Title: Say What Lord? (Part 1 Of A Series Entitled – The Extent Of God’s Mercy)
Text: Jonah 1:1-17
Pray!!!
Introduction:
- This morning we are starting a new sermon series from the book of Jonah entitled, The Extent Of God’s Mercy.
- The book of Jonah shows the Christian that God is a God of mercy and compassion.
- God is not all about judgment and gloom, but rather He is a God that is concerned for all people.
- The book of Jonah shows us God’s compassion and mercy, when Jonah disobeys, when he confesses, when he is reluctant to go to Nineveh and when he complains to God that He forgave the people of Nineveh.
- The sermon series will show us that all of us have a little Jonah in us.
- How do we respond to disaster, God voice, miracles, and leading?
- We can all be people of great spiritual depth but miss God’s will for our lives.
- If it wasn’t for the compassion of the Lord where would you and I be.
- With all our shortcomings and our disobedience, God continues to show us mercy, wooing us to His side.
- The book of Jonah teaches us about God’s mercy in the midst of human rebellion towards God.
- Also the book of Jonah teaches us that God responds quickly with obedience.
- The moment we decide to align ourselves with God in obedience deliverance comes quickly and abruptly.
- The sea became a dead calm when obedience was administered and Jonah was spared and vomited onto shore from the belly of a fish when willing to obey.
- The message is God responds to obedience.
- Jonah also teaches that God moves quickly on disobedience.
- Judgment will follow any believer who decides to live in sin.
Transition:
- So this morning message is on Jonah’s response to God’s call.
- God has given each church a call and each person a call, how do we respond?
- I have entitled this message this morning, “Say What Lord!”
- It’s the response that we at times give God concerning His business and direction.
- It was Jonah’s response when God gave him direction and the plan for his life.
- Jonah said, “Say What Lord! I don’t think so, I think I will do this instead”.
- We have all given that response to God, because we were unsure of what God was asking, or we knew what God was asking but chose disobedience.
- What can we learn from Jonah so that we don’t make the same mistake he did.
- I believe there are 3 areas that we need to consider in the first chapter to help become all that God wants us to be.
- These 3 area will help the church, our families and us personally become all that God wants us to become.
- Here they are:
Point 1: Consider The Commission (Read Vs 1-6)
- Every One of us is commissioned by the Lord and has a purpose.
- This church has a purpose and the purpose of this church will not be completed, until the church is called.
- Nothing happens by chance, God has already set the plan in motion for each and everyone of us.
- Jonah had a commission from the Lord, a specific call to duty.
- Wickedness had reached the Throne Of Heaven and God had had enough.
- What can we learn from this commission to Jonah?
1. God delights in using people
- Evil reached God’s face and He decided to commission Jonah to preach repentance.
2. There is a specific task to do.
- Jonah was called specifically by the Lord, and heard His voice very clearly.
3. We also see that it’s up to us to either obey or disobey.
- Sometimes people don’t like what God tells them, because we don’t like what we hear, or we don’t like the direction.
- God’s direction for all of us is to stretch us beyond our limits.
- Whether we want to or not.
- If we could all just realize that God has a destiny for us, it would put so much of our problems and situations into perspective.
- When we get busy with God’s business, the focus will tend to shift from us and our personal business to God’s.
- The scripture repeatedly says that if anyone wants to follow the Lord, we must deny ourselves and follow Him.
- That does not mean we move into a cave of isolation and stay there until we die.
- It means we live life under His terms and rules which will make life exciting, fun and purposeful.
- The Bible encourages us by saying, the just shall live by faith.
- Living by faith and not sight or human reasoning is not an easy thing for us to.
- Therefore the end result, if we are not on guard, will be the same outcome as Jonah, we run in the opposite direction that the Lord is calling us.
- Consider also verse 5, were Jonah in the midst of the storm is sleeping.
- Sometimes church people are asleep and unconcerned with the people around them.
- They are untouched with needs around them, and they are asleep to what God would have them do.
- Vs 5 shows us the condition Jonah was in, he was trying to ignore God’s commission for his life.
- The question is do we sometimes ignore God’s commission in our lives?
- It’s not hard for us to get into this predicament when we are asleep to God’s direction and purpose for our lives.
- Consider how Bill Bright lives in light of what we are talking about:
These are Bill Bright’s words to us: “My life’s message is be a slave of Jesus. And all that involves. Love your master, trust your master, and obey your master. Obviously, I’m a son of God, heir of God, joint-heir with Christ, and if He was described as a slave - Paul and Peter and the other apostles were slaves - this to me is the highest privilege any one could know. I evaluate everything I do in light of what He wants me to do. I try to relate every move, every day, in light of how I can help fulfill His great commission and fulfill His commandments.”
- Lets all strive to do what God has commissioned us to do, as individuals and as the corporate body of believers.
Point 2: Consider The Control (Vs 7-10)
- Vs 7 shows us that God is in control. It was not by chance that the lots the sailors cast fell on Jonah, but rather the hand of God.
- God is in charge of every situation we go through, there is no chance with God, only His Sovereign will.
- God is in full control of our lives, whether we give Him control or not.
- I like what Dan 4:17 says, “The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and set over them the lowliest of men.”
- Make no mistake God was in control of Jonah and his disobedient decision.
- Here is were we see God’s mercy at work when we disobey.
- God still was working on Jonah and didn’t give up on him.
- God will never give up on us, even if we blow and keep making the same mistake.
- His love for us is beyond measure and comprehension.
- So instead of running from God and thinking that we are in control, let us willing give over our messes and disobedience and learn to trust Him.
- Regardless of what we think, God is still in control.
- However bleak your situation is, God is still in control, the question is have we given it to him.
- Jonah at that moment gave it over to God. How?
- By telling the men who he was, he could have said I am a nobody, but rather he responded by saying I am servant of God.
- Then he gave them the answer as to how to calm the storm, throw me overboard.
- How many would give those instructions if you weren’t convinced that God was able to spare your life?
- I personally believe Jonah knew that God would spare his life, because he believed God spoke to him and commissioned him.
- What a challenge to the church to have the same mindset.
Point 3: Consider The Consequence (Vs 11-17)
- God works everything out for good in all situations.
- Here we have a great storm that is getting worse by the minute.
- The sailors are doing everything in there power to save there lives.
- They were calling on there own personal gods (vs 5)
- They were also trying to row to shore (vs 13)
- The sailors were doing everything in there power to fix the problem.
- This is the way the world solves it’s problem, by relying on self instead of God.
- When Jonah told them what they needed to do to fix the problem, they still tried to do it there own way.
- We are no different, we can read scripture, hear messages from various speakers and still not act upon what we have heard.
- When storms come that threaten to break up our lives, how will you respond?
- Understand there is always an answer, and that is to trust in God’s timing and provision.
- The world will look at you and say “the way you are handling your situation is wrong, you need to do something”
- But the man or woman of God respond to crisis differently then the world does.
- Jonah was thrown over to be eaten by a whale, that’s what the Lord wanted.
- And because that’s what the Lord wanted, God turned that hopeless situation around in Jonah’s life for good.
- He also turned it around for the sailors.
- God in His compassion used Jonah’s disobedience to save the crew of people. (Vs 16)
- We see the compassion and mercy of the Lord in Jonah’s life but also for the crew who were not saved.
- The point is God can turn our storms that threaten to break up our lives and turn it around for His glory.
- The only way this can be done is if we give the control back to God.
- That’s why God wanted Jonah thrown over, because Jonah is no longer in control and the crew then can see the power of God at work because of obedience.
Conclusion:
- I want to conclude with this thought:
- God has a commission for our lives, and in order for our destiny to be fulfilled we need to let God have control.
- Jonah was thrown out of the ship because God needs to be in control.
- The crew got saved because God was in control not man.
- Jonah gave his testimony in vs 8 but the crew got saved when Jonah put God in control of his life.
- Have you put God in charge of your life?
- Is your family in chaos? Is your finances in shambles? Are you going through a storm that is threatening to break up your life?
- Then do as Jonah did and be willing to be thrown overboard so God can be in control.
- It’s imperative that you give control over to God even though He is already in control (Dan 4:17)
- Why? Because God is not going to force Himself on anyone, but wants us to be willing to say take it Lord and throw me overboard.
- It’s only when Jonah was thrown overboard that the storm became calm.
Lets Pray!!!
