Hosea and Faithful Love - Vintage Jesus

Lets open our bibles together to Hosea chapter 1… We're doing something incredible this year - for 52 weeks, we're keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. That's it. No distractions, no side topics. Just Jesus. We want to see Him, hear Him, love Him, and live Him. Right now, we're in week 3 of our first series called 'Vintage Jesus.' And speaking of vintage... I want to show you something. Yesterday, while praying over this message, God brought something to mind that I think will help us understand what we're going to explore today… I love this memory. Yesterday while praying through Jeremiah, three things became crystal clear… "Not for disaster" "Look for me" "I will be found by you” And as I read those words, this memory of playing hide and seek with my kids just filled my heart. You know the scene - little feet scampering across hardwood floors, trying to find the perfect hiding spot. Then that moment when you call out "Here I come, ready or not!” And those giggles. They always give themselves away. But here's what struck me - in those pure childhood moments, before life teaches us otherwise, our hearts respond exactly as God created them. Not to win, but to be found and loved. Young children love being found.. its not till we get older that we make it harder to be found. and so, I got to thinking yesteryda… Maybe hide and seek was never meant to be won. Maybe it was always about bringing us together.

And that's what we're going to discover today as we continue our Vintage Jesus series... Here's what we're doing in Vintage Jesus - we're digging into the Old Testament, finding these amazing seeds that point straight to Jesus. Because here's the thing - to miss Jesus in the Old Testament is to miss that He's always been there. Always. Yeah, we just celebrated His birth at Christmas, but He didn't start existing then. Quick recap - Week 1, we saw Jesus as Creator. Week 2, we met Him as Redeemer. And today... today we're discovering Jesus as Faithful Love. And let me tell you, this one's going to change everything about how we see love. If you have your Bibles open, read with me in Hosea chapter 1, verse 2: "When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, 'Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.’" Now, picture this - 700 years before Jesus was born, God comes to Hosea with what has to be the strangest mission ever. It's like God's version of "Mission Impossible." "Your mission, should you choose to accept it... Go marry a promiscuous woman." Can you imaging that conversation?? God tells Moses through burning bush to go safe the captives from salvery and take them to the promise land… God tells Abraham to leave this place and go to a place where I will show you. But hosea? …………. I want you to marry a prostitute. Like, What? Who? I think I need some more time to pray this through, because theres nothing holy about that. I think I heard you say that you wanted me to marry a prostitute. are You sure..????? Yes Hosea. She is a prostitute and her name is Gomer. Now, its bad enough for a man of God to be Called to marry a woman of promiscuous backgrounds, but come on… Gomer. Why not someone who’s named like Mary, or Sarah, or even Eve. And I dunno about you, but Gomer is sort of an unfortunate name. Theres nothing about that name that sounds attractive. But guess what? Hosea actually does it. Can you imagine the gossip in town? The whispers at the local market? Did you hear about Hosea? The prophet? The man of GOd.. Yeah, he's getting marrying…and get this... to that prostitute. And you’ll never believe this… guess her name… “its GOMER! Oh she must be a train wreck. \ But here's what's incredible about this whole thing. God isn't just asking Hosea to make some crazy life decision. No - God is asking Hosea to live out a prophecy. Think about it - every painful moment, every whisper behind his back, every betrayal that's coming... it's all going to paint a picture. A living picture of how God feels about His people. Of how much He loves them - even when they run away. So they get married. And for a while, things seem... okay. They have three kids together. Life is happening. But then… One morning, Hosea wakes up, and she's gone. He searches the house. Checks the backyard. Goes up and down the street. Nothing. Just like that - what looked like a hard marriage that might've been working out - poof. Gone. Now Hosea's a single father with three kids. And if you've ever been a single parent, you know - those days are hard. Those nights are even harder. I can just picture Hosea sitting there at night, after the kids are finally asleep, thinking about this path God called him to. And you know the whispers around town aren't helping: "I knew it wouldn't work." "What was he thinking?

”But then... turn with me to chapter three. Look at what God says: "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.” Now, hold on - what's with the raisin cakes? Seems like a weird detail, right? Is God suddenly against baked goods? No. Here’s what you need to know - in their culture, raisin cakes were like driving a Mercedes or having the latest iPhone. They were status symbols. Signs of wealth and prosperity. Look at Hosea 2:5. Listen to how Gomer talks: "My wool, my linen, my olive oil, my drink.” Then in verse 13, she's obsessed with jewelry and chasing after lovers who can give her these things. You hear that? MY wool. MY linen. MY stuff. She's completely forgotten who provided for her in the first place. Forgotten Hosea's faithful love. This isn't just about Hosea and Gomer anymore. This is a snapshot - a living picture - of how Israel was treating God. Of how we treat God. And God... God gets brutally honest about this. He calls it what it is - their wandering hearts, their loose love that chases after anything shiny instead of staying faithful to the One who truly provides. Does any of this sound familiar? How quickly do we forget who's really providing for us? How fast do we run after the next thing, the next relationship, the next status symbol... forgetting the faithful love that's been there all along?

And look what God says about this in chapter 4, verse 10: They will eat but not have enough; they will engage in prostitution but not flourish, because they have deserted the Lord to give themselves to prostitution; old wine and new wine take away their understanding. My people consult a wooden idol, and a diviner's rod speaks to them. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God.”

Think about that - they're eating but never satisfied. They're chasing relationship after relationship but never flourishing. They're looking for answers in wooden idols and diviner's rods. Sound familiar? We might not have wooden idols, but don't we do the same thing? Looking for satisfaction in everything except the One who can truly satisfy us?

So, as you study the culture of Hosea’s time you see that the culture had established three primary positions toward love that would lead to their downfall. They had three broken views of love: Love could be purchased "If I need it, I'll buy it. It's right there." Like Gomer running to prostitution thinking she could buy what she needed. Love was all about self "It's about how I feel. My satisfaction. My needs." And I can tell you this - in every relationship where I've made it all about me? It's never worked out. Love equals stuff Having things. Getting things. Surrounding ourselves with things.

So what happens? God tells Hosea in chapter 3, verse 1: "Go show your love to your wife again.” Now, think about this. It's one thing to love someone who comes crawling back asking for forgiveness. But to go find them? To make the first move when they're the one who hurt you? To settle a debt you didn't create? That's hard, isn't it? Everything in us wants to say, "It's not my fault. I didn't leave. I stayed with the kids.” Let me tell you something I learned early in ministry - Do you know you can tell who’s more spiritual in an argument? Who's more like Christ during a disagreement? It's not the one who's right. It's the one who, in humility, makes the first move toward reconciliation. Its the person who sees value in having a relationship and makes every effort to reconcile it, wither they are right or wrong. That's what Jesus was all about. He was never wrong in any argument, but He was always the first one seeking reconciliation. And that's what God calls Hosea to do - "Go pursue her, again.” I call this radical love. Where God pursues us to redeem the relationship even when we're the ones who walked away chasing all these other loves that never truly loves us back. I’ll talk about that more here soon… but before I get there…

Look with me in Hosea 2:14: "Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her.”

Faithful Love is a love that never forces itself on others. Let's talk about that word "allure." This isn't like a fishing lure meant to trick. This is about offering a different way. A better way. Think about those two on the Emmaus road. They're walking away from Jerusalem, away from their community, away from everything. And Jesus? He just comes alongside them. Doesn't force. Doesn't reveal Himself. Just walks with them. Think about that - the risen Christ, who just defeated death, could have said, "Hey! It's me! You had two witnesses! You sent women and they came back saying I was not there, and they even met an angel, then you sent the ment, and they confessed I indeed was not there.. What’s wrong with you?" But instead... He just quietly and lovingly walks with them. He listens. He teaches. He pursued. But also… he never pushes them to see him. That's what we see God doing through Hosea. "I will allure her." Not trick her. Not force her. But show her something different, something better. And here's what's beautiful - God reaches out to hearts trapped in sin and shame, and He draws them to Himself with love. He simply asks, "Would you be willing to see my goodness? Would you be willing to consider that what I offer is better than whatever it is that you're chasing?” Hes saying that to you heart this morning… what is it that your chasing that is not of Christ?? HE wont force you to lay it down… That's radical love. That's faithful love. It never pushes... but by grace, it always freely receives

Secondly, , Radical Love never gives up. Throughout Hosea, we see this persevering love. Paul captures it perfectly in 1 Corinthians: "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” You know, I think about this in my own marriage. Alicia gave me permission to share this… Seven years into our marriage, we hit rock bottom. Divorce was on the horizon. What we discovered was that we were speaking completely different love languages. I'm the extrovert, touchy-feely type. She's more practical - shows love through doing and serving. Under the surface, there were broken places, selfish places. Things we'd hidden from each other. Our marriage was being pulled apart. But by God's grace, we sat down and made a decision. Not just for the kids. Not just because we loved each other. But because we both loved Jesus more. Listen - you can go to church for decades and still be spiritually immature. Do you know why? Because you're stuck in Hosea's culture's view of love: Trying to buy God's love through religious acts Making faith all about your satisfaction Measuring your spirituality by what you get Listne, The length of time you've known Jesus isn't what matters. It's the depth of your surrender to Him. In our marriage, Alicia and I had to learn this the hard way. We had to move beyond the surface stuff. Beyond what we could get from each other. We had to surrender to something deeper. Because just like in marriage, just like in faith - there's a world of difference between sitting in the pews for 30 years and actually letting Jesus transform your heart.

Can I go off on a. Rabbit trial for a moment… Let me ask you something - have you ever wondered why relationships take so much work? Why we put so much effort into building them in the church? Here's why: Relationships are meant for holiness. It’s true… You’ve heard "iron sharpens iron," right? That's not just about making each other better - it's about becoming more like Christ together. For instance, lets look at marriage - Alicia and I are hitting 20 years this May. But let me tell you something - that doesn't mean we've got it all figured out. We had to learn something huge: Our relationship isn't about making "me" happy, or her happy. Because if marriage is just about my happiness other than her happiness, love becomes selfish, not selfless. It’s the Same with church. If church is just about having things your way - the music you like, the service times you prefer - you've missed it. You've made it about you, not Jesus. True relationships aren't about preferences or comfort. They're about transformation. About becoming more like Christ together.

We need to break free from conditional love. We really do… Conditional love hinders the church. There's this phrase I'm learning to let go of - "if you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.” It sounds good on the surface, right? Sounds like partnership, like unity. But here's what's missing - unconditional love. Christ-centered, and relationship. When this mindset creeps into our hearts, love becomes a transaction. It becomes, "Look what I've done for you - now what are you going to do for me?” "I've served in this ministry for years…" "I've given so much time…" "When will someone recognize my effort?” That's not love - that's business. That's not relationship - that's bondage. Now listen… , this is my conviction. It might not be yours. But when I look at how Jesus loves us - how He loved through Hosea - there's no "scratch my back" in sight. There is only faithful unconditional love.

So where is Jesus in all of this.. Wheres the vintage part? Well, its rooted here in chapter three… remember God tells Hosea to go and show love to your wife again, because she has turned to other Gods and raisin cakes.. And Remember how Hosea finds Gomer.. she’s on the auction block? Look at what Hosea’s response was… in verse 2.. So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. 3 Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.” Picture this - she's standing there, covered in shame, and Hosea pays a price he didn't have to pay. She was already his wife. But he buys her back anyway. He paid a price he didn’t have to pay because she was already his… Then Hosea says something remarkable. Look at verse 5 This shows that Israel will go a long time without a king or prince, and without sacrifices, sacred pillars, priests,[f] or even idols! 5 But afterward the people will return and devote themselves to the Lord their God and to David’s descendant, their King. In the last days, they will tremble in awe of the Lord and of his goodness. Did you catch it? Hosea only mentions David because he doesn't know Jesus' name yet! He's seeing the Messiah, but the name "Jesus" hasn't been revealed. This is the vintage part - Jesus was always there: In Hosea paying the price In the prophecy of David's descendant In the promise that we'll tremble at His goodness And here's what's beautiful - Hosea says, in this last days, they will tremble in awe of the Lord and of his goodness… Thats prophecy…. Because, we’re living in those "last days" now. The only difference, is that we know His name. His name is Jeuss…We know He paid our price. And we can tremble in awe of His goodness today. ”You see for Hosea the name of the Messiah has yet to be revealed. Hosea sees the Messiah clearly. He knows from prophecy that the Messiah will come from the descendants of David. Do you know that JESUS would be born to a woman named Mary and father named Joseph who would come from the line of David? This is the Vintage part. For decades many of you have known of the story of Hosea and you have read it over and over again and in your reading you never even realized that Hosea only mentions the name of David because he didn’t yet know the name of Jesus. David is the messianic stand in.. There will come a day when the people of God will have a King. The word says in verse 5, In the last days, they will tremble in awe of the Lord and of his goodness (NLT).

N You know what's fascinating about Hosea? He wasn't living in the last days. He was living in a time when people were absolutely terrified of God's judgment. They were drinking in this contaminated version of love that just... wasn't filling them up. But here's what's wild - when are the last days? They're now. Right now. We're living in them. Let me explain what I mean by "last days." It's this time we're in right now - between Jesus's death, resurrection, and ascension... and when He comes back. And Hosea... he sees something coming. He prophesies that in these last days, people are going to come to know their true King. And who do we now know that King is? Jesus. Hosea says people will stand in awe of the Lord and His goodness. Say that with me: "His goodness!” You know what Paul writes in Romans? He says "The goodness of God leads us to repentance." [Romans 2:4] Now, look at these names in this story - they're not random: Hosea means "salvation" - Who's Hosea name pointing to? Jesus. Gomer means "completion" - Who's Gomer's name pointing to? That's us. This isn't just some ancient story - it's our story. We're Gomer - broken, running, incomplete, standing on that auction block, needing someone to pursue us again... and again... and again. And Jesus? He's our Hosea - pursuing us, redeeming us, completing us. The cross becomes our auction block, where He pays the ultimate price. Not with silver or gold, but with His own blood. Paul puts it this way in Romans 5:8: "But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” That's faithful love That’s radical love That's completing love And here's what takes my breath away - He won't stop. NO many how many ration cakes you go after… he doesn’t give up on you. Into the darkest corners, through the deepest valleys, to the farthest places we run... Jesus comes to find us, redeem’s us, and complete's us.

As Peter comes up… I want to end with this…

Do you know what changes everything? When I remember that I'm Gomer. When I remember that I was the one standing on that auction block. When I really get that in my heart - not just my head - it changes how I see everything. Has His goodness has led you to change? Not just behavior change, but heart change? You know, Peter knew something about this relentless love. And David... man, David got it too. Listen to what he writes in Psalm 139. He says: "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” "Even if I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” Can I tell you something? Having godly parents won't do it. Being religious won't do it. Even believing in God - just believing - that won't do it either. We all have to get to that place. That place where we discover something deep in our souls - that God's goodness, that leads others repentance, His faithful love, that's what leads us to real change. That's what makes us turn around and come home. Is God speaking to your heart right now? Right in this moment? If He is... why wait. Respond.*