Jonah: When A Person Repents to God
Jonah • Sermon • Submitted
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· 18 viewsGod sometimes puts His people in a desperate situation in order to turn them back to Him and His will.
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Text: Jonah 1:17-2:10
Theme: God sometimes puts His people in a desperate situation in order to turn them back to Him and His will.
There has always been some skepticism about the book of Jonah. Some have tried to say that it is a fictional book that teaches a lesson by using allegory. One of the main reasons for such skepticism comes from the first verse of this evening’s text: "But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights." (Jonah 1:17, ESV).
Even godly Christians have asked or thought "Is the Bible being truthful when it says that a huge fish or possibly a whale swallowed Jonah?" "It sounds a little "fishy" to me!" Even the 16th century reformer Martin Luther seemed to struggle with the book. He never seems to actually deny the truthfulness of the story, but he did say, "The history of Jonah is so monstrous that it is absolutely incredible. If it were not in the Bible, I’d consider it a silly lie." To sophisticated modern ears being swallowed by a giant fish and surviving in the way the Bible recounts does seem monstrous, absolutely incredible, and even foolish. My opinion? All things are possible with God. If God can raise His Son from the dead after three days, then certainly God can have Jonah swallowed by a behemoth from the deep and let him live to tell about it.
One of the debates over the centuries is: Was Jonah swallowed by a fish or a whale?
1st, there is no known fish found in the Mediterranean Sea that is large enough to swallow a man whole. But vs. 17 says that the Lord appointed a great fish. Some translations say, provided a great fish and others prepared a great fish. This very well could have been a specially created fish appointed to accomplish God’s saving grace, and keep Jonah from drowning.
2nd, it could have been a whale, in particular a Sperm Whale that are known to inhabit the Mediterranean. Up until the late 1700's whales were classified as fish. One of the most important biologists of that era wrote, “All the animals of this order [that is whales] more readily bring to mind the Quadrupeds than the Fish, when we consider their internal structure: lungs, respiration, breasts, feet, appendages, live birth, etc. all indicate as much. We attach them, nevertheless to the Fishes by reason of their habitat, their medium, their swimming, etc.”
That begs the question, Can a whale swallow a man?
ILLUS. In 1891 the whale ship Star of the East was in the vicinity of the Falkland Islands when they spotted a large pod of Sperm whales. Whale boats were lowered and in a short time one of the harpooners was able to spear one of the whales. As the second boat attacked the whale, its tail overturned their boat. One man drowned, but another man, James Bartley, disappeared. The whale was killed and drawn up beside the ship. The crew worked the rest of the day and part of the night removing the blubber. Late on the second day the whale's stomach was hoisted on deck. When it was split open, James Bartley was found unconscious but very much alive. When the crew revived him he was raving mad. After about two weeks, he regained his composure and told his story. He said that when the boat overturned, the waters foamed around him and then he was drawn into darkness. He soon found himself in a great dark expanse where the heat was intense and the smell was foul. In the dark, he felt around for an exit and found only slimy walls around him. In a flash of horror, he suddenly realized the awful truth of where he was. He passed out into unconscious until his shipmates revived him on the deck of the ship.
Now, all of that is simply to remind us of at least part of what Jonah went through. But to stop with only a proof that a whale really can swallow a man would be to miss the whole point of the story. Far more important than Jonah being swallowed by a whale is the fact that Jonah repented to God. In so doing, Jonah gives us an example of what it is like when a man gets right with God.
If you look carefully at the story you will note, first of all:
I. WHEN A PERSON REPENTS TO GOD, IT'S BECAUSE HE REALIZES HOW DESPERATE HIS CONDITION REALLY IS
I. WHEN A PERSON REPENTS TO GOD, IT'S BECAUSE HE REALIZES HOW DESPERATE HIS CONDITION REALLY IS
1. Jonah did not realize how desperate his spiritual condition was until he found himself in the belly of a whale
"And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights." (Jonah 1:17, NASB95)
a. Jonah was on the lamb running from God's will for his life
b. he hoped that God would just leave him alone
c. but the storm came and Jonah's situation became desperate
A. GOD OFTEN ALLOWS A BACKSLIDDEN BELIEVER'S SITUATION TO BECOME DESPERATE IN ORDER TO BRING THEM BACK TO HIM
A. GOD OFTEN ALLOWS A BACKSLIDDEN BELIEVER'S SITUATION TO BECOME DESPERATE IN ORDER TO BRING THEM BACK TO HIM
ILLUS. Many of you know of Issac Watts. He is referred to as the Godfather of English Hymnody. Issac Watts grew up in a Christian home. As a young boy he was instructed in the Bible by a godly mother and had given his heart and life to Jesus. But his life was not always in tune with God. As a young man, his attention was given to other things — particularly life at sea. He finally left home on a merchant ship. As the years passed he forgot about his commitment to God. In time, he became captain of his own ship — a slaver hauling human cargo from Africa to the new world. On one trip a storm began to lash his ship which began taking on water. The ship sank and Isaac Watts was thrown into the raging sea. Wave after wave swept over him and he feared he would drown. In that storm-swept sea he remembered his commitment to God made as a young boy. Watts cried out to God to save him and God delivered him from the sea. Issac Watts lived to become one of the greatest and most prolific writers of Christian hymns the church has ever known. Among his more famous are Joy to the World and Amazing Grace.
1. a child of God cannot rebel against their Heavenly Father not experience the consequences
“And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”” (Hebrews 12:5–6, ESV)
a. God's discipline is always meant to bring us back to Him
2. Jonah's prayer reveals his desire to get right with God
a. he cries out to God
"and he said, “I called out of my distress to the Lord, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice." (Jonah 2:2, NASB95)
b. he accepts his situation as God's discipline
"For You had cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the current engulfed me. All Your breakers and billows passed over me." (Jonah 2:3, NASB95)
c. he repents of his rebelliousness
"So I said, ‘I have been expelled from Your sight. Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.’" (Jonah 2:4, NASB95)
d. he recognizes God's forgiving nature and His deliverance
"I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever, But You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God." (Jonah 2:6, NASB95)
3. only when Jonah came to the end of himself did God deliver him from his desperate situation
"Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land." (Jonah 2:10, NASB95)
B. GOD DOES NOT GIVE UP ON HIS CHILDREN
B. GOD DOES NOT GIVE UP ON HIS CHILDREN
1. our God is a God of the second chance
2. God was not finished with Jonah yet
a. God made a way for Jonah to do some long, hard, serious, undisturbed thinking
b. what a better place to contemplate your relationship with God then from the belly of a whale!
3. sometime during the three-day journey, Jonah came to realize how desperately out of whack his relationship with God really was
a. the interesting thing is that it took him three days to come to that conclusion
1) seventy-two hours is a long time to think
b. three days and nights in the belly of a whale is certainly long enough to get desperate
4. here then is the point
a. sometimes we have to become desperate before we are willing to come back to God
b. many Christians are treading water not realizing that they are about to be swallowed by their circumstances
1) they think "God, it's not too bad yet. I can handle this without you."
c. but suddenly, they are pulled into a situation from which they cannot extract themselves
5. the question this evening is: "How desperate must you become before you get right with God?"
II. WHEN A PERSON REPENTS TO GOD, IT'S BECAUSE HE REALIZED THAT GOD'S WAY IS BEST
II. WHEN A PERSON REPENTS TO GOD, IT'S BECAUSE HE REALIZED THAT GOD'S WAY IS BEST
1. here is the reason Jonah is in so much trouble in the first place
a. he wanted to do things his way
b. never mind what God has said
2. how sad it is that many of God's people have to find themselves in a desperate situation before they consider that maybe God knows what is best for their life
A. JONAH DECIDED GOD'S WAY DID NOT LOOK SO BAD AFTER ALL
A. JONAH DECIDED GOD'S WAY DID NOT LOOK SO BAD AFTER ALL
1. can you imagine the thought that swept through Jonah's mind during those three days and nights
a. on the first day he was probably in shock and thought "God, just let me die."
b. on the second day, after the whale's gastric juices had started eating his cloths and burning his skin, he probably thought, "God, why don't you let me die!"
c. on the third day, he probably reached the conclusion, "God, I'm sorry for disobeying you. I really don't want to die."
2. at that point the whale went "blaaahk" and spit Jonah onto dry land
a. it took a while but Jonah finally decided that obeying God wasn't such a bad alternative after all
b. but it took a desperate situation for him to realize that
3. in every community, in every church there are believers who are out of step with God
a. until they become desperate they may never get in step with God’s will
b. are your desperate this eveing?
1) maybe God has convicted you that He desires a greater verbal witness from you
2) maybe God has convicted you that you should tithe to the work of His church
3) maybe God has called you into full time Christian service
4) maybe God has called you into short time Christian service
5) maybe God has convicted you of a sin you need to shed
4. the question is, are you convinced that God's way is best
a. are you willing to repent?
1) that's God's way
b. are you willing to confess?
1) that's God's way
c. are you willing to re-commit yourself to Him
1) that's God's way
III. WHEN A PERSON REPENTS TO GOD, HE MUST COMMIT HIMSELF TO GOD
III. WHEN A PERSON REPENTS TO GOD, HE MUST COMMIT HIMSELF TO GOD
"But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord.”" (Jonah 2:9, NASB95)
1. it is one thing to be desperate and another to realize that God's way is best for your life
a. many believers become desperate in their situation, but they refuse to consider God's way
2. they begin to bargain with God
a. "God, if you will only get me out of this fix, I will always serve you."
b. when the crisis ends, the promises of commitment end also
A. GOD'S WAY AND GOD'S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE IS ALWAYS BEST
A. GOD'S WAY AND GOD'S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE IS ALWAYS BEST
1. real repentance means submitting your whole self to God
a. it is not just being sorry for your sins in the sense of being sorry you got caught
b. it is, what Paul refers to as Godly sorrow for your wrong doing that leads to acceptance of God's will for your life
2. the message Jesus preached to the people of Israel was not just repent but come, follow me!
I don't know how desperate you are today to make things right between you and God. I do know God desperately wants every person to be in a right relationship with Him. He wants to give you a second chance, and a third, and a fourth, etc. ILLUS. On New Year's Day in 1929, Georgia Tech played the University of California in the Rose Bowl. In that game a man named Roy Riegels made sports history. He recovered a fumble for California. Somehow, he became disoriented and started running in the wrong direction. One of his own teammates tackled Roy just feet away from scoring a touchdown for the opposing team. When California attempted to punt, Georgia Tech blocked the kick and scored a safety which was the ultimate margin of victory. During halftime, the question of the day was, "What will Coach Nibbs Price do with Roy Riegels in the second half?" In the locker room, Riegels sat in a corner with a blanket pulled up around him and, with his face in his hands. Coach Price gave his players a pep talk and told them that the same players that started the first half would begin the second half. Roy told the coach, "I can't do it to save my life. I've ruined you, I've ruined the University, I've ruined myself. I couldn't face that crowd to save my life." The coach took Roy's hand and said, "Roy, get up and go on back; the game is only half over." Roy Riegels went back onto the field and played the most inspired game of football his teammates can ever remember anyone playing.
When I think about that story, I say "What a coach!" When I read the book of Jonah, I say "What a God!" God gave Jonah a second chance.