We're going to be back in the last chapter of Hosea for one more time tonight. This blessed prophet has been a blessing to me. I hope he has been to you as well. So many glorious promises and words of life that the Lord gave to him so many years ago. The Holy Spirit still speaks peace to the hearts of His people by the revelation given to these Old Testament prophets.

The passage that I read from Jeremiah chapter 31, as I mentioned, is quoted twice in the book of Hebrews. And in chapter 8, the scripture says that God will write them on our minds and press them on our hearts or something to that effect. And then when it's quoted in chapter 10, the order is reversed. It will press them on our minds and write them on our hearts. And the Holy Spirit inspired the author of Hebrews to do that, to reverse the order of the mind and the heart.

And though the mind be where we understand things, the heart is the affection. And I believe the reason why those two things are reversed in order is to show us that in the fulfillment of this prophecy, when God makes a true covenant, that he doesn't just move the mind or the heart, he moves them both. And if they're both not moved, if the mind is not enlightened and the affections are not moved, then this prophecy has not been fulfilled.

So I say that in order to say that I've titled this message, When Grace Changes the Heart. when grace changes the heart. And I repeat something I said Sunday, the what of the gospel in terms of the historical events surrounding the life of Christ, his incarnation, his sinless life, his vicarious death, his resurrection, his ascension back into glory, the return of Christ, those are all historical events that we would say is the what of the gospel.

And even the why of the gospel, why did those things happen? In terms of God's sovereign election, the work of Christ on the cross being effectual, actually accomplishing the salvation of his people, we call it particular redemption or effectual atonement, his bodily resurrection being the proof of everything that he had done. And those, we can understand the what of the gospel and even the why of the gospel with an honest reading of the Bible.

And what I mean by that is that we can process logically and intellectually the events and even the reason for those events as they are revealed in scripture. But the who of the gospel, the who of the gospel, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ can only be known by divine revelation. he can only be revealed to the heart.

And when he's revealed to the heart, then the what and the why, in terms of the things that God impresses on our minds, come together with that which he puts on our hearts. And that's what I want. I don't want a gospel that just is something that can be understood intellectually or that can be argued logically. I need a gospel that is a living person, that changes my heart, that affects everything about me,

that we can clean up the outside of the cup, If the Lord's not on the inside, then it's still full of dead man's bones. I mean, it's still full of corruption. The same with the whitewashing of the tomb. We can clean up the outside. We can understand some things, but how we need for the Lord to Press these things on our hearts.

I believe that's what Ezekiel was talking about. I believe that's the reason why Hebrews reverses the order twice. It's for us to know that when God creates a new covenant, when he gives new life, when he fulfills this prophecy of the new birth, it's not just something that we read and understand. It's a person that we get to know.

And the fulfillment of that will be what we read in 1 Corinthians 13. We look through a glass darkly now. And that word darkly means in a riddle. In other words, there's so much of his glory that we cannot begin to understand or comprehend. But we peer. We focus and squint and peer and look as hard as we can to try to see him better. Why? Because we love him. And we long for that day when we will see him face to face.

That's the glorious hope of the believer's life. And that's the effect of grace on the heart.

It's not just a Turn with me, before we read our verses, turn with me back to Ezekiel chapter 36. Ezekiel chapter 36. Look at verse 25. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you. That's what happens when the Spirit of God takes the Word of God, that's the water of washing, and cleans us, gives us faith to believe all that God has revealed.

I will sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh, a stony heart, lifeless, hard, cold heart. We know what a stony heart is. We have felt that way about lots of things. We're not affectionate and compassionate about everything. Some things we just have an indifference toward. But oh, when the Lord causes us to love someone, then the heart has to be changed, and the heart becomes alive and beating and warm. And that's the circumcision of the heart. That is the circumcision of the heart. And it's done by the Spirit of God.

Paul put it like this. He said, we are the true circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus. We rejoice in him. And we have no confidence in the flesh. We have no confidence in our ability to produce anything in the power of our flesh that would that would merit us favor with God or that would put away any of our sin. We have no confidence in ourselves. Our confidence is in Christ. And we're able to come to the throne of grace boldly, confidently, not because we're confident in anything that we've done or anything that we've come to experience. It's because of our confidence in Him.

Paul said of the church in Corinth, he said that it was the law of the spirit that was written upon the heart, not the law of stone. And that's the fulfillment of what the Lord does when he brings Christ, who himself is the gospel, Paul put it like this, Christ in you is your hope of glory.

I don't want to make this all about how affectionate I am, how affectionate am I or are you toward Christ. We can get into a very dark place thinking about that. But Lord, I want to be affectionate. for the love that you have put in my heart, and I want more of it. I want more of it. I don't want my faith to just be something that's impressed on my mind. I want it to be in my heart.

All right. When grace changes the heart, And we're just going to look at these verses, phrase by phrase, and rejoice in what the Lord does when he changes the heart, when he reveals Christ in us. I love that. Paul said, when it pleased God, when it pleased God, and that's when these things happen, when it pleases God, who separated me from my mother's womb and revealed Christ in me. You didn't say reveal Christ to me, reveal Christ in me. Paul said, I know whom I have believed and I'm persuaded that he is able.

Lord, give us an affectionate heart for Christ. We will love him. the more we understand his love for us, his love for us.

Hosea chapter 14, verse eight, we've seen Ephraim. You remember who Ephraim was? He was the youngest child of the younger of the two sons of Joseph. And when Jacob was passing the blessings before he died to his 12 sons, he took Ephraim and put his right hand on Ephraim's head and his left hand on Manasseh and Joseph tried to correct him and Jacob knew exactly what he was doing. He was giving the greater blessing to the younger. And Ephraim now is picture of the church, God's elect, God's elect people. And so in all throughout this book, and in many other places in the Old Testament, but here in chapter eight of Hosea, verse eight of chapter 14, Ephraim shall say, when the fulfillment of the gospel is brought effectual, effectually, to their hearts, they will say, what have I to do anymore with idols? Lord, I don't want to have an idol as a God. I want to have you. And whatever thoughts we may have had about making our works or our will or our faith or our wisdom, the salvation, our salvation, it was an idol.

Turn with me to Isaiah chapter two. Isaiah chapter two. And Isaiah chapter one, the Lord calls on Israel to come Let us reason together, those your sins be as scarlet, they should be made white as snow. The Lord's calling a rebellious nation to come before him and to believe him and to listen to him and to bow to him and worship him. And then in chapter two, he makes some promises about what will happen when that occurs.

And so in chapter two, beginning at verse 17 of Isaiah, and the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day, and the idols he shall utterly abolish, and they shall go into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth for fear of the Lord." I love that. Hiding in Christ. I don't want to One thing I'm afraid of is to stand in the presence of God and be outside of Christ.

And for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth, in that day a man shall cast his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship to the moles and to the bats, to go into the clefts of the rock and into the tops of the ragged rocks for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils, for wherein is he accounted of?" We come into this world trusting ourselves and trusting man's way of salvation. And what does the Lord say? Cease. That's our idol. Our idols, see ye from man, what's he to be accounted of? Oh, trust man, trust me.

And so what does the Lord say here at the end of the book of Hosea, out of all the promises that he gives through this prophet? Ephraim now is gonna speak. Ephraim's gonna speak. And what is Ephraim gonna say? What have I to do anymore with idols? I can't go back. to that false gospel. We can't do it. Here's one of the clear evidences of salvation, and I've watched it over the years, seen where the Lord seemed to do something for someone, and then they went back. Sometimes they stayed, which was evidence that they had never known this work of grace in the heart. Sometimes a believer, the Lord will allow a new believer to go back just long enough to realize what they've been delivered from and then they come out. They can never go back again. Can never go back. Can't go back to a false gospel. Can't go back to an idol. Can't have any confidence in man. That's what Ephraim say, what have I to do anymore with idols? I can't have any part of that anymore.

And why is that? Well, look at the next phrase in verse eight. I have heard him. I've heard him. I've heard his voice. I know my sheep. I call them by name. They hear my voice and they follow me. There's the evidence of having heard the Lord's voices following him. I've heard him. I've heard him say, your sins are forgiven you. I've heard him say, it is finished. I've heard him say, All ye that labor and are heavy laden, come unto me and I'll give you rest. Learn of me, learn of me. My yoke is easy, my burden is light. I will give you rest for your soul. Heard him say that. Heard him say, let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. My father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go and prepare a place for you. I'm gonna come again. Heard him say that. And so we watch and we wait, longing to see his face.

I've heard him. I've heard what he has to say about the idols. It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth. It is God that showeth mercy. I've heard what he has to say about his sovereignty and electing a particular people according to his own will and purpose. I've heard what he has to say about accomplishing the salvation of his people. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people. Speak ye comfortably unto Jerusalem and tell them that their warfare is accomplished. Tell them I've overcome the world. Tell them I've put away their sin by the sacrifice of myself. and I bless them double. Tell them that. I've heard him.

And what he has to say is contrary to what everybody else is saying. Who am I going to believe? Oh, he's got the loudest voice of all. His voice is effectual. Notice in verse 8, and observed him, and observed him. Think about your human relationships. Yes, with your spouse, with your children, with your family members, but even with acquaintances or even people that you meet in business. Trust. If we're going to have any kind of relationship with another person, we have to be able to trust that person. What is that trust based on? It's based on what they say and what they do. And if they don't do what they say, then you don't trust them and you can't have a relationship with them. They have to walk the talk. They have to They have to practice what they preach in order for us to be able to trust them. And it's not to say that we're perfect in practicing what we preach, but we can't say to our children, do what I say, not what I do. That'll never work. Our children are influenced by the example of their parents. If your words are consistent with, and again, our example is not perfect, but it's consistent. It's consistently rely on with the words that we speak. That's trust. That's trust.

And we have a trust in our relationships. And yet our trust is fragile in that it can be broken. A person can, in a marriage, they can violate their covenant promises. In a business relationship, they can not follow through with what they said they were gonna do. In just a neighborhood acquaintance, a person can violate that trust and then we have to earn it back. I say all that in order to say, look at this verse again. And think about who Hosea is talking about. I have heard him and I have observed him. And he does everything he says. I have no reason, I have no reason but to trust him with everything. He's never been unfaithful to his word. I've heard him and I've observed him. I've watched him.

Isn't that what we do when we are building a relationship with a person? We listen to what they say and then we observe them to see if they're gonna do what they say. What reason do we have not to trust Christ? What reason? He's done everything he said. He's faithful to every word that he ever spoke. I heard him and I've observed him. What do I have to do with idols anymore? I can't rely upon those things. He's perfect. And he's always, we're not faithful, we lose sight of him, it's not because he's moved. How do we renew our relationship with him? We go back to his word, and we know that whatever he speaks, he's gonna do. And we believe him. We believe him because he's faithful to every word that he's ever spoken. He's never violated, he never hinted at violating our trust in any way. He's perfect. Why would we not trust somebody like that? If you had an opportunity to invest with someone who was perfect in the promises that they made to give a return on your investment, would you hesitate to invest with them? You check their track record and they're absolutely perfect. Every promise they ever made to fulfill the investment, you know you wouldn't. I heard him. I've observed him.

" Now, I struggled with the next phrase because I wasn't sure if it goes with the, what do I have to do anymore with idols, I have heard him, I have observed him, or whether it goes with, from me is thy fruit found. We know what that means. I am a green fir tree. And then I realized it doesn't really matter. whether it goes with the first group or whether it goes with the second phrase. Because in Christ, if this is a reference to the one being spoken of at the last part of verse eight, from me is thy fruit found, then that fir tree is Christ. If it's a reference to the first part, I have seen him and I have observed him and I am a fir tree, then The only way that I can be a fir tree is to be found in him.

One of the things that impressed me so much about the Pacific Northwest of our country is the forest of Douglas firs. I mean, I'm just blown away. I've always enjoyed working with Douglas fir. It's a very stable wood. It's beautiful. It's straight. It's hard. But it's very expensive here in Florida. And you go out to the Pacific Northwest, and you see these 300-foot tall Douglas firs, perfectly straight. It doesn't matter what the landscape is that they're on. They could be on the side of a hill. They could be down in a valley. They could be in a mountain. But every single one of them is pointing straight up towards heaven. Every single one of them. There's forests of them. There's the picture.

I am like a green fir tree, an evergreen, ever alive, growing toward heaven, beautiful, strong. I'm in Christ, I am. That's not my strength, it's his strength. We mount up with wings as eagles. We run and we're not weary. We walk and we're not faint. Why? Because we've exchanged our strength for his strength. When I am weak, then I'm strong. His strength is made perfect in my weakness. I am a green fir tree. There's my hope. Life evermore because of him.

From me is thy fruit found. From me is thy fruit found. And we can't read that statement without thinking about John 15. Let's turn there quickly, John chapter 15. Verse one, I am the true vine. which tells me that there's a lot of false vines. And my father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away. And every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. The grapevine here has got to be trimmed. makes it more productive. The Heavenly Father, by His Spirit, teaching, admonishing, disciplining, correcting. He does it all by His Word. His Word and His Spirit, those are the two means. His Word is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished unto all good works. That's the fruit. It's the fruit of the Spirit. It's the fruit that the Spirit of God produces.

And God, and the Lord's telling us how he does that. Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me. Remain. in fellowship with me, and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can you except you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me you can do Nothing. From me is thy fruit found. From me.

What are those? Well, the fruit of the Spirit. The Lord gives us that in Galatians chapter 5. What is the fruit of the Spirit? It's love. It's love. That's the fruit of the Spirit. If I'm going to have an affectionate love for Christ, if I'm going to have this this manifestation of God's grace in my heart, in my heart, then the Spirit of God is going to have to give that to me. It's the fruit of the Spirit. And from that will come joy and peace and long-suffering and temperance and patience and all those things that God the Holy Spirit puts in the heart, in the heart. These are affections of the heart. These are not just just doctrinal truths that are, this is, this matter of faith is a matter of the heart, isn't it? From me, from me is thy fruit found, for without me you can do nothing.

This morning I went to see Deanna in the hospital. And all of our hospitals around here are owned by religious organizations, most of them the Seventh-day Adventists. And there's a big thing on the wall in the hallway going to Deanna's room. And Philippians 4.13 is in great big bold print. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. You've seen it. on t-shirts, at sporting events, you've seen it on t-shirts, in gymnasiums, at the gym, some guy working out. You've heard it quoted by people in business. And really what they mean by it is, I can accomplish anything I set out to do if I will just trust Christ for the strength to do it. I can accomplish anything I set out to do. For most people, Philippians 4.13 is nothing more than the power of positive thinking. I think they call it now manifesting. Manifesting. I can manifest my own reality by my attitude and by my words. I can do all things through Christ who strengthened me.

The Pentecostals used to call it, name it and claim it. We can just speak the word and that'll be proof that we believe and God will be obligated then at that point because we've proven to him that we believe it. Philippians 4.13 is in the context of Paul being without any earthly comforts. He said, I have learned how to be abased. Paul was without food. He was beaten. He was left for dead. He was shipwrecked. That's what he's talking about. I have learned in whatever state I am in therewith to be content. That's where Philippians 4.13 That's the context of Philippians 4.13. Paul's not talking about his victories, he's talking about his sufferings. And then he says, I can do all things. I can persevere in doing this.

The world will look at the apostle Paul and think that he was being cursed of God, that he was anything other than successful. He wasn't winning, he was losing. Every time he turned around, he's losing. But God had called him to preach the gospel, and he said this, in light of all the trials and troubles that I'm suffering in this world, I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me. He's my strength.

From me, go back with me to our text, from me is thy fruit found. He is the vine, we are the branch. If the branch doesn't abide in the vine, it can bear no fruit, it can do nothing. And when it does abide in the vine, be sure of this, just like with the Apostle Paul's sufferings, the father, who is the husbandman, is gonna come with his shears and he's gonna trim the vine. And we say, from him is my fruit.

Look at verse 9 and we'll close. Who is wise? Christ is our wisdom. I was going to turn to Proverbs chapter 8, but we won't do that tonight if you'd like to read it maybe tonight when you get home. Proverbs chapter 8 is a personification of wisdom, speaking of Christ and how we're to long after him. James says, if any man lack wisdom, let him ask it of God, who gives to all men liberally and upbraideth it not. Lord, I need more of Christ. I need more of Christ. God has made him to be my wisdom, my righteousness, my sanctification, and my redemption. Wisdom is first. Wisdom is first.

Who is wise? In the Bible, you have a wise man, you have a fool. They that have Christ are wise. They have an understanding because everything is seen in light of who he is and what he's done. Who is wise? And he shall understand these things. The one who has Christ will understand these things. And prudent, that word prudent means discerning. Discerning. We can discern not just the difference between right and wrong, we can discern the difference between that which is holy and that which is profane. That which is true and that which is error. That which is light and that which is darkness. God gives us discernment. We walk in this dark world and we can discern. No, that's not true. That's not true. And we hear the truth of God's gospel and we hear the truth of who Christ is and what he's done for us and we rest and we say, yes, yes, he is the truth.

Whoever is prudent, he shall know these things. The ways of the Lord are right. They're just right. They're right in contrast to wrong. This word right is also translated upright in contrast to being corrupt or crooked, straight, righteous, just. The ways of the Lord are right. And the just, the just, that word just, is the word tsukinu, tsukinu, the word we sing the Lord our righteousness. The just, the righteous, those who are in Christ, shall walk in them. walk. It's the pattern of our life. We walk after Christ and the transgressors shall fall there in the rock that God made to be the cornerstone of his church, the one on which we stand, the one on whom we build everything is the stone that the builders rejected the stumbling stone, the stone of offense. And that's what he's saying. Christ is going to be one with the other. He's either going to be your life, or you're going to stumble all over him. And transgressors shall fall. That rock falls on us, it breaks us. Breaks us. Oh, don't want to be crushed by that rock.

Let's pray together. Our Heavenly Father, we pray that your Holy Spirit would make these blessed promises effectual to our hearts and Lord that we would say with Hosea, what do I have to do with idols? I've heard his voice. I've observed him. I've been made a green fir tree. All of my fruit is because of him. Lord, give us the grace and the wisdom to understand the prudence to discern and enable us to walk after they we ask it in Christ's name. Amen.

2 96. Let's stand together. 2 96