Jonah chapter 2: 1-10.
“ Testimony of Thanksgiving “
There is one thing that all Christians share in common with Jonah and it can be found here in chapter 2. A testimony of thanksgiving to the grace and mercy of God towards them in saving them. Can you like Jonah echo words of thanksgiving for what God has done in your life in the midst of extremity?
This testimony is a thanksgiving psalm which was a musical poem, prayed in gratitude after deliverance after some danger or hardship as a way of thanking God for showing his mercy towards them. Jonah was simply communicating to God in a common manner and form of worship of his day via this thanksgiving psalm.....in which he expresses gratitude for the mercy shown to him. Thanksgiving psalms which are individual in nature (8,21,30,32,34,40,66,92,103,108,116,118) also found in a corporate way (65,67,75,107,124,126) Outside of the psalms. 1 Sam 2 v1 –10 Hannah’s prayer.
This testimony of thanksgiving is in regard to his deliverance has five clear steps
1. Statement of appreciation v2
2. Description of the misery v3 -6a
3.description of his appeal 6b -7.
4. Indication of the rescue 6b.
5. A vow of gratitude and continued worship v8-9.
1. V2 living a life filled with appreciation.
Here we see it opens up with appreciation to God v2 in my distress I called to the Lord out to God and we see the answer in his deliverance (v2 He answered me) from certain death for Jonah, one that all true Christians need to echo and confirm. 6b But you brought my life up from the pit O LORD my God.
• At the beginning of Sept 2007 Leicester city played Nottingham forest in the Carling cup Nottingham forest were leading 1-0 at half time as the teams retired to the dressing rooms Clive Clarke a Leicester city player had a heart attack and nearly died but for the physio and backroom staff who were able to treat him on the spot . The Leicester players and staff were so shaken by the event that both clubs agreed to abandon the match.
• This week 18.9.07 the match was replayed in an act of appreciation the Leicester team agreed from the kick off that Nottingham forest should continue with a goal lead so from the kick off they allowed the Nottingham forest keeper run down to the opposing net and put the ball in the back of the net . The crowd erupted in an act of applause and appreciation. This act was reported in the national media.
• How much more should we show our appreciation to the amazing act of kindness that God has shown to each one of us in Christ, in allowing us into a relationship with him through the penalty that Jesus took for us, should we as a Church of God’s people be demonstrating our appreciation and applause to God today?
So often wounds to other’s don’t come by what we do/say but sometimes by what we don’t do and say. Today is our given opportunity to showour appreciation to God in worship. Lets give God applause today for what he has done in our lives. Thanks be to God!
2. V3- 6 living a life through extremity points.
There are bound to be times in our lives when we will find ourselves in a tight spot. These times we will often become times relived in our minds never to be forgotten experiences, living realities: Dealing with issues like bereavement –sickness- loneliness – depression – abandonment - untold tragedy feeing low and abandoned especially if we are out of the will of God.
What do we do in the midst of these times? Do we curl up into a ball? Bury our feelings all inside? Just wallow in self pity? Become angry and blame God for our predicament? For God had put Jonah into that place? V3 You hurled me into the deep
• break stick illustration before congregation – point out extremity point sometimes we need to be broken before the Lord can even begin to use us for His Glory.
We too will go through extremity points – God will often use these extremity points to draw you closer to Himself, they become turning points of Salvation.... What circumstances did you come to know the Lord? What were you going through at the time? (Tony Antony Testimony)
EXTREMITY BECOMES DEEPENING POINTS: Also at these extremity points the true character of a child of God will often manifest itself rather than falling apart, they will become deeping points of trust (surrender) upon God.
This was the case for Jonah.... who finally surrendered his life to God and his circumstances. And looked to God in prayer 4b - have been banished from your sight, yet I will look again to your holy temple. 7 When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. It was in the situation that Jonah cries out to God again - God delivers a sign is given to him (The fish)
Nietzsche said “A man can undergo torture if he knows the way of life,” but Christian Reger said, "here at Dachu, I learned something far greater. I learned to know the who of my life. He was enough to sustain me then, and is enough to sustain me still.”
Christian Reger was a minister with the German confessing Church they opposed Hitler. He was arrested and turned over to the authorities by the Church organist. He was taken 100s of miles away to Dachau where he spent 4 years in the concentration camp. After his first month in Dachau, Reger abandoned all hope in a loving God. But in July 1941 he received a letter from his wife, which it read about their love towards him. But at the bottom she had written a Bible verse
Acts. 4.26-29.: “The Kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers gather together against the Lords anointed One. Indeed Herod and Pontus Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this City to conspire against your Holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed . They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.”
That afternoon Reger was to undergo interrogation the most terrifying experience in the camp. He had been called upon to name names in regard to other Christians. If he succumbed those Christians would be captured and killed but if he refused to cooperate there was a good chance he would be severely tortured. At the time the verse meant little to him but as he was waiting in the waiting room trembling another minister came out who he had never meet before. As he passed by he slipped a matchbox into his pocket. After his interrogation he had remembered the earlier encounter with the minister and looked into the matchbox to find a written verse Acts:4.26-29.
To Reger it was a message from God This man was a stranger and had never seen his letter. Had God arranged this event to show he was still alive still able to strengthen still worthy to trust? Christian Reger was transformed. Reger said “God did not rescue me and make my suffering easier. He simply assured me that he was alive, and knew I was here. I simply know that God meet me at Dachau.”
Friends Jonah like Christian Reger meet God - at extremity point in his life – For Jonah God provided a fish and delivered Jonah. For Reger it was as simple as a verse in a match box form his wife and the confirming words from a minister he had never meet.
Be assured God will meet us too in our extremity points, when we turn to him for salvation and he will continue to meet us and be with us when we surrender ourselves to the situation and to God he will often meet us in the most unusually way.
• Video of the Smith family extremity point in their life has become a deeping point. Keep on keeping on friends...
3. v8-9 living a life of consecration.
What is your purpose in life? What is your goal? What really motivates you to continue? These are really questions tha tin your heart you will already know the answer .. It could be your purpose at the moment is found in your family and family comes before everything else, it could be that you seek it in your profession or the possessions that you have collected over the years or maybe now that you have retired your purpose could be in the area of leisure activities it could be in your investments.
Many of these things are legitimate but should they be at the centre of our lives – should they take centre stage and take the place of God? If they are centre stage in our lives they could well have become present day idols.
Idols V8 Notice what Jonah says about idols we are forfeiting the grace of God which could be there’s – by making these things the most prominent things in life we are missing out on the grace of God for our lives.
Jonah’s own self interest to himself and his nation had become his idol – He was a present day BNP party official for the Jewish nation in so doing when God said Go to Nineveh...... No way would he do it, he was too patriotic for that – this took centre stage.
Are there any idols in our lives? Present day idols? That take the place of God? If there is we are living outside the will of God because make no mistake about it God wants to be first in your life and not 2nd best, not a comfortable add on, that makes your life warm and fuzzy.
So God pursues Jonah an through a serious extremity point. And in the centre of it Jonah learns his real purpose and so vows to God to live a life of worship and consecration to God v9 .
V9 What I have vowed I will make good. For Jonah this point of Consecration did not come easy it involved a huge extremity point in his life – For you consecration might not come easy might involve many lessons and even through many extremity points in life.
• WD 40 is WD stand for water displacement 40 stands for the amount of times the inventor took to get WD40 as we know it today? Imagine if the inventor had given up on attempt 38 ... There would have been no WD40: the inventor kept at it until he got it right.... Friends don’t give up on God when the going gets tough instead take the opportunity to draw closer to God - call out to him and offer yourself to hi to him fulfil your purpose. Then your whole of life will become an act of spiritual worship v9 But I with a song of thanksgiving.
• V9 Salvation comes from the Lord ...
Here is a bold acclamation of gratitude and one of deep spiritual significance. Jonah had experienced this reality not once but twice firstly called by God as a prophet here was a man that the word of the Lord came to as prophet. He shared a word from God. The Lord was his salvation, but now the arm of the Lord comes and saves him from the abyss of the ocean. And so with a shout of gratitude: Salvation comes from the Lord.
This is important to understand today, that our salvation doesn’t depend on us but upon God . Because many people today misunderstand salvation and see it in other things.
• Illustration: Rip up all these written thoughts of salvation is accomplished up in front of everybody: Not good works – baptism – confirmation – church attendance – being good – Church membership – born Christian – Sunday school attendance – and so on - The rip up paper before everybody: v9 Salvation comes from the Lord.
For us it means like Jonah trusting God for deliverance looking not to the holy temple but to the cross and the work at Calvary where Jesus was dropped into the abyss of hell and sin, so that we might be lifted up. We simply cry out for mercy and God responds by grace and we are saved through faith and this is not of yourselves – so that no man can boast. Because SALVATION COMES FROM THE LORD! Have you received it?
