Rescuing the Mission-II—Jonah 1:4-17
God rescued His mission from Jonah’s obstinance.
A hampered mission can be rescued.
What can be done to rescue God’s mission from sin/worldly/human disruption/corruption/indulgence?
10 discoveries that can rescue God’s mission.
A hampered mission can be rescued thru Discovery of...
1. INTERVENTION(:4-5)
2. LIMITATION / Desperation(:5a)
3. PLIGHT of Others(:5b-6)
4—A hampered mission can be rescued/restored thru...
Discovery of SOURCE / Cause(:7)
Explanation:(:7)Accountability/Information/Credit/Origin/Basis
:7—“And each man said to his mate, “Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.” So they cast lots & the lot fell on Jonah.”
“So we may learn”—Know the cause.
Answer the question “Why?”—presupposes a Cause & hints at a Purpose
Enormity & Circumstances of the storm dictated a supernatural cause.
—Our Actions produce consequences beyond ourselves & thus our ability to control.
Unwittingly affects/effects/involves/surrounds/comprehends others.
Christians have admitted personal sin is the CAUSE of God’s wrath & that Christ had to came to earth to die because of such. My Eternity depends upon that admission.
Argumentation:
Josh. 7:4-5, 20-21—“So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, & struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted & became like water.”....“& Achan answered Joshua & said, “Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, & this is what I have done: “When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, & a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them & took them. & there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.””
Mal. 2:8—to the corrupt Levites—“But you have departed from the way; You have caused many to stumble at the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” Says the LORD of hosts.”
1Kgs. 9:9—““Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, & have embraced other gods, & worshiped them & served them; therefore the LORD has brought all this calamity on them.’””
Heb. 4:13—“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open & laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”
Rom. 4:3-8—“For what does the Scripture say? “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: “BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. “BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.”
Lk. 11:44—““Woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, & the men who walk over them are not aware of them.””
Mat. 23:27-28—““Woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones & all uncleanness. “Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy & lawlessness.”
Lk. 11:52—““Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, & those who were entering in you hindered.””
Mat. 23:13-15—““But woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. “Woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, & for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. “Woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land & sea to win one proselyte, & when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”
Rom. 14:21—“It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.”
1Cor. 10:32-33—“Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.”
*2Cor. 2:5—“But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent--not to be too severe.”
Prov. 13:17—“A wicked messenger falls into trouble, But a faithful ambassador brings health.”
1Cor. 5:9-11—“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner--not even to eat with such a person.”
—Why?—Their influence is detrimental to the faith of Christ!
Illustration:
*Sam’s Jeep Cherokee/an Automatic/But—when stopped, have to put it in low gear to move/then shift to drive/Designed that way?/Friend who’s a shade-tree mechanic/Took it apart/Cleaned it out/Replaced transmission/Discovery of SOURCE
Sister-in-law/After dark, rings bell/Rushes into our house—Basket case/‘Oh, somebody had got my pin # & has charged gas at Quality Mart!/‘If I don’t do something, we’ll lose all our money!‘PANIC!/Tried to call & cancel card/Would not work!/Drove by Rockwell police dept. gave them an ear-full/Came to find the charges were from last month & had just been applied to her account!/Discovery of SOURCE
Application:
?Has Discovery/Awareness of SOURCE rescued God’s mission?
?Is God able to rescue His mission from your sin?
5—A hampered mission can be rescued/restored thru
Discovery of WORLDVIEW(:8-9)
Explanation:(:8-9)Background/Self awareness
:8—“Then they said to him, “Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
“Tell us”—Inform us—Jonah had knowledge pertinent to the situation.
“Occupation”—Prophet of YHWH(2Kgs. 14:25)
“Come from”—Geography—False gods are geographically limited.
“Country”—Determines general beliefs
“People”—Determines gods served
?Why are these pertinent questions for the mariners
—Surely they were aware of all ‘relevant’ gods seeing as they were well-traveled.
!Baptists would do well to make themselves aware of their own worldview!
:9—“And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, & I fear the LORD God of heaven who made the sea & the dry land.”
“Hebrew”—yrbe ib-ree’—
—The people chosen by God as His witnesses
“I fear”—Revere
?What would ‘reverence’ entail?....seeing that Jonah feared God, but still ran from Him!
—Biblical ‘fear’ is reverence that yields obedience.
“The LORD”—YHWH—Covenant name revealed to Israel.
“God of Heaven”—Dwells unconfined by things of earth.
“Made the sea”—Their current threat!
“Made the dry land”—
Revealed who he was in the Lord.
?What is your worldview?
?What worldview your lifestyle preach?
?Does it square with Scripture?
Argumentation:
Acts 17:18-31—READ—22-23—“And Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus & said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. “For while I was passing through & examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.”
—Paul knew & began at their concept of reality.
Mk. 8:27-29—“And Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; & on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” And they told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; & others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets.”
—Response from a Jewish worldview—that God is creator, one, personal.
Illustration:
*Bevis Funeral Home-Tallahassee/Provide services for & accommodate all faiths/ Discovery of WORLDVIEW
Animal Planet & some Veterinarians/Place animals above people/Molly’s examination room—Much nicer than my surgeon’s!/Discovery of WORLDVIEW
Muslim terrorists/No respect for human life—no dignity or sanctity for life—Their agenda takes precedence/Destroy others indiscriminately to achieve their end/ Discovery of WORLDVIEW
Application:
?Has Discovery/Awareness of WORLDVIEW rescued God’s mission?
?Is God able to rescue His mission from your sin?
6—A hampered mission can be rescued/restored thru
Discovery of SEPARATION(:10-11)
Explanation:(:10-11)Fellowhip
:10—“Then the men became extremely frightened & they said to him, “How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.
“How could you do this?”
—Shock/Disbelief...
*—Under what pretext do we willingly rebel against the God of creation?
:11—“So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?”--for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy.”
2Kgs. 17:26-27—“So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have carried away into exile in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; so he has sent lions among them, & behold, they kill them because they do not know the custom of the god of the land.” Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Take there one of the priests whom you carried away into exile, & let him go & live there; & let him teach them the custom of the god of the land.”
Eccl. 8:5-6—“He who keeps a royal command experiences no trouble, for a wise heart knows the proper time & procedure. For there is a proper time & procedure for every delight, when a man’s trouble is heavy upon him.”
*—The ‘custom’ of the Lord means accepting Jesus’ payment for our sins & His grace extended thru faith.
Recognized their separation...&...
...Jonah needed to recognize his!
*God wants you to ask... ‘What should I do?’...‘that the sea may become calm for us?’
How should you respond to separation from God?...
...To give your life purpose, you fill your life with things that you can ‘do.’
Argumentation:
Lk. 15:17—“But when he[prodigal/rebellious son] came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!”
Isa. 59:2—“But your iniquities have made a separation between you & your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.”
Eph. 2:11-12—“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands-- that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel & strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope & without God in the world.”
Illustration:
Miller’s VW/Home from Charlotte, NC/Wheel passes us on the driver’s side/Endanger self & others/If I had been unaware, & turned right at the next exit the car might have flipped/Able to meet situation undamaged/Discovery of SEPARATION
Bread route/Short white bread/Awareness of shortage=Purchase from other routes/Able to meet situation undamaged/I must do something to for what is missing /Discovery of SEPARATION
Application:
?Has Discovery/Awareness of SEPARATION rescued God’s mission?
?Is God able to rescue His mission from your sin?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
A hampered mission can be rescued thru Awareness/Discovery of...
4. SOURCE(:7)
5. WORLDVIEW(:8-9)
6. SEPARATION(:10-11)
1. INTERVENTION(:4-5)
2. LIMITATION / DESPERATION(:5a)
3. PLIGHT(:5b-6)
Presented 01/17/2010pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
