Canaan Fellowship

Hosea: God’s Heart for an Unfaithful Nation

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Canaan Fellowship
Canaan Fellowship
Hosea: God’s Heart for an Unfaithful Nation
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Bruce Hempel delivers a sermon on the book of Hosea, using the prophet’s story as a backdrop to discuss the themes of repentance, national unfaithfulness, and the hope for revival.

  1. Introduction to Hosea & The Call to Repentance

    • Bruce introduces the book of Hosea, a prophet to the prosperous northern kingdom of Israel, and sets the theme of the sermon: repentance and revival. He encourages the congregation to read all 14 chapters as homework.
    • [00:00] Introduces the book of Hosea and the theme of repentance, defining revival as a people responding to God’s call to repentance.
    • [00:41] Provides historical background: Hosea prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah in Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam II in Israel, a time of great prosperity and entrenched idolatry.
    • [00:05] Notes that Israel’s prosperity led them to forget God and make idols, drawing a parallel to the modern condition of wealthy nations.

  2. Hosea’s Unfaithful Wife as a Symbol of Israel’s Unfaithfulness

    • Bruce reads and explains the opening chapters, interpreting the story of Hosea and Gomer as a living metaphor for God’s pain over Israel’s spiritual adultery.
    • [07:18] Reads Hosea 1:1-11, explaining that God’s command for Hosea to marry a prostitute was a message of God’s own pain over Israel’s unfaithfulness. The names of the children (Jezreel, No Mercy, Not My People) symbolized coming judgment and divorce.
    • [09:45] Points out that the second and third children were not Hosea’s, highlighting the painful reality of Gomer’s ongoing infidelity.
    • [11:16] Explains that “you are not my people” was a divorce statement, yet God immediately offers hope of future restoration and reunion for Israel and Judah.
    • [12:00] Highlights that after pronouncing judgment, God quickly offers hope. Bruce shares a personal vision of heaven with a door named “repentance,” emphasizing the need for humility over pride.
    • [14:55] Reads and explains Hosea 2, describing God’s plan to block Israel’s path with thorns so they would return to their “first husband,” drawing a comparison to the story of the Prodigal Son. God promises to betroth Israel to himself in righteousness, justice, steadfast love, mercy, and faithfulness.
    • [21:59] Bridges the text to modern times, posing the question of whether we have faith for God to redeem nations like America or Pakistan. He encourages a heart of hope and prayer for restoration rather than condemnation.

  3. God’s Redemption and Prophecy of Future Hope

    • Bruce continues the narrative to chapter three, where the theme shifts decisively to redemption, offering a powerful message of hope for the restoration of nations.
    • [23:43] Reads Hosea 3:1-5, explaining that God commanded Hosea to “go again” and redeem Gomer, a picture of God’s faithful, redeeming love for Israel and for all nations.
    • [24:00] Encourages the congregation to have a heart of love and hope for nations like America, not just judgment, and to pray for their redemption.
    • [26:50] Reads the prophecy of Israel’s return to God in the latter days, stating it is a future prophecy that may be being fulfilled today.
    • [27:36] Points out several worship songs based on Hosea, including “Come Back to Me with All Your Heart” and “Break Up Your Fallow Ground.”

  4. Historical Examples of Revival

    • Bruce shifts from the text of Hosea to give a historical overview of revivals, demonstrating that God has answered the call for national and regional repentance in the past.
    • [29:10] Recommends resources for learning more about revival history, such as the teachings of J. Edwin Orr on YouTube, and asks the question of whether a nation has ever repented and been revived.
    • [29:20] Cites Nineveh as a biblical example of a nation turning from wickedness, and mentions the revival in Israel under King Hezekiah.
    • [31:42] Discusses revivals in American history:, highlighting:
      1. The First Great Awakening (colonial times).
      2. The Second Great Awakening (1797-1820), which spread from the western frontier eastward.
      3. The Businessmen’s Revival (1859), which began with a small prayer group in New York City.
    • [33:03] Describes the Second Great Awakening, noting the influence of “holy fairs” from Scottish immigrants and the famous Cane Ridge revival in Kentucky.
    • [34:08] Details the 1859 Businessmen’s Revival which started with a few men praying at lunchtime and led to an estimated one million conversions.
    • [35:27] Mentions other revivals including the Welsh Revival (which produced the hymn “Here is Love”), the ministry of Charles Finney, Dwight Moody, Billy Graham, and the Jesus People movement of the 1960s and 70s.
    • [38:20] Mentions the Azusa Street revival of 1902, and more recent revivals in Uganda in the 1990s and the Fiji Islands, citing Uganda as a modern example of national repentance and blessing.

  5. Prayer for Revival

    • Bruce closes his sermon with a prayer for God to “do it again,” lifting up specific nations in need of a spiritual renewal.
    • [40:48] Encourages the congregation to have faith that God will do it again and mentions a Tim Keller sermon titled “Do It Again, Lord.”
    • [41:08] Notes that revivals are also happening on college campuses, such as the Asbury revival.
    • [41:44] Leads a prayer for mercy and revival for America, Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, and South America, concluding in Jesus’ name.

Scripture References

  • Hosea 1:1-11
  • Hosea 2:1-23
  • Hosea 3:1-5
  • Hosea 6:3
  • Hosea 10:12
  • Matthew 5:3

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