Awakening In The Storm

Awakening in the Storm

Then I said, I have been cast out of your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple. - Jonah 2:4

Dear Brothers, & Christ, today let us meditate some lessons from the story of Jonah. He received a word from the Lord to go to the great city of Nineveh to warn them of the Lord’s coming judgment. And His gracious call for them to repent, as their only means of escaping it. The Lord had been long-suffering with this evil nation, and now the Lord had chosen to judge them, but before doing that, He was going to send His Prophet Jonah to give them one last warning, or opportunity, to repent and to avoid the Lord’s judgment.

However, after receiving His word, Jonah immediately decides to avoid the Lord’s Summons by taking off to Joppa. He disliked the people of Ninevites, and he would rather see them judged by the Lord than forgiven by the Lord.

Jonah boarded a ship and headed for Joppa. But soon there was a great storm, and while everyone else was fighting for their survival, Jonah was asleep in the storm; indifferent to every danger that was taking place around him. The Apostle Paul said to the modern churches in 1 Corinthians 9:16 "-yes,woe is me, if I do not preach the gospel!"

I. BEING ASLEEP IN THE WORLD

Like Jonah, we are called upon by God to spread His Word and to be awake in the storm. We are called to be awake and save those who might fall to judgement. We are called to be awake even in a storm. Are you asleep in the world during the time of storm or in these last days? Are you compromising with the Word of God?

A. Compromising Christians

Isaiah 56:10 says, “His watchmen are blind, They are all ignorant; They are all dumb dogs, They cannot bark; Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.”

We are His watchmen, called to spread His word. Isaiah is talking about the people who are sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. If you visited your Doctor every week for a check- up, and each week he told you that you were doing great, that there was nothing to be concerned about. You would go out and enjoy life. However, while you are living your carefree life, you are suddenly struck down with heart disease. What would you do in this case, if each and every week your Doctor failed to warn and treat you for an ongoing disease? You would change Doctors!! He, of course, would try to win you back by telling you that he was afraid of telling you the truth for fear of hurting your feelings.

This is a perfect illustration to how many Christians have become in this modern world. We go to church every week, we attend prayer meetings, and talk among ourselves and other Christians about the glory of God. We live our lives happily and give God praise for the blessings we have, however we hesitate to spread the gospel and tell the truth for fear of sounding negative and hurting your co-workers or friends’ feelings.

Let this not be an excuse for the Children of God. We are called to speak of the Lord to His people. Every single soul on this earth was created in the likeness of God and are in need of the gospel and salvation. How can we simply be satisfied in God’s blessing for us, but watch our beloved nation and world. People are dying right in front of our very naked eyes.

As a Christian we must be willing to tell others the truth, unafraid of seeming negative. If you love your neighbor, you must tell them that there is only one God. Tell them, this is a sin in the eyes of God. As children of God, we must be more concerned about others coming to the light, than if they like us. Do not compromise the Word of God, because of feelings. Be awake in God’s ministry, even in everyday life.

B. Current - Modern World

The current modern world is changing, especially in morality. Do we slumber as Christians, because we fear hurting others feelings? Our forefathers, and our older generation, did not have a safety net of Social Security, Government Health Care, Unemployment Benefits, etc. They needed the Lord’s daily help, deliverance. and guidance to make it from day to day. But they received blessings from God each and every day.

Today we have all those conveniences and much more. We are living within a generation that feels no need for Jesus. And for those who are not so fortunate, the current generation simply relies on the government to take care of them.