What happens when one is faced with impending doom?
! In Gravity, Sandra Bullock's character, stranded in space, faces death alone.
! And so what does she do?
She says, no one will mourn for me.
I'll pray for myself, but I've never prayed.
Nobody ever taught me how.
And that's what fear does.
Fear strips us.
Fear shows us what we believe, what we hope might actually save us.
And when faced with this unavoidable doom, we instinctively turn to something for help.
We turn to something that will save.
And last week, Nick beautifully set up the premise of Jonah for us.
And we see a prophet who has received the word of God, yet has decided to depart from that same word.
And what today's passage brings us is the question of what is the role of fear for the Christian?
In fact, what is the role, maybe even with the circumstances that bring fear for the Christian?
In other words, the question this passage deems to answer is, where is God amidst our fear?
Where is he?
What is he doing?
And to answer that question, we need to unpack both the idea of fear and grace in this passage.
And so the three simple points are, number one, the character of fear, the character of grace, and lastly, fear the gracious one.
Those points are also in your St. Paul's app if you want to open that up to follow along and take some notes.
But firstly, the character of fear.
Notice in this passage, as we read it, the predominant emotion that keeps coming up, that surrounds all of the characters, is fear.
Jonah and the sailors are situated in the sea, and suddenly there is a great storm, the cause of their fear.
And it is not just an ordinary one, a storm that threatens to break the ship apart.
And so again, they are facing this impending doom, this certain death by drowning.
And just like us, when we get overwhelmed, the sailors cry out for help.
But their help reveals something.
It reveals something deeper about the nature of their misplaced fear.
But notice how it's worded in verse 5.
All the sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own God.
Each cried out to his own God.
In other words, these sailors, they all have a God, and they're all different.
But the storm didn't stop.
The gods were silent.
Multiple.
All of the things, all of the things that they put their trust and their faith in, they are powerless.
And so what do they do?
Immediately what we see in the same verse is that they start lightening the load of the ship.
So let's throw out the cargo.
And the sailors realise that they have no control.
They cannot control the external.
And if they cannot control the storm, they will ultimately try to save themselves.
That makes sense?
But the logic here is the storm doesn't dissipate.
The logic is when you try to calm your fears with false gods or even yourself, your efforts are futile.
You see, Jonah believed that the Ninevites were not worthy enough to receive the mercy and grace of God for the evil works that they had done.
And in a sense, he is right.
But that is what God's mercy and grace is at display, because there is no good work that one can do to receive the forgiveness and pardon of God.
And so what we're presented here is that not even our hardest efforts can even satisfy not just God, but your own deepest longing or even solve your own fear.
And so where was God in this storm?
You see, God gives an undeserving people who have rejected him his mercy, and it's a reminder to turn back to him.
And where does it happen?
At the very beginning of Jonah, it says,
It is the word of God that goes out to bring an unrepentant people to his fold.
The word of God.
It is spoken to an unwilling prophet who must literally be reminded of God's compassion,
who flees and departs from the word and the will of God.
And so what happens?
That wonderful word in verse 4.
But, that magical word, but the Lord sent a storm.
This is a divine storm, one that God intentions and plans, and he sends it.
It's not reckless.
It's not unplanned.
It's sort of spontaneous.
Ooh, let's play a storm.
He is the author of this experience.
He is fully sovereign over every moment of your life, and so too of this storm.
And the question is, where is God?
What is he doing here?
And this is the character of grace.
God uses this moment to redirect Jonah, who tries to flee, not just from the ways of the Lord,
but what is best for him and the Ninevites.
Because God could have just let Jonah run.
He could have let Ninevites stay in the dark.
But his grace won't be ignored.
And there's this interesting phrase that has travelled around the Christian community,
and I appreciate its sentiment, but I don't know if the Bible fully affirms it, and it's this.
How will the nations know if we do not go?
Or how could we judge the one who does not know God if they haven't been told about Jesus?
And what I appreciate by questions like that is that it plays on this sense of urgency,
which is true of Scripture.
It's this outward desperation that you must go.
And there is a reality that I do want to say, St. Paul's,
are you really on mission?
Are you on fire for Jesus?
Have you considered the nations?
What is your heart for the lost?
But I don't want to pray on anxiety to push you on mission,
because I don't think it's right to.
Because this passage, and like many, are saying that God's grace is at display in a non-Christian's life,
in a Christian's life, in everyone's life, that is so visible, that's so tangible,
that's so evident, that it's an opportunity to turn back to him.
Sometimes it's not a big storm.
It might be that quiet realisation that work has become a personal religion,
and there's this gaping hole in your life.
But God's usage of the storm is grace to reveal that he is present.
He is the sovereign one.
In fact, Romans 1 makes it clear that no one has an excuse from seeing the presence, reality, and existence of God.
So in other words, when you're in crisis mode,
and you see that you are helpless,
and you're in need of God,
that's God's grace.
And there is no excuse,
for God uses every mode to point in life back to him.
Have you watched any of those videos of children being jabbed by vaccinations?
If you're a parent here, I can imagine that could have been traumatic for you, not the child.
You know, the doctor tries to distract the child,
and some are successful in distracting the baby,
but the jab, regardless of what you do, it still stings.
So they cry, they don't understand,
but the parent does,
and they stay close.
The child finds comfort not in the jab,
even though it's going to be good for them,
but in the parent who knows that it is for their good,
and stays with them.
In the storms of your life,
they are points of grace that say,
turn back to God.
He is the one who will keep your sails above the waves.
Repent from your ways,
and stop allaying your fears from what is worldly,
and pursue Christ.
Find your hidden place in the comfort of Jesus,
amidst the typhoon.
And so just a little aside, St. Paul's,
when you have a friend who comes to you in crisis mode,
how will you witness to the grace of Christ in your life?
And of course, we want to do it really sensitively.
We want to pray heaps, trust entirely.
But we want to ask the Lord,
is this an opportunity for the gospel?
Is this an opportunity where God can display his grace to this person?
I mean, we even see grace in our main flawed witness in Jonah.
Jonah's sin, despite being massive,
is used still by God to display God's might and power
in comparison to their self-will and their false gods.
The irony is here in verse 9.
I am a Hebrew,
and I worship the Lord,
the God of heaven who made the sea and the land.
Friends, this is the guy,
who only six verses ago,
who was shown the opposite of worship.
He tells them of the God who he worships,
yet he does not do that.
He does not obey the creator of all things.
And so what is the immediate response of the sailor
that is in stark contrast of Jonah?
Verse 10.
This terrified them.
In other words,
they truly understand that God,
from his powerful and visible acts,
that he is not one to be messed around with.
And the sailors,
I guess,
when you think about it,
they now have some relationship with God.
It's a fearful one,
but
they now have a name
who controls the winds and the waves.
They know that this is a God
who is in control of this storm,
who brought it.
And the fear of their circumstance
has shifted.
It's shifted to an object of fear.
They fear not the storm,
but of God himself.
And so how does Jonah respond in verse 12?
Pick me up and throw me in the sea,
he replied,
and it will become calm.
I know that it is my fault
that this great storm has come upon you.
My community group this week
is we were discussing
what possible things
could Jonah have done
instead of
verse 12.
I mean,
when you think about it,
he cares more about the sailors
than he does
about
their own sin.
And the obvious thing for Jonah,
you know,
I would assume,
is that when he realizes
that God is the one
that has brought the storm,
it's to repent.
It's to beckon to God.
It's to say,
sorry.
But he's almost this
imperfect,
willing sacrifice,
but not to appease God,
but to appease the sailors
who've been hounding him.
What have you been doing?
Who are you?
What is your business?
And so what happens?
He's thrown overboard,
and the sea becomes calm.
And God uses this,
doesn't he?
There's a shift in their fear.
Look at verse 16.
At this,
the men greatly feared the Lord,
and they offered a sacrifice
to the Lord,
and made vows to him.
There's still a fear here,
but instead of this
frightening terror,
their fear has become worship.
They realize that God
is the sovereign one
who has power over the storm,
and therefore,
he is worthy of their praise
and obedience.
And this is the Lord's grace at work,
to bring such transformation
in their life purely
through the storm.
Friends,
the call for you and me
is to fear the gracious one.
God,
in his providence,
has used the broken,
the storm,
so that you might fear him.
Fear in the reverent sense.
It's not simply an emotional fear
that makes you flee,
or that makes you want to
be filled with dread,
even though that might happen.
fear in the world.
But,
it's a fear you see
when you look out
when you're on the plane,
and you see the vast sea
and land,
and realize
how small you are.
It's the fear that humbles you,
but the weight of God's glory
increases.
For us,
it might be difficult
to understand this sense of fear.
The fear of God
isn't supposed to make you
hide or flee from judgment.
But if God is the one who judges,
if he is the one who is supreme,
who has control of all the events
and sequences in your life,
the only logic is
to run to him.
Eric Thonese says,
in a podcast,
a true fear of the Lord
realizes you can't run from God,
and the only option is
to run to him.
And when you do,
you find
the embracing arms
of a loving father.
It's a fear of reverence
that is met
with God's compassion.
The sailors are almost
this picture
of a rebuke
for the believer,
like Jonah,
who has followed God
all of their life.
And it is asking
you and me,
what have you been turning to
all this time?
In any form
of storm in your life,
whether it's fear of failure,
missing out,
or death,
you will turn to something.
But the question is,
when you are
struck by fear,
are you turning
to the right thing?
Jesus' famous 12 disciples
who shared life with Christ,
they learnt the ways
of the kingdom,
they spent more time
with Jesus
than any other,
and they,
like Jonah,
and the sailors,
were caught in a storm,
and we are asking
the same question.
Do these disciples
turn to the right thing?
And the disciples,
too,
are fearful.
In Mark chapter 4,
we see that they question Jesus.
They go,
Teacher,
do you not care
that we are perishing?
And so,
what does Jesus do?
Unlike Jonah,
who says,
throw me,
he speaks
to the storm.
He calms the wind
and the waves
just by an utterance.
He simply says,
Peace.
Be still.
What God did for the sailors
when they sacrificed Jonah,
God does better for you
in Jesus.
Jesus can calm the storm
for he created the sea and land.
And God's son is not just
your sacrifice,
but the very one
who can calm your inner storm
for he is God.
friends,
today,
he is with you
amidst the storm
by his spirit.
And when you come
to the foot of the cross,
when you understand
the grace
that you have
in Jesus,
your fears
slowly allay
knowing
that you worship
the God
who formed
and commands
the wind
to spin
and the waves
to roar.
Some of us
might actually
have this huge block
of understanding
God's grace
and compassion
because of the storm
and the suffering.
And so I really want
to address this.
In Jonah,
what we do see
is that the storm
is a result
of Jonah's disobedience.
I mean,
the sailors
would not be caught up
in the storm
if Jonah wasn't
on the boat.
And so the question is,
is the storm
in your life
due to your sin?
Is it punishment?
What happens
if I'm amidst
the storm?
The answer of grace
does not only say
that Jesus took
the punishment
on the cross,
but it promises
God's presence
amidst the storm.
Regardless of a storm
being a consequence
of our foolishness
or it might be
some unimaginable
random tragedy
in your life.
The Lord uses
those moments
as grace
to redeem your heart,
to know that
there is only
one thing
that you can count on.
Friends,
you rest on the promise
and biblical reality
that's set
in Romans 8.28
that says,
and we know
that in all things
God works
for the good
of those
who love him,
who have been
called according
to his promise.
Friends,
there are pockets
of grace
in everything,
both the good
and the awful.
And what that
should cause you
to do
is that they
should cause you
to run.
Your fear
should actually
cause you
to run harder.
Run harder
not from him
but to him.
Not because
he will punish you
but because
he holds you
amidst the storm.
When you experience
joy,
run to the Father
who loves
giving good gifts
to his children.
When you are
stuck in doubt,
come to God
who brings you
the spirit
of truth.
When dark days
are all around,
seek Christ,
the Prince
of Peace.
For the solution
of fear
is not a suppression,
it's not to ignore,
it's to run.
But don't run away.
Run toward
the Father.
The Father
by whom
you had received
the best
by his son
on the cross
despite you
being at your worst.
And so the question
at the beginning
I asked,
what is God
doing
in the storm
of my life?
Where is God
amidst our fear?
And the answer
is God
is showing
his grace
to you
so that you
would fear him.
To fear
the gracious
one.
Friends,
you've looked
out
from the windowsill
and seen
this stormy
tapestry
unfold.
But I wonder
if there are
similarities
from Jonah
that align
with our lives.
Some of you
here
have come
to church
over the
many years
and you hear
the gospel
of Jesus
that Jesus
died for your
sins
so that you
can be made
right with him.
But Jesus
is only a matter
of the spiritual.
It's only a matter
of heaven.
But does he
shape
your everyday?
I'll listen
to the Bible
and maybe
the pastor
even
when I want
to know
what God
is doing
or to ask
about the
afterlife.
What happens?
What comes
after?
But when it
comes to
my job,
my family,
my time,
my house,
my spending
choices,
that's for me.
God's grace
and what
he has done
in my life
don't actually
take account
into all
the other
spheres.
And I wonder
if that's
sometimes how
we treat
God,
intentionally
and sometimes
absolutely
subconsciously.
But God
has made
you to
worship
and has
made
everything
to point
to his
grace.
The winds
and the
waves
are so wild
that you
can't
escape
seeing
that God
is saying
look,
look at
what I'm
doing.
I'm the
one who
made you.
Turn to
me because
I am
your rock,
your refuge,
your strength,
your solace.
I am
to be
your hiding
place.
The winds
and the
waves in
your life
may not
even be
big.
You might
be in a
season that
fills you
with joy,
but don't
miss the
sign.
How is
God
showing
his
grace
to you?
Maybe
your heart
is sitting
in
dissatisfaction
or discontent
with the
state of
your life,
but God's
grace is
so deeply
visible and
grand
that it
is
inescapable.
And so
I want to
ask you,
what is it
that you
fear that
you don't
believe God
will bring
you or
do better
in the
gospel?
Because God's
word reveals
that there is a
reality in the
gospel, the
good news of
Jesus, that
what is
immediately in
front of you?
And Jesus'
word is so
much better.
God's
word is so
your child.
Maybe you're
finding hanging
up the
laundry is
boring.
Give some
space to
look outward.
Because often
what I think
is I think
the grass is
greener
elsewhere.
Perhaps we
need to
actually look
at the
sailors for
encouragement.
Just like
what Jonah did
with the
sailors.
Are you
sitting in a
place where
you can
observe,
experience,
and reap
how God
is graciously
transforming
non-Christians
for his
glory?
Join a
ministry that
involves people
who are
excited or
keen to get
stuck in the
Bible to
discover Jesus
and see what
God is doing
at work.
Because I'm
convinced that
God will use
that to
inspire and
redeem what
is boring or
seemingly
unfulfilling,
and you'll
see that good
work for your
boss, your
colleagues.
It's a
winsome witness
for Christ.
You'll see that
praying with your
kids and reading
them a Bible
story every
night and then
tucking them
to bed has a
purpose for the
king because you
fear the
gracious one.
You revere that
his name is
great and to be
made holy, and
so you run to
him.
Storm or
sunshine,
grace is
there.
Cry out to
the one who
calms the
seas with a
word.
Cry out to
Jesus.
Don't run
from him.
Run to him,
the gracious
king.
Run to the
arms that are
held out on
the cross and
are held out
for you.
Friends, let's
pray.
Father God, we
thank you so
much that in
Jesus, we
see not only
our sacrifice,
but we see
one who is
present amidst
us in the
storm through
his spirit.
We ask that
we might see
that Jesus is
the gracious
one to turn
to.
He is our
hiding place,
both from the
present turmoil
or even the
coming judgment.
We ask that
we might have
a life
transformed by
the reality
that we are
to fear the
gracious one.
Amen.