Sermon # 42 - Time To Rise Up Series

We read in Jonah 4:5, “Jonah went out east of the city and sat down. He made a shelter for himself and sat in its shade, waiting to see what would happen to Nineveh.” (GNB)

God sent the prophet Jonah to the city of Nineveh with a message. When Jonah preached, the people of Nineveh received the word, repented, fasted, turned their face towards the Lord, and let go of their evil ways. It was indeed an honor to Jonah when the people repented, but sadly, Jonah went out of the city, made a shelter for himself, and sat down in dejection.

This is exactly what should happen every time the word of God is preached. People must turn to the Lord, and this is the greatest blessing of any preaching. There are many believers who like Jonah have stopped running the race that God has set for them, have allowed circumstances to overwhelm them, have made their own plans, and have rested themselves in one place. The above mentioned verse prompts us to examine ourselves to see if we are in the place that God wants us to be, or if we have allowed the trying circumstances in our lives to bog us down just as it did Jonah.

I personally think that once Jonah’s work of preaching was over, he should have moved on instead of squatting himself down, and waiting with bated breath as to what would happen to the city of Nineveh.

I would like to highlight to you some people in the bible who just got wearied, and sat down just as Jonah did.

1. Lot was seated at the city gate

We read in Genesis 19:1,“When the two angels came to Sodom that evening, Lot was sitting at the city gate.” (GNB)

The city of Sodom was filled with wicked people who did not fear the Lord, and Lot was found to be seated at the city gate. When God called Abram, he and his nephew Lot were from a land where they worshipped idols. Abram obeyed God’s call, and left behind his country, and his people to follow after God. Though Abram had many relatives the only one who had faith to accompany Abram was his nephew Lot. Somehow, Lot perceived that if his Uncle Abram could leave everything behind to follow after this God, there must be something truly worthwhile. Lot therefore had a change of heart, and decided to accompany Abram as he too believed the God who called Abram was the true and living God.

Abram and Lot ventured out on this faith journey, and over a period of time both of them prospered greatly in gold, silver and livestock. At one point there was a disagreement between the herdsmen of Lot and the herdsmen of Abram.

• The dispute that broke out

We read about this in Genesis 13:7, “So quarrels broke out between the men who took care of Abram's animals and those who took care of Lot's animals. (At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were still living in the land.)”(GNB)

The discord arose between these men because there was not enough grass for all the livestock to feed on.

If we were to compare this with the church, there are times when there is a difference of opinion between Pastor and elders or with the congregation members. We must be cautious about the way we handle these differences as it determines the way forward. As human beings we are bound to have disagreements, but we should not falter in those times. Just think about the disciples of Jesus, just twelve of them, and they too had a dispute about who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of God. In this journey of faith we will encounter times of dissent, but it is crucial that we learn to handle these wisely, and don’t let them hinder our progress.

• The amicable solution

When the discord arose, Abram perceived that there was a rift in relationship between him and Lot, and therefore decided to find an amicable solution.

This was the suggestion from Abram to Lot as recorded in Genesis 13:9, “Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” (ESV)

As soon as Abram suggested this to Lot, without a second thought, or trying to stay on with Abram, Lot decided to move on. Since Abram gave Lot the preference, Lot decided to choose what he thought was best to his eyes. Abram could have compelled Lot to stay, but instead he willing let go of Lot.

• The woman who chose to stay

This incident reminds us of another story in the bible where Naomi who had lost her husband and two sons, gave her two daughters in law to go back to their own family and people. Naomi was kind and realized that her daughters in law were widowed at a young age, and had their whole life ahead of them. She wanted them to find a good future for themselves, and realized that she was old and unable to help them as she should. However, while Orpah hugged her mother in law, and bid her farewell, Ruth was determined to stay on, and not willing to separate from Naomi. Ruth perceived that Naomi’s God was the true God, and she was deeply convinced that if she trusted in the Lord God, He would give her a great future, and would never let her down. When Ruth went with Naomi back to Bethlehem where God honored Ruth, her life was rebuilt, and she became the great grandmother of King David. Ruth became a significant name in the genealogy of Jesus.