THE SCANDAL CALLED GRACE

THE RELENTLESS LOVE OF GOD

 SERMON BY PASTOR ALEXANDER CHAPOTA

 (BRADFORD LIVING WATERS CHURCH)

What a wonderful responsibility we have as God’s spokespersons. When we look at ourselves we can confess that we are very incompetent and inadequate for such a task, but God chooses weak and foolish things of the world to put to shame the world. (2 CORINTHIANS 2:1-5; 1:27.)

Todays reading comes from the book of HOSEA chapter 3:1-5. through this story, I want to remind you of the immeasurable love of GOD. My aim is to help you understand your image before God in light of His love. When you fully understand how much Gods love is toward you, it will change your life, it will change your view of God and it will affect even your day to day life.

The BIBLE contains two words from God, yes God speaks to us through the bible in two forms of speech.

THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL.

A proper distinction between these two words is very important to understanding the bible. Christianity is a relationship with God that is found on the declaration of the Gospel not by observing the LAW. Under the Old testament people had a relationship with God through the Law. But due to mans inability to keep the law PERFECTLY, God changed the old testament and He introduced a totally new way of relating with men, that is through faith in Jesus Christ.( Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:7-13; Romans 10:4)

Through the law God wakes us up to our true condition, of being died in our trespasses. The LAW is a mirror. It reflects to us our problem, our condition, and our need but a mirror can’t change what it shows us. The law is BADNEWS, the law does not help us to love God, rather it convicts us that left to our own strength we are incapable of obeying God. (Romans 3:1,10,12 and 19-20,23.) The gospel is GOODNEWS, that in spite of our rebellion against God, out of sheer mercy He has opted to forgive and love us unconditionally.(Romans 5:8)

God has no bad day, before He chose us, He already knew how much we will fail him and regardless of that knowledge he loved us. His love for us is not based on any goodness that He foresaw in us. WE LOVE PEOPLE IN PROPORTION TO THEIR WORTH, FOR US TO BE LOVED BY OUR PARENTS, SPOUSES, BOSSES,OR NEIGHBOURS WE HAVE TO PROVE OUR WORTHY(EARN IT). Unfortunately, Religion has presented God in a wrong way, God is much better and loving than we have ever imagined.

GRACE

Grace is the most important concept in the Bible. Grace is mercy not merit. Religion shorthand for the human propensity is to establish negotiated settlements with God. A lot of people think that, the way they live their lives on the ground is what secures their approval before God. Brethren, what approves us before God is not our performance for Him, rather it is first His approval that compels us to love Him and our neighbours. God’s commands to love Him is not what creates love in us, but rather His love for us is what changes us inside out.

Let me make some scandalous statements and see if you really understand the GOSPEL.

1. Do you know that all our sins, I mean all the sins that you committed until now, and those that you will commit in the next few hours, plus all the sins that you will ever commit, yes those that you are yet to commit, no matter the magnitude, all of them were put on Jesus and He took them away from you? Jesus was held accountable for every single sin in your life and He paid the price in full and it is very unrighteous for God to hold you accountable for the sins that were already accounted on Jesus. If you are still suffering for your sins, then Jesus died in vain or you are an UNBELEIVER! ( Acts 13:38-39; Hebrews 9:12,15; 10:10,12,14 and 17.)
2. Church going, singing, crying, fasting, TITHING, all the GOOD WORKS you know are not necessary for obtaining the blessings of GOD. If you believe the Gospel of Jesus, you are already HOLY, ACCEPTED,  AND LOVED. The list above is not bad or unimportant. But they are not the REASON why God loves you. And never try observing them with a motivation of buying God’s favour for you. It is a lie to teach that if you fail to do one of those things God will be against you. I practice those things, as a RESULT of God’s love for me. I DON’T LIVE FOR GOD’S APPROVAL I LIVE FROM GOD’S APPROVAL.(Ephesians 1:3-13; Galatians 2:16; 3:13,26; 5:1-4).

I want to ask you some questions, and I believe you are going to give me honest answers.

1. Is Tithing more sufficient for your security or blessings than the blood of Jesus Christ?
2. If you really believed you were forgiven and accepted and that God loved you without reservations, what would you do? How would you act? CAN SUCH A KNOWLEDGE OF GODS LOVE MOTIVATE YOU TO LOVE SIN OR GOD?

HOSEA AND GOMER

Through the story of Hosea, I want you to understand the kind of love that God has for you. God SO loves you and He will do whatever it takes to rescue you from the slavery of Sin. Hosea was a prophet in Israel who lived some 750 years before the birth of Jesus. But unlike most of the old testament prophets, his ministry was exceptional, ridiculous and embarrassing. In those days, prophets did not just speak the word of the Lord to the people, but rather demonstrated their prophecies through their lives. Hosea was commanded to marry a prostitute by the name of Gomer. They had three children together, but alas, one day Hosea woke up and Gomer was gone. She had gone back to her prostitution and suddenly Hosea became a single Dad. How embarrassing was this moment in the life of a respectable prophet of God?

The SCANDAL of the story is that, God commanded the prophet to go again after Gomer who has betrayed him and by this time she was with other men committing adultery. Hosea means salvation(Jesus), while Gomer means completion(Us). We are the spiritual Israel and in this story God is prophetically teaching us His own kind of love. He overlooks the fact that we are unfaithful to Him, and pursues us with His relentless love. Like Hosea Jesus Christ came down from Heaven and entered the world, the world of spiritual prostitution, not to take part in its prostitution, but to save and seek you and me the (GOMERS), and on the cross He paid the price  for our sins with His own blood. Brethren, through this story I plead with you to forsake your prostitution and follow your husband Hosea(Jesus), whose yoke is lighter! 

GOD BLESS YOU!