Sermon # 19 - God Gives Us Hope Series

We read in Jonah 1:15, “And they lifted Jonah up and threw him out into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging.” (AFV)

As we continue our studies on the life of Jonah and its relevance to the church, many have been blessed and we thank God for these good testimonies. God instructed Jonah to go to Nineveh, but Jonah in disobedience decided to go to Tarshish. Jonah undertook this voyage by ship, and at the beginning all seemed to be going well for him. However, the ship encountered a severe storm which left the ship and everyone travelling on it terrified and helpless.

Disobedience and rebellion of any sort may seem pleasing to one who is on that path, but you can be certain that such a person will most certainly face many tumultuous situations.

When Jonah ventured out in disobedience, this is what happened as written in Jonah 1:4, “But the Lord sent a great wind to the sea: and a great tempest was raised in the sea, and the ship was in danger to be broken.” (DRB)

The disobedience of Jonah not only resulted in a severe tempest that threatened the safety of the ship and those aboard, it also prevented the ship from reaching its destination. Though the mariners on that ship did their best to get the ship to safety, when they realized that all their rowing was in vain, they finally decided to have Jonah thrown into the sea at his behest. As soon as they did so the sea calmed down. Those on that ship may have assumed that Jonah’s life was ended, and Jonah himself may have thought it was the end of his life and ministry.

Every time we are challenged with tempestuous situations in our lives, it is good to check ourselves to see if we have displeased God in any way, or have been disobedient to His commandments.

In the Old Testament we have the example of a young man who also thought that he had come to the end of his life.

Joseph’s seemingly hopeless situation

Joseph was a dreamer, the favorite son of his father, but this Joseph came to a point in his life where his elder brothers out of intense hatred and envy, cast him into a pit, and later sold him as a slave. The brothers assumed that this was the end of Joseph, and that none of his dreams would be fulfilled, but the Lord had greater plans for Joseph.

Daniel’s predicament

The men who worked alongside Daniel, plotted against him though he walked in integrity, and had him thrown into the den of hungry lion’s. They thought that had managed to put an end to Daniel’s life, but the Lord delivered Daniel and he continued on to greater triumph.

Samson’s calamity and imprisonment

Samson was chosen and anointed by God, but by his continuous disobedience and sin, Samson ended up a prisoner to the Philistines, who gouged his eyes out, and made him grind flour in prison. In that situation, everyone thought that Samson’s life was finished, but God intervened and did not allow it to be so.

Most of us may have come to this stage in our lives, where we felt we were in a hopeless situation with no hope whatsoever. However, when the Lord is with us there is nothing that He cannot overcome or no situation that is formidable for Him. The Lord delivered Joseph, Daniel and Samson from the arduous situations they faced, and gave them victory and honor. Each one of us needs to believe that God is able to intervene to accomplish what seems impossible to us.

We live in a hill station in South India, and some of the bends are so sharp that for someone driving up the first time, it may look like the end of the road. However, as they near the bend, they realize that the road goes on and what seems like an end of the road is just a bend. That is how it is with the Lord, when we feel we have come to the end of ourselves, the Lord will take charge, and is ever willing to change the gloomy situations into glorious ones.

The grave could not hold Jesus down

During the time when Jesus was on earth, the Chief Priests, Sadducees and Pharisees out of envy arrested Him, had him crucified on the cross, and Jesus was buried in a tomb. After Jesus was buried they feared that since Jesus claimed that He would be raised from the dead that such a thing should not transpire. They therefore had a huge stone rolled over the entrance, had it sealed and guarded with the Roman soldiers. These men did all that was humanly possible to keep Jesus inside the tomb, so that there could be no way of escape for Him. However, no tomb, no guard or no stone could stop the Lord Jesus from rising from the dead. Jesus rose from the dead on the third day and conquered death and the grave. He is the risen Lord who answers the cry of all those who call out to Him sincerely with faith.