120797................... The Gift of Love....................... Hosea 3

by Ronald E. George Jr. at the Sand Fork Baptist Church.

1Cor 13:13 (KJS) "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these [is] charity." This is Love.

The purpose of this sermon is to give God’s gift, ask you to receive it and return it. Love is the greatest gift of all. The greatest gift from the greatest giver.

This is our Key Verse. John 3:16 tells the story:

God- the greatest Giver

so loved- the greatest motive

the world- the greatest need

that He gave- the greatest act

His only Son- the greatest gift

that whosoever- the greatest invitation

believes in Him- the greatest opportunity

should not perish- the greatest deliverance

but have eternal life- the greatest joy and possession

Today’s text from Hosea shows the love of the Lord for his chosen people the Israelites who have forsaken Him for other gods. Gomer had forsaken her husband yet Hosea loved her and bought her back to himself out of slavery.

Scripture Text:

Hose 3:1 (KJS) Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of [her] friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine. {of wine: Heb. of grapes} 2 So I bought her to me for fifteen [pieces] of silver, and [for] an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley: 3 And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for [another] man: so [will] I also [be] for thee. 4 For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and [without] teraphim: 5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.

1. The gift of Love is the Gift of God Himself to Us.

1Joh 4:7 (KJS) Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

How can we know love until we know God for God is love?Hosea gave Himself to his unfaithful wife Gomer according to the Love of the Lord toward the children of Israel. God gave himself to us.

2. The gift of Love is the Gift of Unconditional Acceptance.

Romans 5:8 (KJS) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Even though Gomer was an adulteress, Hosea loved her so much that he accepted her and gave himself for her. She didn’t have to first measure up to his standards. God accepted us unconditionally in Christ and desires to have us for his very own.

3. The gift of Love is the Gift of Forgiveness through His redemption.

Romans 6:23 (KJS) For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Hosea paid the price to deliver his love from her bondage. Her desired to have her as his very own although she had forsaken him. He redeemed her because of his love for her. He was willing to pay the price to have her to himself again.

4. Have we received the gift of Love? Have we recognized Him as our only God? Have we received his eternal life with Him beginning today?

1Joh 4:19 (KJS) We love him, because he first loved us.

The Children of Israel returned to the Lord and his love. They loved him in return for his love for them.

What Is Christmas?

"Mommy, what is Christmas?" asked the three-year-old girl. Her mother carefully explained that Christmas is Jesus' birthday. "Then why do we not give gifts to Jesus if it's His birthday?" The mother explained the tradition of exchanging Christmas gifts as expressions of our love for each other, and that seemed to end the matter.

It did not come up again until Christmas Eve when a sleepy little girl placed a package under the Christmas tree on her way to bed and explained that it was a birthday gift for Jesus which she was sure He would open during the night while she slept. After she was asleep, the mother; not wanting her daughter to be disappointed, opened the clumsily wrapped package and found the box empty.

On Christmas morning the little girl was thrilled to find the package had been opened and her gift was gone. "What was in it?" asked the confused mother. "It was a box full of love," came the answer.How childlike. How Christlike.