WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.000 Let's pray before we dive in and continue into the book of Jonah. 00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:09.000 So let's pray together. 00:00:09.000 --> 00:00:15.000 Gracious and Merciful God, we gather here in your presence. 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:19.000 We are ready. We are excited to hear your words. 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:23.000 As we are continuing our sermon series on the book of Jonah, 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:27.000 today we're going through Jonah chapter 1 verse 3. 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:33.000 We pray for openness and understanding for what you have to say to us. 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:36.000 God, you called Jonah. 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:40.000 May we know that you call each and every one of us. 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:43.000 Lord, give us the courage to hear your call, 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:47.000 even when that leads us to places that we don't want to go. 00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:51.000 Even when you ask us to do things we do not want to do. 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:55.000 Help us not to run away from you, 00:00:55.000 --> 00:01:02.000 but teach us to get up and to go where you lead and where you guide us. 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:06.000 We pray that we may understand the message today. 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:10.000 We seek your wisdom. We seek your understanding. 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:12.000 And we seek your guidance. 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:15.000 Open our ears to hear your word. 00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:17.000 Open our minds to understand. 00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:23.000 And our hearts to love you, Father God, and to love your people. 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:29.000 May we know your love, and may we know the grace that you give to us, 00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:33.000 even when we, like Jonah, fall short. 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:38.000 It is in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen. 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:40.000 Well, good morning, Ontario. 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:47.000 My name is Patrick Bailey, and I have the privilege of serving as pastor here at Ontario Community Church. 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:53.000 Today, we are going to continue with our second sermon in our series of Jonah. 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:56.000 We're exploring the Book of Jonah. 00:01:56.000 --> 00:02:03.000 Last week we began on our journey with an in-depth on the first two verses in the Book of Jonah. 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:06.000 So as we prepare, I'd like you guys to grab your vitals, 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:10.000 and we're going to go to page 920. 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:20.000 And in 920, that is where we will have... 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:24.000 There you go. Page 920. It's going to be Jonah 1, 3. 00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:30.000 But before we do that, before we delve into the third verse in the Book of Jonah, 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:38.000 I want us to take a moment, and I want us to revisit what we learned from the previous sermon. 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:41.000 So in chapter 1, it says here, 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:46.000 The Lord of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amatai, saying, 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:51.000 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, 00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:55.000 for their evil has come up before me. 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:59.000 God called Jonah to get up and go to Nineveh, 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:04.000 and to preach against the city because of the city's sinful practices. 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:13.000 God saw what was happening in the city, and he was sending Jonah to speak, to preach. 00:03:13.000 --> 00:03:19.000 And through Jonah's words, through God's call, the city would be saved from destruction. 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:23.000 But that takes us to verse 3. It's the next verse on here. 00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:26.000 Let's read this together. It says, 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:36.000 But Jonah rose to what? Rose to flee, to wear, to tarshish, from the presence of the Lord. 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:40.000 And I want us to take note of that, that he's fleeing from the presence of the Lord. 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:43.000 We're going to delve into that today. 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:49.000 He went down to Jobah, and he found his ship going to tarshish. 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:54.000 He paid the fare, and he went down into it, he went down into the boat, he went down into the ship. 00:03:54.000 --> 00:03:58.000 To go with them, well, who's he going with? He's going with the sailors. 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:07.000 He's going with the sailors to tarshish, and it's repealing it away from the presence of the Lord. 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:14.000 So, does Jonah get up and rise up to God's call? Well, no. 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:20.000 He doesn't. In fact, what ends up happening is Jonah ends up going completely the opposite way. 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:26.000 He doesn't arise and go. He does get up, but instead he flees. 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:31.000 Jonah decides to run away from God. He chooses to run away. 00:04:31.000 --> 00:04:37.000 He chooses to flee instead of going to Nineveh. He is going to tarshish. 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:41.000 And one thing I want us to keep in mind when we are studying the Word of God, 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:46.000 when we're studying specifically Jonah here, is that there is no talk. 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:53.000 There's no conversation with Jonah and God. There is no dialogue between Jonah and God. 00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:59.000 Yes, we understand that God called Jonah, but Jonah just runs off. 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:03.000 He bolts out of there, right? He runs away, he flees. 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:09.000 Other prophets, though, Moses and Jeremiah, there was hesitation. 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:15.000 There was a doubt. There was a sense of humility. And certainly there was fear. 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:20.000 I know if God called me or if God called any of you, wouldn't you be a little bit afraid? 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:28.000 I know that would be there. But what's very interesting when we compare Jonah from Moses and Jeremiah 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:33.000 is that God provides answers to the questions. 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:38.000 We can conclude, like I said, no hesitation, no doubt, no questioning, 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:41.000 nothing to suggest that Jonah wanted to fulfill God's mission. 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:46.000 It's not that Jonah didn't hear God's call. What? What did you say about? 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:52.000 No, it wasn't any of that. But rather, Jonah consciously decides to run from God's call. 00:05:52.000 --> 00:06:00.000 And this is much like the decisions or the choices that we have to make when it comes to following God. 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:07.000 We all have a decision whether to go towards God or to go away from God. 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:15.000 And last week I briefly mentioned comparing what happened between Jonah to the prophet Moses and Jeremiah. 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:25.000 So what I'd like to do, I'd like us to go to this next passage in Scripture which is going to be H55. 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:29.000 Let's turn there real quick. It's going to be in our Q Bible, it's H55. 00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:35.000 If you're not using the Q Bible, it's Exodus 4-10. So let's turn there real quick. 00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:42.000 Very interesting stuff here. 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:51.000 Alright, so Exodus 4-10, page 55 of your Q Bible, it's towards the bottom, the bottom right corner. 00:06:51.000 --> 00:07:00.000 Moses says to the Lord, my Lord, I am not eloquent either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:07.000 I am slow of speech and of time. So there's that doubt, there's that hesitation that's happening. 00:07:07.000 --> 00:07:15.000 I'm not a good speaker. I can't talk like you. But what happens? 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:23.000 God replies, the Lord said to them, who made man's mouth, who made him mute or deaf or seeing or blind, 00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:31.000 is it not I the Lord? Therefore go and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak. 00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:41.000 So God speaks to Moses saying, look, I will be with you. Does this happen in Jonah? It doesn't. 00:07:41.000 --> 00:08:01.000 That's the difference. If you turn to page 755 in your Bible, it's the same thing with the prophet Jeremiah. 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:12.000 So page 755 is going to be Jeremiah chapter 1 and verse 6. 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:16.000 Page 755. 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:23.000 Then I said, Lord God, behold, I do not know how to speak for I am only a youth. 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:31.000 He's saying to God, I'm young. I don't know how to speak like you. What are you doing sending me? 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:38.000 But the Lord said to me, do not say I'm only a youth. For to all of whom I send you, you shall go. 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:45.000 And whatever I command you, you shall speak. What does God say after that? Do not be afraid of them. 00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:51.000 Or I am what? With you to deliver you to clare the Lord. 00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:56.000 So we find I took a slight detour from our German passage, but the point is here. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:09:07.000 Moses doubted his ability to speak. Moses felt he wasn't eloquent. He expressed doubt and his concerns to God, and God spoke to that. 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:15.000 This resulted in that discussion with God. The same thing happens with Jeremiah's hesitation. 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:22.000 He's saying, I'm young. I don't have the ability to speak, but God speaks to that. 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:33.000 So the question then comes. I want to ask you, do you remain rooted in your faith, or do you flee like Jonah does? 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:40.000 All of us, we should remain rooted in faith and not run. We should. 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:49.000 So follow God's plan for your life, even when you don't understand. I know in my own life there have been times where I don't understand what the world God is doing. 00:09:49.000 --> 00:10:00.000 I don't see it. I'm the kind of person where I like to have an itinerary. I want to know, hey God, A, B, C, D, 1, 2, 3, and 4. 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:05.000 I want to know exactly what's happening with the Lord, but does that happen? 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:16.000 It's often the not. It doesn't happen. God's plan is very much different than mine, very much different than ours. 00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:30.000 When we see in Scripture that God calls people for a purpose and they follow God's path, when they follow God's path, wonderful, great, fruitful things happen. 00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:39.000 Let us be on a path of light, life, and truth, because Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:46.000 God invites each and every one of us into a relationship with Him. God has a divine plan for each and every one of us. 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:57.000 God calls us to draw near to Him, to dwell in His presence rather than to flee from the presence of the Lord. 00:10:57.000 --> 00:11:04.000 The word flee literally means flee to run away or to hurry on off, running away from God. 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:15.000 So when you read that, the question may come up, well, wait a minute, why did Jonah flee? 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:22.000 It's such a very valid question to ask. We understand that Jonah just ran off, but why? 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:31.000 Well, we don't know exactly why Jonah ran off. Unfortunately, I wish I knew exactly what the reason was, but there are a couple of possibilities. 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:42.000 There is the fear of the Assyrians. There is resentment towards the city of Nineveh, towards the sin that was happening. 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:53.000 But at the end of the day, we really don't know why. It could be a number of possibilities, it could be all, it could be something that we don't fully understand. 00:11:53.000 --> 00:12:03.000 But all we do know is that Jonah did choose to run from God. And like Jonah, what makes us run from God? 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:11.000 Well, I would say fear and anger are two very common reasons why we run from God. 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:21.000 So Jonah rose and fled. Well, where did he try to flee to? Well, it says in Scripture that he was trying to flee to Tarshish. 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:27.000 This is far away. This is a distant location. And so I hope to see this. 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:36.000 What I'd like to go ahead and do is put on a map here. And I hope, I really hope you guys can all read the words on here, right? 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:43.000 I want to keep this map open because I want to look at a few things here. I want to go over the places here. 00:12:43.000 --> 00:12:57.000 So you see that Jopah is where Jonah was going to go on a boat to flee to Tarshish, which is said to be about 2,500 miles away. 00:12:57.000 --> 00:13:07.000 So he is going completely away from what God called him to be in Nineveh, 500 miles away. Where is Nineveh? 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:17.000 Well, Nineveh is said to be in or near the city of Mosul in Iraq. It is said that Jonah's tomb is in the city of Mosul. 00:13:17.000 --> 00:13:30.000 According to an article in The Atlantic, there is a Jonah's tomb that is located there. It was said that it was destroyed in July 24th of 2014. 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:42.000 So that's very interesting. There's that connection to even nowadays. It is also said that there's a statue that commemorates Jonah. 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:55.000 I couldn't find any good pictures of the tomb or of the statue. But the people in Mosul, in Iraq, they know the story of Jonah. 00:13:55.000 --> 00:14:05.000 And it's a part of their culture. We know who Jonah is. And it's just like how sometimes in some towns you remember someone who did something great, 00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:12.000 maybe a firefighter or someone who served in the military. In this specific town, it's Jonah. 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:21.000 So where is Jobah? Well, that still exists today. It's known as Jaffa in Tel Aviv, Israel. It's still a city there. 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:30.000 It still exists. If you look it up, you'll find that it's still running and operating and it's still boom and it's going. 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:38.000 So then finally, the question here is where is Tarshish? Now, what's very interesting in doing research and finding where specifically Tarshish is, 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:49.000 the most common conclusion is that Tarshish is around Spain and where that red dies. It has been said that it could be Sicily or it could be the British Isles. 00:14:49.000 --> 00:14:58.000 I've read that there are some that say it's in northern France. It just kind of depends. But the most common accepted belief is that it's around the coast of Spain. 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:12.000 Tarshish was a city of great wealth and prosperity in 1 Kings Yom Khterni Vitals on this. In 1 Kings 10 verse 22, it says that this is where Solomon had a fleet of ships. 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:19.000 A fleet of them? Man, that's great wealth and prosperity though. It actually says in that verse, 00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:33.000 the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Huron. Once every three years, the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks. 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:40.000 I mean, it goes to show you the amount of wealth. If you look at how Solomon was a very, very wealthy person. 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:47.000 When I think of a ship bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks, that's a pretty good image there. 00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:54.000 In 1 Kings 22 verse 48, it says that this is where Jehoshaphat also had a fleet of ships in Tarshish. 00:15:54.000 --> 00:16:01.000 You see, Jehoshaphat was trying to do the same thing that Solomon did, but it says in that verse that Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish. 00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:08.000 They didn't go for the ships were wrecks, so they ended up being destroyed. So just a little fun Bible trivia right there. 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:14.000 In Jeremiah chapter 10 verse 9, so remember, I'm mentioning verses on Tarshish. 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:26.000 Silver came through Tarshish. In Ezekiel chapter 27 verse 12, there's mention that Tarshish did a lot of business because of those who had things to trade. 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:36.000 Gold and silver, and it could be apes and peacocks, but iron and tin, and it says in the verse that they exchanged for your wares. 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:48.000 So anyways, Jonah is running away from God. Jonah is attempting to run from God's call. God's calling him to preach to Nineveh. 00:16:48.000 --> 00:16:58.000 He's trying to run thousands, literally thousands of miles away from where God's calling him, instead of getting up or arising and going. 00:16:58.000 --> 00:17:11.000 Nineveh is to the east, towards God's call, and Tarshish is to the west, away from God's call. 00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:25.000 God called Jonah to preach against the city of Nineveh to turn from their evil ways, but instead, it's kind of interesting that Jonah is fleeing to a city of great wealth and great prosperity, kind of like that. 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:31.000 Tarshish is more safe, right? He's trying to get to that kind of area. 00:17:31.000 --> 00:17:40.000 Have you ever felt that God is calling you to do something? Have you ever felt the urge to run away from God? 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:46.000 I'm not perfect, and I can tell you there have been many times that I've attempted to run away from God's call. 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:58.000 But time and time again, when we try to run away from God, we find that God's always there, and he wants us to course correct back on the path towards him. 00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:14.000 From the presence of the Lord, back in page 920, when we look at Jonah, there's something to note when we read in Scripture, when you find things that are repeated. 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:25.000 And we find in here, Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. It mentions that twice in the verse. 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:31.000 From Jonah's story, we can see that there is a pattern of sin. 00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:37.000 You see, when we sin, there is separation from God. 00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:47.000 Sin creates a divide between us and between God, and we see in the Old Testament that there is a pattern that is repeated in Scripture. 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:59.000 You see, Jonah's sin was the act of running away from God. I want to make that very clear. 00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:08.000 It was the act of him distancing himself from God. It was him making the conscious decision, I am going away from God. 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:11.000 That is where Jonah's sin happens. 00:19:11.000 --> 00:19:23.000 And there are other verses where we see that there are other characters, there are other people in Scripture that ran from the presence of the Lord. 00:19:23.000 --> 00:19:28.000 You don't have to turn your vows on this. It's in your midst. 00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:36.000 In Genesis chapter 3 verse 8, this is the story of Adam and Eve. 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:41.000 You guys remember the story of Adam and Eve? If you don't, it's a very good story. 00:19:41.000 --> 00:19:45.000 Right? So Adam and Eve are there in the garden? 00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:51.000 And God tells them, do not eat from this tree. 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:56.000 So what do they do? They don't eat from the tree, God. I'm not going to eat from that. Is that what happens? 00:19:56.000 --> 00:20:00.000 No. They eat from the tree. 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:09.000 So it says in the verse, they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden and in the cool of the day and the man and his wife, Adam and Eve, 00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:14.000 hid themselves from the presence of the Lord. 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:18.000 There was the sin and then there was the separation. 00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:23.000 Right? We know that as the first sin that happened in the garden, right? 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:26.000 Sin, then separation. 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:33.000 So when God was looking for Adam, was God confused? 00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:36.000 Where are you, Adam? I legitimately don't know where you are. 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:41.000 Now, God knew. He's asking because he already knows. 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:47.000 It's kind of like when you ask your kid, hey, did you take, did you eat my cookie? 00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:52.000 Did you steal a cookie from the cookie jar? You know the answer. You just want them to admit it. 00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:56.000 And I see that as no different than how God was doing this with Adam and Eve. 00:20:56.000 --> 00:21:02.000 In Genesis 4.16, Cain enabled, right? 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:08.000 God saying, where is your brother? Does God not know? 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:11.000 No. He knows exactly what happened. 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:14.000 We're seeing scripture, the first murder. 00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:20.000 Cain went away from the presence of the Lord. 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:24.000 Sin and then separation. 00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:30.000 What I find very interesting is these two verses you'll see on the screen is Job 1 verse 12 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:39.000 and Job 2 verse 7 where Satan is going out from the presence of the Lord. 00:21:39.000 --> 00:21:43.000 Job is certainly a very hard book of the Bible. 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:51.000 But what's happening here is that it's saying in scripture, God saying, be cool. 00:21:51.000 --> 00:21:54.000 Only against him do not stretch out your hand. 00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:57.000 Satan is leaving from the presence of the Lord. 00:21:57.000 --> 00:22:02.000 And it also says in Job chapter 2 verse 7, Satan went out from the presence of the Lord 00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:08.000 and struck Job with the loans and sores from the soul of his foot to the crown of his head. 00:22:08.000 --> 00:22:15.000 We're not going over Job, but I'm only going to say this just briefly here. 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:20.000 That we can see where spiritual warfare actually happens. 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:27.000 That the devil here, that Satan is going to attack Job with diseases in this case. 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:29.000 It's very interesting. 00:22:29.000 --> 00:22:33.000 And again, I don't want to go too much into it, but it goes to show you that 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:41.000 we know that Satan was separated from God, but he continues to separate himself from God with the continuation of sin. 00:22:41.000 --> 00:22:44.000 The more we sin, the further we find ourselves from God. 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:47.000 When we sin, we leave the presence of the Lord. 00:22:47.000 --> 00:22:49.000 So you find that language in the Old Testament. 00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:57.000 I think it's a very beautiful language to know that when we're sinning, it's like, we're hiding, right? 00:22:57.000 --> 00:22:59.000 We're leaving God's presence. 00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:01.000 Or at least we think we are. 00:23:01.000 --> 00:23:08.000 When we leave the presence of the Lord, it presents an opportunity for us to confess our sins and to get right with God. 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:12.000 Sin separates us from God. 00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:16.000 Maybe you have had that feeling before. 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:18.000 Have you ever done the wrong thing? 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:20.000 I know everybody should raise their hand here, right? 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:22.000 We've all done the wrong thing. 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:25.000 We've all sinned, all for sure, the glory of God, right? 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:28.000 We are sinners in need of a Savior Jesus Christ. 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:31.000 We all have sin, right? 00:23:31.000 --> 00:23:33.000 But perhaps you have this feeling. 00:23:33.000 --> 00:23:38.000 Or maybe you yourself are struggling with sin in your life. 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:45.000 Maybe you feel that there's this void, or there's this distance, that there's something that's missing in your life. 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:52.000 I know when I've sinned, I feel this, and I feel like there's something missing in my life. 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:55.000 Perhaps it's time to return to God. 00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:59.000 Perhaps it's time for you to turn it around. 00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:02.000 You know, it's very interesting. 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:11.000 In Isaiah, chapter 59, verse 2, this continues with this idea that sin separates us from God. 00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:22.000 Isaiah is saying that your iniquities make a separation between you and God, and your sins have hidden his face so that he is not here. 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:26.000 That's some pretty hard language, right? 00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:29.000 As I mentioned, you all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 00:24:29.000 --> 00:24:32.000 That's Romans chapter 3, verse 23. 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:37.000 Ephesians chapter 2, verse 1 to 3, these are in your notes. 00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:42.000 You were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:47.000 following the Prince of the power of the air, that the Spirit that is now at work, 00:24:47.000 --> 00:24:53.000 in the sons of disobedience, is talking about the form of life. 00:24:53.000 --> 00:24:57.000 So again, sin separates us from God. 00:24:57.000 --> 00:25:04.000 Jonah attempted to flee from God, and Jonah created this divide, this chasm between him and God. 00:25:04.000 --> 00:25:07.000 Jonah's going to need to repent one day or another. 00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:10.000 Jonah's going to need to turn it around. 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:12.000 We're not there yet. 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:18.000 By running away from Jonah's calling, he's running from the divine calling from God, 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:22.000 and physically distancing himself. 00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:27.000 We will explore next Sunday that such actions have consequences. 00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:29.000 Nobody likes that word? 00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:31.000 Consequences? 00:25:31.000 --> 00:25:33.000 Oh no. 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:41.000 But we'll learn next week about how there's a storm that comes on the waters. 00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:44.000 When Jonah is attempting to go to Tarshish. 00:25:44.000 --> 00:25:49.000 Looks like God's kind of, there's a little bit of divine intervention. 00:25:49.000 --> 00:25:51.000 It's almost as though God's saying, 00:25:51.000 --> 00:25:55.000 No, you're not going to Tarshish. 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:57.000 It's almost like that's happening. 00:25:57.000 --> 00:25:59.000 Wait a minute, it is. 00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:01.000 It certainly is. 00:26:01.000 --> 00:26:06.000 So, in Jonah's case, his actions bring forth the great storm. 00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:10.000 A consequence that we will delve into next week. 00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:14.000 All that is evil will be exposed. 00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:16.000 This is a very hard one. 00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:21.000 In Luke chapter 8 verse 17, it says that nothing that is hidden, 00:26:21.000 --> 00:26:25.000 for nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, 00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:29.000 nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. 00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:34.000 In 1 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 5, this is all in your notes. 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:38.000 Judge nothing before the appointed time, wait until the Lord comes. 00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:44.000 He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and exposed in the motives of the heart. 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:49.000 So basically, you may think you can hide from God. 00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:52.000 You may think you can get away from your sin. 00:26:52.000 --> 00:26:59.000 But at the end of the day, eventually it will be exposed. 00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:02.000 The truth of the matter is very simple. 00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:10.000 That is that no one, I repeat no one, can run or hide from God. 00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:12.000 That's kind of a scary thing when you first read it. 00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:14.000 You're like, what do you mean? 00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:17.000 God's always there for us. 00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:23.000 It's like when we're talking about Father's Day. 00:27:23.000 --> 00:27:27.000 When I think of God the Father, I think of someone who loves me, 00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:29.000 who's always there for me. 00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:34.000 Even when I screw up, even when I do the wrong thing, 00:27:34.000 --> 00:27:39.000 even when I walk away and I do terrible things. 00:27:39.000 --> 00:27:41.000 Oh, he's still there. 00:27:41.000 --> 00:27:45.000 That is the love of God the Father that he has for us. 00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:49.000 It doesn't mean let's continue in sin and go deeper and deeper. 00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:50.000 Absolutely not. 00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:55.000 It means you have the opportunity to turn things around. 00:27:55.000 --> 00:27:57.000 Don't continue in your sin. 00:27:57.000 --> 00:28:00.000 It's just like how Christ said to the women at the well, 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:05.000 Go and sin no more. 00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:09.000 And certainly we are going to continue sin. 00:28:09.000 --> 00:28:12.000 It's the reality of us living in a fallen world. 00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:14.000 Are we perfect? 00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:15.000 No. 00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:19.000 I'd like to be, but none of us are perfect. 00:28:19.000 --> 00:28:21.000 We all need God. 00:28:21.000 --> 00:28:24.000 No one can run or hide from God. 00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:27.000 It's impossible to outrun, to outpace, 00:28:27.000 --> 00:28:32.000 or even find a secret place that is so far or so remote 00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:34.000 that we can escape the presence of God. 00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:38.000 So when God's asking, where are you Adam? 00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:40.000 He knows where you are. 00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:42.000 Or when God's saying, where are you? 00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:44.000 What are you doing? 00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:46.000 You may feel that calm. 00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:49.000 God already knows what you're up to. 00:28:49.000 --> 00:28:53.000 But what he's doing is inviting you to come back. 00:28:53.000 --> 00:28:56.000 It's just like when you're keeping living with life and my own kids. 00:28:56.000 --> 00:28:58.000 They go run off and I call them. 00:28:58.000 --> 00:29:00.000 I know where they are. 00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:02.000 I know what they're doing. 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:04.000 I want them to come back. 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:08.000 That's like how God, now God's love is far greater than mine, 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:10.000 I want to make that very clear here. 00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:15.000 But he does call us and he invites us to confess our sins. 00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:20.000 We may feel a sense of distance from God at times, 00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:26.000 but in reality, remember, sin separates us from God. 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:30.000 When we sin, we get further divided. 00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:32.000 So let us be encouraged, my friends, 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:35.000 to seek a relationship with Christ, 00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:38.000 for he is the way, the truth, and the life. 00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:43.000 Let us come to know who God is. 00:29:43.000 --> 00:29:46.000 There's freedom in Christ. 00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:48.000 There is new life in Christ. 00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:52.000 And my friends, there is hope in Christ. 00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:58.000 Because a life without Christ is no life at all. 00:29:58.000 --> 00:30:06.000 In Psalm 139, verses 7-10, listen to this. 00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:08.000 Where shall I go from your spirit? 00:30:08.000 --> 00:30:12.000 Where shall I flee from your presence? 00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:14.000 That's a good question, right? 00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:16.000 Where can I go away from you, God? 00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:19.000 If I ascend to heaven, you are there. 00:30:19.000 --> 00:30:24.000 If I make my bed and shade all, you are there. 00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:26.000 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell 00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:29.000 in the uttermost parts of the sea, 00:30:29.000 --> 00:30:34.000 even there, your hand shall lead me, 00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:36.000 and your right hand shall hold me. 00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:40.000 That's actually a very beautiful verse in Psalm 139. 00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:43.000 In Jeremiah 23-24, it says, 00:30:43.000 --> 00:30:46.000 Can a man hide himself in a secret place 00:30:46.000 --> 00:30:49.000 so that I cannot see him declares before? 00:30:49.000 --> 00:30:55.000 Do I not build heaven and earth declares before? 00:30:55.000 --> 00:30:57.000 Good question to think about. 00:30:57.000 --> 00:31:00.000 Can a man hide himself in a secret place 00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:03.000 so God can't see? 00:31:03.000 --> 00:31:05.000 Let me tell you. 00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:09.000 The example of this given here is going to the highest mountain 00:31:09.000 --> 00:31:11.000 or digging yourself in a hole. 00:31:11.000 --> 00:31:13.000 I imagine a guy in a bunker, right? 00:31:13.000 --> 00:31:15.000 Or in a coal mine or something. 00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:16.000 Trying to hide from God. 00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:18.000 Simply cannot see. 00:31:18.000 --> 00:31:24.000 Jonah was called by God to get up, to arise, and to go. 00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:29.000 To preach to Nineveh, to change its evil ways. 00:31:29.000 --> 00:31:34.000 And rather than arise and go, he fled. 00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:37.000 His attempt to reach Tarshish, 00:31:37.000 --> 00:31:41.000 it represents, like I said, not a physical escape. 00:31:41.000 --> 00:31:47.000 But it's also an attempt to spiritually escape from God's calling. 00:31:47.000 --> 00:31:53.000 The act of disobedience was a sin that resulted in his separation from God. 00:31:53.000 --> 00:31:57.000 But the thing is, my friends, 00:31:57.000 --> 00:32:01.000 I feel like Jonah is like us, or we are like Jonah. 00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:03.000 Sometimes we want to run away from God 00:32:03.000 --> 00:32:06.000 and sometimes we don't want to go where God wants us to go. 00:32:06.000 --> 00:32:09.000 Sometimes God wants us to... 00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:12.000 Have you ever felt the... 00:32:12.000 --> 00:32:17.000 God's tugging at you, your calling, right? 00:32:17.000 --> 00:32:20.000 Tugging at you, they'll talk to that person. 00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:24.000 I don't know who Jesus is. 00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:28.000 I remember a time where my wife and I, we went out to dinner. 00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:30.000 This was before we had children, when we were first married. 00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:33.000 We went out to dinner. 00:32:33.000 --> 00:32:37.000 There was a homeless man. 00:32:37.000 --> 00:32:39.000 Nice guy. 00:32:39.000 --> 00:32:42.000 We had somewhere to go. 00:32:42.000 --> 00:32:47.000 This guy wanted to talk to us. 00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:51.000 And my wife told me, 00:32:51.000 --> 00:32:54.000 I feel like I need to talk to this guy 00:32:54.000 --> 00:32:57.000 and tell him about Jesus. 00:32:57.000 --> 00:32:59.000 And at first I felt, what are you talking about? 00:32:59.000 --> 00:33:02.000 We have somewhere to be. 00:33:02.000 --> 00:33:06.000 What ended up happening was my wife, Amber, 00:33:06.000 --> 00:33:11.000 shared with this homeless man who Jesus Christ is. 00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:14.000 He did not make the decision for Christ, 00:33:14.000 --> 00:33:17.000 at least in that moment. 00:33:17.000 --> 00:33:20.000 But it didn't matter. 00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:23.000 What mattered is that God called my wife 00:33:23.000 --> 00:33:25.000 to talk to this homeless person. 00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:28.000 And in the same way, 00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:33.000 God calls us to do great things in His name. 00:33:33.000 --> 00:33:38.000 So Jonah is a lot like how we as people are today. 00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:42.000 We are learning about how Jonah ran from God, 00:33:42.000 --> 00:33:45.000 but despite his running, my friends, 00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:48.000 we are going to learn how Jonah 00:33:48.000 --> 00:33:51.000 turns his life around, 00:33:51.000 --> 00:33:53.000 how he repents, 00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:57.000 and how eventually Jonah is fully restored 00:33:57.000 --> 00:33:59.000 to complete his mission, 00:33:59.000 --> 00:34:02.000 to preach, to minimum. 00:34:02.000 --> 00:34:11.000 And this aligns with the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:15.000 When we repent, God forgives us. 00:34:15.000 --> 00:34:21.000 And salvation is free for all who believe. 00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:23.000 It's just like the famous passage, 00:34:23.000 --> 00:34:25.000 the wages of sin is death, 00:34:25.000 --> 00:34:30.000 but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. 00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:34.000 In 1 John 1, verses 8 through 10, 00:34:34.000 --> 00:34:37.000 if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, 00:34:37.000 --> 00:34:40.000 and the truth is not in us. 00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:44.000 Well, my friends, we are sinners. 00:34:44.000 --> 00:34:46.000 And unfortunately, 00:34:46.000 --> 00:34:49.000 some people in our modern day culture 00:34:49.000 --> 00:34:52.000 teach that there's no such thing as truth, 00:34:52.000 --> 00:34:55.000 and that we are all good. 00:34:55.000 --> 00:34:57.000 That is false. 00:34:57.000 --> 00:35:00.000 We are all sinners in need of a savior. 00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:02.000 So I just think of that verse, right? 00:35:02.000 --> 00:35:05.000 If we confess our sins, God is faithful 00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:07.000 and just to forgive us our sins 00:35:07.000 --> 00:35:10.000 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:14.000 If we say we have no sin, we make God to be a liar. 00:35:14.000 --> 00:35:16.000 That verse always sticks out to me, 00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:20.000 because I don't want to call God a liar. 00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:25.000 And of course, John 3.16, this all ties together. 00:35:25.000 --> 00:35:28.000 God so loved the world that he gave his only son, 00:35:28.000 --> 00:35:30.000 that whosoever believes in him 00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:33.000 should not perish but have eternal life. 00:35:33.000 --> 00:35:35.000 We study this passage 00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:39.000 because we see that Jonah makes that conscious decision 00:35:39.000 --> 00:35:44.000 to run from God, and not just run a mile away. 00:35:44.000 --> 00:35:47.000 He's attempting to go five times, 00:35:47.000 --> 00:35:50.000 about five times the distance 00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:52.000 of where God wants him to be. 00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:54.000 And it goes to show that 00:35:54.000 --> 00:35:56.000 we may think we can run from God, 00:35:56.000 --> 00:36:00.000 but at the end of the day, we can't. 00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:06.000 If you feel that you are running from God, 00:36:06.000 --> 00:36:10.000 I invite you, I encourage you, 00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:13.000 get your life right with God. 00:36:13.000 --> 00:36:15.000 You can turn things around. 00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:18.000 The whole story of Jonah is not only about, 00:36:18.000 --> 00:36:23.000 it's the story about a man who sinned. 00:36:23.000 --> 00:36:26.000 There's consequence, but there's restoration 00:36:26.000 --> 00:36:29.000 just like the city of Nineveh. 00:36:29.000 --> 00:36:32.000 We learn about the man, and we learn about the city. 00:36:32.000 --> 00:36:35.000 And it makes me think of our own walk with God. 00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:39.000 Maybe you need to get your life right with God. 00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:43.000 Maybe you need to change things up a little bit. 00:36:43.000 --> 00:36:46.000 And then of course, the bigger picture is, 00:36:46.000 --> 00:36:49.000 maybe our city needs to turn 00:36:49.000 --> 00:36:53.000 and repent of the sins that's happening. 00:36:53.000 --> 00:36:56.000 You think even bigger, maybe our country 00:36:56.000 --> 00:36:59.000 needs to turn from its people ways. 00:36:59.000 --> 00:37:02.000 We can go on and on about all the crazy things that's going on, 00:37:02.000 --> 00:37:04.000 but the point is, 00:37:04.000 --> 00:37:07.000 Jonah is the story about a man who turns it around, 00:37:07.000 --> 00:37:10.000 and a city that turns it around. 00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:14.000 And I pray that in the same way that Jonah turned it around, 00:37:14.000 --> 00:37:17.000 the city of Nineveh was saved, 00:37:17.000 --> 00:37:19.000 so too shall we. 00:37:19.000 --> 00:37:22.000 May we turn it around. 00:37:22.000 --> 00:37:26.000 Let's pray. 00:37:26.000 --> 00:37:29.000 May the God who called Jonah, 00:37:29.000 --> 00:37:32.000 who calls each of us, 00:37:32.000 --> 00:37:34.000 be with you now and always. 00:37:34.000 --> 00:37:37.000 That we may feel like running away from you. 00:37:37.000 --> 00:37:41.000 May we instead find the courage to rise up to the call, 00:37:41.000 --> 00:37:44.000 knowing that your grace is enough, 00:37:44.000 --> 00:37:46.000 that it is sufficient, 00:37:46.000 --> 00:37:50.000 and that your power is made perfect in our weakness. 00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:53.000 May we follow your call, 00:37:53.000 --> 00:37:55.000 wherever it leads, 00:37:55.000 --> 00:37:57.000 knowing that our journey is not alone. 00:37:57.000 --> 00:38:02.000 But hand in hand with the one you thought you'd call us to love, 00:38:02.000 --> 00:38:04.000 to serve and to shine, 00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:07.000 to shine your light to the world. 00:38:07.000 --> 00:38:11.000 May we go forth this week with courage, with love, 00:38:11.000 --> 00:38:14.000 and with the blessed assurance of 00:38:14.000 --> 00:38:16.000 God, your constant presence, 00:38:16.000 --> 00:38:18.000 and your guiding hand. 00:38:18.000 --> 00:38:20.000 We say this in the name of the Father, 00:38:20.000 --> 00:38:22.000 the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 00:38:22.000 --> 00:38:34.000 We pray.