Sermon # 3 - Going The Wrong Way Series

We read in Jonah 1:3, “But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.” (ESV)

The word of the Lord we saw in the previous message came to Jonah, instructing him to go to Nineveh. However, Jonah decided to disobey God and went in the opposite direction towards Tarshish. If we were to give a description of Jonah, we could call him ‘The prophet who went in the wrong direction.’

The church of today too is guilty in that we have forgotten the great commission of our Lord Jesus and are moving speedily in the wrong direction.

Jonah fled from the presence of the Lord

The thing we notice first and foremost that is also mentioned twice, is that Jonah fled from God’s presence. Jonah’s heart was not willing to obey God and therefore, he decided to flee from God’s presence.

If the Lord were speaking to us about something, we should be willing to obey Him. When we are not willing to do so, we too will be fleeing from God’s presence. To be away from the presence of God is the most insecure place for one to be in. The word of God teaches us about the beauty of being in God’s presence and being in fellowship with Him. Sadly, we have forgotten these commandments of God, and have as a result walked away from the presence of the Lord.

• The word of God came in the wilderness

In Luke 3:2 we read, “during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.” (ESV)

The temple at Jerusalem was a grand one where there were regular celebration of festivals and also sacrifices being offered to the Lord. The High Priest and many other priests were at that temple serving the Lord. Interestingly, the word of God came to John the Baptist who was preaching in the wilderness. If you are wondering why the word of God did not come to those in the temple, it was simply because they were not willing to receive it or do anything about it. Though, the priests may have preached the word of God, the people were not willing to receive it or obey it, because everything had become a routine tradition. There was also a sense of control that the priests exerted over the people, and would expel from the temple those who did not comply.

These are days when we are unable to go to the church, and worship freely because of the pandemic. However, think about all those times when the doors of the church were open, and how many of us were not interested to be a part of the fellowship. Church going to many has become a mere ritual. The ones who serve and the ones who are served have faulty expectations today. The leaders want to have control over those whom they serve, and the people want to have a place to call their own, where babies can be named, weddings and funerals can be conducted. We live in a time when the purpose of the existence of the church has sadly been forgotten.

When the word of the Lord came to John the Baptist in the wilderness, he preached the word boldly, and this is what happened as a result.

• The message was a bold one

We read in Luke 3:7, “Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who taught you to flee from the wrath to come?” (JUB)

As the multitudes flocked to hear John the Baptist, he was so filled with the Holy Spirit that he preached the word with courage, and with no fear of losing the crowds that followed him. The result was that people were pricked in their hearts, they repented and turned to the Lord.

So also, if the word that is being preached in our churches today is truly God’s word, people will hear, repent and there will be a genuine transformation of lives. The word must come from the Lord, and must be preached boldly as the very words of God, and not with the thought to please men.

We also read in Luke 3:12, Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” (ESV)

The tax collectors were loyal to the Romans, and therefore were strongly rejected by the Jewish people. It was such Jewish tax collectors who came to John the Baptist to be baptized. You might recall the parable that Jesus told about a Pharisee and the tax collector. They stood far apart as the Pharisees did not want to have any dealing with the tax collectors. Nonetheless, in this passage we observe that these tax collectors were genuinely seeking to change and were flocking to John the Baptist. Later we even read that soldiers too came seeking after John the Baptist.