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FreeWay Foundation            December 20, 2013

 

break up your fallow ground

(Hosea 10:1-15)

Dr. Curt Scarborough

 

I.  Concentration:  on the contents of this chapter

1.  Hosea compared Israel to a fruitful vine, but because their heart was divided

     and disloyal to their true King (the Lord God), their fruit had become like a

     deadly poison (hemlock), vv. 1-6.

2.  Hosea prophesied judgment upon the nation:  "They shall say to the

     mountains, 'Cover us!' and to the hills, 'Fall on us,'" and he predicted that

     they would become slaves performing forced labor for their conquering enemy,

     vv. 7-11.  (See Luke 23:30 and Revelation 6:16.)

3.  Hosea called upon the nation to repent and seek the Lord; he held out the hope

     of God's promised mercy., v. 12.

4.  Hosea preached "cause and effect" to the sinful nation which would bring the end

     of their royal dynasty:  "You have plowed wickedness; you have reaped iniquity

     . . . at dawn the king of Israel shall be cut off utterly," vv. 13-15.

II.  Meditation:  on Hosea 10:12

            "Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground,

            for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you."

III.  Revelation:  on how to receive a bumper crop of God's blessings

            1.  "Break up your fallow ground" – in repentant prayer, confess your hidden (below

                 ground) sins, break up the unplowed, hard clods of iniquity, and root out the rocks

                 of wickedness . . . and do it NOW because "It is time to seek the Lord!"

            2.  "Sow for yourselves righteousness" – plowing and sowing are personal choices

                 and actions which persons only can do for themselves; if plowing is repentance,

                 then sowing is faith . . . moving in the direction of "RIGHTEOUSNESS," that is,

                 moving into a right relationship with God (which also moves one into a right

                 relationship with other persons.)

            3.  How long should a person "seek the Lord"? . . . "Till He comes and rains

                 righteousness on you."  Plowing an uncultivated field and sowing seed is futile

                 unless and until the Lord sends rain . . . His righteousness which miraculously

                 transforms our efforts into spiritual life.

            4.  Plowing a field plus sowing the seed plus God's life-giving rain produces a crop of

                 God's favor (grace);  we shall "reap in mercy" . . . we shall enjoy a bountiful harvest

                 Of God's tender-kindness and blessings.

IV.  Applications:  as a Christian, I need to . . .

            1.  Repent, confess, and turn from my sins.

            2.  Turn to the Lord in faith.

            3.  Diligently seek the Lord until he "rains righteousness" on me.

            4.  Thank God for His bountiful blessings of mercy and grace.

 

 

 

Spiritual warfare

(II Corinthians 10:1-18)

Dr. Curt Scarborough

 

I.  Concentration:  on the contents of this chapter

            1.  Paul taught that living a Christian life in this world involves constant spiritual

                 warfare, vv. 1-6.

            2.  Paul commented on his source of authority (Christ); he asserted that his

                 deeds, when he arrived to confront them in person, would match his powerful

                 written words to them in his epistles, vv. 7-11.

            3.  Paul stated that he had limited his authority to only those converts whom he

                 had won and those churches which he had established, vv. 12-16.

            4.  Paul concluded:  "But he who glories, let him glory in the Lord," vv. 17-18.

II,  Meditation:  on the weapons of spiritual warfare

            1.  We do not make war according to the flesh (human activity), v. 3.

            2.  The weapons of our warfare are not carnal (physical, material), v. 4.

            3.  Rather, the warfare and the weapons are spiritual, "mighty in God," v. 4.

            4.  Spiritual warfare involves:

                        (1)  Pulling down strongholds, v. 4

                        (2)  Casting down arguments, v. 5

                        (3)  Casting down every high thing that exalts itself against the

                              knowledge of God, v. 5

                        (4)  Bringing every thought and idea into captivity to the obedience

                             of Christ, v. 5

III.  Observations:  on the battleground . . . the mind

            1.  Strongholds = places where Satan is well-established and solid, v. 4.

            2.  Arguments = human reasoning without understanding, v. 5.

            3.  High things = prideful knowledge without wisdom, v. 5.

            4.  Thoughts = ideas which are disobedient to God, v. 5.

IV.  Revelation:  on what God is able to do

            1.  Demolish Satan's strongholds in our minds (See Romans 12:1-2)

            2.  Refute and reject Satan's deceptive thought patterns.

            3.  Bring down pride and arrogance in our spirits.

            4.  Keep our thoughts on Christ and spiritual things.

V.  Applications:  as a Christian, I need to . . .

            1.  Identify strongholds (sins which so easily ensnare me), and allow God to

                 break those strongholds of Satan.

            2.  Recognize and dismiss false (Satanic) thoughts and ideas; meditate on

                 the truths of God revealed in His word.

            3.  Be humble and teachable; be submissive and non-judgmental.

            4.  Focus on Christ, so that fleshly, earthly things become less important.

 

We pray You Have A Blessed Christmas!

 

 

 

                

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