Hosea
Gardening Basics 101: Whatever seeds you plant will eventually determine the fruit you harvest.
If you want corn, it does you no good to plant peas. You can plant those peas in the best soil, give them the perfect fertilizer, and follow the ideal watering schedule, but you're still going to get peas. Corn doesn't come from peas. Apples don't grow on fig trees. You reap what you sow.
And what is true in the garden is also true in our spiritual lives. We will spiritually reap what we spiritually sow.
This is exactly what the prophet Hosea is exposing in Israel. They have continually sown the things of this world, love of money, autonomy, and idolatry, and now they are reaping the bitter harvest those seeds inevitably produce. As Paul would later say,
"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap" (Gal. 6:7).
But Hosea's message is not merely a warning; it is also an invitation. God calls his people to "sow for yourselves righteousness" and to "seek the LORD" (Hos. 10:12). There is hope for those who turn from their sin and seek the Lord.
And that is what we will see this Sunday: If we want to bear good fruit, we must sow good seed. Not because we can earn God's favor through our good works, but because those who belong to Christ have been given new life and are called to bear fruit for God's glory. As we trust Christ and walk by his Spirit, God produces in us the fruit that we could never produce on our own. To come prepared for the sermon, take time this week to read and to meditate upon Hosea 10, Psalm 80:8-18, John 15, Galatians 6:6-10, Ephesians 1:3-4, and this article on Bearing Spiritual Fruit.
As we gather to worship our loving Father this Lord’s Day, we will join our hearts in song, singing the Hymn of Praise “Tell Out, My Soul, the Greatness of the Lord.” the Acclamation of Praise “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” and the Hymn of Response “How Firm A Foundation” Let us come to worship this Sunday prepared to hear God’s Word, to receive it in faith, to love and treasure it in our hearts, and to practice it in our lives that we may continue to glorify and enjoy Him!
Sermon Information
Text: Hosea 10:1-15
Title: To Bear Good Fruit
Outline:
- Every Christian Must Accept the Principle
- Every Christian Must Heed the Warning
- Every Christian Must Obey the Command