Following God (3)

Last week, we began our look into the grace of God in Jonah’s life, the grace that doesn’t allow sin to win. God’s grace that pursues us to the highest peaks and lowest valleys. God’s grace that far exceeds all our sin. As we began last week, let’s continue our look at God’s Grace in the Storm.

Speaking of God’s grace being greater than all our sin, Jonah’s sinful response is not quite finished yet, it hasn’t yet reached it’s full potential. Yes, we saw his wicked choice to disregard God’s command and chose his own way, further we’ve seen Jonah’s sin go further into darkness by the degree in which he was able to actually sleep in the spiritual state he was in. Where was Jonah’s guilt. Jonah’s guilt was as we said put to bed. The conscience that God had given him was seared. He either slept out of hope that the sleep would cure his exhaustion and the heaviness he feels from disobeying God’s commands or he is sleeping because his heart is so wrong that sin doesn’t even bother him anymore. Regardless, sin in Jonah’s life is at an extreme high when his sin allows him to sleep at night with no guilt. But the sad truth is that it yet hasn’t reached it’s ultimate conclusion. And that’s where we will pick up today.

A. In the Storm

1. Jonah’s Guilt

2. Jonah’s Last Resort

Jonah 1:7–16 ESV

And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

As you read these verses, there are two things that stand out about God. First, His supreme power. It says that Jonah, once awaken, is brought in. The men determine that this storm, divinely given, must be on the fault of someone on the ship. But who could it be. A chance is given for the accused party to speak up. But nothing is said. Instead, lots are casts, because Jonah didn’t say a word. What is lots btw. Think of games like drawing straws or sticks, whoever has the short stick is the one that has to do whatever the game required. In Bible times, there were many ways to cast lots thru flat coins, dice, sticks, etc. but all of them have the same idea. Selecting someone by “chance” or for these men’s sake, hoping the divine would orchestrate the results of the game.

God’s power is on display twice in these few verses we read. First to bring the storm that kept this ship tangled up in the sea with no hope whatsoever of rescue or relief. Then God’s power is on display in His control of the lots falling on Jonah. Of course the lot fell on Jonah. He’s been caught. He couldn’t run anymore. He realized that their really wasn’t any running from God. That’s impossible. So he literally erupts everything. Tells them all about what he did and who He was. All great information, but what it is that Jonah never does. He never repents.

And that causes us to think again on God. God shows incredible power. Supreme power that should have caused great fear to fall upon Jonah. But Jonah’s fear of God has been squashed by his own desires and sins. No wonders the writer of this Proverb said the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Jonah had no longer feared God. Yet, look at what fear of God caused the sailors to do. We will see that in detail in a moment. Again what caused Jonah’s fear of God to leave him. Something replaced it. His evil desires which caused his guilt and shame to no longer be there. So God flexed his divine power to awaken Jonah to his foolish thinking. It did in some ways awaken him to his inability to run from God, but it didn’t awaken him to his need to repent. God didn’t though just use his sovereignty to flex his muscles. There was a purpose to it and it was to show another part of God. God’s sovereignty always acts within and in agreement with his other attributes. Here we see, it acts to magnify and exalt His grace.

So let’s God deeper into God’s grace.

a) Deeper into God’s Grace

Why did God send the storm, to awaken, to alert, to grab Jonah’s attention. To show him what a life running from God looks like. The physical circumstances of Jonah’s life on the turbulent seas could have certainly been compared to the turbulent heart turmoil his choices had led him to. God’s grace is seen in the storm throughly but God’s act of control over the lots was also an act of Grace. God was giving Jonah an opportunity to confess to call out to God to make right his his Lord. The sin cycle is all to familiar as we have said already. It looks all too similiar from one generation to the next all the way back to Adam and Eve. We’ve mentioned them before, but we will mention them again. When they sinned, they hid as we’ve discussed. But God is also the same over and over again. When Adam and Eve sinned and hid from God, what did God do? He called out to them Adam where are you? Did God really not know where Adam was? Obviously no, so then why did he ask these questions of the first 2 human beings. He was giving them a chance to come clean. To repent. In fact, think of the passage in Genesis. How many questions did God ask before finally having to get to the point.

Genesis 3:8–11 ESV

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

Three questions God asked of them. Three opportunities God gave them to repent. 3 times he opened up to them His grace. And not once did, they allow themselves to be humbled into confession but rather in pride and arrogance, when backed into the corner the pushed the blame elsewhere. They found a way in their minds to get out of the situation without “losing their cool”. Was it any different with Jonah. God caused the storm, gave Jonah a chance to repent, didn’t bother him because of seared guilt. We haven’t mentioned this one before, but God brought the captain to him to wake him up, and what did the captain say.

Jonah 1:6 ESV

So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”

Call out to your God. Do you think Jonah really wanted to do that. Not really but God used another person to be that redemptive help to bring truth to Jonah’s life. That’s what we are made to be and to do in other people’s life. Help them see when they cannot. This act was an act used by God according to his grace. In the storm, with all kinds of commotion going on, we don’t know exactly how many were aboard the boat, but why does the captain go to Jonah. It’s sort of conjecture, but no doubt God was working through this gentile captain as an act of divine grace to get Jonah’s attention. Call out to your god. It seems that when we are most in sin, God brings godliness all around us. Friends that wanna suddenly talk to us about the things God is doing in their lives, didn’t quotes that pop up or songs that come on the radio that are pointing back to His holy name, but what do we like Jonah often do with it. Tune it out or turn it off. Did Jonah call out to his god. Scriptures isn’t clear on this, but with reasonable understanding, it would seem highly likely that he did not. When he does talk to God, it is very clear in the book of Jonah. But in his writing, Jonah never asserts that he ever had any conversation with God. He missed the storm, strike one, he missed the captains pleas to call out to God, strike two, so just like Adam and Eve, God gets right to the point, corners them and gives them no other place to run, God causes the lot to fall on Him. And here with no place to run, God gives him one last chance to repent. YOU ARE THE ONE JONAH!!! This is happening because of you. Jonah would own his mistakes but would not repent. But understand, God’s power is significant but God’s grace is overwhelming.

It’s it something. Even when back into a corner. Even with overwhelming evidence and public humiliation even with all that God did to wake Jonah up, Jonah wouldn’t repent. It’s really depicts well the darkness of the human heart and reminds us of our deepest moments of despair and sin.

For me, and this is the first time I’ve ever really been able to share this, difficult and heart breaking on my part, but the hardest and most difficult memory of how I too allowed sin to reach this level of ignorance and pride was on the night my parents discovered how I was not being a young man in my teenage years who was being upright in my relationships with my then girl friend. They had discovered that in my 2 years of being with this young lady that we had let our guard down and had allowed our conversations and my desires with this young lady were not God honoring and were leading down a path that was destined for ruin. God by his grace stopped us short of full illicit inappropriate behavior, but it was fast leading to it. I don’t even really want to think about it but had it been given anymore time, I am certain it would it led there. But what hurts the most of all, even more than the thought of allowing myself to take part in this gross sin, was my response when I was confronted. It was like 11 o clock in the evening, I was in bed pretty well asleep. School was the next morning. When my parents woke me. They brought me down to the living room to expose my texting and conversations they had discovered. Both with tears streaming down their faces and anguish in their hearts, stunted by what to even say, they asked how I could have down this. I remember very vividly my thoughts during all this. I remembered thinking that yah it probably wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. I remember thinking that I can’t be in sin, because look at how Godly I was at church and school. I was the preacher kid that did sermons for teens involved. I was the kid during the lesson always answering the questions, I was the kid at school who everyone knew was the good kid. And these were all the lies I was telling myself. These are the lies I believed. But even being cornered about my sin, I didn’t shed a single tear until my punishment wasn’t given. That punishment was that I was to break up with this girl and not speak to her again. Then the tears poured, not simply because I was being punished but that my heart wasn’t getting what it wanted and this is why my behavior and my guilt and my life, my response was the way it was. Sin had caused me to go so deep that confession was never an option, I’d ever consider. Even when all of God’s grace were their to correct me, all I could think about was my evil desires.

I don’t share this story because I need to come clean on this. God has already erased my sin and given me freedom from it. The guilt and shame still comes to bear from time to time but I’m reminded of God’s grace over and over everytime. I do share this to open us all up to the relality that sin is again abounding everywhere. It’s not partial to only the most wicked. Every one of us is capable of the worst kinds of things. We don’t like to mention or think of it this way because we are proud and don’t want anyone to think negatively of us. But truth is, we are all products of God’s good graces. All of our sins in the eyes of the savior are equally damning and equally worthy of eternal punishment. Yet, all of us are saved from ourselves by His grace to sin no longer. I share all this to share God’s goodness again in our lives and to show us the dangers and the mindsets of those that are deep within sin. I share this in hopes, that maybe my story of Grace would be used by God to open up the hearts of someone here who too is deep in sin, seared their conscience, running from God, but is convinced they are ok. I shudder to think where I would be had not God saved me from that. But that’s our God a great rescuer of souls. I think we all should take a minute examine our lives and thank God for what he was done to rescue us.

PAUSE

Let’s look at Jonah’s admission of guilt and then deeper into man’s sin

b) Deeper into Jonah’s Sin

Jonah 1:9–10 ESV

And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

Jonah had told them 3 important things. He told them who he was. A hebrew, probably likely gave his status as a prophet by the phrase I fear the fear.

He told them who God was.

It is again interesting. We notice the sailors are again given the same descriptive phrase to describe their emotions here and also about their emotions about the storm. They were “exceedingly afraid.”

But what we they afraid of? What caused them so much fear that it rivaled the fear they had about this great storm. We will address this one in a minute, But I would like to submit to you that isn’t quite as obvious in the text, but that God’s name alone caused this great fear.

It’s significant that the God he names is the God of the land and sea. Names were a big thing in that time. Calling on a certain god was to call upon that gods power over that element. No god that these sailors knew was God of both land and sea. Apparently they heard enough about God in Jonah’s little conversation to understand enough to worship him at the end of this little episode.

And finally, he told them what he did. He was running from God’s presence. And this too was obviously part of their great fear. Knowledge of who God is (His awesome might and sovereign power) coupled with why they were in this predicament caused great fear.

My what an remarkable comparison we have hear. The fear of God in gentile sailors verses the shamelessness and pride in the prophet Jonah. The further proof of how sin affects professing christians and followers of God that people who don’t even know God can fear him so much more than those that know Him infinitely more and have given themselves in service to Him. All the results of following our hearts rather than the Lord.

So Jonah, caught in God’s grace trap, decides to again do something about it. He could have repented. He could have said ok God. I now realize my error. I’m sorry. I’m willing to allow you again to be Lord and master of all my decisions. But nope that wasn’t his desire. He had another way he could run yet again. A sacrifice could be made. So Jonah offers himself as tribute to “appease the God’s”.

Jonah 1:11–12 ESV

Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”

Was Jonah’s sacrifice a decision made because he felt sympathy for these Gentile sailors. Was this a heroic act on Jonah’s part? Had he finally made a redemption turn. No as we will find out, that didn’t come till later. This offer was not made of unselfishness like all sacrifices demanded. Note to give ones life as a sacrifice for others could only come from an act of love, a love which only God can grant through the fruits of walking in the Holy Spirit. This offer was not an offer of sacrifice and love of others but this offer was born of an evil desire and expressed only love of self. Of one last ditch effort to escape God’s plan. He realized he couldn’t escape God. No matter where he would go, God would be pursuing him. So how do I end the grief, how do I end the guilt, how to I end the agony, and how do I end by getting my own way. I’d rather take my own life, than obey God. This is where sin finally meets its ultimate end. The furthest depth of depravity that Jonah’s heart can go to. As his sin increased, and his evil desires only became more entrenched in his heart, (all he could think about and obsess with was getting his way) that he truly lost more and more a clear understanding of the God of the universe. I will have my way no matter what that I am literally willing to basically commit suicide to get it.

Isn’t this what James 1:15 tell us.

James 1:15 ESV

Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Spiritual death is certain, but often it is true that is will lead to physical death as well and this by means of suicide.

First of all, understand that suicide is quite possibly the ultimate end of sin because suicide is the most selfish thing a human being can ever do. A person who entertains thoughts of suicide is so self-obsessed, so conscientious of only their own woes and own problems that the only way they can solve the issue is to take their own life.

I used to believe or even teach that suicide came from the devil. It would make sense that the devil could cause these thoughts to appear in our minds as a way of completely destroying the work of God. He hates Christians, he wants nothing more than to devour us.

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

What better way to destroy us then cause us to take our own life. End what God is doing. Also think, how much so does that affect our Christian testimony. When a believer commits suicide, what message does that send to the world about our faith? God isn’t big enough, God doesn’t care enough, God isn’t enough & we are just as hopeless as the world around us. That’s a pretty major attack on not just us, not just God’s plan for us, but is also a pretty big slam on God Himself. So it would make sense that this would be a target area for Satan to utilize. But let me tell you, suicide is happening all the time and Satan is not omni-present. He cannot be at all places at once. So the reality is, suicide comes because of our own dark and sinful hearts, allowing ourselves to believe lies and miss the truth.

The saddest reality is that literally God is calling out to them saying I have a solution. I have what you need and what you want.

Matthew 11:28–29 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

I don’t mean to minimize suicide or treat it as something so simple. It’s a real issue that we face today. But understand suicide biblically speaking is the final result of man’s brokenness. It’s the last stop of the progression of sin. It’s the ultimate outcome of sin left unchecked. It’s man’s selfish solution to their problem. For a christian, it’s even sadder because they know that this why in part that God saved us. He came to save us from our hopelessness and give us something to live for that never disappoints, never lets us down, gives us purpose, helps us have peace, fills us with joy. So when Christians entertain the thoughts of suicide, it reflects how far they fallen from the truth and goodness of God. That they would believe that their troubles are too big for God, that what God has for them isn’t good enough, that it would be better to end their troubles than to experience the joy of what God is going to do with them. Real genuine believers how are right with God never consider suicide. Their life as they view it is completely forfeit to all that God has for them. There was some pretty miserable moments in the some of the early christians lives yet they thought little of themselves and only of God and He preserved them. They understood that their lives are not their own. They’ve been bought with a price.

1 Corinthians 6:20 ESV

for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

And their lives were to be lived in a way that it didn’t matter what happened to them, only that God is glorified, which also leads to their own life being filled to the fullest with eternal and an abundant life.

Matthew 16:25 ESV

For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Jonah thought he was saving his life from difficulty, but was actually about to lose his life. Because Jonah loved himself and his ideals so much that he would rather die, and be rid of his guilt (his solution) then to obey God’s command to go to Nineveh. Oh how we far he had fallen to think that death is a better deal than obedience to Christ.

When Jonah couldn’t escape God physically, he tried to end himself physically in an attempt to escape God. How far had his logical fallen. Whom would he stand before had God allowed him to do this? And do you believe at that moment, Jonah would be pleased in his decision. In the moments of sin, we rarely think rationally. That’s why it’s so important to we surround ourselves with godly people who are close to us and are willing to speak into our lives when they see something amiss. We need to start cultivating those deep relationships even now. It’s a gift that God has given that we should not neglect. Who has God given us. Who would be bold even and knows you enough and loves you enough to speak into your life had you begun to act the way Jonah did? It’s real naive and foolish to think that we will never fall to that level.

1 Corinthians 10:12 ESV

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

Jonah had fallen to the farthest depths of sin. But even then, he still hadn’t out sinned God’s grace. God’s grace was only beginning. In fact, God’s grace is evident not just for Jonah. But God again flexed his power and supreme sovereignty over the situation. God used even Jonah’s wicked rebellion to save the lives and souls of the Gentile sailors.

As we read,

Jonah 1:16 ESV

Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

Jonah’s life was meant by God to be a living sacrifice, a message of God’s love and redemption. Everywhere Jonah went, He was to proclaim this. When he wasn’t living in obedience to God. Did that stop God from accomplishing that work through Jonah’s life. Again the answer is no. Certainly for Jonah, it would have been better if he’d had repented their on the boat and shared God’s goodness with them then. However, it resorted to other things but God still used it even then.

Praise be to God that he can even use us when we are most disobedient to Him. But God grace was not done with Jonah yet. He used the storm to get Jonah’s attention and even used the storm to save lost souls. But God grace would do so much more as we will see next week, God’s Grace in the belly of the fish!

B. In the Fish

Conclusion:

As we finish next week for a stretch of time, we will look at how God deals with the incredibly foolish, completely lost, and deeply darkened life of Jonah. But what I want you to see is that he story of Jonah is really a story that much represent our own lives and our own struggles with sin. It’s a revealing book on the extent of our depravity, how far we can truly fall, and how much we truly fight against God to have our own way. It’s a cosmic chess battle with God that understand this, you cannot win. God will triumph. God will have victory. In all His true children, take heart that God will work in their lives to finish what he started. As we will see next week, God could have allowed Jonah’s life to be put to death. He could have allowed Jonah to die in his watery grave, in the depths of the ocean. But did He do that. No indeed he did not. Why because God’s plans never fail for those whom he has redeemed. If you’re fighting God to hold onto your own way. Know that you are fighting a losing battle. For those that are unaware of sin. Time to wake up. Look at how God is waking you up. Must it be that God needs to continue to put you through further difficulty to see His plans for you. And those of you who have been redeemed. Man, give God praise. What a book, what a reflection, a tribute to the mighty and wonderful grace of Jesus. As we close, let’s close with that thought, that praise, and that song as we sing wonderful grace of Jesus.

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