Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

Invitation to Repentance (Hosea 6:1-3)

Dr. Eliah Massey · December 13, 2020

Scripture passage not listed

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Summary

Hosea's invitation, 'Come, let us return to the LORD,' addresses a covenant people who had abandoned God for idols and shallow devotion.
Israel's condition is pictured through unstable dew, a heated oven, an unturned cake, unnoticed weakness, a silly dove, and a deceitful bow.
Repentance must be more than temporary religious emotion; it involves brokenhearted confession and a genuine turning from sin to God.
God's chastening exposes sin and calls wayward people to seek him rather than proving that restoration is impossible.
Sinners deserve judgment, but Christ was pierced and bore wrath for his people so that they may return for healing and cleansing.
God promises to heal apostasy and love freely; therefore believers and churches should seek personal renewal before demanding renewal from the wider culture.

Is my devotion enduring, or does it disappear like morning dew when circumstances change?
Where am I spiritually well-developed outwardly but cold and unresponsive toward God?
What substitute for God do I repeatedly fly to for security, help, or satisfaction?
Am I merely going through religious motions after losing first love for Christ?
Do I interpret conviction and discipline as an invitation to return or as a reason to hide?
What sin should I confess plainly while appealing to Christ's finished work?

Repentance: Grieving and hating sin in light of God's holiness and mercy, turning from it to God, and pursuing obedience.
Contrition: A broken and humbled heart that recognizes it has wronged God and seeks his mercy.
Waywardness: Drifting from covenant faithfulness into idolatry, compromise, shallow devotion, or misplaced trust.
Chastisement: God's corrective discipline exposing sin and summoning his people back to himself.
Healing: God's promised forgiveness and restoration, secured through Christ for those who return in faith and repentance.