WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.799 Father, we gathered before you today in this time and in this place. 00:00:04.799 --> 00:00:10.200 You are in control, God. You have the power over all creation. 00:00:10.200 --> 00:00:14.200 Today, as we go further into the story of Jonah, 00:00:14.200 --> 00:00:17.600 we ask that you remind us that you are in control. 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:22.400 You control the mountains, the sky, the sun, the winds and the waves. 00:00:22.400 --> 00:00:26.800 As we learn about the sailors fear in the midst of the storm, 00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:29.600 may we understand our own tendencies. 00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:32.800 When we're afraid, may we come to you. 00:00:32.800 --> 00:00:36.200 Lord, make us a people who turn to you in every season of life, 00:00:36.200 --> 00:00:39.000 not just the bad, but the good as well. 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:42.400 Just like the captain called for Jonah to wake up, 00:00:42.400 --> 00:00:45.600 remind us of your divine calling for our lives. 00:00:45.600 --> 00:00:47.600 May we hear your word. 00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:51.200 May we listen to you and may we act. 00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:57.000 May we trust in you and build you as the foundation of our lives. 00:00:57.000 --> 00:01:00.600 May we have the desire to follow you in your way. 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:02.399 Let your word be with us. 00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:04.400 May it shape us. May it mold us. 00:01:04.400 --> 00:01:07.599 May it guide us on our walk with you. 00:01:07.599 --> 00:01:10.000 Help us to better know who you are 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:14.200 so that we can come to know you and grow in faith. 00:01:14.200 --> 00:01:18.000 May we listen, learn and love like you. 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:20.400 It is in Jesus' name that we pray. 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:21.599 Amen. 00:01:21.599 --> 00:01:22.799 Amen. 00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:24.599 Well, I want to say good morning, Ontario. 00:01:24.599 --> 00:01:26.400 It's good to see all of you. 00:01:26.400 --> 00:01:29.400 My name is Patrick Daly and I have the privilege 00:01:29.400 --> 00:01:33.400 to serve as pastor here at Ontario Community Church. 00:01:33.400 --> 00:01:37.000 Over the past two weeks, we have been exploring the book of Jonah. 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:39.000 We've been going over this well-known story, 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:41.400 but it's an amazing book in the Bible. 00:01:41.400 --> 00:01:45.400 And like any book in Scripture, there is wisdom to it. 00:01:45.400 --> 00:01:47.000 There are many parallels. 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:50.800 There's a lot of interconnected woveness that happens in Scripture. 00:01:50.800 --> 00:01:55.400 And although Jonah is a small, it's a four-chapter book of the Bible 00:01:55.400 --> 00:01:58.400 that doesn't mean that it's insignificant. 00:01:58.400 --> 00:02:03.400 Every page, every word, every book in the Bible is important 00:02:03.400 --> 00:02:06.000 and it's good and healthy for us to read. 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:10.800 Each book in the Bible, we should read it, study it and apply the teachings 00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:15.000 and see how the Word of God points to Jesus Christ. 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:17.000 And today we're going to continue our journey. 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:18.200 We're going through Jonah. 00:02:18.200 --> 00:02:21.400 We've been going through for the past two weeks. 00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:25.599 This is the second part of our story known as the Tempest Sea. 00:02:25.599 --> 00:02:30.000 The first part was known as God Calls Jonah Flees. 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:36.200 But before we go into our verse, I want to kind of give us a recap of what we've had so far. 00:02:36.200 --> 00:02:42.200 So we know that God calls Jonah to get up and to go to the city of Nineveh, 00:02:42.200 --> 00:02:47.000 to preach to the city, proclaiming against Nineveh, 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:51.200 to change from their evil ways and to get right with God. 00:02:51.199 --> 00:02:55.799 Instead, Jonah flees Nineveh. 00:02:55.799 --> 00:02:59.599 He chooses to flee or attempts to flee to Tarshish. 00:02:59.599 --> 00:03:00.599 He gets on a ship. 00:03:00.599 --> 00:03:04.199 He's intending to escape from God's reach and God's call 00:03:04.199 --> 00:03:10.799 and to head to a 2,500-mile journey on a boat away from God's call, 00:03:10.799 --> 00:03:13.599 the complete opposite of God's will. 00:03:13.599 --> 00:03:19.399 And so this brings us to our focus today on page 920 in your Pew Bibles. 00:03:19.400 --> 00:03:24.200 Or if you're not using a Pew Bible, where it's the Book of Jonah, it's chapter one, 00:03:24.200 --> 00:03:32.599 and we're going to go, I want us to read together these verses from four to six. 00:03:32.599 --> 00:03:34.000 I'll give you a moment. 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:37.000 It's page 920. 00:03:37.000 --> 00:03:39.599 So it says here, 00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:43.800 The Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, 00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:46.200 and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, 00:03:46.199 --> 00:03:49.399 so that the ship threatened to break up. 00:03:49.399 --> 00:03:53.199 Then the mariners were afraid and each cried out to his God, 00:03:53.199 --> 00:03:58.399 and they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. 00:03:58.399 --> 00:04:01.599 But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship 00:04:01.599 --> 00:04:06.799 and had lain down and was fast asleep. 00:04:06.799 --> 00:04:08.599 So the captain came to him and said, 00:04:08.599 --> 00:04:10.199 What do you mean you sleeper? 00:04:10.199 --> 00:04:13.799 Arise, call out to your God. 00:04:13.800 --> 00:04:18.600 Perhaps the God will give us a thought that we may not perish. 00:04:18.600 --> 00:04:21.800 So it's one of the interesting parts of this story. 00:04:21.800 --> 00:04:27.000 Doesn't this story sound similar to a story in the New Testament 00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:30.000 where there's a storm that's coming around 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:33.800 and the people on the boat are afraid? 00:04:33.800 --> 00:04:36.199 Gosh, that sounds awfully familiar, right? 00:04:36.199 --> 00:04:38.199 There's a parallel that we see in Scripture, 00:04:38.199 --> 00:04:43.600 and I want us to go to page 998. 00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:46.400 You'll see it in here. 00:04:46.400 --> 00:04:52.400 And for all of us, we're all students of Scripture. 00:04:52.400 --> 00:05:01.600 In page 998, it's going to be in Mark chapter 4 verses 35 through 41. 00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:04.000 Jesus calming the storm. 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:09.200 There's a parallel here and you'll see what I mean here. 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:13.800 Page 998, Mark 4, 35 through 41. 00:05:13.800 --> 00:05:16.800 On that day when evening had come, he said to them, 00:05:16.800 --> 00:05:19.000 This is Jesus speaking to his disciples. 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:22.199 Let us go to the other side and leaving the crowd. 00:05:22.199 --> 00:05:26.599 They took him with them in the boat just as he was. 00:05:26.599 --> 00:05:28.199 And the other boats were with him. 00:05:28.199 --> 00:05:29.800 And a great, what? 00:05:29.800 --> 00:05:34.199 Windstorm arose and the waves were breaking into the boat. 00:05:34.199 --> 00:05:37.599 Doesn't that sound very almost identical to what we're reading here? 00:05:37.600 --> 00:05:41.200 Breaking into the boat so that the boat was already filling. 00:05:41.200 --> 00:05:45.000 It's filling with water, right? 00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:49.800 He was in the stern asleep on the cushion. 00:05:49.800 --> 00:05:51.400 And they woke up and they said to him, 00:05:51.400 --> 00:05:53.600 Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? 00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:58.000 And he awoke and he rebuked what? 00:05:58.000 --> 00:05:59.400 The wind. 00:05:59.400 --> 00:06:03.400 Interesting. The captain rebukes Jonah, but Jesus rebukes the wind. 00:06:03.400 --> 00:06:05.400 You'll see a lot of similarities here. 00:06:05.399 --> 00:06:11.399 So Christ says, peace be still and the wind cease and there was a great calm. 00:06:11.399 --> 00:06:14.199 And he said to them, Why are you so afraid? 00:06:14.199 --> 00:06:15.799 Have you still no faith? 00:06:15.799 --> 00:06:19.199 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, 00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:23.399 Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him? 00:06:23.399 --> 00:06:26.399 And as I prepared for this sermon in Jonah, 00:06:26.399 --> 00:06:31.399 I noticed there's a parallel in the New Testament with the Gospel of Mark. 00:06:31.399 --> 00:06:37.399 And I have some, I called this Sea Stories and it's we're comparing Jonah and Jesus. 00:06:37.399 --> 00:06:39.599 And I want us to go to that next slide here. 00:06:39.599 --> 00:06:43.399 It's very interesting how all of this works. 00:06:43.399 --> 00:06:54.199 You see, in Jonah, we see that the sailors turn to their gods for help. 00:06:54.199 --> 00:07:00.199 We see in the Gospel of Mark that the disciples turn to Jesus for help. 00:07:00.199 --> 00:07:03.199 Okay, so if you have that in your notes, you can write that down. 00:07:03.199 --> 00:07:08.199 So what's interesting about that, we know in the book of Jonah that the sailors, 00:07:08.199 --> 00:07:14.199 it was customary when they're sailing out into the sea that they would pray to their gods. 00:07:14.199 --> 00:07:19.199 In the case of Mark, the disciples, well, they obviously know who Jesus Christ is. 00:07:19.199 --> 00:07:21.199 And so they're turning to Jesus for help. 00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:24.199 Let's go to that next slide. 00:07:24.199 --> 00:07:28.199 In Jonah, the captain rebukes Jonah. 00:07:28.199 --> 00:07:33.199 And in Mark, the disciples are expressing fear to Jesus. 00:07:33.199 --> 00:07:35.199 They're afraid that they're going to perish. 00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:40.199 And it's just like what's happening in Jonah is that they are afraid that they will perish. 00:07:40.199 --> 00:07:43.199 Let's go to that next slide. 00:07:43.199 --> 00:07:50.199 So in Jonah, there's a difference in the type of storm that happens with these two stories in Scripture. 00:07:50.199 --> 00:07:56.199 We find that in Jonah, the storm comes to stop Jonah. 00:07:56.199 --> 00:08:04.199 As opposed to the Gospel of Mark, the storm comes to show the disciples God's power. 00:08:04.199 --> 00:08:09.199 The storm is coming and the disciples are afraid and Jesus showing his power is saying, 00:08:09.199 --> 00:08:15.199 peace be still, as opposed to what's happening to Jonah where he is running away from God 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:20.199 and God is hurling a storm saying, I'm going to stop you from what you're doing. 00:08:20.199 --> 00:08:22.199 Let's go to that next slide. 00:08:22.199 --> 00:08:28.199 Jonah and Jesus are asleep during the storm. 00:08:28.199 --> 00:08:32.200 So there's similarities and there's certainly differences, right? 00:08:32.200 --> 00:08:39.200 Jonah and Jesus are asleep while the others on board are afraid. 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:43.200 And it's very what we see from both of these stories in the Bible. 00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:45.200 Like I said, there's similarities and differences. 00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:55.200 I tend to think we can learn from the book of Jonah that there are parallels that are pointing to Christ. 00:08:55.200 --> 00:09:01.200 That is the wonderful thing about the Word of God is that you see connectedness. 00:09:01.200 --> 00:09:06.200 Something is mentioned in Psalms that will be mentioned by Christ or something that's mentioned in Proverbs. 00:09:06.200 --> 00:09:08.200 What is it doing in Habakkuk? 00:09:08.200 --> 00:09:10.200 You find things like that that happen. 00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:12.200 So it's foreshadowing Christ. 00:09:12.200 --> 00:09:16.200 The story is not exactly the same, but the main idea is still there. 00:09:16.200 --> 00:09:23.200 In both of the stories, we see that there it is to show the power of God, the sovereignty of God, 00:09:23.200 --> 00:09:31.200 that God is in charge, that God is powerful and mighty, and that we should trust, submit, and follow Him. 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:34.200 And that is the thing that I want to encourage you. 00:09:34.200 --> 00:09:36.200 Find that connectedness in the Word of God. 00:09:36.200 --> 00:09:41.200 This is just one of many, many examples that we find. 00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:47.200 You see, each and every one of us here this morning, some of us have been a Christian our entire life. 00:09:47.200 --> 00:09:50.200 Some of us are new to the faith. 00:09:50.200 --> 00:09:56.200 Some of us may be on a different part of the journey that called discipleship. 00:09:56.200 --> 00:10:04.200 Every single one of us were on a different part of our spiritual journey that should be leading us to Jesus Christ, my friends. 00:10:04.200 --> 00:10:09.200 And where I'm at, or where you're at, or where you're at, it's all different. 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:16.200 But we should all be heading spiritually towards Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life. 00:10:16.200 --> 00:10:21.200 We are meant to learn and to grow in our faith in Christ, in love and in knowledge of Him, 00:10:21.200 --> 00:10:27.200 and we should be encouraged to continue and stay the course to towards God. 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:36.200 So returning to our passage, we see that the Lord God hurled a great wind upon the sea in page 920, 00:10:36.200 --> 00:10:47.200 and if you want to go back there, it's saying that I just find it very, very interesting here. 00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:49.200 The Lord did what? 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:52.200 He hurled the storm, right? 00:10:52.200 --> 00:10:54.200 That's an interesting choice of word. 00:10:54.200 --> 00:11:00.200 He's casting, he's throwing the storm onto the sea. 00:11:00.200 --> 00:11:03.200 That's a very interesting word choice, right? 00:11:03.200 --> 00:11:08.200 It's going to show that there is a consequence from Jonah's action from running away from God. 00:11:08.200 --> 00:11:13.200 Last week, we were talking about how Jonah fled from the presence of the Lord, right? 00:11:13.200 --> 00:11:17.200 We were talking about how sin separates us from God. 00:11:17.200 --> 00:11:20.200 The more that we sin, the more we are separated from God. 00:11:20.200 --> 00:11:25.200 And so what happens, okay, Jonah's getting on a boat and he's trying to go to Tarshish, 00:11:25.200 --> 00:11:30.200 and what's happened is God is seeing to it that Jonah will be stopped here. 00:11:30.200 --> 00:11:35.200 That goes to show you the power of our God who controls the wind and the waves and the storms. 00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:41.200 Sometimes in our lives, God will see to it that we're stopped from doing evil things. 00:11:41.200 --> 00:11:44.200 That is a lesson that we can learn here. 00:11:44.200 --> 00:11:47.200 There's always a consequence for sin. 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:50.200 This is not just in regards to sin. 00:11:50.200 --> 00:11:54.200 It's the idea that when we do something wrong, there's a consequence. 00:11:54.200 --> 00:11:57.200 Even if we do the right thing, there is a consequence to that. 00:11:57.200 --> 00:12:01.200 Because you see, in our lives, there's many choices we have to make day to day. 00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:06.200 The scripture talks about the idea that as we sow, so shall we reap. 00:12:06.200 --> 00:12:10.200 There are many verses that speak of the consequences of our actions. 00:12:10.200 --> 00:12:14.200 Some consequences are immediate and others are delayed. 00:12:14.200 --> 00:12:18.200 In Christianity, one of the things that I have learned as a Christian, 00:12:18.200 --> 00:12:25.200 and I hope that all of you have learned, is that sometimes there are consequences that happen in this life. 00:12:25.200 --> 00:12:32.200 But certainly, the choices that we make here on earth in our life also have eternal consequences. 00:12:32.200 --> 00:12:37.200 Are you going to go towards the Lord, or are you going to go away from the Lord? 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:44.200 Because how you answer that question will determine if you're going to heaven or if you're going to hell. 00:12:44.200 --> 00:12:49.200 You have to think about that. Those are important choices. 00:12:49.200 --> 00:12:53.200 What we're witnessing here is divine intervention. 00:12:53.200 --> 00:13:01.200 God is actively working to prevent Jonah and the sailors from reaching Tarshish. 00:13:01.200 --> 00:13:04.200 I want to ask all of you a question here. 00:13:04.200 --> 00:13:08.200 Have you ever experienced a situation where you were doing something wrong 00:13:08.200 --> 00:13:12.200 and you felt like something was stopping you? 00:13:12.200 --> 00:13:20.200 Have you ever, you were planning to do the wrong thing and just something came up and stopped you in your tracks? 00:13:20.200 --> 00:13:26.200 Look, I'm a sinner just like every single one. We're all sinners here, right? 00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:31.200 I know when I was a teenager, I did a lot of stupid things. 00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:35.200 And God stopped me in my tracks so many times. 00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:42.200 And that's the thing. When we do wrong, sometimes we can think we get away from it. 00:13:42.200 --> 00:13:46.200 But other times, God's going to stop you right in your tracks here. 00:13:46.200 --> 00:13:49.200 Divine intervention. 00:13:49.200 --> 00:13:54.200 Could it be that in the process of sin, God seeing what you're doing and is going to put a stop to it? 00:13:54.200 --> 00:14:00.200 Is it possible that God loves you so much he's going to stop before you get yourself into real trouble? 00:14:00.200 --> 00:14:02.200 I tend to think so. 00:14:02.200 --> 00:14:05.200 Sometimes God intervenes in our life. 00:14:05.200 --> 00:14:10.200 Sometimes there may be storms in our life to prevent us from doing something. 00:14:10.200 --> 00:14:16.200 You know, very often when we think of storms in our lives, we think of bad things are happening in our life 00:14:16.200 --> 00:14:20.200 and what am I going to do, right? There's that kind of storm, right? 00:14:20.200 --> 00:14:22.200 A bad thing just happens, right? 00:14:22.200 --> 00:14:26.200 We live in a fallen world, an imperfect world with imperfect people. 00:14:26.200 --> 00:14:28.200 Bad things happen. 00:14:28.200 --> 00:14:34.200 Other times there are storms that happen because of the sin that we do. 00:14:34.200 --> 00:14:40.200 The decisions that we make that are not leading us towards God but away from God. 00:14:40.200 --> 00:14:46.200 So, you know, just like, you know, I'm a dad, I have my five children in the room over there, right? 00:14:46.200 --> 00:14:54.200 I think of my kids and I encourage them to do the right thing and I discourage them from doing the wrong thing. 00:14:54.200 --> 00:14:59.200 Can I fully 100% stop my kids from doing the wrong thing? 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:04.200 If you know how to do that, I'd like to talk to you after the service here. I got to admit here. 00:15:04.200 --> 00:15:11.200 But the reality is, look, there are times they're going to run off or they throw their food around, right? 00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:15.200 Or I don't know where their shoe is because they hid it from me. 00:15:15.200 --> 00:15:19.200 But the thing is, none of us are perfect. 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:22.200 And so too, we think of God like that, right? 00:15:22.200 --> 00:15:27.200 We may not always see what's clear with the storms that are happening in life. 00:15:27.200 --> 00:15:32.200 And I want to propose to you, I want you to consider that sometimes storms just happen, 00:15:32.200 --> 00:15:36.200 like in the case of the Gospel of Mark, where a storm was just happening. 00:15:36.200 --> 00:15:46.200 And at other times, that was a direct response from God to stop Jonah from his sin, from his disobedience. 00:15:46.200 --> 00:15:53.200 We are indeed blessed with the Bible that we have in our hands. 00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:59.200 Nowadays, we have our mobile apps, we have the printing press. 00:15:59.200 --> 00:16:05.200 We have so many different translations in the Word of God that we can read and study stories like this. 00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:11.200 And we learn that God intervenes to his people, not only in the Old Testament, but also in the New Testament. 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:17.200 And I dare say that God intervenes in our lives at times, doesn't he? 00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:22.200 In the story of Noah's Ark, God intervened by sending a flood to the earth, 00:16:22.200 --> 00:16:29.200 and he saves Noah and his family and a pair of each animal. 00:16:29.200 --> 00:16:37.200 Consider the Exodus, where it is described in Scripture where God displayed his power through the ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. 00:16:37.200 --> 00:16:43.200 We would call that a supernatural occurrence, something that is unexplained. 00:16:43.200 --> 00:16:47.200 And see, that's the thing about supernatural occurrences or events that happen. 00:16:47.200 --> 00:16:53.200 They cannot be explained in the normal framework and understanding of how our world works, 00:16:53.200 --> 00:16:57.200 because God can reach his hand in and change things up. 00:16:57.200 --> 00:17:00.200 That goes to show you the power of our God. 00:17:00.200 --> 00:17:04.200 Consider our current sermon series, the book of Jonah, where God unleashes a storm, right? 00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:08.200 He's throwing a storm. It's just such a weird language to me, right? 00:17:08.200 --> 00:17:13.200 He's just, you know, throwing the storm over there to stop Jonah. 00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:21.200 And later how God is orchestrating Jonah to be eaten by the great fish to be swallowed by the great fish. 00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:33.200 Of course, there's many of the miracles that Jesus Christ performed, healing the sick, making the blind see, raising people from the dead. 00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:42.200 These are part of God's intervention, and of course, in the case of Jesus, by Christ performing miracles to show who he is. 00:17:42.200 --> 00:17:47.200 Many, many stories are recorded in the Bible. We can go on and on about the wonderful stories that happen, 00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:51.200 but we have the Bible to help us learn about God's power. 00:17:51.200 --> 00:18:00.200 We know that our God is powerful, and his act of hurling a great wind upon the sea in this story is showing how powerful he is. 00:18:00.200 --> 00:18:08.200 In Jonah, look, the storm is so fierce that the structural integrity of the ship is at risk, right? 00:18:08.200 --> 00:18:14.200 Doesn't it say there? The ship threatened to break up. That is a powerful storm. 00:18:14.200 --> 00:18:17.200 And how many of you have ever been on a boat before? 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:22.200 Okay, have you ever been in a storm where the structural integrity of the boat can break up? 00:18:22.200 --> 00:18:29.200 I mean, some of us may have, right? Most of us probably not. 00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:39.200 I cannot even imagine how strong the winds and the waves are where you are afraid for your life. 00:18:39.200 --> 00:18:47.200 I think of how the boat could just snap in half. That's how powerful the storm. 00:18:47.200 --> 00:18:54.200 This indicates that's how much God is going to stop Jonah. 00:18:54.200 --> 00:18:58.200 Like I said, he's going to see to it that Jonah is going to be stopped. 00:18:58.200 --> 00:19:10.200 And so during this time, we see that the sailors normally, they would call out to their gods for help for any storm that happens when they're going from Jopah to Tarshish, right? 00:19:10.200 --> 00:19:16.200 They're crying out. And the crying out that these sailors are doing, they're crying out for help. 00:19:16.200 --> 00:19:25.200 That's different than the crying out or the calling out that we were learning earlier in Jonah, where God was telling Jonah to call out to the city of Nineveh. 00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:31.200 The crying out is they're crying out to their God for help in times of trouble. 00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:36.200 Where do we turn to? Do we turn to God in times of need, right? 00:19:36.200 --> 00:19:42.200 So these sailors, although they don't know Yahweh, they don't know the Lord, they're turning to their own gods. 00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:48.200 They're crying out. But I think that reminds us of we know who the true God is. 00:19:48.200 --> 00:19:54.200 We know who Jesus Christ is. At least I hope every single one of us knows. 00:19:54.200 --> 00:20:02.200 Do we cry out to God in times of trouble? Do we thank God for the lives that we have? 00:20:02.200 --> 00:20:13.200 Whether you are a sailor in need or whether you are Jonah, whoever you are, may we turn to the one true God in need of help. 00:20:13.200 --> 00:20:21.200 So the sailors are crying out, right? They're crying out to their God and we see they're not preaching or prophesizing. 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:28.200 Similar to Mark, we find that Jonah is fast asleep. I love this picture that we have on the screen, right? 00:20:28.200 --> 00:20:34.200 It's not Jonah's boat, okay? It's just a visual representation of a boat, right? 00:20:34.200 --> 00:20:42.200 We find that Jonah is fast asleep amidst the chaos. So, I mean, I don't know about you. I mean, I'm going to be honest here. 00:20:42.200 --> 00:20:54.200 If I was in a boat and the storm was so big that it's shaking everybody up and that the boat is literally, or could potentially snap into two, 00:20:54.200 --> 00:21:02.200 I just don't find the situation where I would be asleep. I mean, how many of you are heavy sleepers here? 00:21:02.200 --> 00:21:08.200 So, could you, if everything was rocking around, would you still be asleep? 00:21:08.200 --> 00:21:14.200 I just don't know. I just can't find the scenario where I would be asleep if everything's rocking around 00:21:14.200 --> 00:21:18.200 and the sailors are throwing their cargo out and they're like, you know, they're crying out to their God. 00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:25.200 I just, if you picture that scenario, I can't figure out how you could be asleep during that time. 00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:32.200 But just like Christ, right, Christ too was asleep. Same thing. I don't know how Jesus was asleep during such a storm, right? 00:21:32.200 --> 00:21:38.200 I would, logically, I don't like using that word all the time, but I would logically think you'd be awake during a storm, right? 00:21:38.200 --> 00:21:50.200 But hey, they must have been some real heavy sleepers though. So, anyways, it's good to mention that these sailors, they are, 00:21:50.200 --> 00:21:59.200 it is said by some scholars that these were professional sailors. It was common for them to pray to their God or to hurl out cargo during a storm. 00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:04.200 So if this happens, you know, the storm is severe, right? Why are they throwing out the cargo? 00:22:04.200 --> 00:22:10.200 Well, they need to lighten the boat so they can survive, right? 00:22:10.200 --> 00:22:25.200 This image is just, I think about this. How easy could it be to fall over, to fall off the boat, right? 00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:33.200 I'm sure, you know, just hang on to all your stuff. You don't want to lose your wallet or something, right, when you're up there. 00:22:33.200 --> 00:22:41.200 I just can't imagine something like that. And as this is happening, like I'm saying, Jonah is asleep. 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:48.200 We don't know why Jonah was asleep, literally asleep. We don't know why Jesus was asleep during the storm. 00:22:48.200 --> 00:22:55.200 But I really believe that this story is foreshadowing Jesus calming the scene. There's just too many similarities and commonalities. 00:22:55.200 --> 00:23:03.200 And this brings us to the critical moment in the story where as the storm is raging, the sailors, they're pleading to their God for help, 00:23:03.200 --> 00:23:10.200 and yet Jonah is remaining asleep. So then, my friends, page 920, the captain enters the scene. 00:23:10.200 --> 00:23:18.200 I love this part where it says here, right? In verse 6, so the captain came and said to him, 00:23:18.200 --> 00:23:25.200 What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your God. Perhaps the God will give us this thought too that we may not perish. 00:23:25.200 --> 00:23:34.200 I do not imagine a scenario where God's going, hey Jonah, wakey wake. Can you get up? 00:23:34.200 --> 00:23:42.200 I need some help here. There's kind of a storm going on. Do you just picture that? I mean, maybe that's what happened. 00:23:42.200 --> 00:23:49.200 But what I tend to think, I think if a storm is raging so much and things are getting shaken up, the guy is pounding on the door 00:23:49.200 --> 00:23:57.200 and he's saying, Jonah, wake up. What are you doing? Get up and pray to your God. We might die here. 00:23:57.200 --> 00:24:06.200 That's the urgency in his message. That's the urgency in what he's speaking here. There's so much to take away in this passage. 00:24:06.200 --> 00:24:12.200 I really don't believe, I don't know, I just think of the idea that he's knocking on the door. I don't know if there was a door there or not, 00:24:12.200 --> 00:24:20.200 but in any ways, I'm thinking he's barging in to Jonah who's asleep. I have this visual image just as an idea. 00:24:20.200 --> 00:24:32.200 It's not completely accurate. It's just an idea here. The captain's like, he's standing here and he's like, Jonah, what are you doing? 00:24:32.200 --> 00:24:41.200 He's like, I'm going to wake this guy up here. What do you mean, oh sleeper? It's not a monotone or a gentle voice. 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:52.200 It's quite the opposite. I just imagine he's barging into the room or he's knocking on the door and he's saying, Jonah, get up and call out to your God. 00:24:52.200 --> 00:25:00.200 So what is he saying here? What's interesting is that in Scripture we're finding that the sailors are crying out to their own God. 00:25:00.200 --> 00:25:05.200 They're pleading for their gods to save them, to help them. 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:13.200 But when the captain goes in, he's saying, what do you mean, oh sleeper? Call out to your God. It's a different word. 00:25:13.200 --> 00:25:26.200 It's the same word that was used when we were first learning about Jonah, where God called Jonah to arise, go, and call out to the city of Nineveh for evil was happening. 00:25:26.200 --> 00:25:34.200 Remember? Here the captain is saying, arise and call out to your God. 00:25:34.200 --> 00:25:43.200 How interesting that that's the same wording that we find in the beginning of Jonah. How very interesting. 00:25:43.200 --> 00:25:53.200 Call out, meaning preach your proclaim to your God. Maybe the captain is saying, you need to connect with your God here. 00:25:53.200 --> 00:25:58.200 Maybe he's saying, there needs to be something that's happened. 00:25:58.200 --> 00:26:06.200 The captain's instructions are to arise and to call to your God. And there are moments in Scripture, my friends, my friends, my friends. 00:26:06.200 --> 00:26:13.200 There are times in Scripture where we see that God will speak through others to reach us. 00:26:13.200 --> 00:26:19.200 Sometimes we meet a homeless person. Sometimes we meet a barista at Starbucks. 00:26:19.200 --> 00:26:28.200 Well, not Starbucks here, but maybe Bordertown or a coffee shop here, or maybe you go to a restaurant and someone says something to you. 00:26:28.200 --> 00:26:36.200 And that something is what you've been praying about. Or maybe it's something you've needed to hear and you just, you don't understand why they're saying that. 00:26:36.200 --> 00:26:42.200 You're like, who are you? Why are you telling me this? But yet this is exactly an answer to God's call. 00:26:42.200 --> 00:26:49.200 We find that sometimes God will speak through someone to get through to you. 00:26:49.200 --> 00:26:57.200 Right? We know that God can speak to us through the word of God, but what about other people? What about when you're running away from God? 00:26:57.200 --> 00:27:05.200 Well, in this specific case, I think that God spoke through the captain. 00:27:05.200 --> 00:27:12.200 And I don't think that the captain is just saying, literally, wake up and go pray to your God. 00:27:12.200 --> 00:27:19.200 I think that the captain is saying to wake up and to go back on the path that God had set before him. 00:27:19.200 --> 00:27:23.200 It's kind of like a double, like two messages in one there. 00:27:23.200 --> 00:27:27.200 I mean, we read that on the surface. It says, get up. You're sleeping. 00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:32.200 But could it also be you've been spiritually asleep because you've been running away from God? 00:27:32.200 --> 00:27:36.200 Talk about a wake-up call. 00:27:36.200 --> 00:27:41.200 And there will be moments in our lives when God speaks to us through other people. 00:27:41.200 --> 00:27:44.200 It may not always be a rebuking here, like what the captain's doing. 00:27:44.200 --> 00:27:47.200 But God can speak to us through other people. 00:27:47.200 --> 00:27:50.200 Sometimes we do need a wake-up call. 00:27:50.200 --> 00:27:55.200 Sometimes when we are spiritually asleep, or sometimes when we are running away from God, 00:27:55.200 --> 00:28:01.200 or we're disobeying God, or we feel that emptiness, that separation from God, 00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:03.200 we need a wake-up call, don't we? 00:28:03.200 --> 00:28:07.200 I know there have been times when I was disobedient and I was in sin. 00:28:07.200 --> 00:28:09.200 I needed a wake-up call. 00:28:09.200 --> 00:28:15.200 And I think sometimes for us, we need a wake-up call to get us up and to get right with God. 00:28:15.200 --> 00:28:23.200 Jonah is literally sleeping amidst a storm that is so severe that it's threatening the lives of everyone on board. 00:28:23.200 --> 00:28:28.200 Could it be possible that this could be a parallel to Nineveh, 00:28:28.200 --> 00:28:34.200 the city of Nineveh that could perish and that Jonah's still asleep because he's not obeying God? 00:28:34.200 --> 00:28:38.200 Is that a possibility? And this is just a minor reflection here? 00:28:38.200 --> 00:28:40.200 It's very possible. 00:28:40.200 --> 00:28:47.200 We see that the captain's call is God working through him, 00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:49.200 working through the captain to speak to Jonah. 00:28:49.200 --> 00:28:55.200 Just as the people on the boat could perish in the storm, so too could the city of Nineveh. 00:28:55.200 --> 00:28:59.200 Because there's a storm that's so bad these people could die. 00:28:59.200 --> 00:29:04.200 Well, the city of Nineveh is, they're going in a trajectory towards sin 00:29:04.200 --> 00:29:08.200 that there could be judgment that will happen and the city will be destroyed. 00:29:08.200 --> 00:29:13.200 Could it be possible that there is a storm that can happen? 00:29:13.200 --> 00:29:15.200 Very possible. 00:29:15.200 --> 00:29:18.200 God works very interesting with these kind of things. 00:29:18.200 --> 00:29:26.200 God is urging Jonah to act in the moment of crisis just as he had called Jonah to prophesy to speak, to preach to Nineveh. 00:29:26.200 --> 00:29:33.200 This reveals the concept, my friends, of taking responsibility for our actions. 00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:38.200 God brought forth the storm to stop the man from running from his divine calling. 00:29:38.200 --> 00:29:41.200 Jonah needs to get right with God. 00:29:41.200 --> 00:29:43.200 Jonah needs to turn it around. 00:29:43.200 --> 00:29:49.200 And similarly, at times we may face storms in our own lives that is a result of our actions. 00:29:49.200 --> 00:29:54.200 We should be reminded that sometimes God will throw forth a storm, or he will bring someone, 00:29:54.200 --> 00:30:02.200 maybe a Christian, maybe a stranger, to get you back on track towards God instead of away from God. 00:30:02.200 --> 00:30:04.200 And perhaps you have been running from God. 00:30:04.200 --> 00:30:07.200 Perhaps you have been separated from God. 00:30:07.200 --> 00:30:10.200 You can pray for God's deliverance. 00:30:10.200 --> 00:30:14.200 It's time for Jonah to turn towards God and not away from him. 00:30:14.200 --> 00:30:16.200 And maybe for you. 00:30:16.200 --> 00:30:18.200 I don't know each and every one of your stories. 00:30:18.200 --> 00:30:20.200 I don't know where you're at. 00:30:20.200 --> 00:30:24.200 But maybe it might be time to get right with God and to turn things around. 00:30:24.200 --> 00:30:29.200 Because you see, when we sin, we can either choose to remain in sin or turn back to God. 00:30:29.200 --> 00:30:32.200 Do you want to remain in the storm where things are shaking up? 00:30:32.200 --> 00:30:34.200 I know I don't. 00:30:34.200 --> 00:30:36.200 I want things to be a little bit calmer, right? 00:30:36.200 --> 00:30:39.200 We may not fully understand the storms that are around us. 00:30:39.200 --> 00:30:45.200 We may not fully comprehend that God is calling us to take action. 00:30:45.200 --> 00:30:49.200 Maybe you need to make that decision for Jesus Christ. 00:30:49.200 --> 00:30:52.200 Maybe you've been facing storms because of your sin. 00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:56.200 Maybe you need a wake-up call. 00:30:56.200 --> 00:30:57.200 Maybe you need to call out to God. 00:30:57.200 --> 00:30:59.200 Maybe you need to get right with God. 00:30:59.200 --> 00:31:04.200 Maybe you need to begin to have that relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, 00:31:04.200 --> 00:31:10.200 who is the way, the truth, and the life, who is light and not darkness. 00:31:10.200 --> 00:31:13.200 Are we asleep in our lives? 00:31:13.200 --> 00:31:16.200 Are we oblivious to what's going on around us? 00:31:16.200 --> 00:31:21.200 I encourage us, let us strive to be a church, a community that prays, 00:31:21.200 --> 00:31:28.200 that acts, that relies on God's strength to speak truth and to have God as the firm foundation. 00:31:28.200 --> 00:31:33.200 May we stand firm with God in the foundation of His Word. 00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:35.200 Let us extend love to each other. 00:31:35.200 --> 00:31:38.200 Let us love God and love people. 00:31:38.200 --> 00:31:41.200 Let us find that balance between love and firmness. 00:31:41.200 --> 00:31:45.200 Because what happens sometimes is you have places that are all about love, 00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:47.200 but where's the firmness, right? 00:31:47.200 --> 00:31:51.200 Other times you have places that's all about firmness and where's the love. 00:31:51.200 --> 00:31:54.200 There's a balance there. 00:31:54.200 --> 00:31:58.200 What's interesting as we're coming to a close here, 00:31:58.200 --> 00:32:03.200 that last part of this passage from this morning, 00:32:03.200 --> 00:32:10.200 perhaps the God will give us a thought that we may not perish. 00:32:10.200 --> 00:32:15.200 And I think that's a very interesting statement that the captain is saying. 00:32:15.200 --> 00:32:21.200 I imagine the captain, you know, he probably knows the sailors pray to these different gods, right? 00:32:21.200 --> 00:32:24.200 At least recognizing the existence of them. 00:32:24.200 --> 00:32:28.200 It seems likely that while the sailors were praying to their gods, right? 00:32:28.200 --> 00:32:31.200 The captain's like, why isn't the storm stopping? 00:32:31.200 --> 00:32:33.200 What is going on here? 00:32:33.200 --> 00:32:40.200 There was no success and perhaps the captain felt he did feel that it was best to go to Jonah and to ask him to pray for his God. 00:32:40.200 --> 00:32:43.200 Perhaps God will help us. 00:32:43.200 --> 00:32:51.200 Well, today we know here in this place that God does give us more than a thought. 00:32:51.200 --> 00:32:56.200 Look at this in your Bibles on page 920 here. 00:32:56.200 --> 00:33:00.200 Perhaps the God will give us a thought that we may not perish. 00:33:00.200 --> 00:33:03.200 God gave us more than a thought, my friends. 00:33:03.200 --> 00:33:10.200 God gave us his son as the sacrificial lamb who was born in the manger, right? 00:33:10.200 --> 00:33:15.200 He lived, he performed miracles, he turned water into wine. 00:33:15.200 --> 00:33:20.200 He healed the sick, the blind can see, the mute can hear. 00:33:20.200 --> 00:33:30.200 He taught many great lessons and he was crucified and he died and he was raised on the third day. 00:33:30.200 --> 00:33:32.200 Perhaps the God will give us a thought. 00:33:32.200 --> 00:33:35.200 Well, let me listen here, captain. 00:33:35.200 --> 00:33:43.200 The God, the one true God, gave us more than a thought that we may not perish. 00:33:43.200 --> 00:33:53.200 Huh, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whosoever believes shall not what? 00:33:53.200 --> 00:33:54.200 Parish. 00:33:54.200 --> 00:33:59.200 What an interesting choice of words that the captain uses. 00:33:59.200 --> 00:34:04.200 Just like when the disciples were saying, don't you care that we may not perish? 00:34:04.200 --> 00:34:09.199 I think that's a very interesting choice of words. 00:34:09.199 --> 00:34:15.199 We know that the captain didn't know the Lord at this time, but he will. 00:34:15.199 --> 00:34:23.199 And in fact, next week we're going to learn about the sailors discovering who Jonah is and who God is. 00:34:23.199 --> 00:34:29.199 We've learned today that sometimes God brings forth storms in our lives due to our disobedience 00:34:29.199 --> 00:34:34.199 or the choices that we do that is contrary to God's divine plan. 00:34:34.199 --> 00:34:42.199 We learn today that sometimes God communicates with us through other individuals, even those who may not know the Lord. 00:34:42.199 --> 00:34:46.199 The captain's statement will receive an answer. 00:34:46.199 --> 00:34:52.199 We learn that God does indeed save the sailors from perishing. 00:34:52.199 --> 00:34:54.199 We do not believe in many gods. 00:34:54.199 --> 00:34:57.199 We worship the one true God. 00:34:57.199 --> 00:34:59.199 Perhaps God will save us. 00:34:59.199 --> 00:35:00.199 Oh, yes, he will. 00:35:00.199 --> 00:35:03.199 And he will do that by sending Jesus Christ. 00:35:03.199 --> 00:35:07.199 We know that God sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to save us. 00:35:07.199 --> 00:35:10.199 He gives us the free gift of salvation. 00:35:10.199 --> 00:35:16.199 Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 00:35:16.199 --> 00:35:17.199 So let us wake up. 00:35:17.199 --> 00:35:19.199 Let us get right with God. 00:35:19.199 --> 00:35:24.199 Let us be saved and let us share the love of God with others. 00:35:24.199 --> 00:35:29.199 Let us grow in Christ and become a beacon of hope through God. 00:35:29.199 --> 00:35:34.199 So with that, let's pray. 00:35:34.199 --> 00:35:40.199 Father God, we thank you for this time and this opportunity as we're continuing going through the book of Jonah. 00:35:40.199 --> 00:35:42.199 May we remember that you are the sovereign God. 00:35:42.199 --> 00:35:44.199 You are powerful. 00:35:44.199 --> 00:35:50.199 You command the wind and the waves even in the greatest of storms. 00:35:50.199 --> 00:35:53.199 The captain called Jonah to wake up. 00:35:53.199 --> 00:35:59.199 Lord, if we need a wake up call, let today be the day that we hear that wake up call. 00:35:59.199 --> 00:36:05.199 If we've been disobedient to running away or we feel separated for you or we feel that emptiness, 00:36:05.199 --> 00:36:08.199 only you can feel that void. 00:36:08.199 --> 00:36:11.199 May we be fully restored to you. 00:36:11.199 --> 00:36:14.199 May we come to know you if we don't know you. 00:36:14.199 --> 00:36:17.199 If we feel distant, may we come closer to you. 00:36:17.199 --> 00:36:22.199 May we hear your call and not run away like Jonah did. 00:36:22.199 --> 00:36:26.199 But instead, may we go towards you and towards your divine plan. 00:36:26.199 --> 00:36:31.199 And may we learn to rely on you in those storms of life. 00:36:31.199 --> 00:36:35.199 May we come to know who you are. 00:36:35.199 --> 00:36:37.199 You are a good God. 00:36:37.199 --> 00:36:41.199 May we go forth this week remembering that no matter what storms are happening, 00:36:41.199 --> 00:36:47.199 you are there with us calling us to come to you. 00:36:47.199 --> 00:36:52.199 The Lord God, you have power over all creation and you are with us. 00:36:52.199 --> 00:36:54.199 May we seek your guidance. 00:36:54.199 --> 00:36:56.199 May we feel your love. 00:36:56.199 --> 00:36:59.199 May we experience your peace in all things. 00:36:59.199 --> 00:37:03.199 We say this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:37:03.199 --> 00:37:18.199 Amen.