 and 14, David writes: As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. For he knows how we are formed. He remembers that we are dust.
Remember, he made Adam, he made the first man from the dust of the ground. And then he breathed life into his nostrils and he became a living soul. I was in Charlottesville this weekend and I heard this amazing preacher by the name of Josh Miller. And he was actually preaching on Genesis chapter 2 about biblical manhood. But he talked about how that when God created Adam And he breathed life into his nostrils.
The first thing Adam saw when he opened his eyes was who? God. It's a picture of the fact God wanted Adam to know him. And God wants us to know him. How do you get to know him?
You study God's Word. And you pray.
So, this is what God is like. He's loving and he's patient. He's long-suffering. So, what are we like? Look at verse 4, the second half.
Your love, my love, is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears. Our love for the Lord is fleeting. We're all prone to wander. Would you agree with that? Why are we so prone to wonder?
I'll tell you why, because we're so sinful. Our flesh is consumed with sinful desires. And we just want to do What we want to do When do we want to do it? You want to who know who came up with that quote? Me.
Isn't that the way we are? We just want to do what we want to do when we want to do it. That's the way I lived my life during college. I got up and decided what I want to do. And I did it.
When I want to do it.
Now, look at turn with me to 2 Chronicles chapter 24. I want us to look at King Joash. Mike, we'll get into this, but did you know that the Messiah was promised to come from the line of David? And the line was almost broken. Did y'all know that?
Remember, Jezebel was killing off all of the prophets and the people. And one of his descendants was saved. And it was Joash. But that's not what this is about. Joash began so well that but sadly, like so many Christians, He did not end well.
Look at verse one. Y'all with me? Second Chronicles chapter 24. Verse 1. Joash was seven years old when he became king of Judah, and he reigned for 40 years.
Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. All the years Jehorah the priest was with him. That's the key. Look at verse 17. After the death of Jehorah, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them.
Do you think that was the right thing to do? That was a big mistake. Who should he have listened to? God. But who was he listening to?
He was listening to men. He was listening to the wisdom of mankind. Look at what happens next in verse 18. They, these leaders, abandoned the temple of the Lord and worshiped idols. Because of their guilt, God's anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem.
Verse 19: Although the Lord sent prophets to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, They would not listen. Are people like that today? I've never seen so many people that just refuse. To come and pick up this book and read it, they just do not want to hear it. In Romans 1, it says they suppress the truth.
Do you know people like that? Verse 20. Then the Spirit of God came upon Zachariah. Who was the son of who? Jehorah.
The priest, he stood before the people and said, This is what God says. Why do you disobey the Lord's commands? You will not prosper because you have forsaken the Lord, He has forsaken you. You think we need some Jehoras alive today, some Zacharias? Remember Hosea chapter 5, verse 6?
It's describing Israel's relationship with God. When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord, in other words, when they came to these false idols to worship God, they did not find him. Why? Because he had withdrawn himself from them. That's the same thing that's happening now to the Judaites.
Look at verse 21. But they, the leaders, plotted against him, that is, against Zachariah. And by order of the king, They stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord's temple. In other words, they murdered him because Joash commanded it. King Joash did not remember the kindness Zachariah's father Jehorah had shown him, but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, May the Lord see this and call you to account.
Now look at verse 23. At the turn of the year, the army of A Rom. which marched against Joash.
So you have the Aramaeans, and they live to the northeast of Judah and Israel.
So God would raise up these armies, like the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Emmites, the Aramaeans, and He would bring them as tools of His judgment against His people.
So this army From Aram. marched against Joash. It invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the people. They sent all their plunder to their king in Damascus, which is where Syria is today. All the Aramaean army had come with only a few men.
Yet the Lord delivered into their hands a much larger army. That would be the army of Judah. Because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers, judgment was executed on Joash. When the Aramaeans withdrew, they left Joash severely wounded, and his officials conspired against him for murdering the son of Jehorah the priest. And they killed him in his bed.
So, what else do we learn about God from this story? God is patience, but his patience has a limit. You remember, you read in your study guide, you looked at how God measures sin. And at some point he says enough. But here's the good news.
Before his patience reaches its limit, He acts by speaking truth to the people he still loves. who've abandoned him. Why does he do this? In other words, why will God, before he judges a nation, send preachers and ministers and evangelists? To preach the truth because He loves us, and He's a God who delights in showing mercy.
Look at the Micah 7:18 and 19. These are two of my favorite verses in the Bible because it shows us the heart of God. By the way, Micah lived. Right around the 700 BC, right at the time the Assyrian army came in against Israel. Look at what Micah says.
Who is a God like you? Who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever, but delight to do what? Show mercy. Has God shown you mercy?
Listen to this. You will again. Talking about God will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. Do you know what he's done with all the sins of Russ Andrews from the time I accepted him as age eight? Till tonight, and with all the sins I'll commit before I die, you know, he's done with all of them.
He's hurled them into the depths of the sea. And in Jeremiah 31, it says he remembers them no more. That's why the gospel is called what? Good news.
So how does God act to save us men?
Well, he speaks truth to us through his word. the Bible and through faithful preachers. Are there many faithful preachers in America today who actually will stand up in the pulpit and preach the unadulterated Word of God verse by verse without skipping over the uncomfortable parts? Are there many in America today? No.
What happened to them? They went to the wrong seminaries. Look at verse 5. Therefore, I cut you in pieces with my prophets. I killed you with the words of my mouth.
My judgments flashed like lightning around you.
Now, the NASB, the New American Standard Bible, I like the way it puts it, and this is a more literal translation. He says, and my judgments are like the light. It goes forward. I thought you liked that. His word is like light.
That goes forth. God's word is like a sword that cuts down into our hearts and brings conviction of our sins. Look at Hebrews 4, 11 through 13. For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow.
It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.
So, why does the rod of Hebrews compare the word of God to a double-edged sword?
Well, here's why. It conveys th this meaning. His word is precise. It's able to cut both ways by cutting through layers of deception and self-righteousness. It just cuts like a knife through hot butter.
His word performs spiritual surgery by separating truth from falsehood in our innermost being. His word will. Impact whatever it touches, just like a sword cuts through whatever it touches. His word is able to cut out spiritual diseases like the hardness of the heart. And his word is an instrument of judgment that brings conviction of sin and rebellion.
But listen, Michael Eaton says this. One must not imagine that this is hateful or spiteful. It is God's determination to regain his people. It's meant to God's way of fighting by sharing His Word with us. It is his sword.
He sent prophets like Elijah and Amos. Two. Preach his word. When the Israel finally fell to the Assyrians, it was only after a long period of sinning against God's prophetic warnings. A living prophetic word came to them.
Their sin was despising these prophetic oracles. They would not listen, but were stubborn. See, the problem with the Israelites, when Elijah and Elisha... And Amos and Hosea preached the word of the Lord. They wouldn't listen.
They didn't want to hear it. You see, God's word is meant to shed light on us to reveal our sin so that we might be convicted and repent and turn to him and be saved. You see, his desire men Yes too. prosper us. Did you know that?
No, I'm not talking about the prosperity gospel. You understand that's a false gospel. But his desire is to bless you and me. spiritually. And the blessing is always has to do with your soul.
Not your physical body, not your bank account. It's about your soul, because that's the only thing that's going to last. And He wants your soul to prosper. How does it prosper? When you walk in obedience to Him, your soul will be filled with peace, and joy, and contentment.
It took me over 60 years to figure this out. That's why I want to walk in obedience to him the rest of my life. Jesus addresses our problem in John chapter 3, verses 19 and 20. Listen to this. He says, It's like he's a judge looking at the world and he says, this is the verdict.
Light has come into the world. But men love darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. I'm convinced this is one of the main reasons that so many men will not come to a Bible study like this. Because they know that this word.
before they even open rigging. It's going to convict them. It's going to stand in judgment of their hearts. Remember the Bible is like a mirror. And when you look into it, it reflects the condition of a man's heart.
These men stay away from the light of God's word. for fear that their sins will be exposed. And you know, a lot of them won't come. Because their wives don't want them to come. Do you know why their wives don't want them to come?
'Cause they don't want them to Change. They like them just the way they are. They want them to be cool and part of the in crowd. That's why you need to have a Christian wife. who actually push you out the door to go to Bible study.
So what does God desire from us? We'll look at verse 6. Man, this is the key verse. This is why I didn't get to the rest of the verses. This is the key verse in Isaiah.
It might be the key verse in the whole book of Isaiah. And I would say it's one of the whole... It's one of the key verses in the Bible. I'm gonna show you why. For I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I desire acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
So here's the question: Wasn't it God that gave Moses the numerous instructions on how the Israelites were to worship him through all these different Offerings. The burnt offerings, the guilt offerings, the sin offerings, the grain offerings, and the. How many offerings were there? The fellowship offerings? Did not God provide Moses with detailed plans like an architect on precisely how to construct the Ark of the Covenant and the tabernacle?
and the altar burnt offerings. In other words, God designed all of this. The whole Sacrificial system in his mind and heart, and he conveyed it to Moses in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. It's not easy to read, but it shows you the heart of God. He's precise, he's detailed, he likes order.
So, if all this was so important to God, then why does he tell Hosea to share with the Israelites? I desire mercy, not sacrifice. In fact, this verse is so important that Jesus quotes it twice in the book of Matthew. And I want us to look at one of those. Turn to Matthew chapter 9.
Let's look at verses 10 and 11. I love this story in Matthew. Because it shows you Jesus heart.
So in Matthew chapter 9, Matthew, he's just called Matthew to come and follow him.
So, Matthew, who is a tax collector. And they were despised in Israel. He Trust Jesus to be who he claims to be. And he follows him, but he wants, he's excited. He does exactly what you guys are supposed to do all summer.
He invites all of his fellow tax collectors and all these sinners to come to his house and have. A party, if you will. And he invites Jesus over. To share. He wants his friends to meet Jesus.
Yeah. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked the disciples, These are the religious leaders. Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? God forbid. On hearing this, Jesus said, I can see him looking at them, these prideful religious leaders.
He said, It's not the healthy who need a doctor. But the sick. But go and learn what this means. I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
So, what is meant by Hosea chapter 6, verse 6? What is it meant when it says, I desire mercy, not sacrifice?
Well, this gets to one of the main truths found in all of Scripture. And it's found when Samuel goes to Bethlehem, to when he anoints David as king. But anyway, Bethlehem. And he says this: because remember, Jesse marches out all of his good-looking older sons, and he leaves David's out there, the little, you know, little runt of the family taking care of the sheep. And the Lord says, the Lord does not look at the things man looks at.
Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Did y'all hear that? Man looks at the out appearance. But God looks at what? The heart.
Why is the heart so important to God? Because your heart is the place within you. It's your inner being where you make all your decisions about life. It's where your values are formed. It's the real you, it's your inner being.
Following religious traditions and ceremonies. Makes one feel righteous. Did you know that? Because you feel like you're doing something good. And those who feel righteous think they need don't need to be saved.
In other words, they think they're righteous. They think they're healthy. They don't see that they're sick. Are we all born sick? Yes, we're born sick and we need a doctor by the name of Jesus.
Most church members believe that if a person, listen. Carefully, okay, because this is the problem in America. Most church members believe that if a person lives by the golden rule, helps member, helps his fellow man, like helps the poor, that's called the social gospel. If he recites liturgy, If he sings the hymns and utters the prayers. Then all is well with God because all looks good on the outside.
And this is what I mean when I say religiosity. Or churchism or religious striving. Most church members are trained to earn their way to heaven by being what? A good person. Is anybody good?
No. Romans 3, Paul writes, There's no one righteous, not even one. There's no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away. They have together become worthless.
There's no one who does good, not even one. Not even one. No one. Paul Washer, I don't know if you're familiar with him, he's really a Dynamic. American Christian evangelist.
And listen to what he says. I saw this quote yesterday. I said, I got to share this with the men. A murderer, prostitute, thief, liar, fornicator, and so on. A murderer, prostitute, thief, liar, fornicator.
Apart from the grace of God, They are just a mirror. of who we are. I remember one time I was leading a small Bible study in my office with two men, both who go to, I hate to say this, but I've got to call it spade a spade, to progressive liberal churches. I'm not going to name the denomination or the church. And I made I said something like this.
I said, you know, Mankind is a lot closer to Hitler than to God. Would y'all agree with that? Yes.
Well, one of my friends just pushed back. No, you're not like that, Russ. Come on. You know what his problem is? He has a loathe you of God, his holiness.
and a high view of man's. Goodness. Do you see that? In fact, one time I asked him Do you think mankind is basically good? He said yes.
Another time he told me that he thinks you get into heaven. Taking your good deeds and your bad deeds and putting them on the scales of justice. And if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds, you go to heaven. I've been trying to find that verse and I can't find it. You know what I'm afraid of?
I don't want to go that way. You know why? Because I'm afraid my bad deeds outweigh my good deeds. Do you want to go to heaven based on God's Justice. Do you want to g God to give you what's fair?
No. How do you want to go to heaven? Based on God's what? Grace.
So here's what God thinks about religiosity. See, God does not mince words. Amos 5, 21 and 23 says, Is hate a strong word? He says, I hate. I despise your religious feast.
I cannot stand your assemblies. He's talking about when you assemble together at the temple, the tabernacle. Back in their day, even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Away with the noise of your songs, I will not listen to the music of your harps. Do you know why God hates religion?
Do you know he hates religion? He does, he hates it. Because religion blinds people. To the reality of their lost condition. And see, this is Satan's chief strategy.
Get people bound up in a religion. Where they think like churchism, where they think they're saved, but they're not. Is that a dangerous place to be? You better believe it. Do y'all like Billy Graham?
Let me tell you what he said. He said, religion is like the vaccine that keeps you from getting the real thing. Religion is like a shot that you take. that keeps you from getting the disease.
So rather than religious striving, what does God want from us? You know what He wants? He wants to see a broken and contrite heart. One of my favorite people in the Bible is King David. I cannot wait to meet him in heaven.
He committed adultery with Bathsheba and later murdered Her husband Uriah, by the way, in there, I think it's in Chronicles, but David lists his 30 mighty warriors. It's like King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Guess who number 30 was? Uriah. He sat at the table with King David.
And David had him murdered. Listen to, and so Nathan comes in and confronts him with a sin. Listen to the heart of David in this prayer of repentance. This is what God loved about David. This is why he said, David is a man after my own heart.
This has been my prayer many times. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.
Do you know what the number one sin is that Christian men are dealing with? in our country today. Pornography. And I imagine some of you right now are cringing because you're struggling with it. and you feel overwhelmed with guilt.
in shame. Listen to what he says in verse 7, Cleanse me with hyssop. And I will be clean. Wash me, and I'll be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness.
Let the bones you've crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God. and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence.
See, if you've looked at pornography, and I hate to admit it, but I've done it before. You feel like God is going to cast you from his presence. And so David cries out: Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. Then Listen, once he's cleaned you up.
Look at what you can do. Then David says, I will teach transgressors your ways so that sinners. Like me. like David, will turn back to you. See, God did not, Jesus did not come.
to save to call the righteous But sinners. That's what I love about God. He loves sinners. Then he says, You do not delight in sacrifice, I would bring it. You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. You, oh God, will not despise. What God wants to see in us men is a broken heart. brokenness over our sin. And he didn't want us to stay there.
But he wants to see that we're broken. When you're broken, he knows that you're serious about it. Then what do you do? you with God's help, you repent and turn away from it. And you follow in Jesus' footsteps.
And then men. As you begin to read the Bible. and spend years reading it. Who do you come to know? God.
God wants to give you new eyes so that when you open those eyes like Adam, You see him face to face. And then Jesus says, I no longer call you. Servants, I call you what? Friends. What a friend we have in Jesus.
It's one of my favorite hymns. When I was a young boy, I saw Jesus as my friend. I gradually came to realize he's my Lord and my Savior. Let me ask you a question tonight. Most important question.
You can be asked. Do you know God? Do you? personally. That's what he said.
He wants mercy rather than sacrifice, an acknowledgement of God in our words. He wants to know us. If you don't know Jesus, You will never see heaven. In John 17, 3, Jesus says, now this is eternal life, that they may know you. the only true God in Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
Let's pray. Yeah. You've been listening to Finding Purpose with Russ Andrews. This broadcast is made possible because of the prayers and financial gifts of listeners like you. If you want to learn more about our ministry or support us as we reach others with God-centered Bible teaching, please visit us at findingpurpose.net.
