00:00
00:00
00:01
ట్రాన్స్క్రిప్ట్
1/0
Well, if you have a Bible with you this morning, we're actually going back to the Old Testament for the next few weeks. We're going to be looking at the story of Jonah. And I resisted every opportunity to use a pun for the subtitle of the book, but it should really be a whale of a tale. So we're going to be looking at the story of Jonah. You knew something was fishy, didn't you? Okay, but I want to real quickly explain to you now I use the word story the story of Jonah and a few Christmases ago It really kind of hit me that our words do matter and we had some folks visiting I think it was even on a Christmas Eve and I was telling the story of Joseph and Mary in the end and Jesus and you know all these different and they came up to me later and they said so does that mean you don't think it really happened and And I said, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Yeah, I really believe that's the history, that's the historical truth. And they said, well, you used that word story. And so, you know, I had a chance to just explain what I mean by story is just this is the narrative, this is kind of the events that unfolded, it's the story that developed. The truth is we all learn sometimes by hearing stories that maybe nothing else would teach us, right? You can see a really good outline, you can understand the, you know, the background of these words and all that, but sometimes it's the story that brings it home. Well, we're going to be studying for the next five weeks the book of Jonah, the story of Jonah. And I just want to say right up front, I absolutely believe this is what occurred in this reluctant prophet's life. And there are lessons that we can learn from it. In fact, we're not going to study it verse by verse. We're going to look at kind of some big themes from the book of Jonah. But please understand, whenever I use that word story in reference to Scripture, It simply means the narrative that God has given us. And aren't we thankful that we have this story? It's His story. It's history. And so today we're going to start with Jonah 1. We're going to read the whole chapter. It's not that long, but it is the whole chapter. So if you're able, I'm going to invite you to stand as we read this opening portion of Scripture. Jonah 1 beginning with verse 1. The Word of the Lord came to Jonah, son of Amittai. Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because its wickedness has come up before me." But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and cried out to his own God. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone down below deck where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, how can you sleep? Get up and call on your God. Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish. Then the sailors said to each other, come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity. They cast lots, and the lot fell, surprise, on Jonah. So they asked him, tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you? He answered, I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. This terrified them, and they asked, what have you done? They knew he was running from the Lord because he had already told them so. The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, what should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us? Pick me up and throw me into the sea, he replied, and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you. Instead, the men did their best to row back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried out to the Lord, Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased. Then they took Jonah, threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this, the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." You can go ahead and have a seat. I was really very fortunate, kind of as full-time employment for really a decade, to work with youth, both in a community center down in Louisville and then in two different churches. And I really enjoyed my time working with teenagers. Still love to do events with our youth. But one of the topics that was always very easy to spend six weeks on a Sunday night studying was the idea of the will of God. Because it's just that time in life where if a young person is striving to follow Christ, or even if they're kind of wandering at that point, it's just this idea of the great unknown of what's about to happen. What is God's will for my life? What does God have for me? Does he want me to get married? And if so, to whom? What job would he have me take? Where should I go to school? All these different questions. I remember we did a missions trip to Tennessee one year, to southern Tennessee where the cotton fields were in a very poor area. and we were helping to repair some homes, and there was a very popular song at the time. In fact, have you ever had a song that was so popular that you actually kind of got sick of it? It's like, would you please stop playing that song? And you feel really bad when it's a Christian song, right? Just stop it. It was Michael W. Smith's song, Place in this World. and they just played it all the time. And I want to read you a few words to give you an idea as to how their thinking was, okay? It was our closing song of this whole week of missions trips. And we prayed for each other, had really a very deep spiritual time. But these are the words. The wind is moving, but I am standing still. A life of pages waiting to be filled. A heart that's hopeful, a head that's full of dreams, but this becoming is harder than it seems. Now, for those of us that are a little more seasoned in our years, we kind of forget that angst that goes along with that time of life, don't we? I mean, we have our own angst now. We have our own challenges. I realize that. But sometimes you feel like you're just on the precipice and where's life going to take me? I don't know what's going to happen. Feels like I'm looking for a reason, roaming through the night to find my place in this world, my place in this world. Not a lot to lean on. I need your light to help me find my place in this world, my place in this world. God, I need you to show me your will. What would you have for my life?" Now, the truth is, there are a lot of passages in Scripture that deal with finding God's will. And so as you're going through things like, what job should I have? You know, what about my family? Should I move all these kinds? There are very clear directions as to how we can pray about that and what we should do. But don't you find it hard sometimes to do the will of God when you know exactly what his will is? Isn't that sometimes just as difficult, if not more so? It's hard to honor your father and your mother if one of them wasn't particularly nice to you, isn't it? It's hard to tell the truth on that tax return when just this little lie would make such a difference. It takes supernatural strength sometimes to bless your enemy and not to curse them, especially if you're on Facebook. OK, these are the areas in which you realize, yes, this unknown will of God is out there. But you know what I found as I've studied scripture is that knowing the will of God is rarely a surprise. And if if I'm following God's will as he's given it to me, these areas of the unknown come much more easily. It's not as though there aren't areas with many questions, but most of God's will is revealed in these pages. And many times as we struggle to obey God, as Jim said in his testimony, it's still hard, I still fall sometimes. But as we struggle to follow God, these other areas, they fill in and He shows us, He leads us. And that's why sometimes when we sing these songs and we pray together, it's such a joy because we find that to be true. Now Jonah knew the will of God. It was very clear. God spelled it right out for him. Look at chapter 1, verses 1 and 2. The word of the Lord came to Jonah, son of Amittai, Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because its wickedness has come up before me." See, these words are now in Scripture. We have them all these centuries later. Why? Because they were God's direct words and instructions to Jonah. You can read through those words. Maybe many of you have not studied Greek or Hebrew or any of the biblical languages. Is it clear what God wanted him to do? Pretty clear, isn't it? He doesn't have to sing, where's my place in this world? God just told you where your place in the world is. Go. But in verse 3, what happened? He went the complete opposite direction. Why would somebody go in the complete opposite direction of God's will? When you really know what it is, when it's very clear, why would you do that? Well, it's interesting when you get into some commentaries. And I looked at some of the commentators, some of the biblical scholars that I really admire, and there were a few factors that they threw out there as possibilities as to why Jonah ran from the Lord. I just want to look at three of them this morning, and then we'll draw some conclusions, okay? Here's the first idea. Maybe why Jonah ran from God. How about fear of a strange land? Okay, maybe fear of a strange land. Some scholars have thought that maybe he went in the opposite direction because it just frightened him. The idea of doing what God had called him to do. Going somewhere with strange customs, strange ideas, unusual food. I'll never forget when I was in college, of course I'd only been a believer about six or seven years, and we have had a lady speak to our women's ministry here at the church. She gave her testimony in church a few years ago. Her name was Marilyn Laswell. And she came and she spoke to our chapel service in college, and she told about her experiences as a missionary in Papua New Guinea. And it's so funny, but of all the stories she told, the one that stood out to me was the day that she finally made contact with this tribe in the remote jungles, and the chief brought her a cup, and it had live bugs down in it, and she was supposed to eat these bugs. And I can remember sitting in the chapel at college thinking, Lord, don't call me to do that. I mean, I'll do just about anything. Don't call me to do that." And of course, she embellishes the story. I'm not saying it wasn't true what she said, but she just really plays it up. She looked down in the cup and these little eyes were looking up at her. They were alive and they're looking at her. And she said, I had to stop and pray, Lord, you've got to help me with this. And she said, I reached in and I thought I'd just pull one out, you know, and throw it in there. And she said, two or three of them hung on to the one that I pulled out. She said, I had to throw them all in there and, you know, we're sitting in chapel. You know, I'm like gagging right in chapel. And then she turned, she looked at everybody and she went, they weren't that bad. I thought at the time, you know, Lord, I really would. I'd be willing to do many things for you. Don't make me eat bugs out in the middle. You know, but being a missionary is one thing. But not only did he have those challenges, the Ninevites, OK, had a very bad reputation as well. I mean, everybody knew about them. These were people that you would not just generally buddy up next to, kind of befriend them, which is a lot of what missionary work is, get to know them, and then kind of show them the right way they should be doing things as God had called him to do. Jonah would literally be laying his life on the line by going in the midst of this hostile people and giving them the Word of the Lord. So there are any number of reasons Jonah might have feared for this calling in his life. Okay, that's a very good possibility. I mean, have you ever felt led to go somewhere to do something and yet fear kind of held you back? I thought of some examples, all right? What about the time maybe God spoke to you? I've had this experience. Maybe you haven't. God spoke to you to talk to a co-worker or a neighbor about their relationship with God and your heart starts pounding 100 miles an hour. And what if they ask questions I don't know and, you know, I just don't want to stick my neck out like that. Very clearly, God is prompting you to do it, and yet there's that little bit of fear. Fear is common, isn't it? And there are many passages in Scripture, again, that if God calls us to do something, and we're trying to follow His will, we need to fall back on. One of the first passages I ever memorized as a fairly new believer was Joshua 1, verses 7-9. Look at what we read. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law My servant Moses gave you. Remember, that's the will of God that we know. We've been given His Word. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left so that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this book of the law always on your lips. Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Now look at verse 9. Have I not commanded you Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. For the Lord, your God will be with you wherever you go. Those are great verses to hide in your heart, as the Bible says, aren't they? Because God sometimes is going to call us to do things that are a little bit out of our comfort zone. Do we need to be afraid? Not if God's called us to do it, because he will be with us. But I thought about it. Went back through the story several times. You know, I don't think that fear was Jonah's problem. I don't think that was the issue. Think about the story and look again, Jonah 1, verse 3. But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. All right, here's my two cents worth. It's just my opinion. I've told you before. I'll always let you know that. This is my opinion. All right? I don't think he ran out of fear because, what did we read? He boarded an unknown ship with unknown and potentially dangerous sailors in order to run away from God. He's running away from God, people. So you begin to realize there are many more fear factors in that scenario than simply saying, okay, God, I'll go do what you want me to do. I don't think fear was it. Here's a second possibility. How about prejudice against other people? Prejudice against other people. I got to tell you, I thought that the whole story of Jonah really fit in well with our timing because number one, we just finished small group month. November is going to be missions month. We have these five weeks in between. And some of the themes in Jonah are things that we're facing as a world right now, very clearly so. And this is one of them to just kind of talk to, talk through. What about the fact that maybe Jonah ran because he was prejudiced against the Ninevites? Maybe that was a challenge that he faced. And I'm going to tell you, prejudice is a hard thing to overcome sometimes, isn't it? Especially as believers, we have to fight against that, no matter what we have experienced or no matter what. In fact, I've seen some examples of this. When my wife and I first moved to North Carolina and I served in a church down there, one of the families that kind of befriended us and were very nice to us and very central in the life of the church, we were talking one night and the wife finally said to us, you know, I could never vote for a black person because my parents told me not to trust them. Now, I didn't grow up in a family that taught one thing or that didn't teach anything, and that would never even cross my mind. And we got back home that night, and Emily and I both looked at each other and said, that's harsh. I mean, that's hard to... How do you weigh that with what you believe about Jesus and what He's done and all that, yet still bring that to the table? But it's how they were raised. Now, it's easy if you're here this morning and you're like me, where you wouldn't even think about something like that. We might not realize how hard that is for somebody to overcome. A way that they were taught as they were growing up. I had someone ask me one time, literally sat down and asked me, how many people have served on your elder board who were non-white? And you know what I had to do? I had to sit down and get out the list of who had served as elders and think about each one of them, because I don't know. I guess I never thought about it like that before. Emily had the same experience at a Bible study very recently when they were talking about spouses. And she couldn't, oh, I didn't even think about that. Isn't that interesting? So it was hard for us to understand this challenge of overcoming the way someone was raised. Maybe it wasn't what you were taught. Maybe it was something that happened to you. Okay? If you go back and read again the whole story of Corrie Ten Boom and her time in the concentration camp during World War II, and the fact was that I believe she lost her sister and her dad in that concentration camp. And not long after the war was over, she was speaking at a conference and this gentleman walked up to her and extended his hand to her and she recognized him immediately. He was one of the guards at the concentration camp where she lost her sister and lost her dad. And he reached out his hand. He said, Sister, I want to tell you, I've accepted Christ into my life. I'm a new creation in him. And I want to thank you for what you're doing today. And she said it probably didn't seem like very long to him, but it seemed like a year to her. She stood there and looked at him and thought, can I even put my hand out there? I don't want anything to do with this man. And eventually, and it probably wasn't very long, but she obeyed God and she stuck her hand out and she shook His hand and called Him her brother in Christ. Maybe it's an experience that you've had. Experiences are very real, aren't they? They evoke very real emotions. And so some believe that Jonah didn't want to be a missionary to these despicable Gentiles. These people that had warred against Israel and had just spread horrible rumors about their faith and their lives. And prejudice can be a destructive force. It can keep us from going places we should go or from doing things that we're called to do. But it's such a strong statement to realize that God loves every single person who's created in His image. And I'll tell you, the church is where this kind of understanding can begin and can spread and can change the world. Look at First Timothy chapter two. Look at verse one. I urge them, first of all, the petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for whom? For all people, do you see anybody left out of that? OK, anybody. Verse two, for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. I don't care what you think about the president. Should you pray for him? I don't care what you care about, what you think about the queen of England. It says kings, it sure includes queens or any world leader. Is any one of them ever going to do everything exactly the way that you and I would do it? OK, if you and I were the leaders, will we do it the way everybody else? Well, they should, but they wouldn't. They wouldn't agree with us. We should pray for them, shouldn't we? Look at verse three. This is good and pleases God, our savior. Do you want to please God? Verse four, who wants how many people? All people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. Now, I have to tell you though, again, as I read through the story, as I look at it in depth, it's probably not going to surprise you now after the first point, I don't think prejudice was really Jonah's problem either. What did we read in the opening story? Okay, you have to think through all the details. God caused this great storm to come up. The sailors did everything they could to save the ship. They're throwing the cargo overboard. They don't want to be capsized. So the captain asked Jonah to get up and pray. But Jonah didn't answer him. Finally, they reached this conclusion. Jonah was the cause of their calamity. Let me remind you what happened. Look at verse 8. So they asked him, tell us who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you? And he answered, I am a Hebrew. and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." You know, it doesn't have, like, sound effects in the story, but I just kind of envisioned the sailors going, oh, that's a great one. You know, the sea's about to swallow us up and you worship the God that made this? There are no sound effects, it's just my, you know, my addition. But Jonah went on to admit, you know what, he was running from God and the only solution was for them to throw him into the sea. Now, you read the story, did they want to do that? They didn't. That was the last thing they wanted to do. So I have to think about it this way. I don't think prejudice could have been Jonah's main problem because he showed compassion and concern for these pagan sailors, these Gentile sailors, these idol-worshipping sailors. When the ship's about to sink, he's like, guys, the only way you're going to live is to throw me overboard. I don't think it could have been his issue. So if it wasn't fear, if prejudice wasn't really the fault, Perhaps it was a deeper problem. And I really studied this one because several scholars brought this up. Perhaps it was just selfish pride. Maybe he ran from God because of selfish pride. You see, as a prophet, Jonah had clearly spoken out about the wickedness of the Ninevites. It was known everywhere. And he was the prophet of the day and so very clearly had preached against them and explained why they were so wicked. Now again, let's bring it home to today. Are there nations in our world today that we talk about in much the same way? Are there? Absolutely. The very leadership of those countries many times are intent on hurting people and doing whatever they please. And so we step back and we have to call out, listen, this is a nation that is dangerous, that is opposing God's plan at every turn. So, think about this reasoning. Jonah had prophesied against the Ninevites. But if they turned their lives over to God and they changed, well, he might look like a fool. He might look like, you know, how can I trust him? Because, look, God did change their hearts. And Jonah used to say how awful they were and they were beyond hope. He might have twisted it just enough to be able to say, how would this make me look? Selfish pride. And several scholars think that might have been a big challenge. And I got thinking about it, and again, we can be honest with each other this morning. You all look so innocent, but I know we struggle with these things. Have you ever gotten in the way of when God's will was very clear to you? Alright, but Lord, if I apologize to my wife after our fight, it'll look like she was right all along. Where's Barb Newell? I want to bring her up here. But Lord, if I confess that I cheated on that exam, my teacher will never forgive me." Okay? How about this one? That if I commit my life to Christ, my family will think I've become a fanatic. Have people tell me that? I see the truth in all this, but man, what my family will think about me. Pride is a dangerous thing, isn't it? We know that. Look at Luke 9, verse 23. Then Jesus said to them all, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it. But whoever loses their life for me will save it. It's talking about selfish pride, isn't it? Now we need to wrap up this morning, but let me just again back up and say there's a challenge to that idea in our story because for one thing, Jonah never mentions the idea of failed prophecies when he runs. He never points out these ideas to God or to anybody around him. I don't think pride has any kind of evidence here as to how that might have been his downfall. But when you get into the book, and we're going to look at it more in the next four weeks, you realize why Jonah really did run in the opposite direction of God's will. Now, don't misunderstand me this morning. I'm not saying that fear didn't play a role. I'm not saying that there might not have been some prejudice and some pride. Absolutely. But the clear reason Jonah went in the opposite direction, chapter 4, look at verse 2. He prayed to the Lord, O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? This is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity." Jonah knew that if the Ninevites repented, God would spare them. God would heal their land. Jonah knew how the Ninevites had treated the Jews, and he personally wanted to be rid of them. He wanted wrath. He wanted vengeance. He didn't like them, and he thought it was time for God to punish them. So do you know what Jonah's main problem, I believe, was? Do you know what it was? It's there in your sermon notes. This is what I believe it was. He wanted his will, not God's will. That was his main problem. He wanted his ideas, not God's idea. You see, Jonah didn't want the Ninevites to be saved. It wasn't necessarily an issue of fear or pride or prejudice. It wasn't an inability to discern the will of God. That's very clear, isn't it? It was a willful decision on Jonah's part to follow his way instead of God's way. That's a dangerous thing, isn't it? And so I got thinking, you know, what are some areas that we might struggle with that are very similar to this in the way that, you know, we're not asking what is God's will. We have God's Word. that tells us so many ways in which we should live. But what are we facing that we already know is God's will and yet I'm being stubborn and I'm not doing it? I'm being disobedient and I'm doing it my way instead. Now, I want to challenge you over the next few weeks as we walk through this book, don't get sidetracked by many of the issues that come up when you study the book of Jonah. We'll talk a little bit about the huge fish and how it is absolutely scientifically possible that what's told in the story did happen. Okay, we can get into some of those details, but don't let that sidetrack you. Next week, we're going to talk about the consequences of running from God, because they're huge. Two weeks from now, we're going to talk about tearing down the walls that divide us. Great story in Jonah that we need for today, isn't it? October 22nd, we're going to talk about how God uses our imperfections to reach others. I'm thankful for that. And October 29th, God's mercy is wide and it's great. But for this morning, I really want you to slow down and think, what is God's will that you might be resisting this morning? What is there in your life that maybe you're very clear what God wants you to do and yet you're fighting against it? In fact, I want to just ask and invite you, if you don't mind, just bow your heads and close your eyes and think about God's will in your life right now. Are there any areas where you're struggling? Are there things He's calling you to do that you want to go in the opposite direction? Or are there even areas where you don't know His will yet, and yet you're hesitant to ask Him? Because what if He calls me to do this or that? Think about what those issues might be, and then I want to close by just reading the words of a great song from a few years ago. And if you've reached this point after hearing this story this morning, then you can kind of commit these words in your own heart and say, God, that's my song as well. Listen to these words. Have thine own way, Lord. Have thine own way. Thou art the potter. I am the clay. Mold me and make me after thy will. While I am waiting, yielded and still. One other verse. Have Thine own way, Lord, have Thine own way. Hold o'er my being absolute sway. Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see Christ only, always living in me." Father, thank you for giving us this great book and scripture. I know that sometimes as I get deeper into these stories and I understand the backgrounds and just the workings out that we have here in our hands, that sometimes it's scary how close it hits the home. And yet, Father, we know that you have shown us that your way is the only way and the best way for our lives. And so when we get off that path, when we don't move where you tell us to move, and where we resist your will in our lives, remind us this morning that our path is the path of destruction. Your path is the path of, what did we sing this morning? Hope, eternal life, and joy and fulfillment. Lord, I can't possibly know what anybody in this worship center might be struggling with this morning and following your will, but I pray that today, through these words of the prophet Jonah, through this story, we would once again be encouraged to follow you with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, whatever that means, and you will be with us wherever we go. Thank you, Father, for those promises. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Thy Will Be Done
సిరీస్ Jonah: A Reluctant Prophet
ప్రసంగం ID | 928171110437 |
వ్యవధి | 31:23 |
తేదీ | |
వర్గం | ఆదివారం సర్వీస్ |
బైబిల్ టెక్స్ట్ | యోనా |
భాష | ఇంగ్లీష్ |
వ్యాఖ్యను యాడ్ చేయండి
వ్యాఖ్యలు
వ్యాఖ్యలు లేవు
© కాపీరైట్
2025 SermonAudio.