Transcription downloaded from https://sermons.highlandparkbaptist.net/sermons/96883/were-all-sowing-something/. Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions. Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt. [0:00] Hosea chapter 8, verses 7 through 14. [0:26] ! The standing grain has no heads, it shall yield no flour. If it were to yield, the strangers would devour it. Israel is swallowed up. [0:39] Already they are among the nations as a useless vessel. For they have gone up to Assyria, a wild donkey wandering alone. Ephraim has hired lovers, though they hire allies among the nations. [0:51] I will soon gather them up, and the kings and princes shall soon writhe because of the tribute. Because a frame has multiplied altars for sinning, they have become to him altars for sinning. [1:04] Were I to write for him my laws by the ten thousands, they would be regarded as a strange thing. As for my sacrificial offerings, they sacrifice meat and eat it, but the Lord does not accept them. [1:15] Now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins. They shall return to Egypt. For Israel has forgotten his maker and built palaces. And Judah has multiplied fortified cities. [1:28] So I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour their strongholds. May God have a blessing to the reading of his word. Would you please be seated? Now I have to make a confession. [1:42] I had planned on us being done with Hosea about a few weeks ago, or maybe at least a couple weeks ago. There was a time back in Leavenworth where I'd have a preaching schedule. [1:54] I'd have it in the pews, and you could see where the sermon was going to be on months in advance. And I've decided not to do that anymore because I'm telling you, and I've been convicted this week, I thought, you know, the best chapters in Hosea are chapters one through four, where it's talking about Hosea and his relationship with Gomer. [2:11] But man, I felt like a fool this week because I have realized going through this book that man, every part of God's word is God's word, and every part of God's word is deep. [2:22] We couldn't plumb the depths of it. There is so much there, and I'm amazed by it again. And so I don't know when we'll be done with Hosea, but we will be one day, and we'll continue to go through chapter and verse, and this is such an applicable text for our lives. [2:40] All of it is. The word of God is amazing, is it not? I remember as kids, we used to like to play down in the sewers. [2:55] It wasn't as bad as that video that was shown there. It wasn't anything like that. But we found a way to get into the sewer system, and so we would crawl around underneath our neighborhood, and we would peek through the grates, and it would take us on all these different kinds of adventures. [3:10] We'd go to wherever one line ended, and we'd pop our heads out and see what it was. One time we popped out in somebody's backyard, and we quickly jumped back in, but we got bored with that after a while, and one of our journeys brought us to this pond, and we would spend hours out at this pond during the summer. [3:30] And one of the things that we would do, you know, being boys, when you see a body of water like that, you are tempted to throw things into it, right? You're just entertained by throwing things into the water. [3:41] And so we would skip rocks, and then we would play this game where we'd get the biggest rock that we could find and see who could throw it into the water. And then after we got tired of doing that, we would see, you know, who can make the biggest ripples in the water. [3:54] And then once we got tired of doing that, we'd say, hey, let's find, who can find the smallest rock and make the tiniest ripple in the water? And I tell you that because no matter the size of the stone that we dropped, it always produced a ripple as it impacted the water. [4:15] And I share that story with you because sin operates in much the same way. We think it's not a big deal. We think that the consequences aren't going to be that great, that maybe it's only going to hurt me, but I'm telling you the Bible says that sin has consequences. [4:32] And those consequences ripple out into those who are around you in ways that you never would have thought possible. James 1, 14 through 15 says, but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. [4:49] Then desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death. And so you see, the Bible tells us that temptation is like a stone that plops into our minds. [5:06] And once it's there, and once we've considered it, and once we've entertained the thought of it, that first ripple is made. And from there, the rings grow bigger and they grow greater. [5:18] Actions produce harmful results. And ultimately, those results end in devastation. Not just, not just for the one who made the action, but for those who are around them. [5:34] And case in point, from Scripture, is King David. King David. 2 Samuel 11, 1 through 4. [5:46] Many of you might be familiar with this story. And the time when kings go out to battle. David sent Joab and his servants with him in all Israel. [5:56] And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. It happened late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing. [6:14] And the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? [6:25] So David sent messengers and took her. And she came to him. And he lay with her. Now she had been purifying herself from uncleanness. Then she returned home. [6:39] Here we see the ripple effects of sin. And it all began with David not being where he was supposed to be. [6:51] We see that at the very beginning. When kings were out to battle. David is a king. His place at that point in time was to be out with his men. But he was not where he was supposed to be. [7:03] He abandoned his post for the comforts of his palace. And as he's doing that, he gets bored. [7:16] And there are few things. I'm telling you, there are few things more dangerous in this world than bored men. Because bored men will not stay bored forever. [7:29] And often what they go looking to do is things that are not good for them and not good for their families. So David's bored. David goes to the roof of his palace. [7:41] And from that elevated point of view, he's able to look down on the houses around him. And he sees something that he should not be looking and gazing upon. [7:54] And instead of looking away when he sees Bathsheba, he gazes more intently upon her. [8:07] And he begins to have lustful thoughts. And as he entertains those thoughts in his mind, it eventually leads to his pursuing her in action. [8:21] David doesn't even know. He doesn't even know that this woman belongs to Uriah. This was Uriah, one of his mighty men. Those guys that David kept close to him. [8:33] Those guys who were devoted to him. He was so self-centered at this point in time that he didn't even realize that this woman was married to one of his mighty men. [8:47] And so he takes Bathsheba into his bed. See, David is a serial adulterer. He's got a problem. [8:58] He's got a blind spot. And his blind spot is beautiful women. And he's had it since the moment he slayed Goliath and he took Saul's daughter to be his wife. [9:09] Always seeking and craving to be admired and adored and wanted by women. And he uses them to boost his ego. [9:21] So once David has had his way with Bathsheba, you guys, many of you know the story, he sends her away. And he's under this assumption that he can sin with impunity. [9:34] Meaning that he can sin and nobody will notice. Because he's probably thinking, you know, after all, I'm the one who slayed the giant when everybody else was fearful. [9:51] I'm the one who was a fugitive from Saul when I had done nothing wrong. And who God elevated to become king. [10:01] I'm the one who has fought many battles. And who has delivered many victories. For my people. For the Lord. [10:13] I've established this nation. I've fortified these cities. So isn't it justifiable? He might have been thinking. [10:26] That after all these things that I've done for others. That I've done for God. That I should be able to indulge in just this one little bit of sin. [10:39] Please. What I want. What I feel like I need. You know, one of the biggest lies the world tells us is that we can sin with impunity. [10:52] That there's no consequences for our actions when we sin. And we see it a lot in our world, don't we? In the TV shows that are out there. [11:02] In the movies that are out there. One of the things that I think we often see. Drunkenness as portrayed as being a great thing. You know, there's always that person who's drunk. [11:15] And he's fun. And he's funny. He's the life of the party. Without him, the party would not be the same. And so they portray that as something that is great. [11:26] Who wouldn't want to be loved and beloved. And be the center of everybody's attention. Helping others have a good time. But they hardly ever show the other side of that. [11:37] Those who drive home under the influence and get wrecks. Killing themselves or killing others. They hardly ever depict alcoholism. [11:51] That person not being able to function without it. They lose their job. They lose their family. They turn their homes into living hells for those around them. [12:01] And I could go on to other things. How the world romanticizes sexual immorality. But they don't show the other side of what actually happens when you live those ways. [12:18] And so we're tempted to think, well I can sin and it's not a big deal. David's decision to not be where he should have been. That one little decision. [12:30] Seemingly insignificant decision had devastating consequences. Like the stone that was dropped in the pond. And it sends ripples throughout the water. [12:42] So David's sin sent ripples throughout his household. Throughout his kingdom. It affected everybody. Everybody was affected by this. [12:57] David seeks to cover up his sin. Bathsheba has conceived. It's his child. Her husband is out to battle where he should have been. And so he plots to have Uriah murdered. [13:13] Sin has consequences. Adam and Eve. They sinned, right? Well just eat of that tree. No big deal. [13:23] Man, you see the consequences of that sinful choice. That it's had now over all of creation being plunged under the curse of sin. [13:33] God sees all things. God sees all things. And God will not be mocked by how lightly we treat sin. Galatians 6, 7, and 8. [13:45] Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But the one who sows to the spirit will from the spirit reap eternal life. [14:01] And so you've got to understand that we cannot outwit God. We should not be fooled into thinking that we can be separated from the consequences of our sinful actions. In the end, God would send Nathan to confront David. [14:18] And there would be severe consequences for David's sin. First of all, the child that was conceived would die soon after it was born. And for the rest of this man's life, for the rest of David's life, his household would be plagued by all kinds of issues with immorality. [14:37] His sons would be plagued with their father's issues. In fact, many of them would conspire to take the kingdom away from him. Ultimately, David did marry Bathsheba and they had another child, Solomon. [14:52] And he repeated the sins of his father. But even more so because this man had 700 wives. Who the Bible says many of those wives led Solomon into idolatry. [15:04] And as Solomon went, so did the rest of the nation. Till here we are in Hosea chapter 8. It's affected everybody. The principle can work the other way though. [15:21] Making right choices, though they may be small, can have a great and lasting impact. If you remember, Daniel was thrown into the lion's den for refusing to worship the one true God. [15:34] And as he was thrown in there, God shut the mouths of those lions. They did not hurt him. They did not touch him. And the name of God as a result of Daniel's bold witness went and spread throughout the kingdom. [15:48] That one action. You think of the disciples. Twelve ordinary men who lived 2,000 years ago. And their work that God used them to do is continuing to spread throughout the world. [16:07] Good deeds produce good rippers. So this axiom is true. Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an act, reap a habit. [16:20] Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny. And so here's the main point for this morning's message. What you do now will determine who you are and what you will one day harvest. [16:35] What you do right now will determine who you are and what you will one day harvest. Right now. [16:47] I posted this quote on Facebook this week. I came across from Charles Spurgeon. And man, it's powerful. And it's one that is good to put on your bulletin or before your face on a regular basis. [17:00] He said, we are all sowing. We cannot help it. No one goes forth in the morning without a seed basket. As we are all sowing, the great question we have to consider is, what will the harvest be? [17:13] Now for the Christian, the desire should be to sow righteousness. When we get to Hosea chapter 10 verse 12, we'll talk more about that in depth, but I want you to see it right now. [17:26] Hosea 10, 12. Sow for yourselves righteousness. Reap steadfast love. Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you. [17:40] So this should be the desire, the end goal of every believer. But in order for us to come to that conclusion, Hosea first warns us about the danger of sowing to the wind. [17:55] And the first danger is this. He says, everything we do has consequences. Beginning of verse 7. Everything we do has consequences. For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. [18:10] In this verse, God is speaking through Hosea, and he's telling us that everything we do today has consequences for tomorrow and beyond. [18:23] As we've gone all over already, the sins we commit have consequences. The good things we do also have consequences. The priorities that we have in life have consequences. [18:38] Every single one of us. No one is exempt. Every single one of us is sowing. Every single one of us. We can't help it. [18:49] We can't be deceived into thinking that doing nothing gets us off the hook. There will be consequences for your actions. Think about your car. If you don't maintain it. [19:04] If you don't get the oil changed regularly. If you don't put air in your tires when they need it. If you don't take it for tune-ups every once in a while. If you neglect doing those things. You know the consequences of that. [19:15] Is that one day that car is going to be broke down on the side of the road with you in it. Especially if you drive a Ford. Ford. I've had Fords before. [19:26] They're okay. But you know what I'm saying. Every day. Every day. Your actions. And your inactions. [19:37] Are producing a harvest for tomorrow. Every day. Every day. So then every day. You must be asking yourself this question. What will the results of these actions that I've taken today be? [19:51] Take inventory of what you're doing. Take inventory of how you're spending your time. Because I promise you. As God's word promises us. [20:02] There will be consequences. Good and bad. For the way that we spend our day today. As I was thinking about this. I was thinking about a good friend of mine growing up. [20:16] And his dad played college football. Division one. And he was a doctor. Very successful man. They lived in a very nice house. [20:28] And my friend admired his father. But his father. Was hardly ever at home. [20:39] When I would go hang out with my buddy. Because he was always doing something to advance his career. And he was hardly ever at home. [20:53] And I'll tell you. My friend. Eventually. Rebelled hard. Against his parents. And yeah. There are some other things that contributed to it. [21:04] But I know. That a lot of his anger. A lot of the source of his rebellion. Was his father. Who never was there for him. When he needed his father to be there for him. [21:17] His father who had abandoned his post. At home. To advance his own career. I didn't see that friend. [21:28] All throughout middle school and high school. Because he was off in juvie. He was off in some home. He was off in some place. Because he was always getting in trouble. And I'll never forget. [21:40] I think I was in middle school. And he was off in that place. And I was taking. I had batting practice with my team. And he used to play for us. And we were in the cages. [21:51] And our fields were across the street. And at this place where the batting cages were. They also had a mini golf course. And I saw my friend's dad with his younger brother. [22:03] He got the point. He realized. That his actions. Inactions I should say. Resulted with his son rebelling against him. [22:14] He wasn't going to make the same mistake with his younger son. But I'll never forget. Looking over at him. And making eye contact with him. [22:26] And you could just tell that his heart was broken. Because he knows. I feel he knew. That his son should have been there with us. [22:36] And he played a big part. Into why he wasn't. I'm telling you. Our actions have consequences. And they're not just for us. They're for those around us. [22:48] And including those whom we love the most. Who we never would want to hurt. So in Matthew 6.33. Jesus says. Seek first the kingdom of God. [23:01] And his righteousness. And all these things will be added to you. We must take these words to heart. Make this your daily prayer. Because every day. [23:12] We're tempted to sacrifice our relationship with God. We're tempted to sacrifice our relationship. With our spouse. With our children. To pursue personal gain. [23:25] We might have duped ourselves into thinking. That it's for others. Right? We're only doing this for others. Really. But the truth is. If you're willing to. [23:37] Probe that deeply into your mind. In your heart. You know the truth is. That the primary benefactor. Of all of that. Is yourself. So instead. Sacrifice. [23:49] Yourself. For God. Sacrifice. Yourself. For your family. And the promise. That Jesus gives us there. In that verse. Is that all these things. [23:59] All these things. That you thought. Could give you. What you're really looking for. They won't. But if you do those things. Man. You'll have life. [24:11] And you'll have it in abundance. Everything. You do. Today. Has consequences. On. Tomorrow. Your actions. And your inactions. Secondly. [24:22] We see that those who sow. The wind. Will reap. Sinful. Consequences. Hosea. Is telling us more here. He's telling us. That many times. The consequences. [24:33] Of our sinful choices. End up being. Greater. Than the deed itself. As was the case. That we saw. With David. As was the case. With Adam and Eve. Let's examine again. [24:46] What Israel has done. In verse one. They've broken the covenant. And rebelled against the law. Verse three. They've rejected the good. Verse four. They've recreated God. Into an image. That they're comfortable with. [24:57] Verse nine. They've sought safety. And security. By forging alliances. With their enemies. Instead of seeking. Those things from God. Verse eleven. They've turned to the worship. [25:08] Of idols. Verse twelve. They've rejected God's word. Verse fourteen. Having rejected God. Having sought to recreate him. Having sought. Their enemies for security. [25:18] Having turned to worship idols. They've now come to a point. Where they don't even know. Who God is anymore. That is what sin. Does. This is what Israel. Has sown. [25:30] They've sown. The wind. And the result. Will be. That they will reap. The whirlwind. Of conquest. And exile. The whirlwind. Of being scattered. Among the nations. [25:41] The whirlwind. Of losing their identity. As God's people. In Matthew twenty four. Jesus disciples. [25:51] Approach him. With a question. That's been weighing. Heavy on their hearts. Since they've left Jerusalem. If you remember. They were walking. Through the city. And they were marveling. The disciples were over. [26:02] The temple's architecture. And Jesus told them. That one day. It would all be. Destroyed. And so after these events. [26:13] As they went to the Mount of Olives. They approached. Our Lord. And they asked him. When these things. Would happen. And Jesus response. To them. Is known as the Olivet Discourse. [26:25] And his subject. In that discourse. Is the end times. And his point. In teaching. Is that though. God only knows. When these things. [26:35] Will happen. That we must be. Ready for them. To happen. At any moment. They must be diligent. We must be diligent. In the work. [26:46] That God. Has called us. To do. Every. Single. Day. And so Jesus. To get his point across. He tells parables. And one of the parables. That he tells. [26:57] Is the parable. Of the talents. And if you want to know. What my philosophy. On ministry is. If you want to know. What my strategy. For ministry is. This is it. [27:08] This is it. Look at it with me. Matthew 25. 14 through 30. Jesus says. For it. That day. Will be like a man. Going on a journey. Who called his servants. [27:19] And entrusted them. To his property. To one he gave five talents. To another. Two. To another one. To each. According to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received. [27:31] The five talents. Went at once. And traded with them. And he made five more. More. So also. He who had the two talents. Made two talents. More. But he who had received. The one talent. Went and dug in the ground. [27:43] And hid his master's money. Now after a long time. The master of those servants. Came and settled accounts. With them. And he who had received. The five talents. Came forward. Bringing five talents. [27:54] More. And saying. Master. You delivered to me. Five talents. Here. I have made five talents. More. His master said to him. Well done. Good and faithful servant. [28:05] You have been faithful. Over a little. I will set you over much. Enter into the joy. Of your master. And he. Also. Who had the two talents. Came forward. [28:15] Saying. Master. You delivered to me. Two talents. Here. I have made two more. His master said to him. Well done. Good and faithful servant. [28:27] You have been faithful. Over a little. I will set you over much. Enter into the joy. Of your master. He who had received. [28:37] The one talent. Came forward. And saying. Master. I knew you to be a hard man. Reaping where you did not sow. Gathering. Where you scattered no seed. [28:50] So I was afraid. And I went. And I hid your talent. In the ground. Here. Have what is yours. But his master. Answered him. [29:01] You wicked. And slothful. Servant. You knew that I reap. Where I have not sown. And gather. Where I scatter no seed. Then you ought to have. Invested my money. With the bankers. [29:12] At my coming. I should have received. What was my own. With interest. So take the talent. From him. And give it to him. Who has the ten talents. For to everyone. [29:22] Who has. Will more be given. And he will have. An abundance. But from the one. Who has not. Even what he has. Will be taken away. And cast. [29:33] The worthless servant. Into the outer darkness. In that place. There will be weeping. And gnashing. Of teeth. If you'll remember. [29:43] When I came. In view of call here. Just a little over. A year ago. This is the text. That I preached on. And I'm thankful. [29:56] For what the Lord. Has done. In one year's time. But we're only getting started. And I want you to know. [30:07] That my urging you. To have an outward focus. My urging you. To be a part of engage. My urging you. To go out. And to share. Your faith. Faith. There's a purpose. [30:20] In that. Because I don't want you. To waste your time. I don't want you. To waste your life. I don't want you. To waste what God. [30:30] Has given you. To invest. In his kingdom. Likewise. We need to let people know. That their choices. Have eternal consequences. I believe. [30:41] That the Bible. Says that God. Is sovereign. In salvation. And that at the same time. Man is responsible. For his decisions. So we share. The gospel. [30:51] In word. We share. The gospel. In deed. We help. Believers. Grow. In Christ likeness. And we warn. People at the same time. About the consequences. Of dying. In sin. [31:02] And not knowing. Jesus Christ. As their Lord. And Savior. Every day. You are either. Investing. In the kingdom. Of God. [31:12] Or you are making. Investments. In your own kingdom. And let me tell you this. Only one of those kingdoms. Will stand for eternity. And it is not yours. [31:24] Don't waste your life. Don't waste your time. Don't you see. Jesus words here. He is urging us. He is imploring us. Seize the day. [31:35] Every day. Go out. Make a difference. Even in those little tiny actions. That you don't think. Are that significant. I am telling you. [31:45] That they are. And they will have an impact. Don't waste. Your life. Don't waste. Your time. Ultimately. [31:57] The Bible says. That those who sow. Sin. Will reap. Death. And that the justifiable. Punishment. For sinning against God. Is to spend. Eternity. And torment. [32:07] For hell. In hell. Which brings me. To my third. Point. Those who sow. Sin. Will in the end. Reap. Destruction. Verse 14. [32:20] For Israel. Has forgotten. His maker. And built. Palaces. And Judah. Has multiplied. Fortified cities. And it shall. Be. Devoured. [32:30] R.C. Sproul. The great. Theologian. And bible teacher. Was asked. One time. What doctrine. [32:41] He struggles. With the most. And he said. Very simply. Hell. The doctrine. Of hell. Is uncomfortable. Isn't it? Certainly. [32:52] Is for me. I feel. Uncomfortable. Talking about it. Right now. However. Our understanding. Of hell. Shapes. Our view. Of the gospel. [33:04] Shapes. Our view. Of God's holiness. And our sinfulness. If we don't accept. The reality. Of hell. We won't rightly. Understand. The glory. Of the gospel. Many people. [33:17] Who call themselves. Christians. Challenge. The notion. Of hell's existence. I've even heard. People say. That Jesus. Didn't talk. About hell. At all. But even. [33:28] A cursory. Read. Through. The gospels. Will reveal. That Jesus. Had a lot. To say. About hell. In fact. [33:38] Jesus. Talked about hell. More than. Any other person. In the bible. In Luke 16. He describes. A great chasm. Over which. None may cross. [33:49] From there. To us. In Matthew 25. Jesus. Tells of a time. When people. Will be separated. Into two groups. One entering. Into his presence. And the other. Banished. To eternal. [34:00] Fire. In fact. Jesus. Talked about hell. More. Than he talked about heaven. And he described it. More vividly. There's no denying. [34:11] That Jesus knew. Jesus believed. And Jesus. Warned. About. The absolute. Reality. Of hell. Jesus. [34:22] Doesn't only. Reference. Hell. He describes it. In great. Detail. He says. It's a place. Of eternal. Torment. In Luke. 16. 23. It's a place. Of unquestionable. [34:32] Fire. Mark. 9. 43. He says. It's a place. Where the worm. Does not die. Mark. 9. 48. Where people. Will gnash. Their teeth. In anguish. And regret. Matthew. [34:43] 13. 42. And from which. There is no return. Even to warn. Loved ones. Luke. 16. 19. Through 31. He calls hell. A place. Of outer darkness. Matthew. 25. [34:53] 30. Comparing it. To Gehenna. Matthew. 10. 28. Which was a trash. Trash dump. Outside the walls. Of Jerusalem. Where rubbish. Was burned. And maggots. Abounded. [35:05] There is no. Denying. That Jesus. Knew. Believed. And warned. About the absolute. Realities. Of. Hell. So you see. [35:16] Sin has. Drastic. Consequences. Not just. For this life. But for all. Of. Eternity. And now many. [35:30] When they hear that. They are tempted to think. You know what? You don't know. The depth. And the amount. Of sin. That I have been involved with. [35:42] In my life. And you could be tempted. To think. That God. Would never. [35:53] Forgive. You. And that's why. I love the story. Of the prodigal son. Man. [36:03] That son. Reaped. What he. Sowed. He sowed. The wind. And he. Reaped. The whirlwind. To the point. Where he had lost. All of his father's. Inheritance. He was down. [36:13] With the pigs. Wishing that he could. Eat their food. And he goes. Home. Remember. And he thinks. Maybe. [36:25] Just maybe. My father. Will be gracious enough. To give me a job. As one of his. Servants. So I imagine. [36:35] In that parable. That son. Going. Home. To his father's. House. And thinking. What am I going to tell him? What can I say? To make him. [36:48] Be willing. To forgive me. Do you remember. What the father does? From a distance. He sees his son. And he runs. [37:04] Before his son. Can even say a word. He embraces him. He celebrates. The fact. That his son. Has returned. God. And I know. [37:15] You probably. For me. You get to a point. Where you think. Man. I've sinned. And that has. Created huge ripples. For those around me. I've hurt people bad. And I can't believe. [37:26] That God. Would ever be forgiving. Of me. There we see. From that example. That our God. Is a gracious. God. That our God. Is a loving God. [37:37] And there is nothing. That he would want. More for you. Right now. Than to turn to your sin. And believe in Jesus Christ. As his Lord and Savior. As your Lord and Savior. And so. If that's you today. [37:47] I encourage you. To come down. I'd like to pray for you. I'd like to encourage you. And not just today. But to walk with you. As you grow. In Christ likeness. And also. [37:58] I want to say this. To you. Who are believers. Satan. Prowls. Like a roaring lion. Every day. Seeking. To cause us. [38:09] To stumble. And to fall. In sin. And pull us. As much as he can. Away from God. So every day. You take inventory. Of what you're doing. [38:21] Is this something. That will reap. Good things. For tomorrow. Or not. For the kingdom of God. You meditate. You reflect. Over Hosea 10. 12. [38:32] You pray that prayer. You ask that God. Would help you to sow. Righteousness. Steadfast love. Break up your hardened heart. [38:45] Knowing that one day. You will produce. An incredible harvest. For the glory of God. Thank you.