A Flourishing Life

To flourish means to grow or develop in a healthy manner. If a garden is flourishing, the plants are receiving the right amount of sun and water. The soil is providing the nutrients they need, and as a result, the garden grows and produces fruit.

We can take this idea further. If a child is flourishing, she is growing physically, emotionally, and spiritually. She is receiving what she needs not merely to survive but to thrive. As she grows, she begins to share with the world her unique ideas, athletic abilities, care, and compassion.

The Bible uses this kind of language to describe the life God intends for His people. Biblical flourishing is not merely about having a comfortable or successful life. It is about living as God intended. He aims for His children to be whole, fruitful, and rightly ordered in their relationship with God, with one another, and with the world He has made.

This Sunday we come to the final chapter in our study of Hosea. Throughout this prophecy, we have seen the many ways Israel's sin has led them away from flourishing and toward death. Yet Hosea ends with a beautiful vision of restoration. The people of God will return to the Lord, and the Lord Himself will restore them and cause them to flourish. But we will also see how different this flourishing life is from the life Israel had been pursuing. They will not find life by continuing down the paths of rebellion and idolatry. They must return to the Lord. And when they do, God promises to heal their faithlessness, love them freely, and make them flourish like a tree planted by living water.

The same is true for us. If we want a life of true flourishing, we must turn from our rebellion and return to the Lord. But the good news of Hosea 14 is that the God to whom we return is a God who delights to restore His people. He is the one who gives life, heals our faithlessness, and causes us to flourish. To prepare your hearts for the sermon, take some time this week to read and meditate on Hosea 14:1-9, Deuteronomy 8:7-10, Psalm 1, Micah 4:1-5, Matthew 4:17, John 10:10, Acts 3:19-20, and this article on Repentance.

This week we will celebrate that sacrament of the Lord’s Supper during our worship service. As we receive the elements of the bread and the cup, we look in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. For as we physically receive the signs of the Lord’s body and blood, spiritually we feed upon Him and all His benefits. Our hymns for this week include “Before Jehovah’s Awesome Throne”, “Man of Sorrows! What a Name”, and “Psalm 117.”

Sermon Information

Text: Hosea 14:1-9

Title: A Flourishing Life

Outline:

1. You Must Return to the Lord (vv. 1-3)
2. You Must Grow in the Lord (vv. 4-8)
3. You Must Walk with the Lord (v. 9)

Sunday Bulletin

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