Our Response to God's Love

Introduction

He told me he was sorry. He told me that he didn’t want to live that kind of life. He told me that he was going to change and be a different person. I believed him and for a time his actions demonstrated a change. But it didn’t take long before he was back to the old habits. When confronted, he relayed a number of reasons why he went back to the old ways. He was under a lot of stress. The old ways brought pleasure. It was hard to follow God’s ways. He felt judged. He was lonely having lost his old set of friends and not having any real replacements. I listened and knew that his “reasons” were intended to justify his choices but I also heard how much pain there was.

Making the decision to change is rarely easy. The worrier doesn’t stop worrying. The arrogant doesn’t suddenly become humble. The greedy doesn’t easily give up their envy and become generous. The addict doesn’t suddenly walk away from the addiction. The pressure is immense. It isn’t easy to change actions or the heart. A simple illustration is to spend a day trying to do things with the nondominant hand. Comb your hair, brush your teeth, write, eat, and all the things that you use your dominant hand for. Just try to do all those things with the other hand and see how difficult it is to change.

We think changing is not difficult. You make the decision to change and you just do it. Ever made a New Year’s Resolution and didn’t succeed? Ever made the decision to eat better, exercise more, lose weight and not? Let’s make sure we start our lesson with this truth—there is no room for us to judge another person when they are not successful at changing. That person needs to be encouraged to keep trying and to keep finding ways to soften their heart to God’s will. But neither is there no room for us to release them from changing. Changing is difficult but when we change we come into relationship with God and that relationship is so sweet and beautiful. Let’s praise God because we have changed and seek God’s direction.

Israel’s Response

At the end of Hosea 5, God warns Israel that if they do not change he will punish them. God is no longer willing to be last on Israel’s list. The God who gave them everything they needed and much of what they wanted, is not satisfied with being ignored. God is not petulant. He isn’t a spoiled child demanding attention. God is their Savior and Redeemer. He is the one who has delivered them over and over again. He wants relationship. Israel has presumed upon God’s goodness. They attributed all the good to their false gods and then demanded more. They forgot the nature and character of God. God will allow Israel to receive the full consequences of their choices to sin. So at the end of chapter 5, God calls for Israel to repent.

Their response found in verses 1-3 sounds like repentance, but it isn’t. It sounds like a nation that is wanting to return to God but they don’t. They are seeking a way to avoid punishment. Like the child who is warned to clean his room or consequences will follow begs for leniency when the consequences come, so Israel says the words of repentance when God promises consequences. There are two clues that reveal that these words are intended to pacify God rather than speak of genuine repentance.

First, verses 4-11 reveals that God is going to punish Israel anyway. He told them that repentance would result in a return of his patience, but their words are not genuine and God is going to follow through on his promise to punish. Notice verse 4. God says their words of loyalty are as fleeting as the morning dew. In Israel’s summer months, it is dry. It is the morning dew that helps to sustain crops. But the morning dew is fleeting. It quickly evaporates. This is Israel’s response—the right words but no real intent to change. Second, verse 2 carries the idea of presumption. The idea is that if they will say the right words and give a demonstration of their change, then God will quickly restore them. They will not have to do much. Just do the minimum required and then God will restore.

Verse 3 their quick repentance and brief pursuit of God should result in God’s long lasting response. They do a little and God will do more. This reveals that their heart is not fully on repenting. They are trying to have their cake and eat it too. They want their choices and they want God to honor their choices by leaving them alone. Like the teenager who tells parents to trust them, when in fact they want to be left alone to pursue their own agendas, Israel is saying the right words but their words are without substance.

So What?

Genuine repentance is rarely easy. Repentance includes words, actions, and the mind. If one of the three is left out, then repentance has not taken place. Words and actions are easily given but changing the mind demands energy and focus. But all three must be consistent for repentance to be real. Would we tell a person to steal in decreasing amounts or a man to only abuse his wife less? Of course not. Repentance carries the idea that we change our mind and from that change comes new words and new actions. But changing our mind is not easy. It is difficult to change old ways of thinking. If someone told you that you were worthless, there will be times that you think that way even when you know it isn’t true.

But make no mistake, repentance leads to change. Zacchaeus had lunch with Jesus and his life was forever changed. Saul saw the light of God on the road to Damascus and his life was changed. But we also see the life of Simon in Acts 8 whose mind didn’t change quickly at first. Or believers at Corinth who continued to engage in sexual sin after becoming Christians who are told that godly sorrow leads to changes in actions (2 Cor. 7).

Repentance means that your heart and mind must change. It means to allow God to lead your mind rather than your own thoughts. It means learning to give your heart more and more to God rather than holding on to your own thoughts and ideas. It is wanting what God wants more than what you want. Repentance reveals itself in new words and actions. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians the old is gone and the new has come.

September 11, 2001 occurred on a Tuesday. The following Sunday, saw record numbers of people attending religious services across America. Two years after the 9/11 attacks people had returned to “normal.” The substantial increase in attendance at religious services was short-lived. The call of 9/11 was to find strength in God. Pledges were made to seek retribution. The song “God Bless America” began to be sung in ballparks. But almost 14 years later, the passion of response has diminished. Why? Because repentance is hard work. Changing one’s mind is difficult. Thankfully we do not have to change our minds on our own. God’s promise from Acts 2 is that repentance begins with us but with the help of God’s Spirit we are able to say “yes” to God and “no” to sin. Changing our mind begins with us and God brings power to encourage us. Invitation.

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