Hosea 10:12
We must sow to ourselves in righteousness, break up the fallow ground, and seek the Lord to overcome our problems and reap mercy.
Chuck Smith emphasizes the urgent need for the nation of Israel to return to God amidst their crisis, highlighting the importance of sowing righteousness in our lives and breaking up the hardened ground of our hearts. He explains that our actions have profound effects on those around us, and encourages individuals to cultivate a mindset filled with God's Word to reap blessings. Smith calls for recognition and repentance to soften our hearts, urging that it is time to seek the Lord continuously, especially in light of the moral decline and challenges facing future generations.
Text
"TIME TO SEEK THE LORD"
Intro: The nation of Israel is facing a severe crisis. They have forsaken
God. They forgot that it was God who had made them great. God's
remedy for the sick nation.
I. "SOW TO YOURSELVES IN RIGHTEOUSNESS."
A. The actions and deeds of our lives are like seeds scattered
abroad.
1. They have a negative or positive effect on those around
us.
2. Some plant rotten seed wherever they go.
a. Their lives have a polluting influence.
b. You feel like you need a bath when they go.
c. You wished you could purge your mind from the
filth of their conversation.
3. Others who, by their lives, bring blessing wherever
they go.
a. The sweet influence lingers after they go.
b. They leave each place better than they found
it.
B. Here we are exhorted to sow to ourselves.
1. My life is determined by the type of seed I am sowing
into my mind.
a. The brain is much like a computer that can only
feed out that which is programmed in.
b. If I feed my mind on Playboy and X-rated
movies, I will reap overpowering sexual urges.
c. If I feed on the soaps, I will reap doubts and
suspicion about the fidelity of my spouse.
d. If I feed on the Word of God, I will reap
godliness.
2. "Sow to yourselves in righteousness."
a. Sow in the right things and the right things
will come out.
b. What kind of music do you listen to?
c. What kind of material do you read?
C. If we sow in righteousness, we will reap in mercy.
1. Rather than being vengeful, critical and harsh, we
will be kind and forgiving.
2. Much strife could cease at our doorstep.
a. That desire to get even only fans the flame.
b. Better to douse it with mercy.
II. "BREAK UP THE FALLOW GROUND."
A. Ground that has compacted and hardened for lack of use.
1. All it produces is weeds, nettles and thorns.
B. Some of your hearts have become hardened to God.
1. His Word has no chance to root.
2. It washes away in the next storm.
3. As a result, you become hardened to others.
a. You become blind to the distress signals.
b. You become deaf to the cries for help.
c. Till one day, you are devastated and shocked
when the divorce papers are served, or your
child has run away.
C. How do you break up the fallow ground?
1. Begins with recognition.
2. Followed by repentance.
a. A true desire for change.
b. Not just change long enough to get things back
together.
3. Start to pay attention to God's Word and obey it, put
it into practice.
III. "TIME TO SEEK THE LORD."
A. For our nation.
1. Horrible moral decline.
a. Gone from a permissive attitude to an indulgent
attitude.
b. When I was a boy, pornography was all under the
counter.
2. Economic woes.
3. Crime epidemic.
B. For our children and grandchildren.
1. Purpose of government is the preservation of good.
a. Laws are seeming to repress the good and
liberate the evil.
2. The children growing up today have a much wider
exposure to evil.
C. How long shall we seek the Lord? "Till He comes."
Sermon Outline
- I points: - '{''1'': ''The actions and deeds of our lives are like seeds scattered abroad.'', ''2'': ''Some plant rotten seed wherever they go.'', ''3'': ''Others who, by their lives, bring blessing wherever they go.''}' - '{''1'': ''My life is determined by the type of seed I am sowing into my mind.'', ''2'': ''If we sow in righteousness, we will reap in mercy.''}' - If we sow in righteousness, we will reap in mercy.
- II points: - Ground that has compacted and hardened for lack of use. - Some of your hearts have become hardened to God. - How do you break up the fallow ground?
- III points: - For our nation. - For our children and grandchildren. - How long shall we seek the Lord?
Key Quotes
“The actions and deeds of our lives are like seeds scattered abroad.” — Chuck Smith
“If we sow in righteousness, we will reap in mercy.” — Chuck Smith
“How long shall we seek the Lord? 'Till He comes.'” — Chuck Smith
Application Points
- We should be mindful of the seeds we sow in our lives and make sure they are righteous.
- We need to break up the fallow ground in our hearts and make room for God's Word to root.
- We should seek the Lord and His mercy to overcome our problems and bring about change in our nation.