Dear Christian friends:

Today I want to ask you an important question: What does God really want from you?

I'm sure each one of you have some answers to that question. Perhaps one person will answer, "God wants me to obey His Commandments." Perhaps another will answer, "God wants me to go to church every Sunday and give money to support the church and Synod work." Perhaps someone else will answer, “God wants me to visit the sick and help the poor and needy."

Does God really want this from you? Yes, and No! In our text, God speaking through the prophet Hosea, told Israel that He didn't want these things from them. God says, I don't want your sacrifices; I don't want your money offerings." God didn't want Israel's sacrifices and offerings. Why? Through the prophet Isaiah God told Israel that their prayers and offerings stank. (Isaiah 1:10-15) Why? Because they did not really know God and they did not really love God. They had the wrong heart and spirit.

God does not want our obedience and good works without faith and love. First, and chiefly God wants us to love Him and then gladly obey His Commandments. In our text God says to us as He said to Israel: "I don't want sacrifices - I want your love; I don't want your offerings - I want you to know Me."


God wants us to really know Him. Do you really know God? What do you know about Him?

Often we think God is like a man. We caw tell lies to men, and deceive men. We can make beautiful excuses to men and they often believe our lies. So we think we can hide things from God. But God is not like a man God sees everything we do and say. He even knows what we are thinking in our heart and mind. We cannot hide anything from God.

David says about God, "You take our sins before you. Your face sees our secret sins." (Psalms 90:8) When you come to church you perhaps can hide your sins from the pastor and other church members, but you can't hide them from God. God knows. God can see if you are a hypocrite or not.

God wants us to know this about Him, but the chief thing God wants us to know about Him is that He shows mercy and forgives sins, as the Epistle lesson and Gospel lesson for this Sunday show. David tried to hide his sin from God and the people for a whole year, and he went to church as if nothing happened. But God sent the prophet Nathan to him to preach to him and let him know that God saw his secret sin. Then David confessed his sin to God. He prayed, “You don't want sacrifices. You are not interested in offerings burned before You on the altar. The offering You want is a broken, humble spirit; a broken and sorry heart, O God, you will not despise." (Psalm 51:6-17)

So we should know God, as Dave knew Him and as Abraham knew Him, that He is a God of love and mercy. He forgives those who honestly confess their sins and then believe that He forgives sins in the name of Jesus, His Son, our Savior, who loved us and died for us. (Romans 4:24-25) If we know God like this, then we will also love Him and gladly serve Him. This God wants from us. He says, "I want you to love Me."

God also wants our prayers, our praises and our offerings. Yes, but He wants that joined with our love and thanks. Without our love God does not want our offerings and obedience.

If we believe in and really love God, our heavenly Father, then He wants and accepts our good works and our offerings. This also David shows in his prayer: "When my heart is right, then You will rejoice in the good things I do and You will pleasure in the animals I offer upon Your altar." (Psalm 51:19) Even if our good works are not perfect, God will be pleased and accept them if we really have heart for Him. Our gifts and offerings may be small because we are poor or have not much talent, still God is pleased and accepts our gifts.

A little boy brought his mother a bouquet of flowers he had picked in the garden. Some of the stems were broken and some flowers were beginning to wilt and dry up and the flowers were not arranged very well, but his mother was very pleased because she knew her son really loved her. His heart was right although his gift was not perfect. So God is pleased with our offerings and good works although they are not perfect. If we really know God and love Him in Jesus, then He is very pleased to to accept our worship and our good works, whether they are small or great, talented or not.

How do we get to know God and love Him? (See if anyone knows) Yes, through His Word and the Sacraments. His Word shows us our sin and that we deserve His anger and punishment. His Good News about Jesus shows us that, although we are not worthy, God loves us and forgives us because of Jesus.

So, attend to His Word faithfully as you are doing now this hour here in church, and you will receive faith in Jesus, our Savior, and you will grow in knowing God and loving Him. That's what God wants from you. He wants you to know that He is kind and mercies us.

Amen.