WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.600 Well, it's great to be here this morning with all of you. 00:00:02.600 --> 00:00:05.960 My name is Patrick Daly, Pastor Patrick, 00:00:05.960 --> 00:00:07.919 and I have the privilege of serving here 00:00:07.919 --> 00:00:10.839 as the pastor of Ontario Community Church. 00:00:10.839 --> 00:00:14.320 If this is your first time or if this is your 100th time, 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:18.719 I hope that you have been warmly welcome and greeted 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:22.400 and just know that Jesus Christ loves you. 00:00:22.400 --> 00:00:24.760 I want to open up this sermon with a question, 00:00:24.760 --> 00:00:27.600 and I want you to think about this question. 00:00:27.600 --> 00:00:31.880 It's on your notes, and here it is. 00:00:31.880 --> 00:00:35.880 Have you ever felt overwhelmed? 00:00:35.880 --> 00:00:40.600 Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your sins? 00:00:40.600 --> 00:00:42.880 Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your sins 00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:47.880 like being swallowed up like Jonah was when he was swallowed 00:00:47.880 --> 00:00:50.240 up by the great fish? 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:51.760 Perhaps there was a time in your life 00:00:51.760 --> 00:00:54.680 where you felt like you were in isolation. 00:00:54.680 --> 00:00:56.400 Maybe there was a time that you felt 00:00:56.399 --> 00:00:58.679 that you were separate from God. 00:00:58.679 --> 00:01:01.600 Maybe there was a sense of uncertainty in your life. 00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:04.959 Maybe there was a time where you even felt depressed. 00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:08.000 And what I want you to do is to reflect on this this morning 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:11.319 as we go through these feelings in mind 00:01:11.319 --> 00:01:14.319 as we go through these passages in scripture. 00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:19.200 We will see that Jonah was swallowed up by the great fish. 00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:22.920 Remember, Jonah was called by God to preach 00:01:22.920 --> 00:01:24.519 to the city of Nineveh. 00:01:24.519 --> 00:01:26.079 And did Jonah go? 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:27.399 Well, no, he didn't. 00:01:27.399 --> 00:01:28.599 He ran off. 00:01:28.599 --> 00:01:31.199 He tried to flee to the city of Tarshish. 00:01:31.199 --> 00:01:33.840 He went to Jopah to go on a boat. 00:01:33.840 --> 00:01:34.560 And what happened? 00:01:34.560 --> 00:01:36.399 He made it to Tarshish? 00:01:36.399 --> 00:01:37.719 No, he didn't. 00:01:37.719 --> 00:01:41.280 In fact, what it says is God hurled a storm. 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:44.439 The storm came, and Jonah was asleep. 00:01:44.439 --> 00:01:48.359 Jonah had to, he was rebuked by the captain, 00:01:48.359 --> 00:01:52.679 and he had to give an account for what he is 00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:54.960 and the God that he believes in. 00:01:54.960 --> 00:01:58.120 And so we see that last week. 00:01:58.120 --> 00:02:00.520 Well, we're going to see what's leading up 00:02:00.520 --> 00:02:04.880 to this critical point in the story, where Jonah is thrown 00:02:04.880 --> 00:02:10.040 overboard into the sea to be swallowed up by the great fish. 00:02:10.040 --> 00:02:14.240 And we will see what happens when Jonah is in that time 00:02:14.240 --> 00:02:16.400 in the fish. 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:18.680 I cannot imagine such an experience 00:02:18.680 --> 00:02:20.879 to be thrown out into the water when there's 00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:27.319 a storm that's raging, to be in that situation where you're 00:02:27.319 --> 00:02:29.519 afraid for your life. 00:02:29.519 --> 00:02:31.680 I can't imagine that happening. 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:35.759 So today we're going to see how Jonah, there's three parallels 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:37.240 we're going to learn today. 00:02:37.240 --> 00:02:39.919 The first is the story of Jonah. 00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:42.800 The second is, how does Jonah have 00:02:42.800 --> 00:02:46.919 to do with the story or the passion of Christ? 00:02:46.919 --> 00:02:52.079 And the third is about salvation for sinners. 00:02:52.079 --> 00:02:56.959 We will see today that there is this parallel in scripture. 00:02:56.959 --> 00:02:59.639 Why do we read and study parallels? 00:02:59.639 --> 00:03:02.359 It helps us grow in our faith. 00:03:02.359 --> 00:03:06.479 It helps us to see the interwoveness, the connectedness 00:03:06.479 --> 00:03:09.239 from the Old Testament to the New Testament, 00:03:09.239 --> 00:03:12.079 from the prophets to Christ. 00:03:12.079 --> 00:03:15.319 Because what's so amazing about Christianity, 00:03:15.319 --> 00:03:18.239 what's amazing about Jesus Christ is, yes, 00:03:18.239 --> 00:03:20.599 he is the way, the truth, and the life. 00:03:20.599 --> 00:03:24.319 But the more that we read, the more that we learn and study 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:28.439 the Word of God, we will discover so much more 00:03:28.439 --> 00:03:30.039 from scripture. 00:03:30.039 --> 00:03:33.240 I'm titling the message for today, Christ's 00:03:33.240 --> 00:03:36.400 Prefiguration and Salvation for Sinners. 00:03:36.400 --> 00:03:38.719 I know that's kind of a complicated one, 00:03:38.719 --> 00:03:41.000 but we will unpack that. 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:45.000 So Christ's Prefiguration and Salvation for Sinners. 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:46.919 But let's open in prayer, and then we 00:03:46.919 --> 00:03:49.159 will read from the Word of God. 00:03:49.159 --> 00:03:53.159 Father, we come before you today as we are in our current 00:03:53.159 --> 00:03:55.520 circumstance or situation. 00:03:55.520 --> 00:03:57.360 No matter where we are at in life, 00:03:57.360 --> 00:03:59.560 if we're going through the times, the good, the bad, 00:03:59.560 --> 00:04:03.560 or even the ugly, we want to offer ourselves to you. 00:04:03.560 --> 00:04:07.759 Just like that song was saying, take it to the Lord in prayer. 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:11.439 And as we are praying, we want to offer our burdens to you. 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:13.560 We want to offer our circumstance. 00:04:13.560 --> 00:04:17.040 We want to offer our situation to you. 00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:20.600 We ask that you give us insight and that you give us wisdom, 00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:23.959 give us the knowledge, and motivation to act. 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:27.720 It is in you that we live, and it is in you that we love. 00:04:27.720 --> 00:04:31.199 May you open our minds to understand you. 00:04:31.199 --> 00:04:33.600 May you open our hearts to love you. 00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:36.920 And may you lead us and guide us as you always have. 00:04:36.920 --> 00:04:40.680 As we learn about your son, how he died on the cross, 00:04:40.680 --> 00:04:43.399 how he was buried, and how he rose again. 00:04:43.399 --> 00:04:47.679 So that we can have eternal life through faith, 00:04:47.679 --> 00:04:49.519 through belief. 00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:51.239 Your grace is enough, God. 00:04:51.239 --> 00:04:53.079 Your love is never ending. 00:04:53.079 --> 00:04:56.839 May we believe in you through faith and grow in you 00:04:56.839 --> 00:05:01.639 from that milk, like a child, to solid food. 00:05:01.639 --> 00:05:04.159 We ask that you be with us today. 00:05:04.159 --> 00:05:06.719 It is in Jesus' name that we pray, 00:05:06.719 --> 00:05:09.879 and we all say together, amen. 00:05:09.879 --> 00:05:11.079 So I want us to read together. 00:05:11.079 --> 00:05:14.759 It's going to be in your ESV Bibles. 00:05:16.560 --> 00:05:19.279 Feel free to open in page 920. 00:05:19.279 --> 00:05:21.599 We've been in page 924 while. 00:05:21.599 --> 00:05:25.639 If you're not using an ESV Bible, that is A-OK. 00:05:25.639 --> 00:05:29.240 We'll be going through Jonah chapter one, verse 17, 00:05:29.240 --> 00:05:33.759 through the end of chapter two, verse 10. 00:05:35.519 --> 00:05:36.919 So I'm going to go ahead and read it, 00:05:36.920 --> 00:05:41.800 and feel free to follow along. 00:05:41.800 --> 00:05:46.120 The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. 00:05:46.120 --> 00:05:47.199 So what's going on here? 00:05:47.199 --> 00:05:49.720 Jonah was just thrown out into the sea, right? 00:05:49.720 --> 00:05:52.160 And he's getting swallowed up by the fish. 00:05:52.160 --> 00:05:54.720 And Jonah was in the belly of the fish 00:05:54.720 --> 00:05:56.879 for three days and for three nights. 00:05:56.879 --> 00:06:01.360 My friends, there is something that is significant about that. 00:06:01.360 --> 00:06:03.439 So it goes into chapter two. 00:06:03.439 --> 00:06:05.600 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:08.080 from the belly of the fish, saying, 00:06:08.080 --> 00:06:11.879 I called out to the Lord out of my distress. 00:06:11.879 --> 00:06:15.280 And he answered me out of the belly of Sheol. 00:06:15.280 --> 00:06:18.800 I cried, and you heard my voice. 00:06:18.800 --> 00:06:22.080 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, 00:06:22.080 --> 00:06:25.480 and the flood surrounded me, and your waves and your billows 00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:27.200 passed over me. 00:06:27.200 --> 00:06:29.320 Then I said, I am driven from your sight, 00:06:29.320 --> 00:06:31.680 yet I shall look again upon your holy temple. 00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:33.879 My friends, he is fearing for his life, 00:06:33.879 --> 00:06:36.759 but he still has hope in God. 00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:38.120 I am driven from your sight. 00:06:38.120 --> 00:06:42.759 I feel away from you, but yet I shall again look upon your holy 00:06:42.759 --> 00:06:43.259 temple. 00:06:43.259 --> 00:06:44.680 That's so beautiful. 00:06:44.680 --> 00:06:47.560 The waters closed in over me to take my life. 00:06:47.560 --> 00:06:49.719 The deep surrounded me. 00:06:49.719 --> 00:06:53.480 Weeds were wrapped around my head and roots of the mountains. 00:06:53.480 --> 00:06:58.279 I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever. 00:06:58.279 --> 00:07:06.159 Yet you brought me up from, brought me my life from the what? 00:07:06.159 --> 00:07:07.919 From the pit. 00:07:07.919 --> 00:07:12.359 Oh, Lord, my God, when my life was fainting away, 00:07:12.359 --> 00:07:17.399 I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you 00:07:17.399 --> 00:07:19.839 into your holy temple. 00:07:19.839 --> 00:07:22.359 Those who pay regard to vain idols 00:07:22.359 --> 00:07:25.639 forsake their hope of steadfast love, 00:07:25.639 --> 00:07:29.719 but I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. 00:07:29.719 --> 00:07:33.599 What I have vowed, I will pay salvation. 00:07:33.599 --> 00:07:36.759 And the Lord spoke to the Lord. 00:07:36.759 --> 00:07:39.560 And it is after that prayer. 00:07:39.560 --> 00:07:44.719 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out 00:07:44.719 --> 00:07:48.519 upon the dry land. 00:07:48.519 --> 00:07:52.919 As we read this, we're going to see these connections here. 00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:55.680 Like I mentioned, there are these three parallels 00:07:55.680 --> 00:07:58.800 from the story of Jonah, the story of Christ, 00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:01.000 and the salvation of sinners. 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:03.360 So the first is the story of Jonah. 00:08:03.360 --> 00:08:08.280 Jonah is swallowed by the great fish because of his sin. 00:08:08.280 --> 00:08:12.800 It was because of Jonah running away from the Lord. 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:15.800 And we have to ask ourselves as Christians, 00:08:15.800 --> 00:08:19.040 or maybe people who don't know the Lord. 00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:22.080 We, as people, have to ask, how often 00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:24.399 do we run from the Lord? 00:08:24.399 --> 00:08:28.240 How often do we run away from our problems? 00:08:28.240 --> 00:08:33.799 How often do we try to run away from situations or circumstances 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:36.199 in which we are placed? 00:08:36.199 --> 00:08:38.519 The storm was hurled to stop Jonah, 00:08:38.519 --> 00:08:41.639 and the fish swallowing Jonah placed Jonah 00:08:41.639 --> 00:08:46.360 in a situation where he can reflect, where he can pray, 00:08:46.360 --> 00:08:50.079 he can take time to think, and most importantly, 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:53.200 he can confess his sins. 00:08:53.200 --> 00:08:55.480 My friends, there are situations where 00:08:55.480 --> 00:08:58.280 we are separated from God, where we're 00:08:58.280 --> 00:09:01.759 in this isolation, if you will, to take time 00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:06.960 to think of what we have done so that we can pray to the Lord, 00:09:06.960 --> 00:09:10.000 so that we can take time to think, what wrong did I do? 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:15.160 It's almost as though God is giving Jonah this time out. 00:09:15.160 --> 00:09:17.120 I know there are times with my own kids 00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:19.120 when they're doing wrong with my kids are not perfect. 00:09:19.120 --> 00:09:20.679 I've got five of them, OK? 00:09:20.679 --> 00:09:23.639 They are not perfect in any way, shape, or form, right? 00:09:23.639 --> 00:09:26.320 I wish they were, but there are times. 00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:28.879 I've got to take them for a time out. 00:09:28.879 --> 00:09:30.200 And I have to say, you know what? 00:09:30.200 --> 00:09:33.480 You need a few minutes in here to think about it. 00:09:33.480 --> 00:09:36.720 I like to think that that's how what God was doing with Jonah, 00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:40.080 taking some time to think about the wrong that he did, 00:09:40.080 --> 00:09:44.680 so that he can come back and say, I'm sorry. 00:09:44.680 --> 00:09:47.940 And in this case, how you say sorry 00:09:47.940 --> 00:09:50.800 is the repentance of your sins. 00:09:50.800 --> 00:09:55.160 It's just like how we say, I'm sorry to our parents. 00:09:55.160 --> 00:09:57.760 And sometimes when we run from God, 00:09:57.760 --> 00:10:00.680 we think we're getting away with it, don't we? 00:10:00.680 --> 00:10:04.080 Divine intervention as with the story of Jonah, 00:10:04.080 --> 00:10:07.320 it can leave us filled with guilt, shame, 00:10:07.320 --> 00:10:09.600 and a sense of separation from God. 00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:11.440 Remember, we've talked about this. 00:10:11.440 --> 00:10:17.880 When we sin, we are separate from the presence of the Lord. 00:10:17.879 --> 00:10:20.679 It is a part of the consequence of sin 00:10:20.679 --> 00:10:23.200 is that separation from God. 00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:26.519 In the case of Jonah's story, we can see this play out. 00:10:26.519 --> 00:10:28.639 Jonah bolted out of there. 00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:30.039 He ran off. 00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:32.480 He thought he could escape God's will. 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:35.919 A lot of us think that we can escape what God has planned 00:10:35.919 --> 00:10:38.039 for us, but can we? 00:10:38.039 --> 00:10:40.559 Well, that's a very simple answer, no. 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:42.679 But God intervened hurling the storm. 00:10:42.679 --> 00:10:46.639 And in this case, here's another part of the consequence. 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:49.559 The swallowing of Jonah. 00:10:49.559 --> 00:10:53.279 God appointed the great fish to swallow up Jonah 00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:57.960 so he could be isolated to take the time to think and reflect 00:10:57.960 --> 00:10:59.759 on what he did. 00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:02.600 I cannot account for every time that we are sad, 00:11:02.600 --> 00:11:04.199 but I can certainly say that there 00:11:04.199 --> 00:11:08.080 are times where we do get sad or we feel isolated, 00:11:08.080 --> 00:11:12.080 that it might be a call, an opportunity for you 00:11:12.080 --> 00:11:14.679 to reconnect with the Lord. 00:11:14.679 --> 00:11:17.839 This could be through the reading of scripture. 00:11:17.839 --> 00:11:21.359 When's the last time you've opened your Bible? 00:11:21.359 --> 00:11:24.199 When is the last time you've prayed to the Lord? 00:11:24.199 --> 00:11:27.919 When is the last time you even gave God a thought? 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:30.519 I tell you, in our culture, we're seeing more and more 00:11:30.519 --> 00:11:34.399 the word, the words biblical illiteracy 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:39.399 is becoming more real in this country, in America, 00:11:39.399 --> 00:11:40.959 unfortunately. 00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:45.480 And it is we are encouraged by the Lord to read and study 00:11:45.480 --> 00:11:49.480 scripture and to be connected with God. 00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:53.519 This is a situation we often find ourselves in. 00:11:53.519 --> 00:11:56.240 I know that in times when I have sinned, 00:11:56.240 --> 00:11:58.160 I felt like I could get away with it. 00:11:58.160 --> 00:11:59.920 Don't we all feel that way? 00:11:59.920 --> 00:12:02.040 Don't we all feel like, ah, I'm doing something wrong? 00:12:02.040 --> 00:12:05.360 It's like the classic, I think of the cookie 00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:07.160 from the cookie jar, right? 00:12:07.160 --> 00:12:09.080 How often do we try to steal from the cookie? 00:12:09.080 --> 00:12:12.520 And we think that, oh, well, mom and dad weren't watching, 00:12:12.520 --> 00:12:14.600 so I'm OK. 00:12:14.600 --> 00:12:16.759 It's just like how we are with sin, right? 00:12:16.759 --> 00:12:18.680 We think we can get away with it. 00:12:18.680 --> 00:12:20.360 But can we really? 00:12:20.360 --> 00:12:22.680 No, we can't. 00:12:22.680 --> 00:12:25.320 And consider a time where you found yourself 00:12:25.320 --> 00:12:28.560 in that dark place after doing the wrong thing. 00:12:28.560 --> 00:12:32.720 Perhaps you felt a sense of guilt or a sense of shame. 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:37.840 Do you, maybe it's time for you to reflect on the sins. 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:40.680 Do you feel the need to reflect on the sins 00:12:40.680 --> 00:12:42.360 that you've committed? 00:12:42.360 --> 00:12:43.639 Think about that. 00:12:43.639 --> 00:12:46.879 Think of how you can turn it around. 00:12:46.879 --> 00:12:49.080 One could also say that the belly of the fish, 00:12:49.080 --> 00:12:53.720 it symbolizes a place of isolation not only from God, 00:12:53.720 --> 00:12:58.040 because God knows where Jonah is, but also from everyone. 00:12:58.040 --> 00:13:01.080 It's a place of despair, but it's also a place of reflection. 00:13:01.080 --> 00:13:04.440 I bring these things up because I think that it's very real 00:13:04.440 --> 00:13:09.320 that when we sin, we often feel separated from people. 00:13:09.320 --> 00:13:12.520 Take that as an opportunity to get right with God. 00:13:12.520 --> 00:13:14.920 So then it goes into Jonah praying his prayer. 00:13:14.920 --> 00:13:16.800 Jonah is praying to the Lord. 00:13:16.800 --> 00:13:18.440 Jonah is inside of the fish. 00:13:18.440 --> 00:13:21.560 And despite him being in a place of isolation, 00:13:21.560 --> 00:13:24.280 he still prays to the Lord. 00:13:24.280 --> 00:13:29.000 When you feel separated from God, do you pray to Him? 00:13:29.000 --> 00:13:31.320 Or do you just sit there? 00:13:31.320 --> 00:13:32.560 Think of being on time out. 00:13:32.559 --> 00:13:34.599 I know at first we're going to cross our arms, 00:13:34.599 --> 00:13:35.879 and we're just going to be like, I don't 00:13:35.879 --> 00:13:40.319 want to be in this time out, but eventually, it's like, OK, 00:13:40.319 --> 00:13:42.119 take some time here. 00:13:42.119 --> 00:13:44.519 So Jonah is being in that place of isolation. 00:13:44.519 --> 00:13:47.879 He does what he calls upon the Lord. 00:13:47.879 --> 00:13:49.879 He prays to Him. 00:13:49.879 --> 00:13:52.559 He's thinking in the prayer in chapter 2 00:13:52.559 --> 00:13:55.359 about how God saved him, despite the fact 00:13:55.359 --> 00:13:57.799 that he was thrown out into the sea. 00:13:57.799 --> 00:13:59.199 He could have died there. 00:13:59.199 --> 00:14:01.359 That would have been a very different ending. 00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:03.919 But yet God appointed the great fish to save him, 00:14:03.919 --> 00:14:08.680 despite the fact he was thrown overboard in the storm. 00:14:08.680 --> 00:14:11.320 It says here he's fearing for his life, 00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:14.320 but he held on to hope for the Lord, which 00:14:14.320 --> 00:14:18.800 is a great reminder for us that when we are in times of crisis, 00:14:18.800 --> 00:14:21.360 when we have those trials and tribulations 00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:25.519 and the testing of our faith, where is your hope? 00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:29.759 It should be in God, no matter what season of life you're in. 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:33.120 Whether you are young and you're learning about who you are, 00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:35.960 whether you're in middle age and you're starting your family, 00:14:35.960 --> 00:14:39.080 or whether you are in an older age, 00:14:39.080 --> 00:14:44.000 you seek the Lord in every season of your life. 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:47.879 Jonah feared for his life, and he mentions the temple. 00:14:47.879 --> 00:14:50.759 Well, this has to do with being restored once again, 00:14:50.759 --> 00:14:55.080 because Jonah is saying that he will go to the temple again 00:14:55.080 --> 00:14:56.799 to worship God. 00:14:56.799 --> 00:14:59.120 That's like saying, I'm in this pit. 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:00.360 I'm stuck in a mine. 00:15:00.360 --> 00:15:01.399 I'm stuck in here. 00:15:01.399 --> 00:15:03.080 I'm trapped. 00:15:03.080 --> 00:15:06.279 But I know one day I will go back to church one day. 00:15:06.279 --> 00:15:08.919 That would be a modern rendition of that. 00:15:08.919 --> 00:15:11.039 Jonah remembers the Lord by praying to him 00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:12.840 in that time of crisis. 00:15:12.840 --> 00:15:16.799 He mentions that those who worship false idols, 00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:19.200 they forsake their hope instead fast love. 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:24.240 What's so interesting about that is when you go to that verse, 00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:27.279 when they're forsaking their hope for steadfast love, 00:15:27.279 --> 00:15:30.279 Jonah is saying that those who are worshiping idols 00:15:30.279 --> 00:15:33.079 are wasting their time, their effort, and energy 00:15:33.079 --> 00:15:35.639 in worshiping something that is created 00:15:35.639 --> 00:15:38.319 compared to worshiping the Creator. 00:15:38.319 --> 00:15:44.120 So it's kind of like when I'm so focused and dedicated on, 00:15:44.120 --> 00:15:48.319 and I'm obsessed, and I'm worshiping my phone, for example. 00:15:48.319 --> 00:15:51.639 Oh, there's a lot of us that that's a modern day idol, 00:15:51.639 --> 00:15:53.319 isn't it? 00:15:53.319 --> 00:15:54.839 They're worshiping their phone. 00:15:54.839 --> 00:15:56.959 They're worshiping that which was created 00:15:56.960 --> 00:15:58.879 instead of the Creator. 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:00.360 And it's just to keep us in check. 00:16:00.360 --> 00:16:01.920 There's nothing wrong with having phones. 00:16:01.920 --> 00:16:03.639 There's nothing wrong with having game systems. 00:16:03.639 --> 00:16:05.759 There's nothing wrong with having a lot of these things. 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:10.280 It's when it consumes you, when it becomes an obsession, 00:16:10.280 --> 00:16:13.160 when it goes beyond the scope of what it's intended for, 00:16:13.160 --> 00:16:14.720 something for fun, right? 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:18.240 We like having fun, but when it becomes that obsession. 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:22.440 So what Jonah's saying here, false gods have no real power. 00:16:22.440 --> 00:16:25.160 And these idol worshipers, they turn their back on God 00:16:25.159 --> 00:16:28.559 and they lose the opportunity to have and experience 00:16:28.559 --> 00:16:30.480 the real love that comes from God. 00:16:30.480 --> 00:16:34.559 And I pray, my friends, that we do not fall into idolatry 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:38.559 to worship false gods or the things that are created. 00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:40.600 Think of the golden calf. 00:16:40.600 --> 00:16:42.000 It is created. 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:43.719 It is not the creator. 00:16:43.719 --> 00:16:45.039 Think of the cell phone. 00:16:45.039 --> 00:16:47.679 It is created, not creator. 00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:49.720 We worship the Creator. 00:16:49.720 --> 00:16:51.600 We worship the living God. 00:16:51.600 --> 00:16:55.079 We worship the God who created the heavens and the earth, 00:16:55.080 --> 00:16:59.360 who sent his son, Jesus Christ, and who lived, 00:16:59.360 --> 00:17:03.120 performed miracles, died, and was buried and rose again 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:07.640 so that we could have salvation in him. 00:17:07.640 --> 00:17:12.319 Let us worship the one living in true God, who created 00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:16.200 this world everlasting to everlasting. 00:17:16.200 --> 00:17:19.480 Jonah thanks God, and he is ready to make a commitment 00:17:19.480 --> 00:17:21.480 to the Lord once again by saying, 00:17:21.480 --> 00:17:24.240 salvation belongs to the Lord. 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:28.200 When he says that towards the end of this prayer, 00:17:28.200 --> 00:17:31.240 it's this commitment to God. 00:17:31.240 --> 00:17:32.839 He's saying, I am committing to you. 00:17:32.839 --> 00:17:35.079 Look, I know the wrong that I did, 00:17:35.079 --> 00:17:36.920 and I want to turn it around. 00:17:36.920 --> 00:17:38.759 Remember the kid on timeout? 00:17:38.759 --> 00:17:40.920 He's ready to say sorry to his parents 00:17:40.920 --> 00:17:42.599 or his caretakers or whatever. 00:17:42.599 --> 00:17:46.120 Just like how we, when we feel sorry for our sins, 00:17:46.120 --> 00:17:48.759 we pray to God and we confess our sins. 00:17:48.759 --> 00:17:50.240 We repent. 00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:53.279 It is after the prayer and the commitment 00:17:53.279 --> 00:17:55.879 that the fish, that God speaks to the fish. 00:17:55.879 --> 00:17:57.799 That's very interesting language. 00:17:57.799 --> 00:17:59.720 That God is speaking to the fish and the fish 00:17:59.720 --> 00:18:01.279 just like, all right, let's let him out of here 00:18:01.279 --> 00:18:04.200 and let's him out onto the dry land. 00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:06.720 And so there's parallels in here. 00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:09.000 I'd like to go ahead and share some amazing things 00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:10.319 in the verses in scripture. 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:12.079 And the first thing we find of course, 00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:15.079 is the story of Jonah and the great fish, 00:18:15.079 --> 00:18:16.879 or Jonah and the whale. 00:18:16.879 --> 00:18:18.200 I know some people are bothered by, 00:18:18.200 --> 00:18:20.480 I'm not calling it a whale, but scripture calls it 00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:21.639 the great fish, right? 00:18:21.640 --> 00:18:26.640 So we also see, and can you guys see this? 00:18:28.720 --> 00:18:30.320 So Jonah and the great fish. 00:18:30.320 --> 00:18:34.200 So the first point is, it is the swallowing of Jonah, right? 00:18:34.200 --> 00:18:37.480 As referenced in Jonah 1.17. 00:18:37.480 --> 00:18:41.440 Three days and three nights, it led to Jonah's what? 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:44.560 Prayer and repentance, right? 00:18:44.560 --> 00:18:48.000 So he prays to the Lord and he's asking for forgiveness. 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:50.120 He wants to be restored. 00:18:50.119 --> 00:18:55.119 The vomiting of Jonah onto dry land. 00:18:55.959 --> 00:18:58.719 So these are the key points, the swallowing, 00:18:58.719 --> 00:19:02.119 the prayer and repentance, and the vomiting. 00:19:02.119 --> 00:19:05.399 Okay, you have that in your notes everyone? 00:19:05.399 --> 00:19:10.399 Okay, so we can see that as in chapter one, verse 17, right? 00:19:10.639 --> 00:19:13.519 He was in the belly of the fish for three days. 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:15.599 Three days and three nights. 00:19:15.599 --> 00:19:19.000 It is a reminder of us of like how Christ was, 00:19:19.000 --> 00:19:22.000 he was crucified, he was buried in the tomb 00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:24.920 for how long, 14 days? 00:19:24.920 --> 00:19:26.599 Three days, right? 00:19:26.599 --> 00:19:31.599 And on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead. 00:19:33.480 --> 00:19:36.480 Makes me think about that the story of Jonah here 00:19:36.480 --> 00:19:39.119 is foreshadowing Christ. 00:19:39.119 --> 00:19:43.160 It is what you would call prefiguring Christ, right? 00:19:43.160 --> 00:19:47.519 And what that means is before the figure of Christ 00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:50.440 or before the person of Christ. 00:19:50.440 --> 00:19:53.440 It is a foreshadowing, it is a foretelling, 00:19:53.440 --> 00:19:58.440 it is basically scripture, God having his way in scripture. 00:19:59.400 --> 00:20:01.559 This helps me personally in my faith 00:20:01.559 --> 00:20:03.480 because when I read this, I think, wow, 00:20:03.480 --> 00:20:06.200 this is directly pointing to Christ. 00:20:06.200 --> 00:20:08.079 I'm amazed by that. 00:20:08.079 --> 00:20:11.720 That helps me realize, it helps solidify my faith 00:20:11.720 --> 00:20:13.519 and I hope it does with you as well. 00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:18.519 So Christ's prefiguration refers to before 00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:20.519 the figure of Christ. 00:20:20.519 --> 00:20:23.319 And another example of when Christ is prefigured 00:20:23.319 --> 00:20:26.920 is when Abraham is being asked to sacrifice Isaac to God. 00:20:26.920 --> 00:20:28.599 You guys remember that story, right? 00:20:28.599 --> 00:20:32.639 Where God provides a sacrifice, right? 00:20:32.639 --> 00:20:35.839 There was that faith and when you read it, 00:20:35.839 --> 00:20:38.920 you're like, oh my gosh, Abraham's actually gonna 00:20:38.920 --> 00:20:42.240 sacrifice his son as an offering to God. 00:20:42.240 --> 00:20:46.839 But when you think about it, when God provides the sacrifice, 00:20:46.839 --> 00:20:50.160 it's just like how God is going to provide 00:20:50.160 --> 00:20:54.400 the sacrificial lamb, like how God is going to provide 00:20:54.400 --> 00:20:59.400 Jesus Christ who's going to die on the cross for our sins. 00:20:59.400 --> 00:21:03.480 God will provide a sacrifice, not just in the context 00:21:03.480 --> 00:21:05.880 of what's happening with Abraham and Isaac, 00:21:05.880 --> 00:21:09.720 but it's foretelling, it's prefiguring what is going to 00:21:09.720 --> 00:21:13.480 happen with Jesus Christ later on in scripture, my friends. 00:21:13.480 --> 00:21:15.799 That's one of the really cool things about scripture. 00:21:15.799 --> 00:21:19.039 It's like, whoa, there's something to this book here. 00:21:19.039 --> 00:21:21.759 There's something that's really amazing here. 00:21:21.759 --> 00:21:25.440 So we find the passion of Christ. 00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:28.940 So the swallowing, let's go to that next slide. 00:21:30.079 --> 00:21:34.559 The swallowing equals Christ's death, right? 00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:38.039 So how Jonah was swallowed into the whale 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:43.039 or the great fish was like symbolism for Jonah 00:21:43.079 --> 00:21:45.720 being isolated, separated from God. 00:21:45.720 --> 00:21:50.240 And we see this in the New Testament with Christ's death. 00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:54.720 It symbolizes the event of Christ's death on the cross. 00:21:54.720 --> 00:21:59.720 It is a reminder of Christ's sacrificial love for us. 00:22:00.139 --> 00:22:03.319 We know that Jesus paid it all on the cross 00:22:03.319 --> 00:22:04.639 so that we can live. 00:22:04.639 --> 00:22:07.039 My friends, there's a lot of verses on there on your notes 00:22:07.039 --> 00:22:10.559 that you can refer to, but a lot of it has to do 00:22:10.559 --> 00:22:13.960 with Christ's death, just like how Jesus on the cross 00:22:13.960 --> 00:22:16.639 said it is finished. 00:22:16.639 --> 00:22:19.639 That's such a powerful point in scripture. 00:22:19.639 --> 00:22:22.119 We find that the three days and nights 00:22:22.119 --> 00:22:25.960 in the great fish is Christ's burial, right? 00:22:25.960 --> 00:22:28.359 We know that Christ died and he was buried 00:22:28.359 --> 00:22:29.839 and on the third day. 00:22:29.839 --> 00:22:33.920 So there's that time period where Christ is buried, 00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:38.120 just like how there's a time period where Jonah's in the whale. 00:22:38.120 --> 00:22:42.519 And then finally, well, just remember, 00:22:42.519 --> 00:22:43.940 three days and three nights, right? 00:22:43.940 --> 00:22:46.740 It symbolizes the period of Christ's death. 00:22:46.740 --> 00:22:48.860 So that third point is the vomiting. 00:22:48.860 --> 00:22:51.019 I never liked that word, the spit it out, right? 00:22:51.019 --> 00:22:53.880 But I guess it's very graphic, if you will, right? 00:22:53.880 --> 00:22:58.120 It's like, I think of like, imagine you're eating something 00:22:58.120 --> 00:22:59.640 and you don't like it and you spit it out. 00:22:59.640 --> 00:23:02.620 It's kind of like what's going on with the great fish here. 00:23:02.619 --> 00:23:07.259 So the vomiting of Jonah onto dry land by the great fish, 00:23:07.259 --> 00:23:09.879 it symbolizes Christ's resurrection 00:23:09.879 --> 00:23:14.879 because Jonah is being restored back to his mission 00:23:14.879 --> 00:23:17.639 in which God had sent him to. 00:23:17.639 --> 00:23:21.359 So that is one parallel in of itself. 00:23:21.359 --> 00:23:25.599 Christ's resurrection is victory over death and sin. 00:23:25.599 --> 00:23:28.679 It is the promise of eternal life in him. 00:23:28.680 --> 00:23:33.000 We have hope and of redemption and salvation. 00:23:34.000 --> 00:23:36.560 This leads us to the next connection. 00:23:37.640 --> 00:23:40.880 It's the next connection that we find in the word of God. 00:23:40.880 --> 00:23:45.140 We know that the swallowing is much like how we are swallowed 00:23:45.140 --> 00:23:50.140 or consumed by sin before we know the Lord. 00:23:50.620 --> 00:23:52.080 In fact, if we're living in sin, 00:23:52.080 --> 00:23:55.200 it's almost like we get swallowed up again. 00:23:55.200 --> 00:23:57.960 Before we know the Lord, we are lost. 00:23:57.960 --> 00:24:01.360 Think about the time before you became a Christian. 00:24:01.360 --> 00:24:03.360 Think about the time when you didn't know the Lord 00:24:03.360 --> 00:24:07.019 or think about a time when you were living in sin. 00:24:08.039 --> 00:24:11.480 There's that sense of isolation and separation from God. 00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:16.799 Perhaps during the challenging days, a stressful situation. 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:21.039 Without God, we often try to handle things on our own. 00:24:21.039 --> 00:24:23.240 It's like what I was going over last week 00:24:23.240 --> 00:24:28.240 when the sailors were trying to row against the storm. 00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:30.620 We can't row upstream, can we? 00:24:30.620 --> 00:24:34.259 We might for a little bit, but to no avail. 00:24:34.259 --> 00:24:38.440 We struggle upstream without God's guidance. 00:24:38.440 --> 00:24:40.779 Sometimes we row against the storm. 00:24:40.779 --> 00:24:43.299 We can't fight Mother Nature, can we? 00:24:43.299 --> 00:24:44.759 We just simply can't. 00:24:44.759 --> 00:24:47.720 It would be so cool if we could row upstream 00:24:47.720 --> 00:24:49.480 and we could just get on our way up. 00:24:49.480 --> 00:24:53.680 But the forces of nature, the power of our God, 00:24:53.680 --> 00:24:56.920 that the power in which God set into motion 00:24:56.920 --> 00:25:01.680 in His creation is incredible. 00:25:01.680 --> 00:25:04.480 I mean, you look at the mountains sometime. 00:25:04.480 --> 00:25:08.799 Go for a drive sometime and look at all the trees. 00:25:08.799 --> 00:25:11.319 Makes you realize how small you are. 00:25:11.319 --> 00:25:13.759 Compared to the mountains or the ocean. 00:25:15.160 --> 00:25:16.480 It's just incredible. 00:25:16.480 --> 00:25:21.480 We are lost without God, but with God, 00:25:21.860 --> 00:25:25.620 we are set on a better path for our lives 00:25:25.620 --> 00:25:27.500 and for a promise of heaven. 00:25:27.500 --> 00:25:30.220 Salvation belongs to the Lord. 00:25:30.220 --> 00:25:32.559 We are sinners in need of a savior. 00:25:32.559 --> 00:25:34.900 It is about recognizing who God is 00:25:34.900 --> 00:25:37.819 and accepting that we as people are not perfect. 00:25:37.819 --> 00:25:40.779 There is no one who is perfect except for God. 00:25:40.779 --> 00:25:42.539 God is beyond our understanding 00:25:42.539 --> 00:25:44.900 and I do not believe that we can fully grasp 00:25:44.900 --> 00:25:47.019 or understand with our limited knowledge 00:25:47.019 --> 00:25:49.140 and understanding the essence, 00:25:49.140 --> 00:25:51.500 the attributes of who God is. 00:25:51.500 --> 00:25:53.500 He is so big. 00:25:53.500 --> 00:25:55.140 Look at a telescope sometime 00:25:55.140 --> 00:25:58.160 and you see how far the stars in the sky are. 00:25:58.160 --> 00:26:02.860 That's just a piece of what the power of our God is. 00:26:02.860 --> 00:26:06.580 He gives us life and He presents us with a choice 00:26:06.580 --> 00:26:10.259 to follow Him or to not follow Him. 00:26:10.259 --> 00:26:12.620 Do you want to be close to Him 00:26:12.619 --> 00:26:15.779 or do you want to remain apart from Him? 00:26:15.779 --> 00:26:18.939 It is the question of what you will decide. 00:26:18.939 --> 00:26:20.500 We are consumed by our sin 00:26:20.500 --> 00:26:23.139 until we decide to have Jesus in our hearts. 00:26:23.139 --> 00:26:24.500 It is the surrender. 00:26:24.500 --> 00:26:28.500 It is the realizing that yes, I cannot do it on my own. 00:26:28.500 --> 00:26:30.679 I cannot do it alone. 00:26:30.679 --> 00:26:32.459 I need God in my life. 00:26:32.459 --> 00:26:36.139 I need Christ at the center of my life 00:26:36.139 --> 00:26:37.419 and it is in Him. 00:26:37.419 --> 00:26:39.919 It is in Christ alone that we are saved. 00:26:39.920 --> 00:26:42.700 My friends, we are saved by grace through faith 00:26:42.700 --> 00:26:46.840 and I do not wish to be swallowed up by sin forever. 00:26:48.060 --> 00:26:50.420 I wish to be vomited out. 00:26:50.420 --> 00:26:51.259 If you will. 00:26:51.259 --> 00:26:52.600 Right? 00:26:52.600 --> 00:26:55.259 You never thought you'd hear a pastor say that. 00:26:55.259 --> 00:26:57.580 I wish to be vomited out out of the whale, 00:26:57.580 --> 00:26:59.060 out of the great fish. 00:26:59.060 --> 00:27:01.259 I want to be on dry land. 00:27:01.259 --> 00:27:02.980 I don't want to be consumed by my sin. 00:27:02.980 --> 00:27:04.580 It's like how Romans is saying 00:27:04.580 --> 00:27:07.860 that God gave them up to their sins. 00:27:07.859 --> 00:27:10.459 That's like a swallowing right there. 00:27:10.459 --> 00:27:13.899 So the swallowing equals consumed by sin. 00:27:13.899 --> 00:27:16.299 Just as Jonah was swallowed by the great fish, 00:27:16.299 --> 00:27:19.379 we too find ourselves consumed by our sins 00:27:19.379 --> 00:27:21.199 before we know the Lord. 00:27:21.199 --> 00:27:22.419 It's like we have sinned. 00:27:22.419 --> 00:27:26.879 It's completely overwhelming us. 00:27:26.879 --> 00:27:28.339 We are separated from God 00:27:28.339 --> 00:27:30.979 and there's that spiritual death there. 00:27:30.979 --> 00:27:33.339 This is the third parallel. 00:27:33.339 --> 00:27:35.740 Then there's the prayer and the repentance 00:27:35.740 --> 00:27:37.620 which is the what? 00:27:37.620 --> 00:27:41.380 The confessing of our sins. 00:27:41.380 --> 00:27:42.660 Just like Jonah. 00:27:42.660 --> 00:27:46.900 Jonah offered a prayer of repentance from within the sin. 00:27:46.900 --> 00:27:48.620 From within the fish. 00:27:48.620 --> 00:27:52.859 We too are called to confess and repent of our sins. 00:27:52.859 --> 00:27:54.339 It is the act of confession 00:27:54.339 --> 00:27:57.420 that is a crucial step towards reconciliation with God 00:27:57.420 --> 00:28:01.779 and it leads to forgiveness and restoration with him. 00:28:01.779 --> 00:28:03.559 I would like to be fully restored. 00:28:03.559 --> 00:28:04.420 I don't know about you, 00:28:04.420 --> 00:28:08.120 but I hope that you wish to be close to God 00:28:08.120 --> 00:28:09.820 because God is holy, 00:28:09.820 --> 00:28:11.539 because God is light, 00:28:11.539 --> 00:28:13.259 because God provides us truth 00:28:13.259 --> 00:28:16.500 in this fog of confusion that exists in our world 00:28:16.500 --> 00:28:17.960 and in our culture. 00:28:18.820 --> 00:28:21.420 I like things when they're simple. 00:28:21.420 --> 00:28:24.140 I like things when they're constant 00:28:24.140 --> 00:28:28.380 and God is our constant in this ever-changing world. 00:28:28.380 --> 00:28:30.140 We can go on and on about all the things 00:28:30.140 --> 00:28:32.300 that are changing in this world, 00:28:32.300 --> 00:28:33.340 but we don't have to. 00:28:33.339 --> 00:28:36.059 The one thing we should be reminded 00:28:36.059 --> 00:28:38.619 is that God is our constant. 00:28:38.619 --> 00:28:42.639 Everlasting to everlasting, God does not change. 00:28:42.639 --> 00:28:44.339 Sometimes we change. 00:28:44.339 --> 00:28:45.939 How often do we change? 00:28:45.939 --> 00:28:48.059 But God is still there for us. 00:28:48.919 --> 00:28:52.139 The vomiting is the cleansing of our sins. 00:28:52.139 --> 00:28:57.139 Just as Jonah was vomited from the great fish on dry land, 00:28:57.139 --> 00:29:00.859 we too can be cleansed of our sins 00:29:00.859 --> 00:29:03.240 and restored into fellowship with God. 00:29:03.240 --> 00:29:05.859 This cleansing transforms us 00:29:05.859 --> 00:29:08.380 and sets us free from sin. 00:29:08.380 --> 00:29:10.940 We have new life in him. 00:29:10.940 --> 00:29:13.900 We are a new creation. 00:29:13.900 --> 00:29:15.220 We will be connected 00:29:15.220 --> 00:29:18.400 or in some instances reconnected from the Lord. 00:29:18.400 --> 00:29:21.359 Do you feel separate from God these days? 00:29:21.359 --> 00:29:24.940 Perhaps this is a call for you to connect with God 00:29:24.940 --> 00:29:26.980 or to reconnect with God. 00:29:27.940 --> 00:29:30.259 I pray that you see and you hear from today, 00:29:30.259 --> 00:29:33.339 not from my words, but from the word of God, 00:29:33.339 --> 00:29:34.920 that there is a connection here, 00:29:34.920 --> 00:29:38.259 that we see that Jesus Christ, he died for our sins, right? 00:29:38.259 --> 00:29:40.660 There was the death, the burial, and the resurrections. 00:29:40.660 --> 00:29:42.259 There was the swallowing of Jonah. 00:29:42.259 --> 00:29:44.160 There was the prayer and the vomiting, 00:29:44.160 --> 00:29:47.819 just like how we are swallowed by sin. 00:29:47.819 --> 00:29:50.940 And there's that opportunity for us to pray 00:29:50.940 --> 00:29:52.759 and to get right with God. 00:29:52.759 --> 00:29:54.500 And there's the restoration. 00:29:54.500 --> 00:29:57.400 It's these three steps, if you will. 00:29:57.400 --> 00:30:00.160 It's these three parts of the story. 00:30:01.700 --> 00:30:03.060 There's that connection. 00:30:03.060 --> 00:30:05.019 And I wanna remind us, my friends, 00:30:05.019 --> 00:30:07.240 I cannot emphasize this enough. 00:30:07.240 --> 00:30:09.620 When we make a decision from Christ, 00:30:09.620 --> 00:30:14.620 we are free from sin and not free to sin. 00:30:15.460 --> 00:30:17.440 You understand the difference? 00:30:17.440 --> 00:30:19.360 Free from sins is acknowledging 00:30:19.360 --> 00:30:20.980 that Jesus paid it all on the cross 00:30:20.980 --> 00:30:22.820 that does not give us a ticket to ride. 00:30:22.820 --> 00:30:24.620 If you guys know that song, right? 00:30:24.619 --> 00:30:28.139 You gotta take it to ride, you gotta take it to sin. 00:30:28.139 --> 00:30:29.299 No, no, no, no, no. 00:30:29.299 --> 00:30:31.059 And unfortunately, what happens 00:30:31.059 --> 00:30:33.859 is there are some Christians that think that. 00:30:33.859 --> 00:30:35.359 I'm saved by grace through faith, 00:30:35.359 --> 00:30:36.579 so I can do what I want. 00:30:36.579 --> 00:30:39.199 I can go see you, I can go live a sinful life. 00:30:39.199 --> 00:30:40.739 Absolutely not. 00:30:40.739 --> 00:30:42.939 I think you kinda missed the point here. 00:30:42.939 --> 00:30:45.179 So I wanna emphasize this here, though. 00:30:45.179 --> 00:30:46.859 When we make that decision for Christ, 00:30:46.859 --> 00:30:51.139 we are free from sin and not free to sin. 00:30:51.139 --> 00:30:53.339 For sin, it swallows us up 00:30:53.339 --> 00:30:55.699 when we do not have Jesus in our hearts. 00:30:55.699 --> 00:30:58.699 It is in Christ that we are set free from sin. 00:30:58.699 --> 00:31:01.699 It requires us to make that decision 00:31:01.699 --> 00:31:04.139 to receive the free gift of salvation, 00:31:04.139 --> 00:31:06.099 to accept Jesus Christ in our hearts 00:31:06.099 --> 00:31:10.559 by believing in Christ through faith. 00:31:10.559 --> 00:31:13.939 I am reminded, one of my favorite stories in scripture 00:31:13.939 --> 00:31:16.319 is the thief on the cross, 00:31:16.319 --> 00:31:19.939 who he asks Jesus to remember him. 00:31:19.939 --> 00:31:21.500 And what does Christ say? 00:31:21.500 --> 00:31:23.500 Did I never knew you? 00:31:23.500 --> 00:31:24.700 No. 00:31:24.700 --> 00:31:27.819 He says, amen, you will be with me today. 00:31:27.819 --> 00:31:30.500 You will be with me in paradise. 00:31:30.500 --> 00:31:32.500 That's just a wonderful encouragement. 00:31:34.180 --> 00:31:37.539 We have the opportunity to make a decision for Christ 00:31:37.539 --> 00:31:40.660 and to be, or to be restored with Christ. 00:31:40.660 --> 00:31:43.980 John 3.16 tells us that whoever believes in him 00:31:43.980 --> 00:31:47.180 will not perish, but have eternal life. 00:31:47.180 --> 00:31:50.299 Believe in the Lord, confess your sins, 00:31:50.299 --> 00:31:53.819 and be placed on a path towards the light. 00:31:54.700 --> 00:31:57.740 Today, we have gone through the story of Jonah. 00:31:57.740 --> 00:32:02.180 We have seen, my friends, three parallels is incredible. 00:32:02.180 --> 00:32:04.539 I hope it solidifies your faith. 00:32:04.539 --> 00:32:07.099 I hope that it helps you in your journey with Christ. 00:32:07.099 --> 00:32:10.619 We've seen the parallels with the story of Jonah, 00:32:10.619 --> 00:32:12.059 with the passion of the Christ, 00:32:12.059 --> 00:32:14.980 and salvation for sinners. 00:32:14.980 --> 00:32:17.859 They echo each other, if you will. 00:32:17.859 --> 00:32:20.500 Jonah was consumed by the great fish, 00:32:20.500 --> 00:32:23.459 and we too are consumed by our sins. 00:32:23.459 --> 00:32:25.859 But it is through the accepting of Christ. 00:32:25.859 --> 00:32:28.339 It is through confession and repentance 00:32:28.339 --> 00:32:31.099 that we can be cleansed and restored 00:32:31.099 --> 00:32:34.579 to have that relationship to be close with God, 00:32:34.579 --> 00:32:37.259 to have that fellowship with God. 00:32:37.259 --> 00:32:40.979 Just as Jonah was vomited out by the fish, 00:32:40.979 --> 00:32:43.740 we see that Christ was resurrected. 00:32:43.740 --> 00:32:46.139 And I pray that we can get right with God 00:32:46.140 --> 00:32:48.740 from wherever we're at. 00:32:48.740 --> 00:32:50.540 Whether you don't know the Lord, 00:32:50.540 --> 00:32:51.580 or you've known the Lord, 00:32:51.580 --> 00:32:53.020 and maybe you've been like Jonah, 00:32:53.020 --> 00:32:54.340 and running away from him, 00:32:55.380 --> 00:32:59.340 I encourage you to get right with the Lord. 00:32:59.340 --> 00:33:02.259 So the closing question here is, 00:33:02.259 --> 00:33:06.540 how can we apply Jonah's lesson of repentance 00:33:06.540 --> 00:33:09.220 and redemption to our lives? 00:33:09.220 --> 00:33:11.820 You don't have to fill that in and turn that in, okay? 00:33:11.820 --> 00:33:14.620 It's this isn't Sunday school, but by all means, 00:33:14.619 --> 00:33:17.779 it's something that I want you to think about 00:33:17.779 --> 00:33:19.379 as we are closing today. 00:33:19.379 --> 00:33:22.539 I'd like to invite the musicians to go ahead and come up. 00:33:24.019 --> 00:33:26.459 As we close our time today, 00:33:26.459 --> 00:33:31.459 I want us to take a moment to reflect on the journey of Jonah. 00:33:31.539 --> 00:33:35.699 This echoes the journey that we have with the Lord. 00:33:35.699 --> 00:33:39.819 We're swallowed by sin, and we need to repent. 00:33:39.819 --> 00:33:42.339 We need to pray and get right with God. 00:33:42.339 --> 00:33:44.899 And we ultimately, by doing so, 00:33:44.899 --> 00:33:48.019 we will be cleansed and reconciled. 00:33:48.019 --> 00:33:50.579 Just like Jonah in the belly of the great fish, 00:33:50.579 --> 00:33:53.939 perhaps you find yourself consumed by guilt, 00:33:53.939 --> 00:33:57.339 shame, or a sense of separation from the Lord. 00:33:58.339 --> 00:34:01.819 Remember, God didn't leave Jonah in the sin to die. 00:34:01.819 --> 00:34:04.339 Instead, he appointed a time where he can think 00:34:04.339 --> 00:34:07.019 and reflect on what he had done. 00:34:08.739 --> 00:34:11.819 I pray that you get right with God. 00:34:11.820 --> 00:34:16.539 In the same way, God doesn't want to leave you in your sin. 00:34:16.539 --> 00:34:19.340 Christ came, died, and was resurrected 00:34:19.340 --> 00:34:22.220 so that we might have life. 00:34:22.220 --> 00:34:25.580 Just as the fish vomited Jonah onto dry land, 00:34:25.580 --> 00:34:28.460 symbolizing cleansing and restoration, 00:34:28.460 --> 00:34:33.460 Christ's resurrection promises victory over sin and death. 00:34:34.380 --> 00:34:37.500 If you feel that the Holy Spirit is tugging at your heart 00:34:37.500 --> 00:34:39.700 or you're ready to confess your sins, 00:34:39.699 --> 00:34:43.139 to repent and to follow Jesus as your Lord and Savior, 00:34:43.139 --> 00:34:47.980 I would like to invite you to come forward now. 00:34:47.980 --> 00:34:50.339 Whether this is your first time accepting the Lord 00:34:50.339 --> 00:34:54.659 or you're returning to him after being away, come. 00:34:55.539 --> 00:34:58.219 Remember that whoever believes in him 00:34:58.219 --> 00:35:01.179 will not perish but have eternal life. 00:35:01.179 --> 00:35:03.859 Let us make the decision today 00:35:03.859 --> 00:35:08.859 to not just be hearers of the word, but doers as well. 00:35:08.860 --> 00:35:12.940 Don't leave this place without making peace with God. 00:35:14.059 --> 00:35:16.140 If this message today has touched your heart 00:35:16.140 --> 00:35:17.820 and you'd like to respond, 00:35:17.820 --> 00:35:20.099 I'd like to invite you to come to the altar today. 00:35:20.099 --> 00:35:23.420 And I'd like to have maybe some of our board up to pray 00:35:23.420 --> 00:35:26.260 with anyone who needs prayer, maybe a couple. 00:35:28.140 --> 00:35:31.300 May the sovereign God who made the heavens and the earth 00:35:31.300 --> 00:35:33.220 be with us as we go today. 00:35:34.260 --> 00:35:38.380 May you give us clarity, may you give us peace, 00:35:38.380 --> 00:35:43.380 may you give us guidance to realize that we are sinners 00:35:44.740 --> 00:35:49.740 in need of you, we are in need of the Savior, Jesus Christ. 00:35:50.740 --> 00:35:53.900 Without you, we are nothing, 00:35:53.900 --> 00:35:56.660 but through you, you give us so much. 00:35:56.660 --> 00:35:59.539 Because of you, you give us so much. 00:35:59.539 --> 00:36:02.500 And we just pray as we go today 00:36:02.500 --> 00:36:05.140 that we may be connected with you. 00:36:05.140 --> 00:36:06.539 You are the God of connection, 00:36:06.539 --> 00:36:09.019 you are the God of truth and life. 00:36:09.019 --> 00:36:13.259 Be with us as we go from this place. 00:36:13.259 --> 00:36:17.059 May we be one with you, may we be connected with you, 00:36:17.059 --> 00:36:21.539 may we be restored with you, may we be at peace with you. 00:36:21.539 --> 00:36:37.539 It is in Jesus Christ.