Return accepted but considered Silence

Hosea 3
Senior Adults Sermon on GKKB Date 21 February 2010
Return accepted but considered Silence
Preliminary
Brother two weeks ago we learned together about how God brought his people to turn to God. First: God let his people do what his will; Second God punishes his people through; shut their way not to come to idols, closing blessing in their lives, through the Lord to take all that into their pride, their possessions and even whether God imposed pests to their farmland and finally God punished Israel by throwing them in Babylon.
Today we will discuss the third chapter, let us read together: Hosea 3
Brother, there is one term that we often say, if we comunicate to someone, then that person does not bother us, we often say ... So nice note ... If we underestimated, just a moment when we speak, not too much trouble. But how about sharing a house with a husband or wife, but we ignorant for years. When we talk to our husband or wife, do not want to see and pay attention to us, we ask anything he just said nothing, we cried he remained silent, sleeping in one bed but did not communicate, eat at a table but do not greet each other. Worse yet, during that time we are not allowed anywhere, should stay at home continues, I think if we are accustomed to the road in three months would be crazy .... So if you already so do we still rejoice?
Brother I'm sure if we're sure this is something normal human suffering? A renowned psychologist Abraham Maslow said that human beings have at least five basic needs within himself; one of them is a social requirement. So the man called a social creature. Where people need appreciation from others, for he can speak, communicate, he needs someone who respects himself etc.
If this requirement is not met, it will affect human life, when one needs are not met then he's looking for another place sublimation, and if he does not find its distribution will affect kejiwaannnya.
Brother of the word of God that we read was talking about his wife after redeemed by Hosea Hosea, Hosea bring home the house, but during his stay in the house of Hosea, Hosea is not ignoring him, Hosea silence.
Brother, what's done to his wife of Hosea is something that makes Hosea's wife suffer, and very depressed.
Brother of the same is done by God to the nation of Israel or his people, which when they had realized their mistake and come to God, but God's silence. We know that after the Israelites returned from Babylon, God did not give the Nation of Israel a king again, no leader no prophet is speaking, not a victim, and so forth, it is called with one period of darkness for 400 years, until Jesus was born.
It gives Israel more suffering, let alone them to be in exile, they would feel more isolated, they were like sheep without a shepherd, they talked and prayed to God but as if God was silent and did not hear their voices, even as though God truly will not want to know with them.
Why is God silent and did not want to know the parishioners who have turned to dating him? What is the purpose of God behind all of this? At least there are three things we can learn; why God seemed silent:
I. God wants us to love Him with a genuine love
Beloved brother of the Lord Jesus, If we look at our reading of the section before, we know that how to process the return of the wife of Hosea, to Hosea. Is the wife of Hosea by Hosea returned to his own honor? Did he go back to Hosea Hosea because he loves? Did he go back to the house of Hosea by because he realizes his mistake.
The Bible does not record like that? God's Word tells us that God asked Hosea to go and loving wife who like to be off it. So Hosea went and paid with fifteen shekels of silver and one stenga bushels of barley.
(Describe twelve sykal 15 silver = 200 Gram. 1 Homer = 360 grams so 1, 1 / 2 Homer = 500 gram barley),
Beloved brother of the Lord Jesus, it is clear that his wife returned to Hosea Hosea's not because he loves, not because he realized his mistake. But solely because of the initiative Hosea, because the love of Hosea alone. All because of the mercy of Hosea, Hosea thus their need to sacrifice to get back his wife from whored.
The description of the love of Hosea who pay and take back his wife from a brothel is the image of God with Israel is also a picture of God with mankind.
When we are far from God, when we abandon God, we live in sinfulness, God with her love for him to call us. Not only is he calling us, but he wants to pay us, with his blood, redeemed us from our sins. We who have been captured by sin, we are already bound by sin, we have been trapped by sin, freed by the Lord.
Brother, God himself took the initiative, to free us from sin, all done by God because he loves us with true love. We really do not deserve to be loved like Hosea's wife, but God loves us, that He gave His only begotten son Jesus Christ to redeem us from sin.
Our redemption from sin, is solely the initiative of God, not one of us who share our cause can by itself dating to the Lord, and confess our sins, our sinful human beings can not afford to come to God and to realize all our sins , we need the grace of God. Same with the wife of Hosea that can not be dating back to Hosea, as he had captured the place of prostitution so we've captured by sin, we are not able to exit from the snares of sin, then we need redemption by the blood of Christ.
Dear friends, when Jesus has redeemed our sins by His blood, we re-united with Him, And He wants us to love Him in earnest. He wanted the love of Him who has given to us by our responded.
Brother, why Hosea ignored his wife? Because his wife would be aware of Hosea Hosea's love for Him and respond to the love of Hosea .... Hosea's wife did not want to misunderstand about Hosea's redemption by him. Hosea want him to really understand that redemption is done differently with the redemption made by other men. Where they pay is not out of love and love them, but there is something behind what they do.
Hosea did not want his wife were forced to serve him, love him because of Hosea has been redeemed, because of Hosea has been paid, if not more so then Hosea like another man who served his wife for unpaid, not because he loves.
Hosea's wife realized that he wanted to redeem it because she loved him, without any goal, so it waited until his wife's Hosea Hosea soon realizes that he loves.
Hosea waited until his wife absolutely know that Hosea loved her and she responded with love Hosea.
Brothers, the same thing God did for us today, God has redeemed us with his blood, God wants us to respond to God's love. And one more thing God wants, when we serve Him, we serve because of our love, not because of what God has done for us. Not because God has redeemed, and to pay our sin debt, but because we truly love Jesus.
Brother, there's one less precise CONCEPTS who often become a Christian concept; often we say, "Because God has died for us, has redeemed us, then we must serve Him. The question is if God did not redeem us, whether we can still serve him? Surely not.
Very different if we serve God, because we love the Lord. If we love God with earnest, even though God does not redeem us if we can keep serving Him. Love him, worship him glorify Him.
The same question, can we ask ourselves each other? Why do we serve our husband or wife? Whether by us or because he pays for the money? If because of money, so when he's not sure the money we will get rid of Him .... Like the Indonesian proverb "There is money there is no brotherly love brotherly money floating" different from us to serve our husbands and wives, because we love Him.
Brother, there are a lot of people love God, serve God only limited blessing, and comfort alone, when his life he was blessed with a spirit of praise to God, but when life does not go well, she no longer loves the Lord, no longer serving the Lord. So when you have problems and struggles of his life he would say the same proverb "There is no God's blessing thanks God loved flying '
If it becomes Christians to the extent of blessing, then we better not say themselves as Christians, because followers of Christ not only from the blessings of life only. Lord Jesus katakana; those who follow Him must be willing to deny themselves and carry the cross.
God wants us to love Him as He loves us, God wants us to serve Him because we love Him, not because of what was done for us.
Why? Because how many services we do, we really are as good as any service can not reply or pay for the sacrifices of God for us,
Sister, so first why God ignored us, because God wants us, to love and serve Him with true love, earnestly, not by compulsion.
II. God wants us to have a true repentance
Brother, Why Hosea ignored his wife, after his wife returned homes? Because Hosea wants his wife will realize his mistake and repent sincerely. I've katakana above that the return of Hosea's wife to his house instead of his wife's initiative but because of the paid and redeemed by Hosea.
Could be due to be redeemed or paid by Hosea, it would not be willing or forced him back to his home. Or more clearly again that he's back home Hosea's not because he truly had repented, but because it was paid.
Brother, if this happens, then it is something that is very unfortunate. And chances are if that's the case, then there is the possibility he would return to the old deeds, he will again be off, because he does not repent sincerely.
Brother, same thing that God intended for us, God wants us to have ditebusnya with an expensive price, really has a genuine repentance.
Why should we truly repent? First, we have seen from the side of God's love for us.
Allah had so loved us, God loves us seriously. When God redeemed us with his blood, he does not see the evil side of us, our sinfulness, from whom he has not seen us before Him, but He sees the love of his glass eye.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have life everlasting"
Dear friends, when I was young, never experienced what's called unrequited love? Not sick ... very sick relatives. Why pack Beni know .. I know you .. when I was in college I had a friend who likes to one friend's daughter, but this daughter's friends do not like him, but liked his gift. We have been advised, that he was looking for another, because we know that this ceweqnya friends do not like him, but this person does not believe, he remained adamant ..
Dear friends, after all this time he had just learned that her friend did not like her, when her friend was, going out with someone else. He was incredibly upset, she cries, even thinking to get out of school. Brother broke his heart,
Brother, if I could draw like this might be God's disappointment against humans who do not appreciate his love. The Bible always speaks of God's love is contrasted with a man who does not appreciate the love of God. God loves humans, but humans reject God, even Jesus, sent by God, must experience all that suffering for Him in this world, even the peak of the rejection of man is crucified him.
Why should we repent seriously, who we first saw from the side of God, who loved us with sunguh seriously.
Second, we must look from the side pengorbananannya.
Brother when Hosea went to redeem his wife and received back at the house, it is a big sacrifice, because of Hosea not only wealth but also sacrifice to sacrifice pride to bring back and marry women who are not true, the wife who no longer deserve to be his wife, wife no longer feasible in love.
Why do we have to repent sincerely before God, we must look from the side of God's sacrifice for us, Jesus was sacrificed, dying on the cross for our sins? Who we are, we people who do not deserve to be loved by God but we still loved by God.
In humans, God should not be willing to sacrifice for our sinful, but that's what God does for us. If God has been sacrificed for us, do we not repent sincerely before God? If we have so corrupted by sin, and God willing to sacrifice for us, what do we do? Do we continue to live in sin or we are truly repentant? The right thing is we are thankful to God with thankful
Dear friends, God wants us to have redeemed by God with the blood of expensive to not waste the grace of God, we must become a new man who lives in repentance. We do not come back again to a long life.
As we redeemed by God, then we dilahirbarukan become children of God, we experience a change in our lives.
So brothers, the second thing is why God ignored us? Because God wants us to have a genuine repentance ...
The third thing, why God ignored us. Namely:
III. Test the faith of God's flock
Brother, why Hosea bring his wife back, but he ignored his wife? Here Hosea actually want to test whether his wife really has repented and be aware of his mistake. Hosea wanted to know if she really loves Hosea or not.
What does Hosea is a picture of what God is doing to the nation of Israel and Judah. By the time they're back to God, repent and say love the Lord. God deliberately ignored them, to test them, whether they really have to repent and love God.
God allowed them to experience many difficulties, the Lord allowed them to face various challenges. When they cried out to God and ask for return to Jerusalem, to their homelands, God does not immediately allow them back, but they still have to pass a long time in Babylon. When they returned to Jerusalem, they were waiting for Nati voice of God speaking to them, but they do not hear the voice of God, they waited for a king but they were not given God a king again for them, even God did not send another prophet to speak again for them.
This so-called dark ages, we know that the last prophet is the prophet talking about the voice of God since the prophet Malachi and Malachi spoke and Israel no longer hear God speak through the prophets, and it lasted for 400 years, until the time of the birth of Jesus. When God does not speak for them, here the Lord to test them, whether they actually remain faithful to God or not. Did they really obey the word of God or not? Do they continue to love God or not.
Brother, why did God let the people of Israel experienced a period of darkness? Because Israel is a nation of rigid neck, who always falls in the worship of idols, both famous for the nation of Israel who have false obedience.
They want obedient to God, after God struck them, after they were safe and comfortable life they forgot to mention the word of God, they changed not faithful, that was so then God will strike them back, after their kind, they forgot the Lord returns, and so on. Therefore, when there was the darkness, where there are no prophets who speak to them, then they become like sheep without a shepherd ynag.
There are no more prophets to remind them of their sins, they must be independent in their faith. This is where the real test of faith. So their faith in God, is not affected does not depend on others or to the prophets, judges or kings. They must determine their faith in God. This is where their faith is tested.
Brother, how to test the faith of someone? The best test of one's faith is not within the church, not in a community of believers, nor a Christian family in the middle. The best test is when we're not in church, when we live in an environment people interact not believe, when away from Christian friends, away from family. There we will be tested, whether we really still obey the word of God or not, still faithful to God or not. Examination at the time of our faith is a lonely place, where no one knows or sees us.
Brothers, in the life of our faith as believers sometimes, God seemed silent to us, for example, when we have a scrimmage in our lives, we pray, but God seemed silent. When God was silent and seemed not to hear us, hear the truth of God, but God will test our faith in Him. How big is our faith in Him. God wants us to repent genuinely, really, really love him, obey, obedience is not really apparent.
Brother there are many believers, when they came upon God, they did not experience a genuine repentance. Coming to the Lord God to heal illness, dating to the Lord so that the problem is solved, dating to the Lord because there is no work. And when all had already accepted the Lord, they returned to God forgot, like the nation of Israel.
Brother, God seemed silent, does not mean God was silent, but God will test our faith, we believe masihkan and sticking to his word.
Conclusion:
Brothers, through the Word of God today, we are reminded of three things, when God seemed silent in our lives:
First: God wants us to love Him in earnest
Second: God wants us to have a really repentance sunguh
Third: God wanted to test our faith.
Therefore, today if we feel that God is "silent" .. still seek Him
When God's "silence" .. keep persevering to do His will
When God's "silence" .. Let us not be silent .. Thus, the one when God will tell us' this is a faithful servant, come together to enjoy the joy of heaven. Amen