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Hi brethren, we're back to our chapter by chapter study for the book of Hosea. So if you look at Hosea chapter six and verse number one, it begins there by saying, come and let us return unto the Lord. The title for the sermon this evening is, let us return unto the Lord. Now I was kind of considering should I continue through Hosea or should I do a, you know, end of the year or beginning of the new year kind of message. And I thought I could kind of put these two things together when I read through Hosea here. So let's start there in verse number one once again, come and let us return unto the Lord. So don't forget that Hosea is preaching to the northern kingdom who had turned their backs to the Lord, against the Lord, started to worship false gods and they had done all these wicked things. And Hosea was explaining that their judgment was going to fall in the hands of the Assyrians. But look how it continues there. It says, for he have torn, that means God has torn them, and he will heal us. He have smitten and he will bind us up. So there's the nature of God, we see the nature of God in this passage here, that he is a God that will bring judgment, okay? That he can tear, that he can smite, but he's also a God that heals, he's also a God that binds up. Now when it says for he have torn, this is continuing the thought from chapter five. So let's go back to Hosea chapter five and just to write the end of the chapter, look at verse number 14. Hosea chapter five, verse number 14. It says, for I will be unto Ephraim as a lion and as a young lion to the house of Judah. So God is referring to himself as a lion and then says, I, even I, will tear and go away. I will take away and none shall rescue him. And so the Lord's making it very clear that he will come as a lion and he will just tear apart, rip apart this nation. And so that's repeated for us again in chapter six, but look at verse number 15 there, Hosea chapter five, verse number 15. It says, I will go and return to my place till they acknowledge their offense and seek my face in their affliction. They will seek me early. And you may remember that we ended that chapter by, you know, understanding that when we are far from God, when we have rebelled against God, you know, we ought to seek him early. We ought to, you know, come back to the Lord. We always have an opportunity to come back and get our sins forgiven and be in close fellowship and close walk with the Lord. Well then this continues into chapter six, all right. So it says, for he have torn in verse number one and he will heal us. And so brethren, sometimes God will allow us to go through difficulties, through his judgment, we need to be corrected, we need to be chastised, you know, we need to be judged for the wrong that we've done. But understand that the same God that has allowed you to go through difficulties, you know, because of your sin is also the same God that we ought to go to for healing. You know, the worst thing you could do is to run away from God and say, well God, I want nothing to do with your church. I want nothing to do with your presence. And you just think, well, I'll be better off without you God. Listen, you're not going to be, you're not going to find healing any other place except to come to the Lord God who will bind you up, okay. Now, can you please keep your Bible there in Hosea chapter six and turn to Hebrews chapter 12 for me. Go to Hebrews chapter 12, because let's have a quick look here at chastisement in the New Testament. So of course, we're looking at God's curse sins here in the Old Testament, with the nation being completely overrun, completely destroyed, being taken into captivity by the Assyrians, but we can take the principle of God's judgment and apply it for us. You know, what is our learning here, right? What is our learning? Well, Hebrews chapter 12, verse 11, let's just have a look at this once again. This has to do with the chastisement of the Lord. Hebrews chapter 12, verse number 11, it says, Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward, it yielded the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. And so the Bible's telling us here that chastening is important. You know, parents, we ought to chasten our children. We ought to chastise our children when they do wrong, because what we want, we want to see that peaceable fruits come into their lives. Well, God does the same thing for his children. When we are far from God, when we sin and are rebelled against God, when we harden ourselves against God, he will bring chastisement upon us. Look at verse number 12. So that's the idea where God will tear. God will bring, you know, his chastisement, and we might end up with those feeble knees and those hands that are dripping down. We might be a little bit discouraged and cast down because of the difficulties that we're facing from God's hand, but it says, Okay, so God allows us to go through chastisement for the purpose that we would be healed. Not just healed from his chastisement, but healed from the situation that caused us, or allowed us to go through the chastisement of God. And so God is given, you know, through the prophet Hosea, another opportunity for Israel, you know, the northern kingdom of Israel, to turn back to God, right? God wants to heal them. Now, let's go back to Hosea chapter 6 and verse number 2. We come to this verse which has a lot of, it's quite cryptic. There's a lot of opinions as to what Hosea chapter 6 verse 2 is, and I'll give you some thoughts there, but it says, So I want to give you a few views as to what this passage is about. Now, it's clearly, you know, when Hosea is preaching this, he clearly preaches that northern kingdom, you know, where God wants to heal, where God wants to bind. It's saying that he will revive us. He will give us life again. He will raise us up again, okay? You know, God doesn't want us to stay with our feeble knees, as we saw in Hosea. He wants to raise us up. He doesn't want us to be lame. He wants us to be serving him faithfully. And so, of course, the immediate context is the northern kingdom, but many people, and I included, also believe there's a greater spiritual truth as to what this might be referring to. So let me give you some of those views. The first view that I'm going to give you is from a dispensational, you know, viewpoint, okay? And I was speaking to a pastor who, you know, I've been able to form quite a good friendship with just recently here in Sydney. And he's a strong dispensationalist, right? He doesn't believe in dispensational salvation. He doesn't, you know, obviously, that's the extreme form of dispensationalism. But he believes that this passage there, this verse here, it says, after two days, he will revive us. And the third day, he will raise us up. He believes it's referring to the millennial reign of Jesus Christ, and that, you know, this dispensationalist believe that the Jews will one day, you know, they'll all believe on Jesus Christ, and, you know, they will inherit the kingdom with Jesus Christ in the millennium. Well, of course, the idea, the thought here, you know, comes from 2 Peter 3 verse 8, which says, But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years. So say, well, hold on, you know, if one day to the Lord is like a thousand years, then here in Hosea chapter 6 verse 2, after two days, that's after 2,000 years, he will revive us in the third day, so that's a third part of a thousand years, he will raise us up. So this preacher, this pastor was saying to me, well, you know, this is about Israel, this is about, you know, that one day, they're going to inherit the kingdom of Jesus Christ, and we've gone roughly 2,000 years now, you know, two days in the eyes of God, where he's raised them back up as a nation, and then when Christ returns, which shouldn't be too far away, he believes, then the next, the third day, where they will be raised up, will be them ruling with Christ for a thousand years, okay? So I'm just, obviously, I don't believe that, obviously, I'm just telling you that this is one view that's out there, and I think it's probably more common than I think, it's definitely out there, because I've heard things like this before, where God has set, you know, 2,000 years for Israel to be put on the shelf, and then after 2,000 years, he's going to pick them up again and reign with them for, you know, a thousand years. Well, the other thought around this passage, which is probably the more popular thought, is that verse number two is about Jesus Christ, and of course, when we think about three days, we think about, generally, we think about his death, right? That he was dead for three days and three nights, and then he rose again from the dead, and so some people believe that the healing for Israel, and I would agree with this to an extent, you know, that obviously the greater healing of Israel would be through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and you know, I do, you know, believe that, you know, that is the ultimate healing, that is the ultimate sacrifice, that is the method by which all are saved by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and so we know that he was dead for two days, and then after the second, after two days, well, you know, obviously third day took place, he rose again from the dead. Now, the reason a lot of people would say, well, this doesn't really fit that, it's because it says after two days he will revive us, and we know that Jesus was dead for three days, and so that will turn to a passage, and I might get you to turn to, if you can turn with me, let's go to Matthew chapter two, keep your finger there in Hosea, turn to Matthew chapter two and verse number 14, Matthew chapter two and verse number 14, Matthew chapter two and verse number 14, it says here, when he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, out of Egypt have I called my son. Now, the reason I wanted you to read that is because I want you to see that when Joseph took Mary and Jesus as a newborn baby into Egypt, this was a fulfillment of the prophet saying, out of Egypt have I called my son. So, of course, the my son that we read about here in Matthew two is the son of God, Jesus Christ, okay? Now, what prophet did that come from? What book of the Bible did that come from? Well, that came from Hosea. Now, again, you should still be in Hosea, so please go to Hosea chapter 11 very quickly for me, Hosea chapter 11 and verse number one, Hosea chapter 11 and verse number one, the Bible reads, when Israel was a child, so he's speaking about the northern kingdom, when Israel was a child, then I loved him and called my son out of Egypt. And so, of course, this is talking about when Moses led the exodus out of Egypt, you know, that Israel was like a young child, was a young nation and God called his nation out of Egypt and refers to it as his son. And so we know the direct context is about the exodus, but there's a prophetic meaning in this passage as well, which we learned that is about Jesus Christ, when Joseph and Mary went into Egypt and then they came out after the death of Herod, all right? And so what I want to show you there is that Israel, even in the book of Hosea, can sometimes be prophetic of Jesus Christ. And so when it says that after, in Hosea chapter six, after two days, he will revive us, all right, talking about Israel, well, we saw that Israel can be a picture or a, you know, a foretelling, a type of Jesus Christ, okay? So this is where you can sort of start applying this passage about Jesus in a prophetic nature. Now you're there in Matthew, let's go back to, let's go to Matthew chapter 12 now, Matthew chapter 12 and verse number 40. Matthew chapter 12 and verse number 40, Jesus Christ says, for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. So we know that Jesus, when he was dead, he must have been dead for at least three days and three nights, okay? And so some people say, well, see, it just says after two days. And so we know that that can't be about Jesus' crucifixion because he was dead for three days. Now I'm gonna read to you from Mark 8 31. It says, and he began to teach them that the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders and of the chief priests and scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. So it's very clear, after three days, Christ would rise again, okay? So that is clear for us in the Bible. Actually, can you please now turn to Luke 18? Turn to Luke 18. And I wanna show you though, the Bible doesn't contradict. The Bible is always 100% true. Jesus Christ was definitely dead for three days and three nights, okay? But in order to teach this truth, the Bible also teaches us that Jesus Christ rose on the third day, okay? So if you look at Luke 18 33, for example, Luke 18 verse number 33, it says, and they shall scourge him and put him to death, and the third day he shall rise again. So the Bible has no problem telling us that he was dead for three days and three nights, and then he rose again, but it also has no problem telling us that on the third day he rose again, okay? The third day would be after two days, obviously, right? I'll also read to you from 1 Corinthians 15 verse 4, which says, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. So we need to just understand that, and one day I'll teach about this. One day I'll teach about the death of Christ, and we'll have a look at what day he was crucified, and what day he rose again, so we get the full picture here. But what I'm trying to say is, the Bible, yes, he was dead for three days and three nights, but also the Bible has no problem explaining that he was risen on the third day, okay? And again, we'll cover that in a future sermon. And so when we go back to Hosea, if you can, go back to Hosea chapter 6 and verse number 2, Hosea chapter 6 verse number 2, which says that after two days he will revive us, in the third day he will raise us up. So was Jesus Christ risen on the third day? Yeah, the Bible makes it very clear he was risen on the third day. So could this be again a cryptic passage about the resurrection of Christ on the third day? Yeah, I have no problem believing that. I think that's perfectly fine to view it in that way, and I do believe that's a legitimate way to look at this passage. And of course, once again, the healing of Israel, the healing of God's people, whether you talk about a physical Israel or a spiritual Israel, the healing of the entire world, brethren, is only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that he was raised on the third day. But there is another passage that I want you to look at for me, please. And it's in Luke chapter 13. Look at Luke chapter 13 and verse number 31. Because while this is a cryptic passage, and I do believe we can apply this directly to Jesus, I do believe we can also see how we can apply this to ourselves. And in Luke 13 verse 31, please, Luke 13 verse number 31, we have a very similar, what's the word I'm looking for? You know, the writing in Luke 13 here is very similar to what we read in Hosea chapter 6. But in Luke 13, 31, look at this. The same day they came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out and depart hence, for Herod will kill thee. So the Pharisees are coming to Jesus saying, Hey, get out of here. We don't want you here doing all your works, because Herod is going to come and kill you. Now, we don't know if they're being legitimate about that threat, or they're just trying to scare Jesus Christ away. I personally think they're just trying to scare Jesus Christ away. But this is how Jesus Christ responds in verse number 32. And he said unto them, Go ye and tell that fox, that's the fox Herod, behold, I cast out devils, and do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. And again, I do believe, again, Jesus Christ has been cryptic about his resurrection, but he makes it very clear, he's doing his works, he's casting out devils. Not only is he casting out devils, he says he does cures today and tomorrow. He's healing people, okay? He's curing people from their sicknesses and from their illnesses. And Jesus Christ is very, you know, interesting how he says it here, he does it today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Now, we know that perfected means basically to be complete. He says, look, I'm here for now, I was working yesterday, sorry, I'm working today, I'm going to work tomorrow, and then on the third day I'll be finished, I'll be perfected, okay? So he's got his work, the Lord God, his Father, has given him work to do, and he needs to be there for those three days, and he gets the job done, but he does a job of healing during this period. And so if Jesus Christ is using that kind of language, we go back to Hosea chapter 6, which is almost identical. After two days he will revive us, in the third day he will raise us up, that's like the completion of the healing process, right? Not only do you recover from being sick or harmed, but then eventually you're going to rise up, you know, the job's complete when you're able to be fully recovered from your illness or your sickness, and then it says, and we shall live in his sight. And so there's a few things that we can take out of this passage. Number one, that sometimes when we need healing, you know, we do need to go to God, but healing isn't always instant, okay? Now many times when Jesus Christ healed people, yeah, it was instant, okay? He was able to heal them instantly, okay? But we're talking about a healing of a nation here of Israel, which isn't necessarily a healing of sickness, but a healing of their wickedness, a healing of their sinful nature, a healing of the fact that they are so far from God and God is bringing judgment upon them, you know, things aren't going well for that nation, which will accumulate with the captivity of the Assyrians. And so what God is saying, look, in order for you to, you know, when you come back to me, I want to heal you, I'm going to give you back life, I'm going to revive you, but it can take not just one day, it can take two days, and it could take three days where you're fully recovered. And so this is the point that I want to stress for us. The lesson that we need to take for us, okay, is if in 2020, and this is where I'm going to tie in an end of year message with, all right, if in 2020 we've been far from God, you know, if in 2020 we've been cast down and frustrated and upset and maybe we've stopped picking up our Bibles, maybe we've stopped caring about attending church, you know, if we've experienced that in 2020, you know, don't expect this immediate healing. You know, it can take a little bit of time, it can take a few days, you know, as the Lord helps rejuvenate us, you know, get us back into fellowship with Him, it can take two or three days in order for us to be perfected or completed back in full fellowship with the Lord God, okay? So, you know, when we get far from God, don't expect that, you know, to be back with the Lord, it's just an instantaneous thing, it can take time for the Lord to heal us, okay? But once again, it's not like it's a time that takes forever, it's not like when the Lord is healing us and bringing us back into fellowship that it's going to take years and months and, you know, no, it's quite a quick process. You know, the Lord can forgive us for our sins, you know, we press a reset button, we're back with the Lord, but it can take us a little bit of time to get back where we used to be with the Lord, you know, in fellowship with Him, praying to Him, reading our Bibles, being in church, and so allow yourself, if you've been far from God, you know, some time to get back into that fellowship with God, as long as you're going through that healing process, okay? Now back to Hosea 6 and verse number 3. Hosea 6 and verse number 3, it says, Then shall we know that if we follow on to know the Lord, His going forth is prepared as the morning, and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. And so once we're back in fellowship with God, what it's saying is here, that His going forth is prepared as the morning, okay? So the idea there is that obviously before the morning, it was night, okay? It was night, it was a time of darkness, and when we're far from God, brethren, it's like we're in the night, it's like we're in darkness, we're not walking in the light of God, we're walking in the ways of darkness, but here's the thing, if we seek to follow God and to know God better, He's going to allow us to get out of that place of darkness, and He's going to give us a brand new morning, okay? And so the lesson that we can get out of that is that the night is always followed by the morning, you know, that's a guarantee. As long as this earth and the sun continues operating the way it does, the night will always follow a morning. And so, you know, if you are far from God right now, if you're in a place of darkness right now, you know, morning is right around the corner, as long as you go and seek the Lord God, okay? So there's light, you know, to enjoy, you know, walking in fellowship in the light of the Lord. But not only that, you know, morning illustrates a new beginning, the new beginning of a new day. So, you know, you can have a fresh start, a brand new morning with God, where you can be looking forward to, not a time of darkness, but a time of daylight, where you can be faithfully serving God, you know, all day long. You know, this is a process, not just like one time healing, one morning. No, you've got all day. You know, you've got all of 2021, brethren, to serve God if 2020 has been a bit of darkness for you. The next thought that we get here, if we're back in fellowship with God, in verse number three, it says, and He shall come unto us as the rain, okay? So the idea there is like, you know, if you're caught in an open field, you've got no shelter and it starts to rain, okay? And it starts to rain heavily, let's say. Well, you're going to get wet, okay? You're going to face the full brunt of that rain. And the idea there is when we're in fellowship with God, you know, we're going to face His presence. You know, when you walk with God, He's going to be in your life. You know, you're going to know the presence of God. You're going to know Him more. You're going to know Him further. You're going to see His hand in your life. You're going to see His blessings. You're going to be able to be fruitful, you know, in fellowship with Him. And that's going to be like the rain, like you're not going to be able to get away with it. His presence will be everywhere. And then it says, as the latter and former reign unto the earth. So it's saying like, you know, if you're in a place of backsliding in darkness, well, the fellowship that you used to have with God, the former reigns, right? The former reigns of the past, the former blessings of God, you can come back and be in those showers of blessings, back in that same fellowship, that you once had with God before you went through that period of night, before you went through that period of darkness. And so once again, this is the new year's message for you. We should look at 2021 and say, well, Lord, 2021 is an opportunity to have a new beginning. You're giving us a new year. It's right around the corner. Maybe 2020 has not been a great year for you. Maybe you've been full of frustration about the COVID issues. I mean, I don't know. Maybe you've enjoyed 2020. I've kind of enjoyed it. You know, it's been a different experience. But, you know, if you have had a bad year, you know, all I'm just trying to say to you, Brevin, is 2021 could be the same. You know, this whole virus, this whole restriction thing, I mean, this could go on all year next year. We don't know. We have no idea, right? Things might be worse. We have no idea, Brevin. And you know what? This world could be in darkness. This world could be frustrated and cast down and, you know, going through trials. But one great truth about being a believer that even if this whole world is suffering, we can be in fellowship with the Lord God. We can be experiencing the reign of His blessings even in a tough year. And so, Brevin, if you've allowed 2020 to let you down, let me say to you, look, 2021 may continue in the same path. Maybe even worse. But what about you being present in the presence of God? How about you have a start a new morning with God, have a new day with God, and you say, well, Lord, you know what? It doesn't matter what's going on in this world. I want to be in your fellowship. I want to be in your presence. I want to get wet when the rain falls down and experience your presence in my life. I want those showers of blessing in my life, Lord. And you can have a wonderful 2021 even if this entire world goes down the toilet, okay? So that's my New Year's message to you, Brevin. Stay in fellowship with God. You know, look back at 2020 and see where you could improve for 2021. You know, if you've not read your Bible, read it in 2021. If you've not been praying, pray in 2021. If you've not been faithfully attending church, make sure 2021 is the time that you're in church service no matter what, okay? Except if there's some exceptional circumstances. But you know what? Do your best to be in the presence of the Lord, okay? That's where you're going to experience His presence and His blessings. All right, back to Hosea chapter 6 and verse number 4. The Bible says, O Ephraim, so don't forget Ephraim is a tribe, so referring to the northern kingdom. O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? So what's Judah? Judah is the southern kingdom. So God through Hosea is prophesying to both nations now, Israel and Judah. And then it says, For your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. So was there some goodness in Israel? A little bit, okay? So the idea here is that Israel, even though they're so far from God, in darkness where there's been an opportunity here for them to come back and face a new morning with God, they're excited to be back with God. And maybe you've experienced this. Maybe you've experienced in a time of backsliddenness where you're like, All right, Lord, I'm going to walk in your ways. I want a new morning with you, God. All right? And you start off good. You know, you start off knowing the presence of God. You know God wants you to succeed. You start with goodness, right? But then it says in verse number 4, For your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. So the idea there, you know, yes, you might have the dew in the morning, right? And it wets the grass, you know, but when it faces the full brunt of the sun, it evaporates, like it goes away. And so goodness, the goodness of that nation or the two nations here, is being referred to as, Yeah, there's a little bit of goodness. When the morning starts, you get back walking with God. Yeah, you can see that you're putting the effort in now. But very quickly, the people of these nations reverted back into their backslidden ways. They reverted back to their sinful habits, their wickedness. And so whatever good there was, quickly went away, and they're back to being backslidden, okay? They could not face, they could not continue all day serving God. It was only a little bit in the morning, then it was gone. And so we need to be aware that, keep ourselves from sinful habits. Things are sinful, things that are also what I'm looking for, addictive, all right? Where you may have a temporary victory over a sin, and you think you're having a new morning with God, but before the day ends, you're back in that sin, because you're addicted, because you've got a habit of being back in those old sins. And so we need to not just ask God to forgive us our sins, and not only to strive to work faithfully and being the new man, but listen, you need to really put the effort in, okay? You really need to understand that in your weak flesh, you can easily go back to the old sins, okay? Very easily. And so just because you're doing well in the morning, doesn't mean you're going to last all day. And you need to, okay, you need to crucify that old man. You need to die daily as Paul writes, okay? And understand that every day is a new day, you're going to have this constant battle between the spirit and the flesh, the flesh that wants to go back and do its wicked acts, okay? No, we want to be Christians that are strong in the Lord, you know, one step at a time. Lord, help us to have victory, help us to be in fellowship with you, help us to serve you, help us to have our minds set upon you and the work that you want us to do, Lord, so we're not like this morning cloud that disappears very quickly. Verse number five, Therefore, have I hewed them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth. Okay, so it's saying here that God, because they've gone back, yes, they tried, Israel tried and Judah tried, but because they've gone back to their old ways, God is sending the prophets to hew them down. What does it mean to hew? It means to cut and to chop with an axe, okay? You're chopping down a tree, you're hewing down a tree, and so what it's saying here is that God is going to use the words of the prophet to destroy his people, you know, and a prophet should understand, you know, when he's preaching against sin to be sharp, to be sharp like an axe. You know, the Bible is a two-edged sword, you know, and so we need to learn how to use God's word to tear into our people, you know, because we love them, not because we want to destroy people, but the reason we want to preach hard and to warn people against sin and being backslidden and to be in the presence of God is so they're encouraged to do that, and brethren, I want you to be encouraged in 2021 to walk in the ways of the Lord, all right? To look at your sinful habits and say, well, Lord, I need to get rid of that, Lord, so I can serve you in 2021. And then it says, I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and thy judgments are as a light that goeth forth, okay? So the idea there of God's judgment being like a light, the idea there is that the prophets, as they're preaching the judgment of God, it shines light on their wickedness. It shines light on their sin. They can see clearly their sin, and that is the job of a pastor. That is the job of a prophet. That is the job of a preacher. When they get behind the pulpit and they're teaching God's word, it's about making God's word clear, okay? It's about making God's judgments clear. You know, you don't want to come to church and be confused. You know, I don't know what the preacher just taught. I don't know what the preacher believes. You know, that passage that he preached, I'm more confused about it than ever. That's not a good preacher. The preacher's job is to be like a light that shines forth, that explains, expounds God's word, and makes known what is wicked and what is right. You know, the difference between holy and unholy, the difference between clean and unclean, that is the preacher's job. And yeah, and also for their sin, the sin of the nation, to be made known. People can know, hey, man, look, our nation is sinful. This is why we'll often preach against homosexuals and abortions and, you know, whoredoms, you know, all the kinds of wickedness that we see in our nation. We preach this because we want our people to understand, you know, shine a light on the sin of our nation and say, hey, this is wicked. We need to keep ourselves away from this type of wickedness. Verse number six, God says, for I desired mercy and not sacrifice. So what is happening here, people are still offering sacrifices. We know they offered sacrifices to false gods, but they're still offering sacrifices to God, to the one true God. But God's saying, look, I prefer mercy, you know? And then he says, and the knowledge of God, so God wants the knowledge of, for them to have the knowledge of God, more than burnt offerings, right? And so the people of this land, they were still bringing their offerings, they were still bringing their sacrifices to God, but what were they lacking? They were lacking mercy and they were lacking a knowledge of God. And so brethren, once again, we come to church to gain knowledge of God. That's why we come to church, okay? Yes, we come to church to offer our sacrifices of praise, but what's more important, that we get the knowledge of God, okay? Both of those things are wonderful, offering our sacrifices to the Lord, okay? But don't forget, we need to be people that have knowledge as well, not only knowledge, we need to be merciful. And so the people of Israel, they were not showing mercy to their brethren, right? And you know, what is mercy? Mercy is when someone does you wrong, all right? Or someone frustrates you, someone annoys you, and instead of you being like, oh man, brother so-and-so again, sister so-and-so again, hey, just have a bit of mercy on them. I understand that they're a fallen human being, that they've got a sinful nature, they come short of the glory of God, they've got a sin nature, guess what, so do you. You've also got that, and you would want nothing more than for people to give you mercy when you mess up, okay? We need to learn how to be merciful to our brothers and sister. We need to learn how to be merciful to our brethren that we have in our local church. You know why people come to church? Because they want to encourage you, because they want to serve God, because they know that's the right thing to do, and that's where they're going to come to learn God's word, or be merciful to them. Hey, people are coming to church, they're showing up to church, you know? They're doing the best they can as what they know in order to gain more knowledge of God and to love the brethren and to serve the brethren. We need to afford people a little bit of mercy when they irritate us, when they frustrate us, when they let us down, even when they sin against us, it's important for us to show mercy. Hey, we've sinned against the Lord, and the Lord has shown us mercy, okay? Let us be the same in return. But the people of Israel on this day, they were not able to do that. Look how unmerciful they were. It says in verse number seven, but they like men have transgressed the covenant. So they've broken the old covenant with God. There have they dealt treacherously against me. It then says Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity and is polluted with blood. So the Lord refers to this city in Gilead, which is in the northern kingdom, and the Lord refers to them as a place that works iniquity, a place that's polluted with blood. So there are murders taking place in this city. You know, innocent blood is being shed in this city. There's a lot of iniquity taking place. Now, the reason I believe Gilead is being pointed out here, if you can keep your finger there and go to Genesis 37, go to Genesis 37, verse number 25. Remember, God is wanting to heal this nation. Remember, God is wanting to heal us when we're far from God. And Gilead as a city was known for a certain product that they would produce. They must have had the right kinds of trees and shrubs to create this healing ointment. But it says in Genesis 37, verse number 25, this is when the brothers of Joseph wanted to sell him. It says in verse number 25, and they sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead. So that's the same city. With their camels, now look at this, bearing spicery, so that's something that this city is known for, the spices, but then it says, and balm and myrrh going to carry it down to Egypt. And so I guess these merchant men, they've gone to Gilead, and they've been able to get some balm from Gilead. What is balm? You know, balm is like an ointment, you know, it's made for healing or soothing. You know, soothing balms. So you may have an injury, or you may get sunburns, and you'd put on like a healing balm on that to help you heal. And so Gilead was known as a city that produced healing balm or soothing balm, okay, for those that were afflicted. And also, I'm just going to read to you from Jeremiah 8, because I'm also preaching through Jeremiah, as some of you know, here at Blessed Hope Baptist Church. And I also noticed that Gilead is mentioned when Jeremiah is preaching to the Southern Kingdom. It says in Jeremiah 8 22, is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? And so God through Jeremiah is basically saying, you know, same things about Judah. This is about 120 plus years after Hosea, where that nation has turned against God, that nation is doing wickedness, right? That nation is hurting. You know, people are hurting, people are sorrowing, but there's no healing. You can't go to Gilead and get the balm. It's not going to do the job to heal the problems of the Southern Kingdom. And so Gilead is known for a place of healing, where physicians might be and offering this kind of medicine and balms to help in, you know, with hurts. But if we go back to Hosea 6 and verse number 8, then we understand a little bit more why God will point out Gilead, because it's no longer a city of healing. It's no longer a city helping the sick. It's now a city that is polluted with blood. It is no longer healing. It's a city that is killing. It is a city that is murdering people. And so you can sort of see how Israel has gone from one city from being a very good city, a place that people would, you know, that had those positive nature about that city to a very wicked, wicked city. Verse number 9, Hosea 6, verse number 9. And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so we have robbery taking place in Gilead, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent and they commit lewdness. So the priests, the people that are supposed to be serving in the house of God, you know, serving, offering sacrifice to God, the priests are getting involved in theft, okay? They are consenting to robbers from robbing men. Not only that, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent. So I was actually looking this up. I was looking at last night, why? What are the main reasons that people commit murder? And, you know, within the top three reasons is greed. People wanting to take for themselves that doesn't belong to them, they would go and murder someone else to take their goods, okay? And what we see here is that the priests are, you know, giving consent to these thieves to take things from others. Sometimes it's resulting in murder, all right? And those priests are getting a share of the robbery that's taking place in this land, all right? Let's keep going, verse number 10. Defiled. And so, whoredom now, okay? We have murder and whoredom is taking place in Ephraim. And the Lord says, look, this is a horrible thing. You know, fornication, adultery, this is a horrible thing in the eyes of God. I know it's normal in Australia, but it is not normal, brethren. It is abnormal, you know? Thank God that we have his word. Thank God that we have preachers that are willing to call out the wickedness, you know, these sexual sins, you know? We should make sure that our children keep themselves pure for the wedding day, that they don't listen to this world and commit whoredoms. The Lord says this is great wickedness in Israel. And of course, this is happening, you know, physically, but it's also happening spiritually. We know that the Lord refers to the fact that they've gone and worshiped false gods as a spiritual whoredom that's taken place. Verse number 11. Also, O Judah, he have set and harvest for thee when I returned the captivity of my people. So verse number 11 ends with Hosea saying a few words to Judah, the seven kingdom. Now, just a reminder, when Israel, the northern kingdom, was taken into captivity, they never returned. They never recovered, okay? They ended up being mixed with the people and they became known as the Samaritans in the days of Jesus Christ, okay? But with Judah, when they were taken into captivity by the Babylonians, they were taken to captivity for 70 years, and at the end of 70 years, they were returned back to the land. And so looking at verse number 11 again, it says also, O Judah, he have set and harvest for thee when I returned the captivity of my people. So Judah has been promised that they're going to return as a nation back into the land out of the Babylonians. So when it says he have set and harvest for thee, it's basically saying that Judah will experience their own judgment. Israel is being judged, but Judah will experience their own judgment and they will reap like a harvest. They will reap for their own weakness. They will reap their own sins when God judges Judah, okay? But once again, 70 years captivity, they're going to be returned back to the land. And so that's Hosea chapter six, brethren. Come and let us return unto the Lord. If you've been far from God in 2020, let me encourage you to say, well, 2021 is going to be a different year, Lord, I want to start from the 1st of January. I want to start serving you, Lord. When I wake up, I'm going to read my Bible. I'm going to pray. You know, I'm going to make sure that I'm going to find myself in the house of God when the doors are open. And I'm going to make sure that I have mercy on my brethren. I don't want to end up like the people of old. I want to make sure before I offer my sacrifice to you, God, in my local church, that I've got a right heart with you. I'm walking with you, Lord, that I'm gaining our knowledge of you and I'm showing mercy to my brethren. And so I'm looking forward to 2021, partially because I know some October, November at the latest, I'm going to be back with you guys. You know, I think 2021 is going to be wonderful. I've personally enjoyed 2020. It's been hard. It's been frustrating at times, but the Lord has also used that time to work in my life and to teach me patience and, you know, to open up the doors to come and serve at Blessed Hope Baptist Church. But that would only have been possible if you at New Life Baptist Church would have allowed me as you did to come and serve the people here. I know the Lord has great plans for our churches, both churches down here in Sydney and up there at New Life Baptist Church. Please keep our churches in prayer. And I'm hoping that 2021 is the best year you've ever experienced with the Lord. Okay, let's pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, I want to thank you, Lord, for the end of the year 2020. Lord, thank you for the opportunities that you've opened up to us and for the lessons that you've taught us, Lord, through these challenges. And Lord, I pray that if we've been far from you in 2020, Lord, as a church or as individual people, that you would help us to serve you in 2021. Lord, I pray that we would find that balm of Gilead and apply that to our souls, apply that healing, Lord, if we're far from you. And Lord, I pray you'd bring us back into fellowship and Lord, help us to have sweet time of your presence and your blessings, Lord, as the showers. And Lord, I pray that if we ever find ourselves far from you, Lord, that we would look forward to that new morning and help us, Lord, to enjoy the whole day, Lord, in the light of your glory. We pray these things in Jesus' name, Amen. God bless you, brethren, and have a great 2021. Happy New Year.