GOD SO LOVED, BECAUSE OF YOUR LOVE, RUN TO THE FATHER, JESUS PAID IT ALL, YOU ALONE CAN RESCUE

Have you observed how “betrothed” or engaged couples act towards each other? Give 3 words that describe their actions and attitude towards each other.

19 I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In lovingkindness and in compassion, 20 And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the LORD.

God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. But when we read the Old Testament, we may see God is angry, wrathful but loving and kind in the New Testament. The reality is that the Lord does not change from “everlasting to everlasting” (Malachi 3:6, Psalm 90:1-2). God is not created – He is the Creator. All of us were created, and we keep changing and growing. But God does not change; He is ETERNAL. “He cannot change for the better, for He is already perfect; and being perfect, He cannot change for the worse” (Arthur Pink). Our comfort and security are in the IMMUTABILITY OF GOD – God’s character does not change, God’s Word, purposes, promises and attitude toward sin does not change—a warning to us. Sin and holiness do not mix – we are to live holy lives!

THE UNFATHOMABLE LOVE OF GOD is beyond measurement, and our capacity to understand. The Apostle Paul prayed that we’ll be able to comprehend and fully understand the “breadth, length, height, and depth”, and to “KNOW the love of CHRIST” (Ephesians 3:18). Knowing is a term of intimacy – you intentionally experience His love. People who experience this love fully will really change!

The most important truth we learn is that God loves us, we often can’t comprehend that love. God loves His people with an everlasting love (timeless), before we were born, that love was made available for us (Jeremiah 31:3). God wants us to be able to clearly grab hold of and understand this love! But sometimes we think that God can’t love us since we have so many problems and hurts. The reality is, many of our problems were caused by others – but at the end of the day, God loves us, and has a good purpose of our lives. We don’t have to pretend or hide; God knows the worst in us, and yet He loves us.

The first three chapters of Hosea focus on Hosea’s wayward wife, and it is expanded to mean Israel’s wayward life and God’s judgement in the succeeding chapters (4-14). The deepest love that could be described in our world is the love between HUSBAND and WIFE, where there are expectations of LOYALTY, PURITY, FAITHFULNESS. The Bible describes IDOLATRY as SPIRITUAL ADULTERY. The Israelites turned away from God, worshiping idols in their hearts. In this great disappointment, God shows His unfathomable love for His people. When we investigate the unfathomable love of God, we realize that it is:

UNDESERVED

Hosea 1:1-2 establishes the context. Hosea (his name means salvation) was set as a prophet focused on the Northern Kingdom. We must remember that after Solomon died, the kingdom of Israel was split. The Northern kingdom was called ISRAEL, and the Southern Kingdom, JUDAH. Israel thought they were okay, but God was calling them to repentance, otherwise they will be destroyed. Hosea was called to warn wayward Israel, but Hosea needed to understand God’s heart fully.

God told Hosea to marry Gomer (v.2) – who was going to commit adultery and cause Hosea problems. In the Old Testament, adultery is equated to idolatry. Idols are anything that we love more than God. “There is nothing so abominable in the eyes of God and of men as idolatry, whereby men render to the creature that honor which is due only to the Creator” (Blaise Pascal). Our love for anything, when it is greater than our love for God, leads is to spiritual adultery. 2 Corinthians 11:2-3 uses marriage to describe the God’s love for us. When we choose the world above God, we commit spiritual adultery (James 4:4). Sin is not just disobedience to God, it also breaks the heart of God.

Hosea obeyed God (v.3); God also gave names for Hosea’s children– Jezreel to show we reap consequences of what we sow, Lo-ruhamah, “no pity”, and Lo-ammi, “not my people”. All prophetic for the trouble the entire nation will go through. We don’t deserve this love – yet God loved us even while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8). But every time we sin, it causes God pain.

PERSEVERING

God’s love is willing to run after and pursue us (Hosea 2:2)! Hosea’s wife left him for another “lover” (v.5). God commands Hosea to run towards his wife and keep supporting her. A picture of God’s unfathomable love! He loves us as we are, but He also will not allow us to remain as we are.

God would deal with Israel to make them realize their wrongdoing (idolatry) and show He had supported them through all hardships. When we run away from God, His holy and pure love pursues us still, and will lead us to Him in faithfulness—a beautiful promise (Hosea 2:19-20)!

REDEMPTIVE

Gomer sank so low, that her “boyfriend” decided to sell her as a slave! God commanded Hosea to redeem Gomer again (Hosea 3:1-3) and when Hosea bought her back, he receives her as a wife, and took care of her again. This love is redemptive, even in the worst of Gomer, Hosea redeemed her. Even in our lowest point, God reaches out and offers His grace, to transform and redeem us! People can be destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6); we need to know what pleases Him, His guiding principles, for us to abide faithfully in Him – we need to read and know His Word! Hosea 11:1-3 recalls the ignorance of Israel but look at the heart of God – with so much compassion and grief, He expresses that He wouldn’t give them up and destroy them completely (v.8)! God redeems us, but He would do something to wake us up and make us realize His power to pull us back to Him. We forget God when things are going well (Hosea 13:6), but He calls His people to return to Him again, repent of their sins, because there is no restoration without repentance (Hosea 14:1-2). The GOMERS in our lives are God’s department, but we are also to love them like HOSEA did!

Are there people in your life whom you find difficult to love? Why?

Based on the message, how does God love us?

If God loves us this way, how can we love others in the same manner?

Pray for people whose lives you touch every day to experience God’s unfathomable love through you. Be intentional in your words and action to demonstrate God’s love; share about Christ, our Redeemer to them through the gospel.

• Worship God for who He is, what He has done, and what He will do in our lives.

• Upright and moral governance of public servants; repentance and salvation for government leaders and citizens for a Christ-centered Philippines.

• God’s help and comfort, salvation for Israel, wisdom for their leaders in government, military and their soldiers as they defend themselves against terrorists’ attacks. PRAISE GOD for the release of hostages so far! Continue to pray for the release of the remaining ones.

• War in Ukraine to end, loss of lives prevented, violence and lawlessness in Haiti to stop.

• That CCF Members would honor and love God and make disciples.

• Elders, pastors, dleaders, and families (holy, humble, harmonious, happy, heart-working).

• Ministries and churches expansion worldwide.

• Worship and Training Center

• Prayer Mountain

• Deeper intimate relationship with God.

• Righteous living.

• Salvation of family and friends.

19 I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In lovingkindness and in compassion, 20 And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord.