Sermon # 5 - No Fear In Obedience Series

We read in Jonah 1:5, “Then the mariners were afraid,” (ESV)

The mariners were filled with dread when they saw that the sea was so tumultuous and beyond their control. They therefore, feared that the ship would be wrecked, their goods destroyed and they would lose their lives in the process. I am sure these mariners would have been experienced men who had encountered many storms during their travel by sea. Somehow, it seemed that this storm was so fierce and unmanageable that they lost hope of their survival.

If God were to oppose us for any reason, our strength, ability, wisdom and experience will all prove futile. Jonah had received clear instructions from God that he should go and preach against the city of Nineveh. However, Jonah refused to do this as he did not want to preach and have the people of Nineveh repent. Jonah knew that if they repented, God would relent and not punish them. It seemed that Jonah’s reputation as a prophet was of far greater importance to him than the lives of the people of Nineveh. Jonah had such faith in his preaching, that he was sure his message would lead to repentance. Nonetheless, Jonah was not willing to do this. He decided to go in a direction totally opposite to Nineveh, and the consequence was that God sent a furious storm to stop Jonah in his tracks.

We read in Romans 8:31, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (ESV)

Think about the opposite scenario of this verse. If God were to be against us, no human can stand with us and help us.

The outcome of those who challenged God’s people

• Goliath

Goliath the Philistine was a strong man, mighty warrior, tall in stature and a man of great experience in warfare. He challenged the armies of Israel who were children of the living God, and taunted them. As the entire army of Israel under King Saul stood terrified before Goliath, God used the young inexperienced shepherd boy David to slay the giant.

• Pharaoh

The people of Israel settled in the land of Egypt when Joseph was the governor there. However, as the years passed by, there came a pharaoh who did not know Joseph or remember all that he had done. This pharaoh decided to enslave the people of Israel with hard labor, and used them to build his cities. This continued for many hundreds of years and the pharaoh’s were keeping the Israelites under their iron-fist. In such a situation God sent Moses, a man who had spent forty years in the wilderness, tending sheep. God did such mighty wonders through the hands of Moses that pharaoh realized he could not fight against the God of the Israelites.

• Nebuchadnezzar

Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon, which was a vast and splendid empire. Nebuchadnezzar prided himself in all his achievements and in a moment when he though too highly of himself, he was set aside from men to become like an animal, and ate grass like cattle.

God takes note of it when there are insults or slanderous words spoken against His own. No matter how enormous is the force of those who come against the children of God, they can never prevail as long as the Lord is on our side. When the Lord is with us, no one can come against us and conquer us. For those who like the Israelites are under some form of bondage or slavery, the Lord will surely come and bring deliverance. Nebuchadnezzar is also an example to prove to us that no one can stand against God and win, it has never and will never be a possibility.

As long as the Lord is on our side we are in a safe place. Nevertheless, it is possible for us to move away from the Lord, and put ourselves in a vulnerable place. There are those who comfort themselves that we are in this period of grace, and that no ills will befall us. Please read the bible carefully, and we will realize that God’s protection and grace is only on those who live in obedience to God and His word. If we deliberately go on sinning, and try to achieve things in our own wisdom and strength, working entirely for our own selfish gains, without being aware of it we are moving away from God’s presence and protection.

In the early church amongst the thousands of families that were there, Ananias and Sapphira were also one of them. They sold their lands, kept back some deceitfully, and placed the rest at the apostle’s feet. Peter was able to discern their deception, but when confronted both of them lied to him individually. The consequence was tragic in that both of them lost their lives that very same day.