Hosea 13:14

Tonight I direct your attention of the book of Hosea in chapter 13. Verse 12, let me read verses 12 through 15 here. The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up. His sin is hid. The sorrows of a traveling woman, a prevailing woman, shall come upon him. He is an unwise son. For he should not stay long in the place of breaking forth of children. I will ransom them from the power of the grave. I’ll redeem them from death. O death, I will be thy plague. O grave, I will be thy destruction. Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. Though he be fruitful among his, His brethren, the east wind shall come. The wind of the Lord shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up. He shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels. Samaria shall become desolate. The… For she hath rebelled against her God. They shall fall by the sword. Their infant shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up. Now, if you’ve been following closely, our studies through the book of Hosea, you by this time have realized what a black one. picture has been painted here with regard to their future. Almost every verse, if not every line, is filled with judgment in God’s wrath. We see that Jose slips something in the middle of all this gloom and doom, a message of hope in verse 14, which we did not cover last week. In the midst of darkness and gloomy moments in life, you find that Christ often offers you hope. There’s a lot of negativity. It sometimes wears you out as you go through this book. There’s so much negativity. But here is a positive note. And I wish you, to speak tonight on the various types of death that Christ delivers us from. Christ delivers you from temporal death. And when I talk about temporal death here, we’re talking about Israel’s temporal death. Israel was about to receive a devastating blow from the hand of God. She’s about to go into captivity and be carried away to Assyria. the nation would be destroyed completely. Briars and thorns would grow up, where there were once lush vineyards and farms in the land. We find that cows and sheep would now graze where once large cities used to stand and flourish. The Assyrians would be the worst nightmare Israel ever faced. they would be murdered by the millions by the Assyrians, put into, sold into slavery. And we find that husbands and wives would be sold as slaves and separated, and children would be hauled off and sold as slaves as well. And when the smoke of all the fighting disappeared, the nation of Israel, would be no more. Now, I’m not understanding that I, these Israelites, lying in captivity, were as dead men. They were past any hope of recovery. The nation itself appeared finished. But Josea says here that God is about to raise up you from death and the grave. God promises to free his elect and remnant people who have repented from the very grave of captivity. And in a small way, this was accomplished when Cyrus, you remember, the king of the Medes and Persians proclaim liberty to Israel, the Jews, the return to their homeland. But certainly, the fulfillment of this passage is found in the raising up of true Israel, the church, in the days of the Roman Emperor. Now, when I speak of temporal death, I’m talking about the pain and the sorrow and the suffering and the struggle that Israel faced. Banishment, sickness, imprisonment, poverty, tribulation, persecution, famine, the sword, all speak of temporal death. And God says we will deliver them from it. Ezekiel often uses the word death, refer to their captivity and the suffering. that they go through. So we have the idea here of Israel’s temporal death. Now you’ll notice that your deliverance from temporal death comes through redemption. He’s going to redeem them from it. The redemption of Christ not only affects your soul, but you’ll notice here, it also covers every necessity you’re going to face in this life. my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Christ Christ will supply every mercy that you will ever need between here in heaven. Therefore we should not despair or doubt because your troubles appear to be overwhelming you. God delivers from the lowest hell. And so he will deliver us from this temporal death. The one who died for you, lives for you, cares for you, intercedes for you. He tells us that we are to cast all our care upon him. He cares for us. Many of you know George Mueller was a Christian that lived in England years ago, many years ago, who ran the orphanages in large orphanages. And one day, they completely ran out of food. Had nothing to eat. There’d be no food for breakfast. Yet, they had the breakfast table set, and all the children sat down before the children, for their plate and their cup, and there was no food sitting there. There was no food to feed them. George Mueller prayed, and he asked God to provide for them something to eat. And lo and behold, there was a knock at the door, and the milk wagon had broken down. And the man asked if the orphanage could use the milk, because it would spoil. if he didn’t move it off the wagon. So while the milk was being brought into the orphanage, a baker appeared. And he told George Mueller that he felt compelled to get up early and they make extra bread for the orphanage today. And so he brought all this bread in for them. So there they were with nothing to eat. George Mueller prays, and the next thing you know, God miraculously provides the food and drink for the children that needed it. According to his divine power, he has given to us all things. It pertain unto life, godliness, as scripture says. So we need to rely upon the Lord to deliver us from these temporal sufferings that we have. So your deliverance from temporal death comes through redemption. Your deliverance from temporal death is God’s work. God says here, I will do this. You’ll notice the prominence of these words I will in this context. Now, if you are in great trouble, your hope doesn’t rest in someone else, nor does your hope rest in you yourself. It has to rest in God. God alone is able to deliver you. His name is El Shadai, the all-sufficient one. You need to trust him fully. If God is determined to spare you, who can thore him? Who can prevent it? He will take care of you and he will provide for you as he sees it. You have to trust in God and the moment you have need and struggle or he is able to help you. Let’s look at 2 Corinthians chapter 1, verses 8 to 10. 2 Corinthians chapter 1, 8 to 10. But we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure above strength, in so much that we despaired even of life. We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God. which raiseth the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us. So we have the deliverance that God provides his people, that stated here. French painter Neil Raynoff depicted, you know, one of his, on one of his canvases, an interesting scene, entitled The Helping Hand. Painting was that of an old fisherman in a boat. And a little girl was seated beside him. Both the elderly man and and their child had their hands on the oar, this huge war. And he is looking down fondly and lovingly at her. And the little girl, of course, is struggling to help row the boat. And certainly is powerless to do it herself. But the old fisherman, with his strong, muscular arms propels the boat through the waters for her. She has a hand there, but he’s doing all the rowing, really. Your deliverance from temporal death is God’s work. We struggle, but God’s the one whose hand is really moving things. Notice here that God is able to turn your temporal death into good, according to verse 14. yet be able to rejoice over that which right now cast you down and discourages you. God can make that which appears to be your very undoing to ultimately benefit you and be for your good. He’s able to turn the tables under trouble, so to speak. Turn your mourning into dancing. Your loss in the gain, your sorrows into joy. You will enrich you in poverty. You make you strong out of weakness. Give you health by means of sickness. Fulness by emptying you. Those who seek your harm and ruin will unconsciously be doing it, doing what is the best things that could be done. for you. So you should be more than a conquer through Jesus Christ. We shall triumph over everything as Romans 8 tells us, there’s nothing that you will not overcome and be triumph over. So we have our confidence in the Lord in this. So Christ delivers you from temple death. Notice here that Christ delivers you from physical death. Now look with me at 1 Corinthians chapter 15 where this is quoted this passage. Look at verses 54 through 57 of this book. Chapter 15 at 1st Corinthians. So when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, this mortal shall put on immortality. Tawley. Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ. So he refers to this passage and he shows how it refers to our victory over physical death. There is a physical resurrection for those who are in Jesus Christ, of course. The Bible says there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. The people of God will find. this resurrection will be a glorious one. For those who are lost, it will only leave to their utter damnation. You shall rise because you are one with Christ and His resurrection. His resurrection is the guarantee of your bodily resurrection. And though your hope is, in this life, you know, I’m just a true. your body in this life suffers pain and weakness and ultimately death and decay, it shall be raised again from the dead. That which is sown in weakness shall be raised in power. That which is covered with dishonor and decay shall be raised in splendor. You shall have a body like unto Christ’s glorious body. All those loved ones in Christ laid in the dark grave shall rise again the Bible Self. So there’s a special resurrection for those who are in Jesus Christ. Now your resurrection from physical death is connected with redemption. He’s going to redeem us. A ransom is the paying of a price for something. I would normally associate it with kidnapping, where a child or someone is kidnapped. And if you pay the ransom, they will free the person. The deal is here that in this passage is this, Christ paid the price to redeem you from physical death. But his death only purchased the salvation of your soul, but also as we see here, your body. Now, you are waiting for the adoption to wit, the redemption of your body, as Romans 823, talks about, this corruptible body must put on incorruption. This mortal body must put on immortality. Though your body remains for a while in the dark grave and subject to death and decay, yet its ransom is already paid. Redemption is going to come. Death, who has cold hands on us, cannot contain the body. The grave holds the bones of the saints, seemingly for, with an iron fist, But we see here that Christ’s redemption breaks the iron fist of death. And all the prisoners are set free. No mass of stone or heap of earth shall keep down the bodies of God’s people when they hear the voice of the Son of God calling them. Take Lazarus, like Lazarus, they’re going to come forth from the grave, and when your body is reunited after being changed, your disembodied soul, then you’ll have a complete redemption, both body and soul. Notice that your resurrection from physical death is brought about entirely by divine power. I will do this, God says. It must be so, because how could someone dead contribute to bringing themselves back to life? And dissolved bodies cannot reconstitute themselves. Notice that God asserts his power. I will ransom. I will redeem. I will be thy plagues. I will be thy destruction. God promises to hide repenting from his eyes. In other words, he’s not going to change his mind. He’s not going to alter his plan. He promises to resurrect us, and we can count on it because he’s an omnipotent God. What a triumph the resurrection will be for the Lord God. Those scattered molecules, those body fragments, will be reunited in an instance. You know, those who have buried their bodies or maybe had their ashes, you know, scattered all over the ocean or something, will never prevent the reconstitution of their bodies of this resurrection. God has been pleased to give a special honor of the resurrection to his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. By his own power, Christ has destroyed the power of death. Death is the last enemy to be put under Christ’s feet has been conquered. Those in the graves are going to hear the mighty voice of the Son of God and come forth in this spectacular fashion. By your resurrection, physical death itself will be transformed and totally overcome. O death, I will be thy plague. Almost as if death here is personified, made human if you would, and then itself plagued. Friends, for a believer, death is no longer what kills you. Rather, we look at death as the entrance, what admits us into heaven and in a glorious life. Inside the walls of King Tut’s tomb in Egypt, you find glorious things. You know, walls themselves are covered with precious metals and blue porcelain. And the mummy of the king is enclosed in a beautiful inscribed. gold-covered sarcophagus. No, King Tut apparently believed in the afterlife, he was thinking in terms of this world’s possessions and he wanted to take them with him. The death allows you, as a Christian, to enter into a glorious new world, very unlike the material one in which we presently live. Death no more destroys you, rather leads to your perfection, not of course by itself, but the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is no longer a plague to die. It is no longer punishment to the believer, but a dismissal from banishment. Those still in sin have much fear. and dread when it comes about death, but for you as a believer, you can say death, where is thy sting? Satan is now plagued by the joy he sees in believers when they die. Death is a glorious departure from this world into the eternal heavenly state. said, I have a desire to part and be with Christ, and to die, he says, is gain. God takes his dying saints, and he takes them to heaven to be with him. So Christ delivers from physical death. Finally, Christ delivers you from spiritual death. The word grave here is the word shield. the place of departed spirits, often translated hell in scripture. And while death speaks of physical dying, hell speaks of spiritual death. Unless you read in the book of Revelation, I am the first, excuse me, I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. Amen. and have the keys of hell, shield or Hades, and death. Revelation 118. If our Lord did not raise his people’s souls from their death in sin, the resurrection of the body, would be a curse rather than a blessing. Resurrection of the body would be a curse rather than a blessing. is not a blessing for those who are unregenerous, but they will endure everlasting contempt. But we find in scripture that the soul of the believer is redeemed from spiritual death. You look at Revelation 20, 12 to 15, you know, we read about death and hell. Death speaks to about the body and hell speaks about the soul the body and the soul will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented in those who do not know the Lord so they’ll have a new body but it will only increase their suffering in the world to come but god provides a spiritual resurrection for his people saves their souls and so you’re no longer dead in trespasses and sins and he will escape the second death of the lake of fire. We read in scripture in the 2 Timothy 110, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and have brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. There is no being spared spiritual death except by the redemption of Christ. Christ’s death spares you from hell. And in God’s determination to save you, please notice that he never repents. He never changes his mind about you. If Christ has ransomed your soul, from the lake of fire. You will never end up as eternal quick kindling would. You’ll be spared that. And there’s no way to undo this. It’s promised it will be given out. I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand, John 1028. God promises here to deliver his people from death and the grave. Paul makes it clear that this applies to you as a New Testament believer. And certainly it pertains to the various aspects of death. Temporal death of sorrows and struggles in this life. Physical death, because you’re going to have a glorious resurrection. In spiritual death, you will escape the lake of fire and eternal suffering in hell. Let’s close with the word of prayer. Father, we thank you for your deliverance from death. We thank you for this note of hope and blessing you give us in this passage. Help us, O God. We might have your blessing in our lives. Let’s stand for the benediction. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.