06/09/2026
What is God Like? Sometimes He is the God who finally shows up (at least in Sarah's opinion in Genesis 18). Below is manuscript sermon for "The God who Steps Back". Hope you enjoy.
Our summer sermon series is called “What is God Like?” Has anyone ever asked you that question? It’s not an easy question to answer because there are many facets to the Lord. He is loving, kind, patient, powerful, and gracious yet He is also jealous, holy and a consuming fire. The situation will often dictate the God we encounter. And so throughout June and July, we will look at the different ways God reveals himself. It might just surprise you and it will broaden how you describe God to others. Hope you will join us each Sunday.
Are you a rebel? James Dean made a famous movie called “A Rebel Without A Cause” just before he tragically died in a car accident. I had a friend who had this poster hanging in his room even though we weren’t even born when the movie came out. . I have to admit that I have been accused of being a rebel in certain Nazarene district meetings because of my willingness to speak my mind and vote against resolutions and reports being given. Personally there is nothing wrong with being a rebel for the right cause. But it is not good to rebel without a cause. In fact, it can be dangerous.
The Israelites in the 8th century BC were rebels. Even though God had done so much for them, for decades they worshipped other idols. The interesting part is they never completely forgot about God. No, through their years of rebellion, the temple was still open. Sacrifices were being made. Priests were offering up prayers. Religious services were being held. They just worship other gods as well. Not too much different than many people today who still come to church on occasion but they worship many other idols. This morning, I have a warning for all of us rebels and it might surprise us because it is not the way we imagine God is like. It comes from Hosea chapter 5 & 6. We will read the last verse of chapter five and then the first six verses of chapter six. Here the Word of the Lord.
15 I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.6 “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. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. 3 Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” 4 What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away. 5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light. 6 For I desire steadfast love[a] and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
At some point, if we consistently rebel against God, He will step back. Now it is true that the Almighty pursues us. I love that song, “Reckless Love”, especially the bridge that states, “There’s no shadow you won’t light up; mountain you won’t climb up, coming after me. There’s no wall you won’t kick down, lie you won’t tear down, coming after me.” And it is so true. But for the believer who straggles the fence, with one foot with God and the other foot in the world, at some point, God will have enough and step back. Look at what the Lord says. 15 I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.
God will step back after He’s done everything He could do. He is not quick to stop pursuing us. It breaks his heart. He desperately wants to have a relationship with us. At some point, God may allow us to experience the consequences of life without His guidance. And that is a scary place to live because His Spirit is our conscience. It guides us between right and wrong. When God steps back, we can make awful decisions. Maybe this morning, this kind of sounds like what you are experiencing. God revealing Himself in a way that is uncommon.
Now let me be clear. This is more than just a dry spell. We all go through periods of our life when the Lord doesn’t seem as near as other occasions. But in this passage, God has had enough. After decades of rebellion, the Lord is exasperated. He didn't step back after one failure, one mistake, or one bad decision. This was decades of rebellion.
For the Israelites, they enjoyed worshipping the other gods around them, especially Baal. This Canaanite false god’s worship was so much more fun than worshiping the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was a wild party where one satisfied the lusts of their hearts. And if we keep rebelling against God to satisfy our habits and desires, after a while, He will step back.
What doesn’t make sense is why the Israelites would worship other idols. God had consistently for decades rescued them from danger. These nations that surrounded them would attack and defeat them in battle and they would turn to the Lord for help. He would empower them to overcome their enemies and then they would return to their other gods. Does this story sound familiar? How many times has God saved our day? Only to watch us, still occasionally worship Him, but spend most of our time at the altar of our own pleasures. We worship our hobbies or our habits or even our hang-ups. Only after God has done everything else will He step back.
He will also step back to wake us up. His desire is for us to “acknowledge our guilt and seek His face, and in our distress earnestly seek me.” The Israelites had grown comfortable in their relationship with the Almighty. They believed because they were His Chosen People that He had to watch out for them. He had to come to their rescue. Because they claimed Him as their God, He must respond. They had fallen asleep and so have many casual Christians today.
It is obvious from verse one of the sixth chapter that the Israelites were scared to lose His presence. Look how they responded in verse one: “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. They knew that if God ever stepped back, they would be in trouble. They remembered the story of Samson. His strength was not in his hair, but was in the presence of the Spirit of God. Samson was defeated because God had stepped back.
You have to love these Israelite rebels, they are so much like us. Because after calling everyone to return to God, they are completely confident that the Lord will answer their prayers. Look at verse 2. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. They were so used to this cycle of rebelling and asking for forgiveness that they were convinced that God would do what He always did. He would forgive them and everything would be good. Sound familiar?
And just in case, they make promises. Verse 3, “3 Let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” They believed all they had to do was say the right words, then surely God would come back to them. I mean isn’t that all we have to do? Make promises and try to do better.
God’s response to the Israelites is one of the most surprising in all of Scripture. We expect Him to assure the people that He will return to them. They have promised to do better. They had urged others to return to the Lord. Certainly He won’t hide his face from us.
Look at verse four. 4 What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away. God steps back because He knows the rebel’s heart. He wasn't questioning whether they felt something in the moment. He was questioning whether it would still be there next week. There are a lot of people we can fool, but there is no deceiving the Almighty. He knows our thoughts and our intentions. He knows where we are sincere and serious. In this passage, God looks at the Israelites and knows that these promises that they have made, they have no intention of keeping. He knows their love was fickle. And He knows the same about us.
God also knows how we have ignored his warnings. Verse five: 5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light. God is faithful to send people our way to remind us of his law. These ministers speak truth to our situation. Often we are convicted by their words. We have no excuse. Yet deep down we have no intention of doing what the Lord desires.
God knows how we would rather go through the motions instead of having a vibrant relationship. The Israelites were more than happy to bring their animal sacrifices to the Lord and waste a few hours at the temple than to truly enter into a conversation with the Almighty. That is why in verse 6 Hosea writes, “6 For I desire steadfast love[a] and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. God is tired of the nonsense. He desires a relationship not church attendance.
Are you a rebel? I don’t expect anyone to raise their hands, but you know in your heart whether other things are more important than God. He knows it as well. And just maybe this morning, you feel like God has stepped away from you. You don’t sense His presence and guidance. Truth be told, you have been winging it, and it really hasn’t been working out too well.
The good news is that Hosea's story doesn't end with God stepping back forever. The fact that He warned them means He still cared. The fact that He spoke through Hosea means He still loved them. The fact that He is speaking to us this morning means He hasn't given up on us either. In a few moments we will come to the Lord's Table. Communion is God's invitation to stop running, stop pretending, stop straddling the fence and come home. As you receive the body and blood of Jesus, may you recommit your life and allow Him to be first priority. Let God come near again. Let’s stand.
