TEXT: Hosea
10:12; John 12:24
Hosea
10:12 – “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in
mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he
come and rain righteousness upon you.”
John
12:24 – “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn
of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it
bringeth forth much fruit.”
This is
not the order of husbandry. The ground was already plowed, harrowed and sown;
and now the Lord tells Israel anew to, "Break up your fallow ground."
Fallow
ground lies idle and uncultivated; it is covered
with weeds and thorns. The fallow ground of our hearts - that which
has been untouched in quite a while - must be broken.
Ø It is
very important that we understand something...
Ø There
is no blessing without effort.
Ø There
is no harvest without plowing.
Ø There
is no making without breaking.
Ø Before
the house is made the tree must be broken.
Ø Before
the house is made the rocks must be broken.
Ø Before
life there must be death.
Ø Thorns
and weeds must be plowed under, and the seed must be planted and die in order
for the grain to come.
Ø Grain
dies so new life will bring forth more grain (John 12:24).
1. Before joy there is weeping (Psalm
30:5).
Psalms
30:5 - For his anger endureth but a moment; in his
favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
2. Life is full of brokenness.
Ø Life
starts out with broken toys.
Ø Then
life progresses to broken hopes, shattered dreams and unfulfilled ideals.
Ø In
marriage there is broken hearts and sometimes broken homes through divorce or
even death.
Ø In the
final stages of life, we have to contend with broken health.
3. But all these say that God is making
something new! (See Romans 8:28-29).
Romans
8:28-29
And we know that all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to
be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren.
Title : BROKENNESS
Description : TEXT: Hosea 10:12; John 12:24 Hosea 10:12 – “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for i...