WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:11.800 I'm going to think for a few weeks about Jonah, this runaway prophet that we encounter, and also the God of mercy. 00:00:12.519 --> 00:00:19.780 So we're going to read today Jonah 1 from verse 1 to verse 16. 00:00:20.300 --> 00:00:21.379 Jonah 1. 00:00:21.740 --> 00:00:25.140 The word of the Lord came to Jonah, son of Amittai. 00:00:25.140 --> 00:00:31.240 Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me. 00:00:32.179 --> 00:00:35.620 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:39.920 He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. 00:00:40.679 --> 00:00:44.859 After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. 00:00:45.880 --> 00:00:51.799 Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 00:00:51.799 --> 00:00:59.359 All the sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own God, and they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. 00:01:00.299 --> 00:01:04.379 But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 00:01:05.039 --> 00:01:08.259 The captain went to him and said, How can you sleep? 00:01:08.979 --> 00:01:11.120 Get up and call on your God. 00:01:11.819 --> 00:01:15.000 Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish. 00:01:15.659 --> 00:01:21.039 Then the sailors said to each other, Come, let us cast lots to find out who's responsible for this calamity. 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:23.960 They cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 00:01:24.620 --> 00:01:28.760 So they asked him, Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? 00:01:29.120 --> 00:01:29.780 What do you do? 00:01:30.180 --> 00:01:31.100 Where do you come from? 00:01:31.560 --> 00:01:32.480 What is your country? 00:01:32.860 --> 00:01:34.240 From what people are you? 00:01:34.880 --> 00:01:40.820 He answered, I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land. 00:01:41.640 --> 00:01:42.460 It terrified them. 00:01:42.860 --> 00:01:44.660 And they asked, What have you done? 00:01:45.320 --> 00:01:48.700 They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he'd already told them so. 00:01:48.700 --> 00:01:51.340 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. 00:01:51.480 --> 00:01:55.340 So they asked him, What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us? 00:01:56.020 --> 00:02:00.079 Pick me up and throw me into the sea, he replied, and it will become calm. 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:03.920 I know that it's my fault that this great storm has come upon you. 00:02:04.379 --> 00:02:10.099 Instead, the men did their best to roll back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 00:02:10.099 --> 00:02:15.680 Then they cried to the Lord, O Lord, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. 00:02:16.280 --> 00:02:21.759 Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O Lord, have done as you please. 00:02:22.419 --> 00:02:26.939 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 00:02:27.519 --> 00:02:35.799 At this, the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. 00:02:35.800 --> 00:02:38.719 And we'll leave our story there. 00:02:39.820 --> 00:02:47.240 So what we have in the book of Jonah, in a sense, is his unfiltered autobiography. 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:54.140 One of the things that when you read the Bible you come to appreciate is just how refreshingly honest it is. 00:02:54.680 --> 00:02:58.700 The Bible, as we read it, is full of flawed heroes. 00:02:58.699 --> 00:03:05.879 It doesn't try to hide or gloss over moral failures of God's people. 00:03:06.039 --> 00:03:08.599 And we'll see this in the book of Jonah. 00:03:08.659 --> 00:03:12.879 He absolutely fits this mold because, for example, we've seen it in chapter 1. 00:03:12.939 --> 00:03:15.959 He's told to go in this direction, to obey God. 00:03:16.019 --> 00:03:19.159 Instead, he runs in this direction in order to disobey. 00:03:19.159 --> 00:03:28.900 And what we'll see fundamentally is that Jonah does not agree with God's big plan for the city of Nineveh 00:03:28.900 --> 00:03:35.139 because he does not like the idea of God's mercy being extended to his enemies. 00:03:35.659 --> 00:03:42.280 And so the Bible is very honest, and Jonah is very honest about where he's at as he reflects on his life. 00:03:42.280 --> 00:03:51.699 And, you know, in that there's good news for us because our hope never rests in our own goodness and performance. 00:03:52.460 --> 00:04:02.060 The Bible is very clear that our hope rests in the mercy of God, that he sees our needs and he shows us compassion and kindness. 00:04:02.840 --> 00:04:09.979 Our hope rests in the grace of God, giving us a love that we don't earn or deserve. 00:04:09.979 --> 00:04:20.079 So the Bible reminds us, and the story of Jonah reminds us, that God is the hero of the story, not Jonah and not ourselves. 00:04:21.519 --> 00:04:28.079 The story of Jonah is also a reminder to us that following God can be uncomfortable at times 00:04:28.079 --> 00:04:34.000 because we discover that God doesn't always give us what we want 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:37.379 because he knows better than us what's best for us. 00:04:37.379 --> 00:04:44.540 That God doesn't always conform to our ideas of how life should go. 00:04:45.480 --> 00:04:51.100 And he certainly acts in ways that we wouldn't always choose. 00:04:52.300 --> 00:04:55.279 And that's something that Jonah has to deal with and process. 00:04:55.659 --> 00:05:03.100 And all of us, if we choose to follow Jesus, at some point or another we'll find this sense of tension. 00:05:03.100 --> 00:05:05.439 And so we meet Jonah. 00:05:05.540 --> 00:05:10.480 He's been called by God to be a prophet, to be God's spokesman. 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:14.900 But he is a reluctant prophet in this instance. 00:05:15.980 --> 00:05:18.000 But that wasn't always the case for Jonah. 00:05:18.140 --> 00:05:21.180 We meet Jonah earlier in his story. 00:05:21.860 --> 00:05:26.960 There's a small verse in 2 Kings chapter 14 and verse 27 00:05:26.959 --> 00:05:33.939 where Jonah is called by God to bring good news to Israel's king and to the nation 00:05:33.939 --> 00:05:37.839 because he's going to announce that God is going to bring a time of peace 00:05:37.839 --> 00:05:39.659 and Israel's border will be secure. 00:05:40.620 --> 00:05:42.500 Jonah's really happy to do that job. 00:05:43.139 --> 00:05:48.579 But this time when the word of the Lord comes, Jonah goes running. 00:05:49.439 --> 00:05:49.899 Why? 00:05:50.539 --> 00:05:51.500 Why does he run? 00:05:51.500 --> 00:05:52.000 Why? 00:05:52.519 --> 00:05:59.839 For Jonah, it seems like the world is divided into good guys. 00:06:00.420 --> 00:06:03.019 You've got people like Jonah, people of Israel. 00:06:03.439 --> 00:06:07.959 Then you've got the bad guys, the people who are not from Israel. 00:06:08.360 --> 00:06:13.720 And then there are the very bad guys, the people from the city of Nineveh. 00:06:13.800 --> 00:06:19.399 And in Jonah's mind, there is no room for mercy for that kind of people. 00:06:19.399 --> 00:06:24.219 Same kind of mindset shows up at the time of Jesus. 00:06:24.339 --> 00:06:27.060 That's why we read in Luke chapter 15, 00:06:27.939 --> 00:06:31.699 the people grumbling and muttering because Jesus spends time. 00:06:32.099 --> 00:06:35.500 He welcomes tax collectors and sinners 00:06:35.500 --> 00:06:39.819 because the religious people had excluded them from religious society 00:06:39.819 --> 00:06:42.379 because they didn't make the grade. 00:06:42.379 --> 00:06:50.680 Jesus' mercy shocked them because of that welcome. 00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:54.480 So it was good news for the people that were normally excluded. 00:06:54.759 --> 00:06:57.360 So you find great crowds of them would come and listen to Jesus 00:06:57.360 --> 00:06:59.420 because they found hope with him. 00:07:00.319 --> 00:07:04.079 And you know, it should always be that way that Christianity, 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:05.740 when it's presented, 00:07:06.740 --> 00:07:09.159 should always give a very real alternative 00:07:09.160 --> 00:07:15.960 to the kind of divisions that we see in society and in our world. 00:07:16.080 --> 00:07:18.860 We have a gospel that speaks peace, 00:07:18.960 --> 00:07:22.060 that offers peace with God, 00:07:22.180 --> 00:07:26.580 but also that breaks down barriers within communities. 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:30.920 So we read in Luke chapter 15, 00:07:31.280 --> 00:07:34.000 a parable that as we read the book of Jonah, 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:36.480 I think that we'll see connections, 00:07:36.860 --> 00:07:42.319 that parable of the two lost sons and a generous father. 00:07:43.180 --> 00:07:45.439 And that message, the message of Jesus, 00:07:45.959 --> 00:07:48.240 very much ties up with the message of Jonah, 00:07:48.339 --> 00:07:51.240 that everybody needs God's mercy, 00:07:51.360 --> 00:07:52.480 whether like Jonah, 00:07:52.819 --> 00:07:55.079 that we consider ourselves to be good people, 00:07:55.600 --> 00:07:57.980 or whether like the people of Nineveh, 00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:00.019 others would look at us as bad people. 00:08:00.019 --> 00:08:02.139 Everybody needs God's mercy, 00:08:02.299 --> 00:08:04.879 and that mercy is open to all. 00:08:05.939 --> 00:08:08.259 So as we think about chapter one today, 00:08:08.899 --> 00:08:11.659 as we think about the book of Jonah for the next few weeks, 00:08:12.359 --> 00:08:13.979 let's ask ourselves some questions. 00:08:14.099 --> 00:08:18.699 How wide is my view of mercy? 00:08:20.159 --> 00:08:23.779 How concerned am I for the mission of God, 00:08:23.859 --> 00:08:25.159 for the good news of God, 00:08:25.219 --> 00:08:28.560 to move beyond my borders and boundaries, 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:29.860 however I draw them? 00:08:30.839 --> 00:08:34.700 And have I experienced the mercy of God for myself 00:08:34.700 --> 00:08:37.519 in a way that's changed my heart and my life? 00:08:38.279 --> 00:08:39.480 So to the story, 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:43.799 let's begin looking at Jonah's commission. 00:08:44.279 --> 00:08:46.080 He's got a job to do. 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:47.519 First three verses. 00:08:48.940 --> 00:08:50.179 The story begins, 00:08:50.320 --> 00:08:53.799 the word of the Lord came to Jonah, son of Amittai. 00:08:53.860 --> 00:08:54.639 The Lord speaks. 00:08:54.779 --> 00:08:56.100 The Lord takes the initiative. 00:08:56.100 --> 00:09:00.259 We'll see the Lord is the real hero of this story. 00:09:00.440 --> 00:09:02.060 And here in verse two, 00:09:02.139 --> 00:09:05.259 we see the message that he wants Jonah to bring. 00:09:05.379 --> 00:09:09.659 And it's a message of judgment against the city of Nineveh. 00:09:09.920 --> 00:09:11.700 Now there's another prophet, 00:09:11.800 --> 00:09:14.519 another former prophet by the name of Nahum. 00:09:15.080 --> 00:09:18.120 And the whole book of Nahum is a prophecy against Nineveh. 00:09:18.200 --> 00:09:18.639 And in that, 00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:21.740 we get some of the details of what this city was like. 00:09:21.740 --> 00:09:23.120 So we discover things like, 00:09:23.519 --> 00:09:27.500 this was a city that deliberately plotted and planned against the Lord. 00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:30.680 They wanted to destroy the people of God. 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:35.680 They are pictured like a lion attacking their prey. 00:09:35.799 --> 00:09:37.539 They were known for injustice. 00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:40.639 It's described in that book as a city of blood, 00:09:41.379 --> 00:09:42.980 as a city of lies, 00:09:43.620 --> 00:09:45.120 as a city of plunder. 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:49.299 These were not nice people. 00:09:50.299 --> 00:09:53.759 And so we're reminded in verse two, 00:09:54.580 --> 00:09:56.320 right at the beginning of our story, 00:09:56.919 --> 00:10:01.560 of a holy God who judges wickedness. 00:10:03.460 --> 00:10:08.320 I wonder how we feel about a God who judges. 00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:10.820 Possibly uncomfortable. 00:10:10.820 --> 00:10:14.400 We like the idea of a God of love. 00:10:16.100 --> 00:10:19.020 But the idea that a God of love is also a God who judges 00:10:19.020 --> 00:10:20.760 can be uncomfortable. 00:10:22.980 --> 00:10:23.440 You know, 00:10:23.480 --> 00:10:25.440 the Bible says that as people, 00:10:25.580 --> 00:10:26.820 we are made in the image of God. 00:10:26.980 --> 00:10:27.780 And you and I, 00:10:27.860 --> 00:10:31.240 we know that when we see something wrong happen, 00:10:31.660 --> 00:10:35.420 when we read of or see on our television 00:10:35.420 --> 00:10:37.820 or personally injustice, 00:10:38.420 --> 00:10:39.400 the wickedness happen, 00:10:39.399 --> 00:10:42.679 when we feel a sense that justice should be done 00:10:42.679 --> 00:10:45.259 because we're made in the image of a God who is just. 00:10:46.259 --> 00:10:48.539 And if that's true for us, 00:10:48.679 --> 00:10:51.379 then we ought also to expect 00:10:51.379 --> 00:10:53.720 that a perfectly just God 00:10:53.720 --> 00:10:57.220 will also want to see justice done. 00:10:58.600 --> 00:10:58.980 In fact, 00:10:59.079 --> 00:11:02.579 God cannot remain perfect and holy and good 00:11:02.579 --> 00:11:06.779 and at the same time simply turn a blind eye to evil. 00:11:06.779 --> 00:11:10.699 He cannot sweep it under the rug. 00:11:10.699 --> 00:11:14.379 And I don't think we would want that to be true of God. 00:11:15.139 --> 00:11:19.019 The city of Nineveh was guilty of crimes against humanity 00:11:19.019 --> 00:11:21.699 and cruelty and violence. 00:11:21.799 --> 00:11:24.799 And here we're reminded of a God of justice. 00:11:24.799 --> 00:11:29.899 For the church in war zones, 00:11:30.459 --> 00:11:32.779 for the church in persecuted countries, 00:11:32.879 --> 00:11:34.159 what we discover time and again 00:11:34.159 --> 00:11:36.859 when you get newsletters or prayer notes, 00:11:36.919 --> 00:11:39.500 you discover that for many in that situation, 00:11:39.899 --> 00:11:42.339 this reality is actually good news. 00:11:42.439 --> 00:11:45.539 These people who live every day suffering injustice, 00:11:46.379 --> 00:11:47.639 place their lives, 00:11:47.779 --> 00:11:51.740 place their hope in the final justice of God, 00:11:51.740 --> 00:11:54.980 that their hope lies with Him. 00:11:56.519 --> 00:11:58.740 So God is just, 00:11:59.060 --> 00:12:03.259 but God is also merciful. 00:12:04.340 --> 00:12:07.519 Perhaps the dominant theme of the book of Jonah 00:12:07.519 --> 00:12:11.519 is the great mercy of God. 00:12:12.700 --> 00:12:14.200 And even in verse 2, 00:12:14.279 --> 00:12:17.240 we've got a clue that God is a God of mercy 00:12:17.240 --> 00:12:18.500 because in a sense, 00:12:18.620 --> 00:12:21.580 why announce judgment is coming? 00:12:22.460 --> 00:12:24.279 He doesn't need to do that. 00:12:24.919 --> 00:12:28.340 He's not obliged to tell Nineveh that. 00:12:28.460 --> 00:12:30.320 He is completely sovereign. 00:12:31.299 --> 00:12:32.159 So we need to ask ourselves, 00:12:32.259 --> 00:12:34.720 well, why is he sending Jonah to make that announcement? 00:12:34.860 --> 00:12:35.500 And the answer, 00:12:36.039 --> 00:12:36.980 Jonah knows this, 00:12:37.519 --> 00:12:39.259 is to give them an opportunity 00:12:39.259 --> 00:12:40.460 to repent, 00:12:40.940 --> 00:12:41.700 to change, 00:12:42.100 --> 00:12:45.259 to seek mercy from God. 00:12:45.259 --> 00:12:47.259 In the New Testament, 00:12:47.919 --> 00:12:50.720 Peter writes in 2 Peter 3 verse 9, 00:12:51.460 --> 00:12:55.179 the Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:56.899 as some understand slowness. 00:12:57.059 --> 00:12:57.399 Instead, 00:12:58.700 --> 00:13:00.220 He is patient with you, 00:13:00.860 --> 00:13:02.679 not wanting any to perish, 00:13:03.319 --> 00:13:05.480 but everyone to come to Him in repentance. 00:13:05.980 --> 00:13:08.600 Why does God delay justice at times? 00:13:08.919 --> 00:13:11.799 Because He doesn't want people to perish. 00:13:11.799 --> 00:13:15.439 He wants people to turn to Him in repentance. 00:13:15.599 --> 00:13:18.079 And what we'll discover is that Jonah knows this about God, 00:13:18.479 --> 00:13:19.979 and that's why in verse 3, 00:13:20.219 --> 00:13:22.199 he decides to run. 00:13:23.139 --> 00:13:26.099 His running is a sign of his being unwilling to obey. 00:13:27.139 --> 00:13:28.599 That he thinks that this people, 00:13:28.759 --> 00:13:29.359 the people of Nineveh, 00:13:29.459 --> 00:13:32.099 don't deserve the chance of God's mercy. 00:13:33.099 --> 00:13:33.819 So again, 00:13:33.899 --> 00:13:35.599 if we were to think of Luke chapter 15, 00:13:35.719 --> 00:13:38.399 we see Jonah has the same kind of heart 00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:40.039 as the older brother did in that story. 00:13:40.039 --> 00:13:42.399 Why welcome them back? 00:13:43.339 --> 00:13:46.039 Why are you showing kindness to that type of people? 00:13:47.539 --> 00:13:50.559 So he's told to head east to Nineveh, 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:51.120 and instead, 00:13:51.620 --> 00:13:54.059 he heads due west. 00:13:54.939 --> 00:13:56.399 He's been given a job to do, 00:13:56.480 --> 00:13:57.919 but he just doesn't want to do. 00:13:59.059 --> 00:14:00.740 Jonah wants to run from his job 00:14:00.740 --> 00:14:02.079 because he can't bear the thought 00:14:02.079 --> 00:14:03.719 of God changing his verdict 00:14:03.719 --> 00:14:05.819 on Nineveh, 00:14:06.379 --> 00:14:07.099 on Jonah, 00:14:07.379 --> 00:14:08.939 on Israel's enemies, 00:14:08.940 --> 00:14:09.960 because he knows 00:14:09.960 --> 00:14:11.860 that to expose their sin 00:14:11.860 --> 00:14:14.780 is also to give them the opportunity 00:14:14.780 --> 00:14:17.320 to hear of and to receive the mercy of God, 00:14:17.460 --> 00:14:20.820 and he wants no part of that. 00:14:21.260 --> 00:14:23.980 But that's fundamental to what it is 00:14:23.980 --> 00:14:25.040 to live for God, 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:27.240 to share God's values. 00:14:27.240 --> 00:14:29.820 So for us as a church, 00:14:29.879 --> 00:14:31.419 for us as Christians, 00:14:31.539 --> 00:14:33.919 we are called to be God's ambassadors 00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:35.680 and God's witnesses, 00:14:35.680 --> 00:14:39.060 and we have that same responsibility. 00:14:40.060 --> 00:14:42.879 Responsibility to share the gospel of peace. 00:14:44.019 --> 00:14:47.299 To say to people that regardless of what they have done, 00:14:47.440 --> 00:14:48.460 regardless of who they are, 00:14:48.519 --> 00:14:51.620 there is hope for them in the Lord Jesus. 00:14:51.620 --> 00:14:55.560 There is hope of mercy and grace 00:14:55.560 --> 00:14:56.659 that is greater, 00:14:57.139 --> 00:14:58.120 perhaps than the mess 00:14:58.120 --> 00:15:00.000 that people have made of their lives. 00:15:01.480 --> 00:15:03.799 And so we have this same commission 00:15:03.799 --> 00:15:07.879 to make the mercy of God known 00:15:07.879 --> 00:15:10.879 by telling people the good news of Jesus. 00:15:11.879 --> 00:15:12.419 And so for us, 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:13.139 we need to be reminded, 00:15:13.259 --> 00:15:14.340 let's not run from that. 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:16.560 That's our responsibility. 00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:19.119 Maybe some of us, 00:15:21.379 --> 00:15:22.139 like Sarah and Shores, 00:15:22.259 --> 00:15:23.779 would be called to mission overseas 00:15:23.779 --> 00:15:27.159 to bring this hope to others. 00:15:28.759 --> 00:15:30.839 And let's learn to be open to that, 00:15:31.359 --> 00:15:32.439 to be praying for those 00:15:32.439 --> 00:15:33.319 who are on the mission field, 00:15:33.399 --> 00:15:34.759 to be praying for ourselves, 00:15:34.839 --> 00:15:35.919 to be willing to go 00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:39.219 if we are asked to go. 00:15:42.939 --> 00:15:45.559 So that's Jonah's commission. 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:48.439 And so we find him, 00:15:48.699 --> 00:15:49.500 he's on a boat 00:15:49.500 --> 00:15:51.379 and he's heading in the wrong direction. 00:15:51.799 --> 00:15:54.179 And then Jonah is going to get 00:15:54.179 --> 00:15:58.659 a great wake-up call from God. 00:15:59.059 --> 00:16:00.279 Again, in verse four, 00:16:00.779 --> 00:16:04.159 we see that the Lord is the active agent. 00:16:04.719 --> 00:16:07.319 The Lord sent a great wind on the sea 00:16:07.319 --> 00:16:09.819 and such a violent storm arose 00:16:09.819 --> 00:16:11.859 that the ship threatened to break up. 00:16:12.479 --> 00:16:13.859 The word there is the idea of 00:16:13.860 --> 00:16:17.519 the Lord threw or hurled a great storm. 00:16:18.700 --> 00:16:19.580 And then perhaps the image 00:16:19.580 --> 00:16:20.740 of a bowling ball 00:16:20.740 --> 00:16:22.379 that you throw down the lane 00:16:22.379 --> 00:16:24.580 and you're waiting for the pins to scatter. 00:16:25.139 --> 00:16:26.180 Here is the ship 00:16:26.180 --> 00:16:30.000 and it's being hit by God's storm. 00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:32.800 And in verses five to eight, 00:16:32.860 --> 00:16:36.360 we see how the sailors respond. 00:16:36.820 --> 00:16:38.080 These sailors who don't know 00:16:38.080 --> 00:16:39.139 the God of Israel, 00:16:39.139 --> 00:16:43.000 but we get an insight into their worldview. 00:16:44.399 --> 00:16:45.699 So it says in verse five, 00:16:45.860 --> 00:16:47.100 all the sailors were afraid 00:16:47.100 --> 00:16:48.519 and in response to their fear, 00:16:48.939 --> 00:16:51.559 each cried out to his own God. 00:16:52.039 --> 00:16:52.779 Verse six, 00:16:52.860 --> 00:16:54.500 the captain comes to speak to Jonah. 00:16:55.019 --> 00:16:56.019 How can you sleep? 00:16:56.120 --> 00:16:57.480 Get up and call on your God. 00:16:57.580 --> 00:16:59.199 Maybe he will take notice of us. 00:17:00.679 --> 00:17:01.600 Verse seven, 00:17:02.360 --> 00:17:03.580 come let us cast lots 00:17:03.580 --> 00:17:05.079 to find out who's responsible 00:17:05.079 --> 00:17:07.599 for this calamity. 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:09.259 And then you've got all those questions, 00:17:09.719 --> 00:17:11.619 that interrogation in verse eight. 00:17:12.459 --> 00:17:14.899 They understand that the gods 00:17:14.899 --> 00:17:16.659 control nature. 00:17:17.139 --> 00:17:17.899 Of course, Jonah knows 00:17:17.899 --> 00:17:18.779 there's one true God 00:17:18.779 --> 00:17:20.259 who controls everything. 00:17:21.119 --> 00:17:22.899 They believe that the gods 00:17:22.899 --> 00:17:26.019 are active in the world, 00:17:26.779 --> 00:17:28.740 that this storm is a sign 00:17:28.740 --> 00:17:30.879 of God's anger 00:17:30.879 --> 00:17:33.319 being directed against somebody, 00:17:34.019 --> 00:17:36.379 perhaps for some kind of disobedience. 00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:39.679 And they have this understanding 00:17:39.679 --> 00:17:40.719 that there are many gods. 00:17:40.819 --> 00:17:42.399 The gods are local. 00:17:43.359 --> 00:17:44.879 So you need to find the right God 00:17:44.879 --> 00:17:45.599 that's been upset. 00:17:45.779 --> 00:17:47.339 You need to offer the right sacrifices 00:17:47.339 --> 00:17:48.039 to that God 00:17:48.039 --> 00:17:49.599 in order that 00:17:49.599 --> 00:17:51.559 they will be heard, 00:17:52.059 --> 00:17:54.679 that the storm will perhaps stop. 00:17:54.980 --> 00:17:55.919 So in verse eight, 00:17:55.980 --> 00:17:57.319 when they ask all those questions 00:17:57.319 --> 00:17:57.879 of Jonah, 00:17:58.299 --> 00:17:59.500 that interrogation 00:17:59.500 --> 00:18:01.379 is really religiously loaded. 00:18:01.500 --> 00:18:02.199 They want to find out, 00:18:02.299 --> 00:18:04.139 okay, we know our gods over here. 00:18:04.819 --> 00:18:06.659 Jonah, who are your gods? 00:18:06.660 --> 00:18:09.000 Have you upset one of them? 00:18:10.580 --> 00:18:11.880 And when Jonah starts speaking, 00:18:13.040 --> 00:18:15.500 we see how they respond. 00:18:15.960 --> 00:18:17.200 We see that they were afraid 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:18.080 in verse five, 00:18:18.620 --> 00:18:21.060 but once Jonah speaks to them 00:18:21.060 --> 00:18:22.940 in verse nine and verse 10, 00:18:23.000 --> 00:18:24.480 we discover that that fear 00:18:24.480 --> 00:18:25.560 becomes terror. 00:18:26.380 --> 00:18:27.940 Because Jonah in verse nine says, 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:28.519 I'm a Hebrew 00:18:28.519 --> 00:18:30.180 and I worship the Lord, 00:18:30.279 --> 00:18:31.100 the God of heaven 00:18:31.100 --> 00:18:32.000 who made the sea 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:33.680 and the land. 00:18:33.680 --> 00:18:34.759 And they're terrified 00:18:34.759 --> 00:18:36.820 because Jonah has confessed 00:18:36.820 --> 00:18:37.779 to following a God 00:18:37.779 --> 00:18:38.580 who's not regional, 00:18:38.740 --> 00:18:39.440 but global, 00:18:40.120 --> 00:18:41.560 a God who's not limited, 00:18:42.039 --> 00:18:43.080 but all powerful. 00:18:45.580 --> 00:18:47.920 So they know who Jonah's God is. 00:18:48.320 --> 00:18:49.299 And so there is fear. 00:18:49.580 --> 00:18:50.019 In fact, 00:18:50.060 --> 00:18:51.640 there is a sense of horror. 00:18:51.759 --> 00:18:53.120 They ask that question, 00:18:53.519 --> 00:18:56.019 what have you done? 00:18:56.560 --> 00:18:58.060 Because Jonah confesses, 00:18:58.060 --> 00:18:58.840 he's running away 00:18:58.839 --> 00:19:01.000 from this all-powerful God. 00:19:01.619 --> 00:19:02.659 So these sailors 00:19:02.659 --> 00:19:04.220 that don't know the truth, 00:19:04.419 --> 00:19:05.599 they can see, 00:19:06.879 --> 00:19:08.779 you can't run from this God. 00:19:09.240 --> 00:19:09.899 It's ridiculous 00:19:09.899 --> 00:19:11.500 to try and run from this God. 00:19:12.159 --> 00:19:12.439 But you know, 00:19:12.519 --> 00:19:14.679 ever since Adam and Eve 00:19:14.679 --> 00:19:15.779 in the Garden of Eden, 00:19:16.919 --> 00:19:17.459 men and women, 00:19:17.579 --> 00:19:18.079 boys and girls, 00:19:18.139 --> 00:19:19.319 have been doing the same thing. 00:19:19.379 --> 00:19:20.139 So Adam and Eve 00:19:20.139 --> 00:19:22.579 ate the fruit 00:19:22.579 --> 00:19:23.720 that they were told not to eat. 00:19:23.779 --> 00:19:24.640 The first thing they do 00:19:24.640 --> 00:19:25.940 after they feel a sense of shame 00:19:25.940 --> 00:19:26.720 is they try and hide. 00:19:27.799 --> 00:19:28.779 And they take some leaves 00:19:28.779 --> 00:19:29.759 and try and cover themselves. 00:19:29.880 --> 00:19:30.660 And then they hear God 00:19:30.660 --> 00:19:31.240 in the garden. 00:19:32.039 --> 00:19:33.279 They hide behind a tree 00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:35.880 as if they can somehow 00:19:35.880 --> 00:19:37.720 evade the God 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:38.740 who made them 00:19:38.740 --> 00:19:40.519 and sees everything. 00:19:42.680 --> 00:19:44.000 Sometimes we're not so different. 00:19:45.120 --> 00:19:46.799 We're like little children. 00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:47.900 I don't know if you've ever played 00:19:47.900 --> 00:19:49.640 hide and seek with kids 00:19:49.640 --> 00:19:50.740 when they're really little. 00:19:51.400 --> 00:19:51.660 It's like, 00:19:51.740 --> 00:19:52.819 if I close my eyes 00:19:52.819 --> 00:19:53.640 then nobody can see me. 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:55.660 That's how it works 00:19:55.660 --> 00:19:56.140 for little kids. 00:19:56.180 --> 00:19:57.500 But sometimes we take that attitude 00:19:57.500 --> 00:19:58.440 when it comes to God. 00:19:58.620 --> 00:20:00.280 If I sort of block God 00:20:00.280 --> 00:20:01.140 out of my thinking, 00:20:01.340 --> 00:20:03.100 if he has no place in my life, 00:20:03.180 --> 00:20:04.420 then maybe he doesn't see me. 00:20:04.500 --> 00:20:05.400 Maybe he's not that bothered. 00:20:05.560 --> 00:20:08.759 Maybe I'll be fine without him. 00:20:10.380 --> 00:20:11.120 And the book of Jonah 00:20:11.120 --> 00:20:14.000 reminds us that God sees everything. 00:20:14.880 --> 00:20:16.960 God is active in our world. 00:20:17.520 --> 00:20:19.480 God knows everything about us, 00:20:19.480 --> 00:20:21.180 which actually makes his willingness 00:20:21.180 --> 00:20:22.740 to love us 00:20:22.740 --> 00:20:24.160 and to show mercy to us 00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:27.039 is still more amazing. 00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:30.079 So, 00:20:30.380 --> 00:20:32.180 the boat's still in the storm. 00:20:32.339 --> 00:20:32.859 Verse 11, 00:20:32.960 --> 00:20:34.120 the sea's getting rougher. 00:20:35.180 --> 00:20:36.900 The sailors are out of options. 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:38.920 And so they asked Jonah, 00:20:38.920 --> 00:20:39.880 what should we do 00:20:39.880 --> 00:20:41.840 to make the sea calm down? 00:20:42.779 --> 00:20:43.720 And Jonah says, 00:20:43.779 --> 00:20:43.880 well, 00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:44.600 throw me overboard. 00:20:45.160 --> 00:20:46.480 He confesses 00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:48.000 that he's the cause of the storm. 00:20:48.080 --> 00:20:49.320 He acknowledges his guilt. 00:20:49.840 --> 00:20:50.480 He's willing, 00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:51.480 in a sense, 00:20:51.539 --> 00:20:52.380 to face judgment 00:20:52.380 --> 00:20:53.600 to be thrown into the storm. 00:20:53.779 --> 00:20:55.380 But notice, 00:20:55.720 --> 00:20:57.460 as somebody who is 00:20:57.460 --> 00:20:58.580 a follower of God, 00:20:58.660 --> 00:20:59.480 that there's no sign 00:20:59.480 --> 00:21:00.900 of repentance. 00:21:00.900 --> 00:21:01.180 repentance. 00:21:02.280 --> 00:21:02.640 In effect, 00:21:02.700 --> 00:21:03.320 he seems to be saying, 00:21:03.420 --> 00:21:03.480 well, 00:21:03.560 --> 00:21:03.840 do you know what? 00:21:03.880 --> 00:21:04.080 Actually, 00:21:04.160 --> 00:21:05.740 I'd rather die in the storm 00:21:05.740 --> 00:21:07.400 than go to Nineveh 00:21:07.400 --> 00:21:09.040 and preach the gospel. 00:21:09.740 --> 00:21:11.280 He has so much to learn 00:21:11.280 --> 00:21:15.000 about the mercy of God. 00:21:16.620 --> 00:21:18.240 But this section of Jonah 00:21:18.240 --> 00:21:19.000 reminds us, 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:20.600 as so much of the Bible does, 00:21:20.660 --> 00:21:21.800 that God is in control 00:21:21.800 --> 00:21:22.880 of all the events 00:21:22.880 --> 00:21:23.500 of our life. 00:21:24.440 --> 00:21:25.960 We may not recognize that 00:21:25.960 --> 00:21:26.700 or acknowledge it, 00:21:26.700 --> 00:21:27.819 but it is true. 00:21:27.960 --> 00:21:29.740 And God can use those events 00:21:29.740 --> 00:21:32.059 at times to wake us up. 00:21:33.259 --> 00:21:34.120 I still remember, 00:21:34.279 --> 00:21:35.460 as a child, 00:21:36.180 --> 00:21:37.720 one of our elders 00:21:37.720 --> 00:21:39.279 in the church in Sky, 00:21:39.380 --> 00:21:39.940 when I grew up, 00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:40.480 was a fisherman. 00:21:41.740 --> 00:21:44.279 And he spoke really powerfully 00:21:44.279 --> 00:21:45.180 about the fact 00:21:45.180 --> 00:21:47.039 that it was a storm at sea 00:21:47.039 --> 00:21:49.480 and his fear of being lost 00:21:49.480 --> 00:21:50.059 in that storm 00:21:50.059 --> 00:21:50.860 that caused him 00:21:50.860 --> 00:21:52.559 to reach out for God, 00:21:52.700 --> 00:21:53.779 to pray, 00:21:54.120 --> 00:21:55.240 and to commit his life 00:21:55.240 --> 00:21:57.240 to Jesus as Lord. 00:21:58.700 --> 00:22:00.200 For many of us, 00:22:00.700 --> 00:22:03.140 perhaps it's only 00:22:03.140 --> 00:22:04.859 the storms of life 00:22:04.859 --> 00:22:06.920 that will shatter 00:22:06.920 --> 00:22:09.000 our self-reliance, 00:22:09.380 --> 00:22:11.920 that cause us to feel 00:22:11.920 --> 00:22:13.819 our own sense of weakness, 00:22:14.579 --> 00:22:15.620 and that we need 00:22:15.620 --> 00:22:17.480 someone greater 00:22:17.480 --> 00:22:19.160 than ourselves, 00:22:20.160 --> 00:22:21.880 that we are people 00:22:21.880 --> 00:22:23.940 who need the mercy of God. 00:22:23.940 --> 00:22:25.740 Jonah, 00:22:26.100 --> 00:22:26.779 as we'll see, 00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:27.799 will need to learn 00:22:27.799 --> 00:22:28.640 that his hope 00:22:28.640 --> 00:22:30.580 is the same hope 00:22:30.580 --> 00:22:32.440 as is extended 00:22:32.440 --> 00:22:33.720 by God to Nineveh, 00:22:34.360 --> 00:22:35.380 God's mercy 00:22:35.380 --> 00:22:36.340 to those 00:22:36.340 --> 00:22:36.940 who don't 00:22:37.539 --> 00:22:38.400 deserve it. 00:22:38.900 --> 00:22:39.480 That's true 00:22:39.480 --> 00:22:40.420 for each one of us. 00:22:42.120 --> 00:22:42.980 Jonah here 00:22:42.980 --> 00:22:43.779 is acting 00:22:43.779 --> 00:22:46.559 as a disobedient prophet, 00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:47.299 and we see 00:22:47.299 --> 00:22:48.420 what happens 00:22:48.420 --> 00:22:49.059 because of that. 00:22:49.140 --> 00:22:50.080 He brings trouble 00:22:50.080 --> 00:22:52.380 and the judgment 00:22:52.380 --> 00:22:52.820 of God, 00:22:52.819 --> 00:22:53.599 not just on himself, 00:22:53.819 --> 00:22:55.359 but on the people 00:22:55.359 --> 00:22:56.980 around him. 00:22:57.980 --> 00:22:59.559 But by contrast, 00:23:00.099 --> 00:23:01.240 Jesus is the true 00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:02.839 and the obedient prophet 00:23:02.839 --> 00:23:05.039 who bears the judgment 00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:05.539 of God 00:23:05.539 --> 00:23:06.740 for others 00:23:06.740 --> 00:23:08.200 so that we might 00:23:08.200 --> 00:23:09.019 trust in him 00:23:09.019 --> 00:23:10.480 and receive mercy 00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:13.439 and not judgment. 00:23:14.379 --> 00:23:15.679 Jonah is not our hope, 00:23:16.220 --> 00:23:18.119 but Jesus is. 00:23:19.480 --> 00:23:19.899 Let's think, 00:23:19.900 --> 00:23:20.280 finally, 00:23:20.280 --> 00:23:21.560 about Jonah's 00:23:21.560 --> 00:23:22.800 sacrifice 00:23:22.800 --> 00:23:23.640 as we see it 00:23:23.640 --> 00:23:25.120 in verse 13 00:23:25.120 --> 00:23:26.320 to 16. 00:23:26.740 --> 00:23:27.220 And again, 00:23:27.340 --> 00:23:28.019 we'll notice 00:23:28.019 --> 00:23:28.580 that Jonah, 00:23:28.680 --> 00:23:29.280 the prophet, 00:23:29.840 --> 00:23:31.080 is really honest 00:23:31.080 --> 00:23:32.519 as he writes 00:23:32.519 --> 00:23:33.160 his story. 00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:35.480 So in verse 13, 00:23:36.080 --> 00:23:37.080 Jonah having said, 00:23:37.160 --> 00:23:37.220 well, 00:23:37.280 --> 00:23:38.180 throw me overboard, 00:23:38.800 --> 00:23:39.519 we read 00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:41.160 how the sailors react 00:23:41.160 --> 00:23:41.580 and it says, 00:23:41.920 --> 00:23:41.940 instead, 00:23:42.080 --> 00:23:43.060 the men did their best 00:23:43.060 --> 00:23:44.519 to roll back to land, 00:23:45.080 --> 00:23:45.800 but they could not 00:23:45.800 --> 00:23:46.240 for the sea 00:23:46.240 --> 00:23:46.980 grew even wilder 00:23:46.980 --> 00:23:47.820 than before. 00:23:47.819 --> 00:23:49.200 The irony here 00:23:49.200 --> 00:23:50.179 is that these sailors 00:23:50.179 --> 00:23:50.819 who don't know 00:23:50.819 --> 00:23:51.319 the true God, 00:23:51.379 --> 00:23:52.480 they actually show 00:23:52.480 --> 00:23:53.899 more mercy to Jonah 00:23:53.899 --> 00:23:55.220 than Jonah, 00:23:55.319 --> 00:23:55.960 the man of God, 00:23:56.039 --> 00:23:56.779 shows to the city 00:23:56.779 --> 00:23:57.299 of Nineveh. 00:23:57.799 --> 00:23:59.099 He's more than happy 00:23:59.099 --> 00:24:00.460 to see Nineveh destroyed, 00:24:00.899 --> 00:24:01.659 whereas these sailors 00:24:01.659 --> 00:24:02.579 want to preserve 00:24:02.579 --> 00:24:03.419 the life 00:24:03.419 --> 00:24:04.599 of disobedient Jonah. 00:24:06.259 --> 00:24:07.279 And we see again 00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:08.319 that the transformation 00:24:08.319 --> 00:24:10.319 that is taking place 00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:11.480 in the lives 00:24:11.480 --> 00:24:12.419 of the sailors, 00:24:12.559 --> 00:24:13.700 they were afraid 00:24:13.700 --> 00:24:14.500 of the storm, 00:24:14.740 --> 00:24:15.639 then they're terrified 00:24:15.640 --> 00:24:16.340 as they hear 00:24:16.340 --> 00:24:18.540 what Jonah has done 00:24:18.540 --> 00:24:19.280 in running away 00:24:19.280 --> 00:24:20.280 from the Lord, 00:24:20.360 --> 00:24:21.140 the God of heaven 00:24:21.140 --> 00:24:21.580 and earth. 00:24:21.800 --> 00:24:22.520 And then we see 00:24:22.520 --> 00:24:23.180 by the end 00:24:23.180 --> 00:24:23.840 of the story, 00:24:25.440 --> 00:24:26.880 they're crying 00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:27.640 to the Lord, 00:24:28.520 --> 00:24:29.900 asking that they 00:24:29.900 --> 00:24:31.100 not be held accountable. 00:24:31.620 --> 00:24:32.740 They throw Jonah 00:24:32.740 --> 00:24:33.360 overboard, 00:24:33.759 --> 00:24:35.020 and then it says 00:24:35.020 --> 00:24:35.840 in verse 16, 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:36.220 at this, 00:24:36.320 --> 00:24:38.000 the men greatly feared 00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:39.000 the Lord, 00:24:39.060 --> 00:24:39.540 and they offered 00:24:39.540 --> 00:24:40.259 a sacrifice 00:24:40.259 --> 00:24:41.100 to the Lord 00:24:41.100 --> 00:24:42.640 and made vows 00:24:43.240 --> 00:24:43.720 to him. 00:24:43.720 --> 00:24:45.559 So Jonah 00:24:45.559 --> 00:24:46.620 had confessed worship, 00:24:46.700 --> 00:24:47.620 but he's disobedient, 00:24:47.720 --> 00:24:48.339 whereas we have 00:24:48.339 --> 00:24:49.079 this wonderful picture 00:24:49.079 --> 00:24:50.620 of the pagan sailors 00:24:50.620 --> 00:24:52.079 who come to fear 00:24:52.079 --> 00:24:52.460 the Lord. 00:24:52.559 --> 00:24:53.559 They honor him, 00:24:53.620 --> 00:24:55.160 they sense the awe 00:24:55.160 --> 00:24:57.039 that surrounds God, 00:24:57.079 --> 00:24:58.140 and they show thanksgiving, 00:24:58.240 --> 00:24:59.259 they offer sacrifices 00:24:59.259 --> 00:25:00.860 because they have 00:25:00.860 --> 00:25:01.640 received mercy, 00:25:01.640 --> 00:25:02.600 because the storm 00:25:02.600 --> 00:25:04.600 has stopped. 00:25:06.500 --> 00:25:07.680 So even in the middle 00:25:07.680 --> 00:25:08.860 of Jonah's disobedience, 00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:09.880 God is still using 00:25:09.880 --> 00:25:10.740 that situation 00:25:10.740 --> 00:25:12.039 to point people 00:25:12.039 --> 00:25:13.500 towards himself. 00:25:13.720 --> 00:25:16.120 Now just before 00:25:16.120 --> 00:25:17.220 we sort of move 00:25:17.220 --> 00:25:18.100 on from this, 00:25:18.779 --> 00:25:19.440 one of the things 00:25:19.440 --> 00:25:19.900 that the Bible 00:25:19.900 --> 00:25:20.940 teaches us 00:25:20.940 --> 00:25:22.420 is the reality 00:25:22.420 --> 00:25:23.940 that there is 00:25:23.940 --> 00:25:24.759 such a thing 00:25:24.759 --> 00:25:25.720 as common grace, 00:25:25.799 --> 00:25:26.660 that God gives 00:25:26.660 --> 00:25:28.480 gifts to all people 00:25:28.480 --> 00:25:29.360 regardless of 00:25:29.360 --> 00:25:30.180 whether we know 00:25:30.180 --> 00:25:30.819 anything about 00:25:30.819 --> 00:25:31.620 the God of the Bible 00:25:31.620 --> 00:25:32.779 or not, 00:25:32.839 --> 00:25:33.579 that we are made 00:25:33.579 --> 00:25:34.980 in the image of God, 00:25:35.059 --> 00:25:36.339 therefore as people 00:25:36.339 --> 00:25:37.400 we will in different ways 00:25:37.400 --> 00:25:39.559 reflect the qualities 00:25:39.559 --> 00:25:40.640 of God. 00:25:40.680 --> 00:25:41.360 Not perfectly, 00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:42.859 but we will reflect 00:25:42.859 --> 00:25:44.359 the qualities of God, 00:25:44.399 --> 00:25:45.019 and we see that 00:25:45.019 --> 00:25:46.399 in these sailors. 00:25:46.539 --> 00:25:47.399 They didn't know 00:25:47.399 --> 00:25:47.979 anything about 00:25:47.979 --> 00:25:48.799 the God of the Bible, 00:25:48.919 --> 00:25:49.619 and yet we see them 00:25:49.619 --> 00:25:50.740 looking to show mercy 00:25:50.740 --> 00:25:52.779 to Jonah. 00:25:53.779 --> 00:25:54.519 So I just want 00:25:54.519 --> 00:25:55.919 to remind ourselves 00:25:55.919 --> 00:25:56.959 that it's not true 00:25:56.959 --> 00:25:57.740 to say 00:25:57.740 --> 00:25:59.019 that Christians 00:25:59.019 --> 00:26:00.039 are somehow better 00:26:00.039 --> 00:26:01.500 than other people. 00:26:02.339 --> 00:26:03.299 It's not true 00:26:03.299 --> 00:26:04.439 to say that Christians 00:26:04.439 --> 00:26:05.979 will be necessarily 00:26:05.979 --> 00:26:07.879 better neighbors 00:26:07.880 --> 00:26:09.720 or better workers. 00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:12.300 Jonah is proof of that 00:26:12.300 --> 00:26:13.760 because we're not saved 00:26:13.760 --> 00:26:15.100 because we've made the grave. 00:26:15.460 --> 00:26:16.620 We're saved because of mercy. 00:26:17.400 --> 00:26:17.600 In fact, 00:26:17.660 --> 00:26:19.500 the images used in the Bible 00:26:19.500 --> 00:26:20.840 to speak of God's people 00:26:20.840 --> 00:26:22.920 are things like poverty 00:26:22.920 --> 00:26:23.800 and weakness 00:26:23.800 --> 00:26:24.800 and blindness 00:26:24.800 --> 00:26:26.480 and need. 00:26:27.220 --> 00:26:29.600 And so if we have that idea 00:26:29.600 --> 00:26:30.440 about ourselves 00:26:30.440 --> 00:26:31.080 as Christians, 00:26:31.200 --> 00:26:31.580 we're somehow 00:26:31.580 --> 00:26:32.500 on a different level, 00:26:32.540 --> 00:26:33.260 we need to repent 00:26:33.260 --> 00:26:34.060 at that point. 00:26:35.380 --> 00:26:37.040 That we need to show humility 00:26:37.039 --> 00:26:38.960 and real care 00:26:38.960 --> 00:26:39.839 and recognize 00:26:40.839 --> 00:26:41.460 the goodness 00:26:41.460 --> 00:26:42.339 that we see 00:26:42.339 --> 00:26:43.720 in the people 00:26:43.720 --> 00:26:45.139 around us. 00:26:46.839 --> 00:26:47.599 But the question 00:26:47.599 --> 00:26:48.279 for us now 00:26:48.279 --> 00:26:49.279 is why does 00:26:49.279 --> 00:26:51.379 the fear 00:26:51.379 --> 00:26:52.720 of the sailors, 00:26:52.779 --> 00:26:53.420 why does it shift 00:26:53.420 --> 00:26:54.480 from fear 00:26:54.480 --> 00:26:55.139 to terror 00:26:55.139 --> 00:26:56.059 to in the end 00:26:56.059 --> 00:26:57.619 worship? 00:26:59.619 --> 00:27:00.799 Well, it's because 00:27:00.799 --> 00:27:02.220 when they throw 00:27:02.220 --> 00:27:03.099 Jonah overboard, 00:27:03.240 --> 00:27:03.980 verse 15, 00:27:04.440 --> 00:27:05.519 the raging sea 00:27:05.519 --> 00:27:06.839 grew calm 00:27:06.839 --> 00:27:08.259 they worship 00:27:08.259 --> 00:27:09.019 the God 00:27:09.019 --> 00:27:10.139 who controls 00:27:10.139 --> 00:27:11.339 the storm. 00:27:11.879 --> 00:27:12.839 They see proof 00:27:12.839 --> 00:27:13.759 of God's 00:27:13.759 --> 00:27:15.000 sovereign power. 00:27:15.819 --> 00:27:16.379 And of course, 00:27:16.459 --> 00:27:17.319 when we fast forward 00:27:17.319 --> 00:27:18.339 to the life of Jesus, 00:27:18.339 --> 00:27:19.559 we see that same 00:27:19.559 --> 00:27:20.939 thing happen. 00:27:21.399 --> 00:27:22.919 In Mark chapter 4 00:27:22.919 --> 00:27:24.459 and verse 41, 00:27:24.639 --> 00:27:26.199 we find another group 00:27:26.199 --> 00:27:26.859 of sailors 00:27:26.859 --> 00:27:28.259 out on the sea, 00:27:28.579 --> 00:27:29.339 the disciples 00:27:29.339 --> 00:27:30.019 with Jesus. 00:27:30.399 --> 00:27:31.779 And Jesus is the prophet 00:27:31.779 --> 00:27:32.559 who's asleep 00:27:32.559 --> 00:27:33.119 in the boat 00:27:33.119 --> 00:27:34.399 and a storm comes 00:27:34.400 --> 00:27:35.380 and the disciples 00:27:35.380 --> 00:27:36.519 come to wake Jesus 00:27:36.519 --> 00:27:36.800 saying, 00:27:36.900 --> 00:27:37.540 don't you care 00:27:37.540 --> 00:27:38.340 if we drown? 00:27:40.280 --> 00:27:41.740 Jesus speaks 00:27:41.740 --> 00:27:42.320 to the wind, 00:27:42.940 --> 00:27:43.980 speaks to the wave 00:27:43.980 --> 00:27:46.160 and the storm stops. 00:27:47.019 --> 00:27:47.900 And the disciples 00:27:47.900 --> 00:27:49.480 are terrified. 00:27:50.259 --> 00:27:51.900 Who is this? 00:27:52.140 --> 00:27:53.480 They ask themselves 00:27:53.480 --> 00:27:54.940 because they recognize 00:27:54.940 --> 00:27:55.700 in the stopping 00:27:55.700 --> 00:27:56.320 of the storm, 00:27:56.320 --> 00:27:57.660 here is proof 00:27:57.660 --> 00:27:58.220 that Jesus 00:27:58.220 --> 00:27:59.820 is the Son of God 00:27:59.819 --> 00:28:00.919 with the power 00:28:00.919 --> 00:28:01.339 of God 00:28:01.339 --> 00:28:03.919 because He is God. 00:28:05.659 --> 00:28:07.159 So our story, 00:28:07.399 --> 00:28:08.700 we'll leave our story 00:28:08.700 --> 00:28:09.519 here today 00:28:09.519 --> 00:28:10.619 with Jonah, 00:28:11.000 --> 00:28:12.259 this disobedient, 00:28:12.439 --> 00:28:13.759 reluctant prophet 00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:15.079 who's willing 00:28:15.079 --> 00:28:15.879 to be thrown 00:28:15.879 --> 00:28:17.159 into the sea 00:28:17.159 --> 00:28:19.439 and with that sacrifice, 00:28:19.579 --> 00:28:21.139 the storm stops 00:28:21.139 --> 00:28:22.639 and the sailors 00:28:22.639 --> 00:28:23.980 are saved 00:28:23.980 --> 00:28:25.279 and are thankful. 00:28:26.240 --> 00:28:27.399 And let's remember 00:28:27.400 --> 00:28:28.340 Jesus, 00:28:28.940 --> 00:28:29.580 the true, 00:28:29.740 --> 00:28:30.259 the obedient, 00:28:30.400 --> 00:28:31.519 the willing prophet 00:28:31.519 --> 00:28:33.700 who throws Himself, 00:28:34.040 --> 00:28:34.420 as it were, 00:28:34.740 --> 00:28:35.900 into the storm 00:28:35.900 --> 00:28:36.940 of God's judgment. 00:28:37.660 --> 00:28:38.540 There at the cross, 00:28:38.620 --> 00:28:39.840 He faces the storm 00:28:39.840 --> 00:28:40.759 of God's judgment 00:28:40.759 --> 00:28:42.080 against our sin 00:28:42.080 --> 00:28:44.480 and against our disobedience, 00:28:44.660 --> 00:28:46.040 bearing that on Himself 00:28:46.040 --> 00:28:47.360 so that we might know 00:28:47.360 --> 00:28:48.440 mercy 00:28:48.440 --> 00:28:50.740 and new life, 00:28:50.800 --> 00:28:51.920 that we might be saved 00:28:51.920 --> 00:28:54.380 and that we might be thankful 00:28:54.380 --> 00:28:56.220 and that we might live lives 00:28:56.220 --> 00:28:57.860 marked by thankfulness 00:28:57.860 --> 00:28:59.460 as a result. 00:29:01.180 --> 00:29:02.000 So this week, 00:29:02.960 --> 00:29:03.800 we see Jonah 00:29:03.800 --> 00:29:05.120 needs the mercy of God. 00:29:05.200 --> 00:29:06.540 We see that the sailors 00:29:06.540 --> 00:29:07.940 need the mercy of God 00:29:07.940 --> 00:29:09.140 and we will see later on 00:29:09.140 --> 00:29:10.260 that Nineveh 00:29:10.260 --> 00:29:11.700 needs the mercy of God. 00:29:11.760 --> 00:29:13.340 Whether we're good, 00:29:13.480 --> 00:29:14.240 whether we're bad, 00:29:14.320 --> 00:29:14.820 whether we're somewhere 00:29:14.820 --> 00:29:15.260 in the middle, 00:29:15.400 --> 00:29:16.260 everybody needs 00:29:16.260 --> 00:29:17.320 the mercy of God. 00:29:18.600 --> 00:29:19.620 And the gospel, 00:29:19.760 --> 00:29:20.760 the good news 00:29:20.760 --> 00:29:21.880 of the Bible 00:29:21.880 --> 00:29:23.060 is that Jesus came 00:29:23.059 --> 00:29:23.919 to invite us 00:29:23.919 --> 00:29:25.179 to receive that mercy, 00:29:25.700 --> 00:29:26.799 whoever we are, 00:29:27.139 --> 00:29:28.259 whatever we've done, 00:29:28.859 --> 00:29:30.079 to confess our sin, 00:29:30.179 --> 00:29:31.279 to confess our need, 00:29:31.440 --> 00:29:32.200 to recognize 00:29:32.200 --> 00:29:33.119 that Jesus died 00:29:33.119 --> 00:29:35.119 on the cross for us, 00:29:35.579 --> 00:29:36.960 that we might worship Him 00:29:36.960 --> 00:29:38.779 as Lord and Savior 00:29:38.779 --> 00:29:39.879 and then to be willing 00:29:39.879 --> 00:29:41.519 with God's help 00:29:41.519 --> 00:29:43.599 to go on this mission 00:29:43.599 --> 00:29:45.440 with this message of mercy 00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:46.779 for the world.