The Holy People

Daniel 8:19-27 - He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power. And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.” And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.


Daniel 9:1-2 - In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

Daniel 11:36 - “And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done.

Application:

· Do I do as I please? Do I exalt and magnify myself?

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

They Are My People...The Lord Is Our God

Zechariah 13:8-9 - In the whole land,” declares the LORD, “two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”


Malachi 3:2 - But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.

Daniel 11:35 - Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.

Psalm 50:14-15 - “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

Psalm 105:1 - Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

Zechariah 8:8 - I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.”

Application:

· God is merciful in the midst of judgment.
· Have I been restored to proper covenant relationship to the Lord?
· Do I have clean hands and a pure heart?
· Do I stumble so that I can be refined, purified and made spotless?
· Do I honor God with praise and obedience to His covenant law?
· Do I seek the Lord in public worship?
· Do I live with God in faithfulness and in righteousness?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

God's Own People

Hosea 8:8 - Israel is swallowed up; now she is among the nations like something no one wants.


Exodus 19:5 - Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

Amos 3:2 - “You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”

Application:

· Am I chosen to be part of God's people? Have I conformed to others? Have I become worthless to God?
· Am I obedient and faithful? God is the Creator and Possessor of the earth and everything in it.
· Am I complacent about my privileged status as one of God's chosen? Do I recognize the responsibilities of being chosen?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

You Are My People

Hosea 2:1,23 - “Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’ and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’…I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’”


Isaiah 19:25 - The LORD Almighty will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.”

Application:

· Do I respond to God's graciousness?
· Do I respond to God's promises?
· Am I united to God because of His overflowing blessings?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

My People

Amos 9:13-15 - “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. “They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the LORD your God.

Isaiah 49:8-9 - This is what the LORD says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ “They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill.

Hosea 2:23 - I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’”

Isaiah 60:21 - Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.

Joel 3:20 - Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem through all generations.

Obadiah 17 - But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and Jacob will possess his inheritance.

Ezekiel 34:25-26 - “‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety. I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.

Application:

· Does the Lord answer me? Does He help me? Does He keep me?
· Do I respond to God's graciousness?
· Am I part of the redeemed?
· When God's judgment and redemption are complete, His kingdon will endure and flourish eternally.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

People Of God

1 Peter 2:10-11 - Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

Hosea 2:1,23 - "Say of your brothers, 'My people,' and of your sisters, 'My loved one.'…I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called 'Not my loved one.' I will say to those called 'Not my people,' 'You are my people'; and they will say, 'You are my God.' "

1 Corinthians 10:14 - Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.

Romans 13:14 - Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Galatians 5:16 - So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Conclusions:

• The people in Hosea 2:23 respond to God’s graciousness
• Hosea 2:23 is applied to Gentiles coming into the church
• In Hosea 2:1, the negatives associated with the names of Hosea’s children are dropped
• As aliens and strangers on earth, whose citizenship is in heaven, they are to be separated from the corruption of the world, not yielding to its destructive sinful desires
• Corinthian Christians had come out of a background of paganism
• Temples for the worship of Apollo, Asclepius, Demeter, Aphrodite and other pagan gods and goddesses were seen daily by the Corinthians as they engaged in the activities of everyday life
• The worship of Aphrodite, with its many sacred prostitutes, was a particularly strong temptation
• Paul exhorts believers to display outwardly what has already taken place inwardly—including practicing all the virtues associated with Christ
• Go on living by the Spirit
• Living by the promptings and power of the Spirit is the way to conquering sinful desires

Application:

• Do I respond to God's graciousness?
• Are my brothers my people?
• Am I separated from the corruption of the world?
• Do I flee from idolatry?
• Do I practice all the virtues associated with Chrsit?
• Do I live by the prompting and power of the Spirit?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible