WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.480 Good morning, church. My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain 00:00:07.480 --> 00:00:12.939 Presbyterian Church, and it's my joy to bring God's Word to you today. Before we get started, 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:18.960 I just want to highlight a few announcements. First, this Wednesday, April 29th, at 7 p.m., 00:00:18.960 --> 00:00:22.719 we're going to have another town hall, a virtual town hall, together as a church, 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:27.080 and this is going to be a chance for us to continue to update you on what's going on and 00:00:27.079 --> 00:00:32.399 how decisions are being made. I really encourage you to be there if you can. The details for that 00:00:32.399 --> 00:00:37.019 meeting, they're on our website, and of course, as I've been emphasizing, they're also in the Friday 00:00:37.019 --> 00:00:42.099 email. I'm also excited to announce that we're going to have another congregational prayer meeting on 00:00:42.099 --> 00:00:49.079 Saturday, May 9th, at 9 a.m., and details about that are also on our website and in the Friday email. 00:00:49.079 --> 00:00:58.280 By the way, our website is www.cmpca.net, and you can sign up for our newsletter at the bottom right 00:00:58.280 --> 00:01:05.479 of every page of that site. Finally, if you're a visitor, we're glad that you're here with us. We'd 00:01:05.479 --> 00:01:09.939 love for you, if you go to our website, there will be a pop-up, and that pop-up will give you a link to 00:01:09.939 --> 00:01:14.780 a visitor form, and that gives us a chance to connect with you, so I encourage you to do that. 00:01:14.780 --> 00:01:21.219 Finally, for everyone, whether you're new or you're a visitor with us or you're someone who's been with 00:01:21.219 --> 00:01:25.460 us for many years, I encourage you to take this opportunity to connect with one another over 00:01:25.460 --> 00:01:31.120 Facebook. So there's a comment box in the bottom right, and as I've been telling you, while you can 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:36.040 see me, I can't see you. So I encourage you to log in there and just make a comment like good morning 00:01:36.040 --> 00:01:41.219 or here, share who's with you and where you're watching from, and that will give us a chance to know 00:01:41.219 --> 00:01:46.780 who is together this morning. We can see numbers, but we can't always see names, so that's incredibly 00:01:46.780 --> 00:01:54.239 helpful to us, and it also gives a sense of us being together even as we're separated. With that, 00:01:54.500 --> 00:01:59.759 we are picking up again in the book of Jonah, and you'll recall that the book of Jonah, first of all, 00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:06.400 is not a story about a fish. As one man has said, the fish does not have a speaking part, 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:13.060 and the fish only appears four times in three verses. And later, a little bit later, I'll talk 00:02:13.060 --> 00:02:20.819 about why the fish is not our focus. It is, however, the story about a man named Jonah who was a prophet 00:02:20.819 --> 00:02:26.640 who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel in the 8th or 9th century BC, and God had called this man 00:02:26.640 --> 00:02:32.939 to go to a city called Nineveh, which was in what is now modern-day northern Iraq, then the kingdom of 00:02:32.939 --> 00:02:38.500 Assyria. And as we looked at last week, this was an inside-out story. We were seeing a prophet called 00:02:38.500 --> 00:02:42.879 to a place that was unexpected. He wasn't going to God's people, but instead he was going to God's 00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:49.060 enemies. And we also had a prophet who was unexpected. Rather than obeying God, he fled from God. 00:02:50.479 --> 00:02:57.379 And so it's not ultimately a story about Jonah, but it's a story about God's mercy. And our theme verse, 00:02:57.460 --> 00:03:01.680 which we're going to see this week in this chapter is verse 9, which tells us that salvation 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:08.599 belongs to the Lord. Last week, we looked at the offensiveness of God's mercy, that he gives it to 00:03:08.599 --> 00:03:14.099 people we wouldn't give it to, people like Nineveh, and he gives it to people who don't deserve it, 00:03:14.540 --> 00:03:20.740 people like you and me. We're going to continue to take a look at God's mercy from the book of Jonah 00:03:20.740 --> 00:03:27.980 this morning in chapter 2. And as you'll recall, Jonah had run away from God, and the last we saw him, 00:03:27.979 --> 00:03:36.219 he was down in the sea. The sailors, verse 15, had hurled him into the sea. And so Jonah has received 00:03:36.219 --> 00:03:44.699 God's judgment, while the sailors have received God's mercy. But Jonah's story isn't over. And so 00:03:44.699 --> 00:03:51.099 our question this morning is this, what does God do when his people run away from him? 00:03:51.099 --> 00:03:59.979 What does God do when his people run away from him? Jonah has run away from God. And so how is God 00:03:59.979 --> 00:04:07.180 going to show mercy to him? We're in Jonah chapter 2, and I invite you to turn with me, whether you're 00:04:07.180 --> 00:04:11.340 opening another window on your browser or pulling it up on your phone, or perhaps you have a physical 00:04:11.340 --> 00:04:19.219 Bible with you. Regardless of how you're reading it, remember that this is God's word. And God tells us 00:04:19.220 --> 00:04:25.980 that his word is more precious than gold, even the finest gold. And it's sweeter than honey, even honey 00:04:25.980 --> 00:04:30.780 that comes straight from the honeycomb. And so that's why we read it now, starting at chapter 1, 00:04:30.860 --> 00:04:38.260 verse 17. And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the 00:04:38.260 --> 00:04:45.780 fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, 00:04:45.779 --> 00:04:52.799 I called out to the Lord out of my distress, and he answered me. Out of the belly of shale I cried, 00:04:53.059 --> 00:05:00.319 and you heard my voice. Verse 3. For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood 00:05:00.319 --> 00:05:09.059 surrounded me. All your waves and your billows passed over me. Verse 4. Then I said, I am driven away from 00:05:09.060 --> 00:05:16.459 your sight. Yet I shall again look upon your holy temple. The waters closed in over me to take my life. 00:05:17.220 --> 00:05:24.319 The deep surrounded me. Weeds were wrapped around my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down 00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:32.180 to the land whose bars closed upon me forever. Yet you brought up my life from the pit. Oh Lord my God. 00:05:32.180 --> 00:05:39.400 Verse 7. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, 00:05:39.620 --> 00:05:46.540 into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. 00:05:47.500 --> 00:05:53.360 But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed, I will pay. 00:05:54.360 --> 00:06:01.560 Salvation belongs to the Lord. And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out. 00:06:01.560 --> 00:06:08.180 upon the dry land. I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word. 00:06:12.439 --> 00:06:19.740 Our Father in heaven, we thank you again for speaking to us through your word. We thank you 00:06:19.740 --> 00:06:26.120 that you give us words that challenge and humble us, and you also give us words that encourage us 00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:30.899 and lift us up. And we ask that you would do that this morning, that you would humble us, 00:06:30.899 --> 00:06:37.639 showing us our need for your grace. And you encourage us as you show us how you meet us 00:06:37.639 --> 00:06:44.019 at that very same point of need. We ask these things not because we've earned them or deserve 00:06:44.019 --> 00:06:49.539 them, but because we have confidence in Jesus, knowing that we can ask them in his name. Amen. 00:06:51.859 --> 00:06:56.519 You'll remember from last week that we had this word that was repeated over and over again, 00:06:56.519 --> 00:07:02.740 which is the word down. We saw that Jonah went down to Joppa to flee from the Lord. He went down 00:07:03.259 --> 00:07:07.180 into the ship. And then in verse 5, down into the innermost portion of the ship. 00:07:07.799 --> 00:07:13.939 The word down isn't repeated then again in chapter 1, but we know that he goes down into the sea 00:07:13.939 --> 00:07:17.319 because he's thrown overboard. He is fleeing from God. 00:07:17.319 --> 00:07:24.300 And now we're going to see that same word down repeated again. Verse 6, 00:07:24.379 --> 00:07:28.099 I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever. 00:07:28.899 --> 00:07:33.879 Jonah is going to continue this experience of going down and we see what it looks like. 00:07:34.860 --> 00:07:38.259 We're told in verse 2 that he's in the belly of Sheol. 00:07:38.920 --> 00:07:42.779 Now the belly of Sheol in the Old Testament would have been understood to be the land of the dead. 00:07:42.779 --> 00:07:48.679 And so what's being communicated here in poetic language is that Jonah is close to death. 00:07:48.779 --> 00:07:51.399 He is having a near-death experience. 00:07:51.939 --> 00:07:57.099 He then goes on to describe for us what that experience looks like in verses 2 through 7. 00:07:57.179 --> 00:08:00.979 In verse 3, he's cast into the deep in the heart of the seas. 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:03.639 Waves and billows pass over him. 00:08:03.679 --> 00:08:05.859 So he's surrounded by water, right? He's nearly drowning. 00:08:06.859 --> 00:08:10.679 In verses 5 and 6, he is trapped by weeds. 00:08:11.099 --> 00:08:12.619 Weeds are wrapped around his head. 00:08:13.059 --> 00:08:14.459 He's at the point of utter despair. 00:08:14.599 --> 00:08:16.879 We're told he's at the roots of the mountains, verse 6, 00:08:17.319 --> 00:08:22.619 which is poetic language describing for us that he's gone down as far as he can possibly go. 00:08:24.279 --> 00:08:27.799 In other words, Jonah is facing death itself. 00:08:29.099 --> 00:08:31.039 Jonah almost drowns. 00:08:31.039 --> 00:08:33.000 He's having a drowning experience here. 00:08:33.740 --> 00:08:36.279 God gives Jonah what he wants. 00:08:38.039 --> 00:08:41.679 Jonah experiences the full consequences of his desires. 00:08:41.679 --> 00:08:47.279 He learns that to flee from God is to run towards death. 00:08:48.699 --> 00:08:52.959 To flee from God is to run towards death. 00:08:53.079 --> 00:08:57.959 God uses these sailors sovereignly to bring Jonah to a realization of this. 00:08:58.059 --> 00:09:02.539 We saw in chapter 1, verse 15, it was the sailors who hurl him into the sea. 00:09:03.259 --> 00:09:07.719 And yet in chapter 2, verse 3, Jonah admits that it was God who cast him into the deeps. 00:09:07.720 --> 00:09:08.379 Which one is it? 00:09:09.200 --> 00:09:10.379 Well, it's both, right? 00:09:10.460 --> 00:09:15.480 God uses these sailors as his instruments to bring judgment to Jonah. 00:09:15.480 --> 00:09:20.659 We also see, though, that that is not full and final. 00:09:20.759 --> 00:09:22.680 However, we'll pause for a second here to say this. 00:09:23.279 --> 00:09:29.639 God is more concerned about our relationship with him than he is about our circumstances. 00:09:31.320 --> 00:09:34.820 He's more concerned about our relationship with him than our circumstances. 00:09:34.820 --> 00:09:42.180 And so God allows Jonah to face the consequences of his decisions in order that he would have clarity about them. 00:09:43.080 --> 00:09:47.520 God allows Jonah to face the consequences of his decisions so that he would have clarity. 00:09:47.640 --> 00:09:50.200 There's what's called by many people here a severe mercy. 00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:58.800 God allows in his mercy Jonah to experience suffering so that he would finally wake up and understand what he's doing. 00:09:58.799 --> 00:10:03.199 And so suffering is, it's not always a punishment. 00:10:03.339 --> 00:10:05.479 Now it is a punishment in this situation, right? 00:10:05.679 --> 00:10:09.000 Jonah is in this situation because of his disobedience against God. 00:10:09.579 --> 00:10:12.319 In the book of 1 Peter, we talked about different types of suffering. 00:10:12.479 --> 00:10:14.139 There was general suffering in the world. 00:10:14.719 --> 00:10:17.120 There was suffering as a result of our personal sin. 00:10:17.579 --> 00:10:20.000 And then there was suffering for the name of Jesus. 00:10:20.579 --> 00:10:23.559 Jonah's suffering here would be suffering for his personal sin. 00:10:23.559 --> 00:10:30.239 Now our suffering that we suffer is not always for the result of our personal sin. 00:10:30.419 --> 00:10:37.979 However, like Jonah, suffering is always an opportunity for us to remember God and return to him. 00:10:39.279 --> 00:10:43.659 Suffering is always an opportunity for us to remember God and return to him. 00:10:43.739 --> 00:10:48.500 And so God uses Jonah's suffering in this situation to bring him back. 00:10:48.500 --> 00:10:54.039 Many people have compared the book of Jonah to the story of the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15. 00:10:54.779 --> 00:10:56.360 And the same thing is true there. 00:10:56.460 --> 00:11:02.899 It's when the prodigal son who runs away from his father faces a famine in another land that he's finally willing to return. 00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:07.519 And so God uses suffering to pull us back to him. 00:11:07.940 --> 00:11:11.559 He uses suffering in that way and it's an aspect of his mercy. 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:16.340 And so what does God do when his people run away from him? 00:11:16.340 --> 00:11:22.680 Well, first of all, he uses the consequences of their actions to bring clarity. 00:11:23.480 --> 00:11:26.980 God uses the consequences of Jonah's actions to bring him clarity. 00:11:27.639 --> 00:11:32.200 And he uses the consequences of our actions to bring us clarity as well. 00:11:32.379 --> 00:11:37.379 God uses our suffering to cause us to remember him and to turn back to him. 00:11:38.080 --> 00:11:40.500 Of course, that's exactly what we see. 00:11:41.800 --> 00:11:43.080 Jonah here prays. 00:11:43.080 --> 00:11:47.240 You'll remember from last week that Jonah had no words to say to God. 00:11:47.340 --> 00:11:49.000 He fled from God without responding. 00:11:49.920 --> 00:11:54.720 And then in verse 5 of chapter 1, when the sailors were praying, Jonah was asleep. 00:11:56.180 --> 00:12:00.960 This clarity then finally moves Jonah to action. 00:12:01.100 --> 00:12:03.000 Verses 1 and 2, he cries out to God. 00:12:03.220 --> 00:12:05.300 I called out to the Lord out of my distress. 00:12:06.280 --> 00:12:07.259 You heard my voice. 00:12:07.259 --> 00:12:09.899 And then in verse 7, we're told, 00:12:10.059 --> 00:12:12.539 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:16.519 and my prayer came to you into your holy temple. 00:12:18.360 --> 00:12:21.840 It's not just here that Jonah has clarity about his situation, 00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:24.200 but that Jonah acts on that. 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:29.860 God uses suffering not just to bring clarity to Jonah, 00:12:29.899 --> 00:12:32.019 but also to cause him to return. 00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:35.019 God uses the consequences not just to bring clarity. 00:12:35.019 --> 00:12:39.059 God uses consequences to bring us back as well. 00:12:40.279 --> 00:12:42.500 And so as we see over and over again, 00:12:42.600 --> 00:12:45.600 then God's mercy towards Jonah in this situation. 00:12:45.699 --> 00:12:46.620 He hasn't given up on him. 00:12:47.419 --> 00:12:48.759 He hasn't abandoned him. 00:12:49.579 --> 00:12:52.519 Instead, he's using very real and present danger 00:12:52.519 --> 00:12:55.500 to bring him back in touch with reality. 00:12:55.500 --> 00:12:59.379 And so the good news for us is this. 00:12:59.480 --> 00:13:01.120 I can't promise you many things, 00:13:01.220 --> 00:13:02.379 but I can promise you this. 00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:06.279 God is using your circumstances 00:13:06.279 --> 00:13:08.940 to bring you back to him. 00:13:11.659 --> 00:13:13.139 God pursues you 00:13:13.139 --> 00:13:17.940 even in your hard-heartedness and your sin. 00:13:18.759 --> 00:13:20.580 These are things that are true if you belong to him. 00:13:20.580 --> 00:13:24.920 God doesn't wait for you to get your act together 00:13:24.920 --> 00:13:27.879 or to repent before he pursues you. 00:13:28.540 --> 00:13:30.100 God does not give up. 00:13:31.060 --> 00:13:34.180 God knows that sometimes only crisis 00:13:34.180 --> 00:13:36.400 will cause us to cry out to him. 00:13:37.180 --> 00:13:39.940 Only crisis and suffering show us our need 00:13:39.940 --> 00:13:41.500 and our insufficiency. 00:13:41.500 --> 00:13:47.159 And that is an act of incredible mercy and grace. 00:13:48.940 --> 00:13:51.500 God uses consequences to bring clarity. 00:13:51.779 --> 00:13:55.059 He uses consequences to call us back to him. 00:13:55.179 --> 00:13:56.639 He uses it to bring us back. 00:13:58.019 --> 00:14:00.220 And so our suffering, it's an invitation. 00:14:00.620 --> 00:14:03.879 It's always an invitation to return to God. 00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:05.860 It can be suffering that we're facing 00:14:05.860 --> 00:14:07.320 because of the sin in our lives 00:14:07.320 --> 00:14:09.860 and it can be suffering that we're facing in general, 00:14:09.860 --> 00:14:11.879 even if it's something that we haven't caused. 00:14:12.659 --> 00:14:14.800 Maybe it's you're a rule breaker 00:14:14.800 --> 00:14:18.039 and you have had years 00:14:18.039 --> 00:14:20.220 of a reckless financial situation 00:14:20.220 --> 00:14:23.399 and now you're finally facing bankruptcy. 00:14:24.919 --> 00:14:28.399 Maybe you're tired of feeling lonely 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:30.259 and you filled that void by a string 00:14:30.259 --> 00:14:32.460 of a variety of relationships filled with sin 00:14:32.460 --> 00:14:35.139 and they've left you just as lonely. 00:14:36.560 --> 00:14:38.200 Maybe you're a fool. 00:14:38.200 --> 00:14:41.840 You're never willing to listen to the advice 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:43.460 and correction of others 00:14:43.460 --> 00:14:46.400 and you finally run into the disaster 00:14:46.400 --> 00:14:49.000 that everyone else was trying to warn you about. 00:14:49.860 --> 00:14:51.180 Maybe you're slothful. 00:14:51.660 --> 00:14:53.400 You're unwilling to do work 00:14:53.400 --> 00:14:57.460 and you found yourself out of a job once again. 00:14:58.620 --> 00:15:00.600 All of these are very real sufferings 00:15:00.600 --> 00:15:03.180 that are an invitation for us to return to God 00:15:03.180 --> 00:15:04.080 and go back to him. 00:15:04.680 --> 00:15:06.580 They're an opportunity that God has 00:15:06.580 --> 00:15:09.960 to give us clarity about the consequences of our sin, 00:15:10.020 --> 00:15:12.300 about the ways that we've separated ourselves from him 00:15:12.300 --> 00:15:14.960 because, of course, God cares much more 00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:16.960 about our relationship with him 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:18.480 than about our circumstances. 00:15:19.879 --> 00:15:21.560 Maybe you're a rule keeper 00:15:21.560 --> 00:15:25.480 and you faced consequences for that. 00:15:26.020 --> 00:15:27.320 Obedience from your children 00:15:27.320 --> 00:15:29.440 has been more important to you 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:30.800 than your relationship with them. 00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:34.740 You'd rather win than learn 00:15:34.740 --> 00:15:37.939 when you have conflict with family and friends. 00:15:38.939 --> 00:15:42.419 And suddenly you find yourself all alone. 00:15:43.500 --> 00:15:45.859 You've lost those relationships. 00:15:47.339 --> 00:15:51.539 That's an invitation from God to you to return. 00:15:54.039 --> 00:15:57.500 Suffering is a chance for us to wake up. 00:15:57.500 --> 00:16:00.679 It's a chance for us, like Jonah, 00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:03.480 to understand the serious situation that we're in 00:16:03.480 --> 00:16:04.720 because of our sin 00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:07.259 and also, like Jonah, to cry out to God, 00:16:08.039 --> 00:16:11.779 knowing that he's a God of mercy and compassion. 00:16:13.139 --> 00:16:14.720 Suffering is always an opportunity 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:16.740 for us to see reality as it is. 00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:21.080 And it's an opportunity for us to return to God. 00:16:21.080 --> 00:16:27.040 That return is something that has power. 00:16:27.660 --> 00:16:30.060 And it has power because, as we'll see next, 00:16:30.180 --> 00:16:33.620 God doesn't just pursue, he also rescues. 00:16:34.780 --> 00:16:38.200 God doesn't just pursue, he also rescues. 00:16:39.139 --> 00:16:41.720 It's one thing for Jonah to cry out to God, right, 00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:42.340 as he's drowning. 00:16:42.759 --> 00:16:44.300 But, of course, that might not do any good. 00:16:44.660 --> 00:16:46.020 He might continue to drown 00:16:46.020 --> 00:16:49.220 and ultimately die. 00:16:49.220 --> 00:16:51.279 But that's not what we see in this situation 00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:54.800 because God answers those who call out to him. 00:16:55.580 --> 00:16:57.300 And so his rescue is here. 00:16:57.860 --> 00:17:00.899 Of course, we saw his rescue in verse 17 of chapter 1. 00:17:01.440 --> 00:17:03.660 He appoints a great fish to swallow up Jonah. 00:17:04.440 --> 00:17:07.779 That's God intervening to show him mercy in that situation. 00:17:08.420 --> 00:17:12.120 But then Jonah also tells us about God's rescue in verse 2. 00:17:12.660 --> 00:17:16.000 I called out to the Lord, and he answered me. 00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:21.700 Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. 00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:23.180 Verse 6. 00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:26.099 Jonah's been going down, as we've discussed. 00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:28.880 At the roots of the mountains, I went down to the land. 00:17:30.119 --> 00:17:34.279 And in this same verse, when he calls out to God, he goes up. 00:17:34.940 --> 00:17:40.380 Yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. 00:17:40.380 --> 00:17:47.180 And we see here, then, that God rescues anyone and everyone 00:17:47.180 --> 00:17:49.340 who cries out to him for help. 00:17:51.140 --> 00:17:54.280 The difference in this world is not between those who are good 00:17:54.280 --> 00:17:55.100 and those who are evil. 00:17:55.980 --> 00:18:00.320 It's not between good, moral people and wicked, immoral people. 00:18:01.260 --> 00:18:03.700 The Bible tells us that all of us are full of sin, 00:18:03.740 --> 00:18:04.900 and we deserve God's judgment. 00:18:04.900 --> 00:18:09.440 And so the difference is simply between those who are willing to cry out to God 00:18:09.440 --> 00:18:12.040 for mercy and those who are not. 00:18:13.860 --> 00:18:16.759 The challenge of judgment is that everyone deserves it. 00:18:17.540 --> 00:18:22.500 The offer of mercy is that God gives it to anyone and everyone who asks him for it. 00:18:23.019 --> 00:18:24.820 That goes back to what we discussed last week, 00:18:24.880 --> 00:18:26.880 that God's grace, his mercy is offensive 00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:30.300 because he gives it to people that we would not give it to. 00:18:30.299 --> 00:18:35.659 God then uses consequences to bring clarity. 00:18:36.919 --> 00:18:39.980 He uses consequences to bring people back to him, 00:18:40.639 --> 00:18:46.039 and he also rescues people from the consequences of their sin. 00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:50.539 That's what God does when his people run away from him. 00:18:50.639 --> 00:18:52.700 That's how God shows mercy. 00:18:54.879 --> 00:18:58.680 We noted last week that Jonah is supposed to be the character 00:18:58.680 --> 00:19:00.000 that we associate with. 00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:01.240 He was meant as Christians. 00:19:02.099 --> 00:19:03.960 He was meant to be an Israelite, 00:19:04.039 --> 00:19:06.539 and the character that the Israelites would associate with in this story, 00:19:06.599 --> 00:19:07.720 they would think, this is our man. 00:19:08.140 --> 00:19:12.440 And they would be let down when their hero turns out to be the one who behaves poorly, 00:19:12.859 --> 00:19:16.700 and the people that they are different from, the sailors, 00:19:17.000 --> 00:19:18.740 turn out to be the ones who behave well. 00:19:20.660 --> 00:19:24.259 Again, in this chapter, this is a way that God uses this book 00:19:24.259 --> 00:19:27.059 to underscore and highlight his mercy. 00:19:27.059 --> 00:19:29.839 Why is the Israelite the slow and whiny one? 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:34.119 Why is it the sailors who don't know God who pray in chapter one, 00:19:34.119 --> 00:19:36.480 and God's prophet who knows him, 00:19:36.859 --> 00:19:38.819 who waits until chapter two to pray? 00:19:39.220 --> 00:19:43.900 Well, God's mercy is for undeserving people. 00:19:45.299 --> 00:19:48.140 God offers mercy, as we saw last week, 00:19:48.180 --> 00:19:49.519 to people we would not offer it to. 00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:52.180 God works with people like Jonah, 00:19:52.460 --> 00:19:55.440 who still don't fully understand his grace. 00:19:57.139 --> 00:20:01.220 God gives his mercy and his grace to people who don't deserve it. 00:20:02.019 --> 00:20:03.539 He gives it to people like Jonah, 00:20:03.799 --> 00:20:07.059 and he gives it to people like you and me. 00:20:07.059 --> 00:20:09.200 And so there's something humbling here for us. 00:20:09.299 --> 00:20:10.579 We are like Jonah. 00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:16.399 We're meant to see ourselves here as people who are sometimes hard-hearted and reluctant. 00:20:17.319 --> 00:20:20.819 People who often run away from God and his commands, 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:23.659 run away from the responsibilities that God's given us. 00:20:24.519 --> 00:20:26.799 And yet there's also something incredibly encouraging. 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:28.419 God shows mercy to Jonah, 00:20:28.940 --> 00:20:32.240 and God will show mercy to us. 00:20:34.680 --> 00:20:38.980 And so why isn't there more emphasis on the fish? 00:20:40.859 --> 00:20:44.519 Why does the fish only appear four times in three verses? 00:20:44.519 --> 00:20:48.740 Well, the reason is this. 00:20:49.240 --> 00:20:50.879 The fish is boring. 00:20:53.599 --> 00:20:56.379 And the fish is not really that miraculous. 00:20:57.400 --> 00:21:02.019 It's much easier for a fish to swallow a man who's fallen into the ocean 00:21:02.019 --> 00:21:05.539 than for God to show mercy to people like you and me. 00:21:07.099 --> 00:21:11.019 The fish swallowing Jonah is nothing 00:21:11.019 --> 00:21:16.099 compared to the miracle of God's grace and his mercy towards this world. 00:21:18.460 --> 00:21:22.259 And so that's why the fish here is almost a footnote. 00:21:22.980 --> 00:21:25.920 This is a hymn to God from Jonah, a prayer. 00:21:26.200 --> 00:21:28.639 That's not about the fish, but it's about God's salvation. 00:21:29.519 --> 00:21:32.099 It's a salvation that he's shown to Jonah. 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:39.220 Of course, we finally and fully see this mercy in the person of Jesus. 00:21:39.220 --> 00:21:42.640 Jesus came and lived in this world as a real man, 00:21:42.900 --> 00:21:44.519 in real time and real space. 00:21:45.160 --> 00:21:47.660 And he was like us because he was a man. 00:21:48.059 --> 00:21:49.660 And he was also not like us. 00:21:49.720 --> 00:21:53.200 He was not like us because he lived a perfect life that we should have lived. 00:21:53.700 --> 00:21:56.380 And he died a death that we should have died. 00:21:57.480 --> 00:22:00.140 And so he shows God's pursuing mercy. 00:22:00.360 --> 00:22:04.000 He shows how God treats people who run away from him. 00:22:04.759 --> 00:22:05.980 He runs after them. 00:22:05.980 --> 00:22:10.740 We saw that Jonah cries out from the belly of Sheol, 00:22:10.799 --> 00:22:13.360 the land of the dead, but he doesn't end there. 00:22:14.740 --> 00:22:16.980 Jesus actually does go down to Sheol. 00:22:17.059 --> 00:22:18.380 He goes to the land of the dead. 00:22:19.059 --> 00:22:21.120 He dies on our behalf. 00:22:23.180 --> 00:22:26.700 Jesus comes and pursues those who are fleeing him. 00:22:28.660 --> 00:22:30.180 Jonah escapes death. 00:22:31.960 --> 00:22:33.059 Jesus accepts death. 00:22:33.059 --> 00:22:39.019 Christ comes and goes through death in order to pay the penalty for our sins. 00:22:39.179 --> 00:22:42.859 Even in our sin, God chases after us. 00:22:44.299 --> 00:22:48.539 And so this motivates us, like Jonah, to return to him. 00:22:49.419 --> 00:22:52.859 We know that God's mercy and his grace are for us. 00:22:53.019 --> 00:22:56.359 God is pursuing us even as we run away from him. 00:22:56.359 --> 00:23:02.559 And so how is it that God responds when his people run away from him? 00:23:03.479 --> 00:23:06.439 Well, he responds in the way that he responded to Jonah. 00:23:07.159 --> 00:23:09.719 He uses consequences to bring clarity. 00:23:10.599 --> 00:23:14.139 He uses consequences to bring us back to him. 00:23:14.140 --> 00:23:22.460 And finally, through Jesus' death, he removes and saves us from the consequences of our sin. 00:23:23.420 --> 00:23:29.460 And so we can summarize the answer to that question in this chapter with Jonah's words in verse 9. 00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:35.140 But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you what I have vowed I will pay. 00:23:36.259 --> 00:23:39.240 Salvation belongs to the Lord. 00:23:39.240 --> 00:23:39.319 Amen. 00:23:40.700 --> 00:23:41.779 Please pray with me. 00:23:45.279 --> 00:23:51.740 Our Father in heaven, we thank you that if we're still alive in this world, our story is not over. 00:23:52.859 --> 00:23:57.120 And we thank you that as we face suffering, we know that you haven't abandoned us. 00:23:58.140 --> 00:23:59.740 But instead, you're pursuing us. 00:23:59.799 --> 00:24:01.980 You invite us to return back to you. 00:24:02.700 --> 00:24:05.940 We ask that you would do that this morning by your spirit. 00:24:05.940 --> 00:24:11.420 That you'd move in our hearts to understand your grace, the depth of your love for us. 00:24:11.500 --> 00:24:17.400 That even as you loved a small and whiny and negligent prophet, so you also love us. 00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:21.860 Please use that in our lives to draw us back to you. 00:24:22.420 --> 00:24:26.160 Just like Jonah crying out to you for mercy and being restored. 00:24:26.799 --> 00:24:30.400 We thank you that we don't have to earn any of these things or deserve them. 00:24:30.799 --> 00:24:33.880 Because we ask them in the name of Jesus. 00:24:34.600 --> 00:24:34.880 Amen. 00:24:35.940 --> 00:24:42.180 As we end our time together, I'm going to give you a benediction. 00:24:42.500 --> 00:24:45.519 I'll remind you that a benediction is a good word from God. 00:24:46.340 --> 00:24:51.980 It's a word that's true in the midst of a world filled with words that are not true. 00:24:52.840 --> 00:24:58.340 It's tradition for the minister to hold up his hand to send out God's blessing on God's people. 00:24:58.559 --> 00:25:01.640 And for God's people to hold out their hands to receive God's blessing. 00:25:01.640 --> 00:25:05.960 And so even as we're separated by a screen, I invite you to hold out your hands. 00:25:07.100 --> 00:25:10.500 And so hear now God's good word over you from Numbers chapter 6. 00:25:10.500 --> 00:25:13.059 The Lord bless you and keep you. 00:25:13.619 --> 00:25:17.019 The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. 00:25:17.640 --> 00:25:22.539 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace now and forever. 00:25:22.539 --> 00:25:26.519 And so go now in the grace and peace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:27.279 Amen.