Returning to God: Healing Through Trials and Faith

 

Summary

In the midst of life's trials and tribulations, we are called to return to the Lord, who, though He may smite, also promises to heal and restore. The text from Hosea 6:1-2 serves as a poignant reminder of God's dual nature as both a just judge and a loving healer. If humanity had never sinned, our relationship with God would have been one of perfect harmony and joy. However, sin has marred this relationship, leading to a world where God's justice necessitates chastisement. Yet, even in His severity, God's love remains steadfast, and His ultimate desire is for our restoration.

The sermon emphasizes the importance of recognizing God's hand in our afflictions. Often, we attribute our troubles to chance or the actions of others, failing to see that they are divinely ordained for our correction and growth. Like a loving parent who disciplines a child, God uses trials to draw us closer to Him, to refine us, and to prepare us for a life of righteousness. The story of the prodigal son illustrates this beautifully, showing how adversity can lead us back to the Father's embrace.

Faith plays a crucial role in this journey. True faith trusts in God's goodness even when we are in the midst of suffering. It believes that the same God who wounds will also heal, and that His intentions are always for our ultimate good. This faith is not a fair-weather faith but one that clings to God even when all seems lost. It is a faith that expects resurrection and renewal, even when we feel spiritually dead.

The call to return to the Lord is urgent and immediate. It is not something to be postponed, for the path to joy and life is through repentance and reconciliation with God. The sermon concludes with a heartfelt plea for the congregation to respond to God's invitation, to seek His mercy, and to trust in His promise of healing and restoration.

Key Takeaways:

1. God's Dual Nature: God is both a just judge and a loving healer. While He may smite us for our sins, His ultimate desire is to heal and restore us. This dual nature reflects His holiness and love, compelling us to return to Him in repentance and faith. [06:46]

2. Recognizing God's Hand in Trials: Our afflictions are not random but are divinely ordained for our correction and growth. Recognizing God's hand in our trials helps us to respond with humility and trust, knowing that He disciplines those He loves. [09:35]

3. The Role of Faith in Suffering: True faith trusts in God's goodness even in the midst of suffering. It believes that God, who wounds, will also heal, and that His intentions are always for our ultimate good. This faith expects resurrection and renewal, even when all seems lost. [28:16]

4. The Urgency of Returning to God: The call to return to the Lord is urgent and immediate. Delaying repentance only prolongs our suffering and separation from God. The path to joy and life is through reconciliation with Him. [42:23]

5. God's Readiness to Forgive: God is always ready to forgive and restore us. We do not need to propitiate Him, for He waits to be gracious to us. Our repentance and faith in Jesus Christ open the door to His mercy and love. [46:35]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:11] - Introduction and Context
- [00:30] - The Text from Hosea
- [01:05] - The Lost Intimacy with God
- [02:28] - The Consequences of Sin
- [03:17] - God's Loving Discipline
- [04:41] - The Modern Misunderstanding of God
- [06:46] - A Smiting God
- [08:00] - Recognizing God's Hand
- [10:42] - The Prodigal Son's Journey
- [15:52] - God's Chastisement of His Own
- [19:55] - Severe Dealings of God
- [24:02] - Mercy in Suffering
- [27:41] - A Believing Heart
- [36:58] - A Persuasive Voice
- [42:23] - The Urgency of Returning
- [46:35] - God's Readiness to Forgive

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
- Hosea 6:1-2: "Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him."

#### Observation Questions
1. What does Hosea 6:1-2 reveal about God's character and His intentions towards us?
2. According to the sermon, how does God use trials and afflictions in our lives? ([09:19])
3. How does the story of the prodigal son illustrate the sermon's message about returning to God? ([12:01])
4. What is the significance of the phrase "He hath torn, and He will heal us" in the context of the sermon? ([06:46])

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the dual nature of God as both a just judge and a loving healer impact our understanding of His actions in our lives? ([06:46])
2. In what ways does recognizing God's hand in our trials change our response to suffering? ([09:19])
3. How does the sermon suggest that faith plays a role in enduring and understanding suffering? ([28:16])
4. What does the urgency of returning to God imply about the nature of repentance and reconciliation? ([42:23])

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a recent trial in your life. How might recognizing it as divinely ordained change your perspective or response? ([09:19])
2. Consider a time when you felt spiritually distant from God. What steps can you take to return to Him and seek His healing? ([42:23])
3. How can you cultivate a faith that trusts in God's goodness even when circumstances are challenging? ([28:16])
4. Identify an area in your life where you need to urgently return to God. What practical steps can you take this week to begin that journey? ([42:23])
5. Think of someone in your life who might be experiencing trials. How can you support them in recognizing God's hand and encourage them to return to Him? ([09:19])
6. How can the story of the prodigal son inspire you to embrace God's forgiveness and restoration in your own life? ([12:01])
7. What specific actions can you take to ensure that your faith remains strong and resilient, even in times of suffering? ([28:16])

Devotional

Day 1: God's Dual Nature: Justice and Healing
God's nature is a profound blend of justice and love. He is a just judge who cannot overlook sin, yet He is also a loving healer who desires to restore us. This duality is evident in the way He disciplines us for our sins, not out of anger, but out of a desire to bring us back to Him. The relationship between humanity and God was meant to be one of perfect harmony, but sin has disrupted this. Despite this, God's ultimate goal is our healing and restoration, urging us to return to Him in repentance and faith. [06:46]

Hosea 6:1-2 (ESV): "Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him."

Reflection: In what ways have you experienced God's justice and healing in your life? How can you respond to His call to return to Him today?


Day 2: Recognizing God's Hand in Trials
Our trials are not mere coincidences or solely the result of others' actions; they are divinely ordained for our growth and correction. Like a loving parent disciplines a child, God uses these challenges to draw us closer to Him and refine our character. Recognizing God's hand in our afflictions allows us to respond with humility and trust, knowing that He disciplines those He loves. This perspective shifts our focus from blaming circumstances to seeking God's purpose in our trials. [09:35]

Hebrews 12:5-6 (ESV): "And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? 'My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.'"

Reflection: Think of a recent trial you faced. How might God be using it to shape you? What steps can you take to trust His purpose in it?


Day 3: Faith's Role in Suffering
True faith is not just for the good times; it is a steadfast trust in God's goodness even amidst suffering. This faith believes that the God who allows wounds will also bring healing, and that His intentions are always for our ultimate good. It is a faith that expects resurrection and renewal, even when all seems lost. Such faith clings to God, trusting in His promises and looking forward to the restoration He has planned. [28:16]

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (ESV): "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen."

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to exercise faith in God's goodness today? How can you actively trust Him in your current circumstances?


Day 4: The Urgency of Returning to God
The call to return to the Lord is urgent and immediate. Delaying repentance only prolongs our suffering and separation from God. The path to joy and life is through reconciliation with Him. This urgency is a reminder that our time is limited, and the opportunity to return to God should not be postponed. Embracing this call leads to a life of joy and fulfillment in His presence. [42:23]

Isaiah 55:6-7 (ESV): "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you have been delaying repentance? What steps can you take today to return to God and seek His forgiveness?


Day 5: God's Readiness to Forgive
God is always ready to forgive and restore us. We do not need to earn His forgiveness; He waits to be gracious to us. Our repentance and faith in Jesus Christ open the door to His mercy and love. This readiness to forgive is a testament to His boundless grace and compassion, inviting us to come to Him with confidence and assurance of His love. [46:35]

Micah 7:18-19 (ESV): "Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea."

Reflection: Is there a sin or burden you need to bring to God today? How can you embrace His readiness to forgive and experience His grace anew?

Quotes

If man had never sinned, what delightful intimacy there would have been between him and God. A fairy vision rises before us of loving obedience and condescending fellowship, holy delight and boundless favor, lowly adoration and fatherly smile, perfect bliss and infinite complacency. Alas, alas, it is no more than a vision. [00:56:50]

God deals very graciously with man, but not at all after the fashion in which he might have dealt with him. He cannot now perpetually smile but is led by his holiness to look on him with wrathful countenance. The loving God, compelled by love itself, frowns at sin. [02:37:36]

It is a happy day for a man when he knows in whose hand is the rod and learns to trace his troubles to God. Alas, there are even some children of God who greatly err in this matter. When under affliction, they spend their time in bewailing second causes and do not look at the first cause. [08:31:00]

If the Lord had prospered you in that piece of betting, for instance, or if you had got on in that infamous business which you ought never to have touched, you might have been a rich man and have been damned. But you are not to be rich; God does not mean that you should be. [14:17:48]

Now notice that it is customary with God to smite his own according to his own words: as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. I remember being severely called to account by a fastidious critic for using the following vulgar metaphor, which I will therefore use again. [15:46:40]

The text says that the Lord smites. He uses such force that he leaves bruises and marks, for by the bless of the wound, the heart is made better. He smites, and he knows how to do it, for he is a wise corrector. [22:10:48]

True faith believes in God when he is angry and trusts him when the rod is in his hand. And to my mind, as I've said before, it is a very beautiful instance of faith which we have in this text. The man has been torn, yes, torn as a lion tears his victim. [28:06:00]

Though he caused grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. So you see, he who wrote the text did well to argue from the tearing and the smiting that God must mean well to the afflicted soul. [31:35:36]

I may be addressing one tonight who feels as though his death warrant had been signed and sealed. He has the sentence of death in himself. But dear brother, you have faith, for so the text has it: we shall live in his sight. [32:24:40]

The path to joy is sorrow; the door to life is by death; the road to salvation is by condemnation in the conscience. The way to enjoy God's love is first of all to be troubled under God's wrath. [36:28:00]

This persuasive voice is to be attentively regarded in the first place because it pleads for a right thing. Dear friends, if we have wandered away from God and if God is angry with us, what ought to be our first step? Why, to get back to God. [37:20:00]

Now my God, my gracious God, bids me say that he is a God ready to pardon. You have not to go and propitiate him and make him tender and plead with him in prayer till you melt his heart. No, he waiteth to be gracious to you. [46:39:00]

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Transcript
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