Hosea No.5 The Way Back

Remain seated. And it's that thought of us being in the vine and the life of God being lived out through us, sustained in our next hymn, which is a traditional one, 463, 463, May the mind of Christ my Saviour live in me from day to day. May the mind of Christ my Saviour live in me from day to day.

I His love and love controlling, for I do and stay. May the word of God's permission give my heart from hour to hour, so that all may see thy triumph, only through this hour. May the peace of God my Father hold my life in every day, that I may be come to comfort, sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me, as the waters fill the sea, in exulting self-awakening is His victory. May I run the race before me, strong and brave to face the foe, looking only unto Jesus as I onward go. Having spent quite some time around your throne, we ask that you'll break open this book to us.

We thank you that for so many of us, if not all of us here, we have found each time we have opened the pages, that you have had something fresh to say to us, or some old truth to underline. We thank you that within your book is contained your word, and the word of God comes to us with a particular relevancy, as together we come around it and have it expounded. So we pray that the words to which we direct our attention this evening, may indeed be your words to every heart of every person gathered here.

In this we ask, pleading the forgiveness of all our sins, in the blessed name of Jesus, your Son and forever our Saviour. Amen. Do sit down.

Glad to have your company tonight. I've been reminding friends in the earlier session that we've had for prayer, that next Sunday, or rather next Monday, sees the inauguration of a monthly prayer meeting, on a Monday which will last to the end of this year. And also on a Friday, once a month, we'll have a half-night of prayer, and details of that will be clearly shown in our notes and news this coming weekend.

So the bulletin requires your attention even more particularly than it does normally. Let's go to Hosea chapter 14. It's my privilege to bring this short series of studies to a conclusion.

We have the opportunity this evening of concentrating on a shorter passage, therefore we can also indulge in reading each verse as we go to the final chapter of the prophecy of Hosea. Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall.

Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to Him, Forgive all our sins, and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. Assyria cannot save us.

We will not mount war horses. We will never again say, Our gods, to what our own hands have made. For in you the fatherless find compassion.

I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew to Israel. He will blossom like a lily, like a cedar of Lebanon.

He will send down his roots, his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. Men will dwell again in his shade.

He will flourish like the corn. He will blossom like a vine. His fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.

O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him. I am like a green pine tree. Your fruitfulness comes from me.

Who is wise, he will realize these things. Who is discerning, he will understand them. The ways of the Lord are right.

The righteous walk in them. But the rebellious stumble in them. There is a sense in which every book in the Bible has its own particular theme.

And sometimes you can highlight a theme in terms of one word. For example, if you were to think of the epistle to the Romans. Then the highlight of that letter is surely the word justification.

Or if you please, the word faith. Or a conjunction of both, justification by faith. If you were to contemplate John's Gospel.

Or the epistles that bear John's name. The word which stands out paramountly is love. Now when you get to the books of the Old Testament.

Sometimes too you will find that there is one concept that is underlined time and time again. And in the prophecy of Hosea, the word must be mercy. In fact, I think it is arguable that Hosea corresponds in the New Testament to the book of John.

John is the disciple whom Jesus loved in a very special way. And Hosea is a prophet who shows us something of the undeserved love and favor of God. For if mercy has any definition that is popularly accepted.

It is just that. The unmerited favor of God. Now it would be right to think of the prophet Hosea.

In terms of the exclamation that someone once uttered. When they imagined Hosea coming into their circumstances. And telling them what God had just said.

God told you to do that? Or if you like. God told you to do what? And the answer is. Marry a prostitute.

That is still shocking today. As it must have been in Old Testament times. Why is Hosea to do such an extraordinary thing? Well, Hosea is the most remarkable man.

And the domestic affairs of his life. Will become, if you like, the foundation stone of his prophecy. John Bunyan once said.

I did preach what I did feel. What I did smartingly feel. There is a difference between a preacher and a preacher.

You can tell a man who smartingly feels. What he has to declare. Now Hosea is such a man.

For in his marriage to Goma. And her subsequent predictable unfaithfulness. Is encapsulated the heartache of God.

Who has known infidelity time and time again. On the part of his people. To the extent that they actually fulfill the role of Goma.

If it seems shocking that God should tell Hosea to marry a prostitute. How much more shocking it is to discover. That God aligns himself with unfaithful people.

But not just in Old Testament days. Also in present circumstances. God identifies himself with you.

And in one sense that is the personal introduction. For you to understand what mercy. Keseth.

That's the Hebrew word. Really implies the unmerited. Favor of God.

Directed towards people like you. And me. Now I think that Tim Saunders.

Did his usual. Helpful ministry. Last week.

Having had as part of his assignment. The task of taking us through some of the most somber chapters in this book. In my notes I suggest you that the 14th chapter.

Is like entering into an old Gothic church. And the church is damp. And it smells.

And it's full of darkness. But then as often is the case. In these old beautiful very often neglected buildings.

When the sun gets up. It plays its beams. Through the stained glass window.

And the darkness gives way to light. And you pick out the relief. Of the biblical picture.

As depicted in the stained glass. So in the 14th chapter of Hosea. Following the 12th and the 13th.

And indeed the 11th. You get a change. You get the light of God.

Flowing through this stained glass window so to speak. You get what perhaps you had lost track of. In the 12th and 13th chapters.

And that is that though Israel in all its infidelity. Is highlighted in the 12th and 13th chapter. God has already revealed his hand.

He's shown you what he's going to do. Because Gomer you remember. This woman to whom Hosea attaches himself.

Is ultimately linked back into the family circle. She who did not merit. The sustained mercy of her husband.

Receives it nonetheless. And as it was for Gomer. So it shall be for Israel.

And as it was for Israel. So it shall be for you and me. God directs his Kesseth.

Towards the most undeserving. Type of people. So here in this 14th chapter.

And within it I think you find if you like. A silent attestation to the inspiration of Scripture. The father heart of God is revealed.

In a way which will not be excelled. Until you get into the New Testament. And you find in the story of the returning prodigal.

How God the father can continue to love. A prodigal son. Even though the son has insulted him.

And despised him. And squandered the inheritance. That God has granted.

To this wayward lad. So Israel. Returns.

To the Lord. And becomes a subject. Of the mercy.

And the favor. Of God. I remember many years ago.

Being invited to take a campaign. At the University of Kent at Canterbury. And one of the things that I had to do.

Was to address the students. On the character of God. Some of the students were Islamic.

Who came to the meetings. And I remember their eyes going to saucers. When I argued that God is passionate.

And not impersonal. You see the great distinction. Between shall we say Allah.

Of the Muslim faith. And the God and father. Of our Lord Jesus.

As. Revealed in the New Testament. Is that God has passion.

God is personal. Now within Orthodox Judaism. There is equally.

A hesitation. Of attributing to God. Such emotions.

As passion. And heartache. It's when you see the father.

Rushing down the hillside. And embracing the. The swine smelling son.

That you have a full revelation. In the New Testament. That God indeed.

Has feelings. But the passionate nature of God. Even though missed by the rabbis.

And the Pharisees. Is well attested. In the Old Testament.

In this 14th chapter for example. You get the lament of God. As he says return.

Oh. Israel. And as later on in the chapter.

A similar reference is made to. Ephraim. Oh.

Ephraim. But if you wanted further evidence. Given with more words.

Earlier in this epistle. In this prophecy. Then I turn you to the.

11th chapter. Where you get this most. Extraordinary revelation.

If you like. Of the psyche of God. The.

Last part of verse 8. Sometimes incidentally my notes. I divide a verse that's long. Into A, B and C. Each of course.

Corresponding to the beginning. Middle or the end of the verse. Well here in 8C.

Of Hosea 11. Is the revelation of the heart of God. My heart is changed within me.

All my compassion is aroused. And earlier. In the preceding verse.

In the earlier part of this verse rather. How can I give you up Ephraim. How can I hand you over.

Israel. God is passionate. God is personal.

God has feelings. Therefore as Hosea felt. Insulted by.

Demeaned by. Heartbroken by. Gomer's reaction.

To his unfailing love. So God feels it. When his people.

Are estranged from him. When his church. Separates itself.

From him. When the local expression. Of the body of Christ.

Is not working. In obedience. To the dictates.

Of the Lord Jesus. Then the Spirit. Is grieved.

A lot is said in some circles. About the baptism of the Spirit. And in my book.

Rightly so. But equal emphasis. Ought to be put on the possibility.

Of grieving the Spirit of God. That is the. Consistent sin.

Of many of us. To this day. Well what does God do.

When confronted. With rebellion. God's immediate answer to sin.

Is not law. You might think that. From the Old Testament.

Although even with the Old Testament. There is a modification. Or if you like a dilution.

Of at least there is evidence. That would cause you to dilute. That conclusion.

The answer or the response. Of God to sin. Is not just law.

It is a mixture of law. And grace. For what God wants from the.

Disobedient children of Israel. What God wants from man. In the 20th century.

Is for him to come in penitence. Towards the throne. And ask for forgiveness.

And God makes it perfectly clear. In every book. In the Old Testament.

As well as in the New Testament. That before he exercises. The just requirements of the law.

He will make grace. Available to people. Oh yes.

Jesus Christ comes preaching grace. But in the Old Testament. Noah preached grace.

Before the deluge. Lot preached grace. How be it.

In a fashion. Which was not very compelling. Because of the compromise of his own lifestyle.

But he preached grace. To the inhabitants of Sodom. And Gomorrah.

The immediate reaction. Of the father heart of God. To human sinfulness is grace.

Is a means. Whereby that sin can be. Atoned for.

The way in which sin. Might not be. An insurmountable barrier.

Ever preventing. The sinner from returning. To God.

So in these opening verses. Of the 14th chapter of Hosea. You get if you please.

An anticipation. Not just of the parable of the prodigal. But an anticipation of the story.

That Jesus told about the publican. Who goes into the synagogue. And feels that he shouldn't be there.

Or more accurately. Goes into the temple. And feels that he should not be near the holiest of holies.

Because he has no right in that place. But the penitential prayer. Of the publican you remember.

Was answered. Jesus went on record as saying. That the father received that prayer.

And not the prayer. Of the Pharisee. Well here I say.

Encapsulated in these three verses. Is that fine teaching. Set out more clearly.

In the New Testament. Oh Israel. Return.

Return. To the Lord. Your God.

Your sins. Have been. Your downfall.

When the prodigal. Came to his senses. That wasn't the moment of his conversion.

It was the beginning of the journey. Of recovery. He determined you remember.

With a speech that he had prepared. As an apologist to the father. I'm not suggesting.

That prayer must always be public. But I am suggesting. That prayer has to be articulate.

In other words. You have to express the feelings of your heart. When you come to the Lord.

God has given you and me. Over against all of the animals. An ability to express ourselves.

In speech. Oh yes. A parrot can talk.

But he can only. Parrot. He can only imitate.

It is left to those of us. Who bear the imprint of God. Upon our lives.

However broken. However fractured that may be. It is left to us.

Of all the creatures in the animal world. To be able to speak out our thoughts. To the God who speaks.

Take words. With you. And return.

To the Lord. And so. You've got this amazing anticipation.

Of the prodigal. Coming before the father. In words which he is prompted to say.

By the Holy Spirit. Who is still operative in Old Testament times. Even though more wonderfully.

In new. Forgive all our sins. And receive us with your.

With your graciousness. And it is the way with God. To be gracious.

It's always wonderful. To meet a naturally. Gracious person.

I think actually. I've known. Some people.

Who are naturally gracious. Done in many years of my life. I would say that my father-in-law.

Is a naturally gracious man. But when you think of. The grace of God.

And it's heightened. To it's very limit. Here is our God.

Who is characteristically gracious. Receive us graciously. Receive us in your grace.

And in your grace. May it be possible. That the words of my mouth.

And the meditations of my heart. Shall be acceptable. In your sight.

Some are more given to speech. Than others. But speech.

Qua speech. Speech of itself. Is not necessarily heard by God.

You see. God will screen speech. Speech that is mere talk.

Never rises to the throne of grace. Speech for it to be acceptable. Before God.

Has to come from a sincere. And a contrite heart. Worship does have it's own qualification.

Before it's delivered by the Holy Spirit. Into the immediate presence of God. Penitence.

Is something that God. Demands. Of each of us.

And in our return to God. There also has to be some surgery of amputation. There has to be a rejection.

Of all that has taken the place of God. In our lives. In some area.

In some degree. For Israel. It was the madness of political alliances.

With unsure pagan countries. In which they placed. Almost divine trust.

At least a trust that should have been reserved. For deity. Assyria cannot save us.

We will never again say. Our gods to what our hands have made. The God making process.

It did not commence with Aaron. In the reckless folly. In which he and the Hebrews engaged.

In their wilderness wanderings. When Moses was up in the mountain. And the God making process.

Did not conclude. At the end of the testamental period. In the 20th century.

We still construct our gods. They may not be the primitive unsophisticated gods. That you will find every evening.

On the streets of Calcutta. Or Bombay. As primitive people try to ward off evil spirits.

With their icons. We all have that. Which stands for God.

For in our hearts. There is a vacuum. That is God shaped.

And you either fill it with reality. Or you fill it with unreality. And idols by very definition.

As you will have gathered. In that brilliant address. You received from Dr. Tallman here.

A little while ago. Mean no gods. We will never again say.

Our gods to what our hands have made. Why? Well those gods do not exist. And the emotional thrill and experience that you get.

In chasing after other gods. In satisfying yourself. In other things which are displeasing.

To the God and Father of the Bible. Those things actually. Are harmful.

To you individually. To us as a community. To our nation as a whole.

I live in a country that is pagan. I live in a country which have gods. That are even more grotesque.

Than the ones that frighten me. Anytime I am in Nepal. They are hidden gods.

And as a result. They are more dangerous. A hidden enemy.

Listen to Winston Churchill. Is always the one to be feared most. He alone.

Of most of the British politicians. Back in the 30's. Was aware that when the Nazis were silent.

They were at their most dangerous. When the gods do not stand up in temples. And glower down on you.

They are even more dangerous. Because they are invisible. And so the apostle John.

The apostle of love. When he writes the end chapter. Or the final verse in the end chapter.

Of the first epistle that bears his name. He says to the Christian community. Keep yourself from idols.

Keep away from the God making process. For that is the way of prodigality. That is the way of the Israelites.

In the Old Testament dispensation. That is what broke. The heart.

Of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus. But as they come. In contrition.

As they return. They discover in the language of the Old Testament. Anticipating again the language of the new.

In you. The fatherless find. Compassion.

That could well be our motto text. For this on coming year. So here is.

If you like instruction. For a penitence prayer. But then the focus shifts.

A little. And we get. Although these are not watertight compartments.

I'm trying to help you. Through one of the most choice passages. In the Old Testament.

We come into the fourth verse. And here is highlighted for us. The father's response.

To the contrition. Of those who have engaged. In prodigality.

And it's always consistent. It is always consistent. The fourth verse I put it to you brothers and sisters.

Is amongst the most glorious. Within this book. Indeed within the canon of Old Testament scripture.

I will heal. Their waywardness. And love them freely.

For my anger has turned. Away from them. God's response.

Always to the returning prodigal. Is that of love. As he comes.

From the far country. I'll heal them. I'll love them.

What does the prodigal require? He needs healing. What does he require? He needs love. On what basis can he dare to hope.

That such graces. Will be manifested towards him. And the answer though.

Perhaps not fully understood. By Hosea. Is in the last part.

Of that verse. My anger has turned away. From them.

You would have wondered. In the twelfth and thirteenth chapters. And the contents therein.

Whether this would be possible. But indeed it is. Not that God will blink his eyes.

To the sin of Israel. Not that God the Father. Will count lightly.

The sin of the prodigal. The prodigal representing. Fallen human mankind.

Fallen human kind. As in the story. Our Lord told.

But he has a way. Of dealing with sin. Though he does retain.

The right to express. Righteous. Indignation.

God's response to sin. Is anger. But it is not just anger.

But it is anger. And that the moderns will not understand. Nor accept in their commentaries.

You read C.H. Dodd's commentary on Romans. Some of you dip into William Barclay. Well he can be very helpful.

But he can also mishandle the word of God. He can dilute. Like pouring water.

Upon a drink. Dilutes it. So he can do this.

When he is face to face with unpleasant things. In the epistle of Paul to the Romans. There is such a thing as the wrath of God.

The liberal scholars tell us. That wrath and anger. Is contained within the Old Testament.

In the New Testament. There is a modification. A gradual dilution.

A greater understanding. That God is absolute love. That is an utter nonsense.

Granted there is within the testaments. A development. Of the presentation.

Of the full picture of the gospel. But there is no change. Within the heart of God at all.

He is what he always is. In New Testament language. Jesus Christ the same.

Yesterday, today and forever. So the question is. What will God do with his anger.

That his anger exists. In the New Testament. Teaching is obvious.

Read Paul, Romans 1. The wrath of God is revealed. From heaven against all manners of unrighteousness. In the Jewish camp.

And in the Gentile camp. And when you get to the book of Revelation. I wonder if Dodd or Barclay ever read it.

I really do sometimes. What is it that impresses you. About the book of Revelation.

It is the thought of final retribution. And those awful words. The wrath of the Lamb.

Speaking of our beloved Lord Jesus. How does God deal with his wrath. Towards sinfulness.

He retains the right to be angry. But the anger turns from the sinner. He hath made him to be sin.

Says the Apostle Paul. Who knew no sin. Do you remember those wonderful words.

In the letter to the Corinthians. I give you the reference. You remember the anticipation of this.

In Isaiah. When he speaks about the servant of God. And the way that it pleased God.

I still find that hard. After 25 years and more. In the Christian ministry.

I still find it hard to preach on that verse. It pleased God to bruise him. But he did.

All the sinfulness of Israel. All the sinfulness of fallen humankind. It rose upon the Saviour.

And the day came. And well might the hymn writer have put it. None of the ransomed ever knew.

How deep were the waters crossed. How dark was the night the Lord went through. To find the sheep that was lost.

The anger of God is deflected. From Israel. To the Son of God.

And the New Testament is retrospective. When it deals with the fact of the cross. There is a sense in which the cross is timeless.

Though it occurs. The death of our Lord. In something like AD 33.

Nonetheless. Retrospectively. It is His blood which cancels.

Out the sinfulness. Of the Old Testament penitence. As well as.

Dealing with the sinfulness. Of the apostolic age. And all the ages.

Up to the 20th century. The blood of Jesus. Has never failed me yet.

My anger. Has turned away. From them.

And if this is possible. As the scripture makes perfectly clear. Let me just move back to British time.

I just switched to American. And we will be going for quite a long time. Believe you me.

If I don't operate by the right time zone. As a result of. Dealing with the sin.

Of men and women. Certain possibilities. Come into play.

So there is a restoration of blessing. Which God wants. For spiritual people.

Those who have recovered. I will heal their waywardness. And love them freely.

I will be like the dew to Israel. Like a cedar of Lebanon. I will send down His roots.

His splendor will be like an olive tree. Here you've got metaphor. Scripture is choice in metaphor.

You know one of the things I regret. About television. Is that it has.

In some way staunched. Or stymied. The delight that people have.

In the English language. I really do feel. That our kids at school.

Are impoverished these days. Because the choiceness. Of English literature.

Is rarely plumbed. By our children. Things have to be visual.

And maybe sometimes. The more modern generation. Loses out in its.

Grasp of the beauty of Scripture. And its use of metaphor. Because of the lax way.

In which we deal with literature. And even English grammar. Today.

Here is so much metaphor. Dew to Israel. Blossom like a lily.

Cedar of Lebanon. Sends down His roots. Young shoots.

Olive tree. Fragrance. Cedar.

All metaphor. But metaphor enshrines. A positive literal truth.

Metaphor is a way of. Beautifully. Bringing to the attention.

In this instance. Spiritual blessings. Which are part and parcel.

Of the legacy. Of the community of those who have redeemed. Who have been redeemed by God.

I summarize them. As I did 19 or so years ago. It made me feel old.

When I checked my last time of preaching. Consistently in Hosea. 19 years ago.

If you were there. Then sympathies with you. Because you are getting as old as I am.

Freshness. 5A. I will be like the dew to Israel.

That very freshness. Which had been. So impermanent.

To quality. In Israel's experience. Go back to the 6th chapter.

And see how the metaphor sustained. 6th chapter. Verse 4. What can I do with you Ephraim? Here's God debating about the treachery.

And His reaction to such on the part of Israel. And Judah. What can I do with you Judah? Your love is like the morning mist.

Like the early dew that disappears. It's there in Palestine. Just for a few hours.

But when the sun gets up. It's no longer there. But now with recovery.

Then the possibility is. That God can bless Israel. In a consistent fashion.

And He. Just to shift the metaphor. Will cause wells of living water to bubble up.

Within their being. And the result of that is. There will be stability.

In their lives. There will be security. Beauty.

Stability. As like the lily. And the cedar.

Illustrate. So the person who has been restored to the Lord. Will get this.

This sense of freshness. You get this do you not? Illustrated very often in young converts. Don't you wish that young converts.

Sometimes could stay young? I mean. It shouldn't be like that. I mean Christians should just mature.

And keep the initial enthusiasm. And sometimes this does happen. And thank God.

I think there are folk here in the tab. Who are like that. But very often.

The early freshness goes. Where is the blessedness I knew. When first I found the Lord.

Restore the years. That the locusts have eaten. Well that need not be the case.

God says. His Jew will be a permanent Jew. He will bring beauty and stability.

To the lives of those who once were prodigal. But now have returned. And as a result of that.

Again. Exploiting the metaphor. Into the second part of verse 6. There will be a fragrance.

A fragrance that will be. Will be exhibited. His splendor will be like an olive tree.

His fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. Remember the first time. At least I think it was the first time.

When I ever bought Rowena some scent. I'm not a connoisseur. Even now.

And I didn't know. One bottle of scent from another. Neither did I know.

How you got into the wretched bottles. It seemed to me to be quite a problem. So I went down to Boots.

And I took out. What seemed to be a reasonable selection. And I shook this thing.

Unfortunately. Whoever was responsible. For putting the cork or the top on.

Had made a bit of a. Friday job of it. And it came off. With the net result that.

I was the most fragrant person in the shop. Getting rather strange looks. From the parts of some people.

As I was passing by. It was a sort of. Unintentional fragrance.

Which I had for a little while. Until I got home and showered. We sing this song don't we.

Here at the Tub. I hope we always sing songs meaningfully. Some of the modern songs can be a little simplistic.

If they're simplistic. Then you should engage your intellectual gear. And flesh out the repetitive nature.

Of the song. With something else that sort of expounds it. May the fragrance of Jesus.

Fill this place. May when people come. Into the tabernacle.

Who are untutored in the things of God. Who have little knowledge of Christianity. May the fragrance of our lives.

So permeate the very atmosphere. That people recognize. That there's something.

Delightfully strange. About this company of people. Such was the situation.

In the Old Testament. In the New Testament days. They took knowledge that they had been with Jesus.

There are people who do bring. With them a sense of God. Have you noticed that? Invariably they do not know it.

Invariably. Everyone else does. I think that is what the Apostle Paul.

Means by being a living epistle. I remember a dear man of God. Who's now with the Lord.

Kerry Oakley. He was. A brilliant Greek scholar.

He came out of retirement. To help Dr. Ernest Kevin. In the early days.

Of the formation of the London Bible College. There was just something. About that man.

Not only did he have incredible patience. With people like myself. For whom Greek was not an easily.

Assimilated discipline. He had with him. The presence of the Lord.

There was another man. At London Bible College. The same.

He recently went to be with the Lord. He was younger than Kerry Oakley. His name was Donald Guthrie.

The man who had the most. Appalling impediment of speech. And yet became.

One of the great scholars of our day. In the 1940's. In the 1950's.

There was hardly any evangelical scholarship. Which was recognised at all. You could go to the university.

Divinity departments in our country. And there would be nothing that was evangelical. With the exception of a few books.

By Professor F.F. Bruce. Donald Guthrie came out of the. Out of the scrubland.

So to speak. And studied at London Bible College. Graduated with a B.D. Then got an M.T.H. Then got a Ph.D. And started to write a New Testament introduction.

A New Testament commentary. Which is now almost standard fare. In every divinity department in this country.

A man who is celebrated. In the United States of America. As one of the great scholars of all time.

And yet. We had. In our college.

Things that are equivalent to our pastoral groups here. And a dozen or so of us. Would sometimes meet with our lecturers.

And Guthrie once was. Amongst the men. Appointed to look after us for a while.

And the most. Mediocre comment. That some.

Student might make. About what he had gleaned. From this text.

Would be shared with our bunch. And the man who was the most enthusiastic. Was always Donald Guthrie.

There was a humility. That was natural to the man. There was a godliness.

He'd walked. With the Lord. There's a fragrance.

That. Permeates the personality. Of a man who.

Comes from prodigality. Into intimacy with the Lord. And sustains that intimacy.

Freshness. A fragrance. Aye indeed.

And there's a fruitfulness. Men will dwell again. In his shade.

He will flourish. Like the corn. He will blossom.

Like a vine. I often wish I'd been born in Scotland. In the days of Mary McShane.

That great. Scottish preacher. Who I think almost before he turned 30 years of age.

Maybe. Somebody could make me more precise in this. I believe that he died at 28.

But I'm not sure. It could have been 32. But I think it was 28.

He was known as a saint in Scotland. There was something about the man. Even when he came into the pulpit.

Before he started to preach. People. Had their eyes moistened.

Because they realised that. They were in the presence of a man. Who had walked.

With God. You see. When you return as a prodigal.

And God keeps you fresh. And makes you fragrance. Then there's a fruitfulness.

And though your life does not span 3 decades. You can achieve more in those 3 decades. Than some people achieve in 7 decades.

How you see. If only I'd been converted when I was. In my teens.

But here I am as a 50 year old. Or a 60 year old. The fact of the matter is that God can do.

More within those few years that you have left. Than some people have known. In terms of developing spirituality.

Though they've run with the Lord. For many. A year.

He can grant that fruitfulness. To those. Who so.

Desire it. You see. Basic in this teaching.

From the 4th verse. Right through to the 8th verse. Is that of our beloved Lord.

Because if you can have an echo. From the future. Coming into the past.

Then here is our Lord saying. I am the vine. You are the branches.

The vine and the olive. They were always in the Old Testament. The symbols of the Israel race.

The vine at its best. The olive at its most fruitful. Is what Israel was intended to be.

But never was. And then. God sent into the world.

His only begotten Son. The day came. When with his disciples in his entourage.

Concluding the longest sermon. That he ever preached. He stopped because Jesus was a peripatetic teacher.

Sometimes beyond the move. When he taught. He stopped in front of the temple gates.

In Jerusalem. And you remember it was Passover. Just a silver moon.

Sending down a shaft of light. Lightening up the scene. And he points out.

This must have been the imagery. That suggested itself to Jesus. Emblazoned on the temple bronze gates.

Is the vine. The national emblem of Israel. And Jesus says.

I am the vine. All that Israel should have been. But never was.

I have fulfilled. But you disciples are the branches. If you abide in me.

And I abide in you. You will bring forth much fruit. Out of prodigality.

Peter came. Out of prodigality. Matthew came.

Out of prodigality. Thomas came. Out of prodigality.

The true eleven disciples came. And Jesus said. Of this bunch.

I will make you to be fragrant. I will make you to be fruitful. I will make you to fulfill.

My purposes. In God's earth. In future days.

I will keep you fresh. Oh Ephraim. What more have I to do with idols? Put them away.

Answer your God. That he is like a vine. Like an olive.

Like a pine tree. Answer your God. That you want to be grafted into that olive.

Grafted into that pine. Grafted into that vine. And realize that your fruitfulness comes from me.

Now here as we come to a conclusion. Are the final tests. Who is a wise man? The man who does the telegraph.

Crossword puzzle in five minutes. Well. That's quite a distinction.

I've never made it myself. Who is a discerning man? Someone who can go through John Calvin's institutes and be refreshed as a result. Well.

It would be a very blessed thing to do. I advocate the reading of John Calvin as material that's far better than the rubbish you'll get on television. But look.

Come up to my text. Let my text talk to you. Who is wise? It wants to talk to you.

It's in the interrogative. That means it's a question. Here's another one in case you didn't get the first question.

Who is discerning? Well you want to be wise? Are the prizes given these days for fools? You want to be discreet? Who wants to go through life without any sense of discrimination whatsoever? The Apostle Paul will tell you who's a wise man. The Apostle Paul will tell you who is discerning. You see once again and I tell you not this for effect.

I tell you this sincerely. I am just mesmerized by Scripture's internal evidence as to its own inspiration. Here in the Old Testament are questions which are anticipated, taken up, extended and answered in the New Testament.

Who is a wise man? Well the prophet Hosea wants to know. So does the Apostle Paul. He's writing to the Corinthians.

It's the opening chapter of the first letter. Verse 20. Where is the wise man? You see this isn't accidental.

The Apostle's mind is immersed in Scripture but even more than that he's inspired like Hosea was inspired. Who is the wise man? Who is the discerning? Where is the philosopher of this age? Who will understand what true wisdom is? Who has the spirit of discernment? And the answer is those who know the purposes of God as revealed through Jesus Christ. That fuller revelation which Paul knew and Hosea was leaning towards.

Ah yes, the wisdom of this world. Well it's foolishness before God. Jews, verse 22, 1 Corinthians 1, they demand miraculous signs.

Greeks look for wisdom. Jews want some performance. Greeks want some form of oratory.

No, says the Apostle Paul. The wisdom of God. The discernment of God is encapsulated in Jesus Christ.

We preach Christ crucified. A stumbling block. If you like, a scandal to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.

But if you really are wise, if you really are discriminating to those whom God has called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God. Christ the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom.

The weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. You see, it's all there, isn't it? Tucked away in this old book of Hosea. Right in the final verse.

Who is wise? Who is discerning? Well, those who ponder the things that Hosea has been teaching. Those who recognize that the ways of the Lord are right and that the righteous walk in them. But only the rebellious are scandalized by them.

Hosea knew. He knew in the end that mercy must be offered to Israel. For Hosea in the name of God had offered mercy to Goma.

But I remind you that mercy is offered at tremendous cost. For God paid the price for your disobedience by allowing his beloved son to go to the cross of Calvary. The mercy of God, the Kesseth of God is not arbitrarily spread across the face of this world.

It needs a response. A response to the old-fashioned gospel of Jesus Christ. It needs the embracing of the cross.

It needs the compliance of the human heart to the dictates of scripture. It means walking in obedience to the law of God. As filled by the Spirit of God you receive the strength so to do.

Who is the wise man? Who is the discerning man? The man, the men who do these things. Let's bow our heads in prayer. Gracious God and loving Father, we come before Your throne in the name of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ.

We thank You for Him. We thank You for the One who expresses Your grace and Your mercy towards us. That undeserved mercy of God.

We thank You for Your amazing grace. We come before You right now, praising You for this wonderful book of Hosea with all its somber message and yet with the many, many rays of hope which beam through the stained glass window and show us that God the Father has got an answer for the rebellion of humankind. Lord, we ask that the fragrance of the Lord Jesus Christ may ever emanate from our lives from this church and be part of the eloquent testimony that convinces men and women of the truth of the Gospel.

Hear us for His sake. Amen. Let's stand and sing that verse from that song May the fragrance of Jesus fill this place.

We're not split into men and women. We'll sing each line and each stanza ourselves. Because there's repetition, put your mind into work as you expound what you mean of the various ways in which the fragrance of Jesus can be released in your life and in this church as you sing the repetition.

4-6-2 May the fragrance of Jesus fill this place. May the fragrance of Jesus fill this place. May the fragrance of Jesus fill this place.

Holy fragrance of Jesus rising from the sacrifice arising now. If you shut out men singing in this verse it breaks the sequence and ruptures the hymn. So let's do what the author Graham Kendrick apologised to him.

Second time round I've had to apologise to Kendrick in a year. May the glory of Jesus fill this church. Second verse, the men, followed by the women.

May the glory of Jesus fill this church. May the glory of Jesus fill this church. May the glory of Jesus fill this church.

May the glory of Jesus shining from the faces as we gaze in adoration. May the beauty of Jesus fill my life. May the beauty of Jesus fill my life.

May the beauty of Jesus fill my life. May the beauty of Jesus fill my heart, my words, my deeds my words, around me around me in adoration. Fill my heart I hope to continue in the 23rd psalm on Sunday morning and particularly look at the verse surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

Father, we do want to know a freshness in your presence. We do want to be fragrant. We do want to be fruitful.

We do not want to cause you and your spirit and our beloved Savior hurt and grief. So many times the preacher has done this. So many times perhaps the congregants would agree that they too have been guilty.

Lord, you have a tender nature, a father heart, not like the father to whom references made from this pulpit on Sunday. You never despise, you never reject, you never demean, you never belittle. You always received prodigals with an undeserved favor and mercy.

We thank you. You are our Father. We tell you we are proud of you, the God and Father of our beloved Lord.

We thank you for your revelation in the Old Testament. We thank you for filling that revelation out and making it just a little more easy to comprehend in the New Testament. Help us, Lord, having been schooled from the prophecy of Hosea, to go out more determined, to bring pleasure to the father heart of God.

And now may your grace, your mercy and your peace from Father, Son and Holy Spirit be our abiding portion and all the people of God's end. Amen. Good night and thank you for being here.