Jonah Experiences God's Correction

Welcome

We started a new sermon series last week on the Book of Jonah that I call, Jonah & the Mercy of God. Last week we looked at the first three verses of the first chapter of Jonah. We read about Jonah’s call from God and how he did as a prophet, that ran away from God. If you were here or caught the message online, you’ll remember that Jonah tried to run as far and as fast from God as he possibly could. He spared no expense to book passage on a boat bound for Tarshish, which was just about as far as anyone could possibly plan a trip during that time.

I also reminded you that we all have a little bit of Jonah in us and we try to run away from God when we have a close encounter with the word of the Lord.

I feel like that’s part of my job when I get up here on Sunday mornings. We’re hear to study God’s word and one of my goals as a pastor is to help you have an encounter with the word of the Lord.

Let’s pick back up in Jonah 1. We studied these first three verses last week. Let’s review them for context...

Jonah 1:1–3 CSB

1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because their evil has come up before me.” 3 Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence.

Let’s not be unreasonable with Jonah. I’m sure that he felt like God was asking him to do something impossible or at least unreasonable. God was asking him to go into the worst place that he could imagine and speak to people that were horrific in the way that they treated their enemies. He was supposed to go visit their city and start “preaching against them.” That’s how the text is written.

In many ways, we would do exactly the same thing if we were in Jonah’s shoes.

I have a friend who has the calling of going into Mexican prisons that are 100% controlled by the drug cartels. He goes into these prisons and preaches the gospel message of Jesus Christ. If you or I received that call, we would run away too.

Jonah was running away from God’s call. Jonah is running because he has a bad attitude. He thinks that God could somehow be mistaken with this assignment to bring the word of the Lord to the Assyrian people of the wicked city, Nineveh.

Have any of you ever had a call from God that just had you thinking, Really God? Are you sure about that? Because I’m not so sure! You’ll have to convince me God that you know what’s going on here.

Jonah, like many of us, thought he could hear the word of the Lord and either take it or leave it. He thought he had a choice in the matter. But God sees this differently. Jesus taught his disciples that there are two kinds of people when it comes to responding to God’s call...

Luke 6:46–49 CSB

46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say? 47 I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the river crashed against that house and couldn’t shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The river crashed against it, and immediately it collapsed. And the destruction of that house was great.”

I read one author that says we can measure our spiritual maturity in our lag time in responding to God’s call. Do you know what that is? Lag time? It measures the delay between the command and the response.

Would you rather be the one who heard the word of the Lord and acts on it or be the one who hears and refuses?

Luke 6:49 CSB

49 But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The river crashed against it, and immediately it collapsed. And the destruction of that house was great.”

I don’t really want to be that guy. Do you?

Let’s return to Jonah’s flight from God as he has boarded the boat in Joppa and is well on his way to Tarshish. This is like boarding a sail boat from the Port of Brownsville to Caracas, Venezuela and then travelling by foot into the interior of Venezuela, almost halfway across the country. It’s a long trip.

Jonah...

thought that he had everything under control.

thought he had right to refuse God.

was the master of his own universe.

thought he was taking control of his own future.

But Jonah forgot one thing.

Principle: You can’t outrun God.

Psalm 139:7–12 CSB

7 Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. 9 If I live at the eastern horizon or settle at the western limits, 10 even there your hand will lead me; your right hand will hold on to me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night”— 12 even the darkness is not dark to you. The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to you.

He had also forgotten that God’s call is unchangeable and final. Paul wrote to the believers in Rome saying “God’s gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable” [Rom 11:29].

However, God was ready to discipline—to take some corrective action against his prophet. Stand with me as we return to Jonah 1 and pick up in verse 4...

Jonah 1:4–16 CSB

4 But the Lord threw a great wind onto the sea, and such a great storm arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break apart. 5 The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his god. They threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel and had stretched out and fallen into a deep sleep. 6 The captain approached him and said, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Call to your god. Maybe this god will consider us, and we won’t perish.” 7 “Come on!” the sailors said to each other. “Let’s cast lots. Then we’ll know who is to blame for this trouble we’re in.” So they cast lots, and the lot singled out Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us who is to blame for this trouble we’re in. What is your business, and where are you from? What is your country, and what people are you from?” 9 He answered them, “I’m a Hebrew. I worship the Lord, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men were seized by a great fear and said to him, “What have you done?” The men knew he was fleeing from the Lord’s presence because he had told them. 11 So they said to him, “What should we do to you so that the sea will calm down for us?” For the sea was getting worse and worse. 12 He answered them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea so that it will calm down for you, for I know that I’m to blame for this great storm that is against you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they couldn’t because the sea was raging against them more and more. 14 So they called out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, don’t let us perish because of this man’s life, and don’t charge us with innocent blood! For you, Lord, have done just as you pleased.” 15 Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. 16 The men were seized by great fear of the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

[pray]

I. Jonah Moved from a Place of Blessing to Cursing

When God gathered together his people, the Hebrews, he charged them to be a blessing to the nations instead of a curse. Even though the Jews have been cursed for their entire existence, God’s plan was for them to be a blessing...

Genesis 12:1–3 CSB

1 The Lord said to Abram: Go from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

When the Jews stay close to God and follow his commands, they are able to be a blessing to others, and when they slip away from the will of God, they bring trouble on themselves and on others as well.

Jonah was called to be a blessing to the people of Nineveh. However, when he chose to flee God’s calling, he cursed them and condemned them to destruction.

Jonah lost the word of the Lord and began to experience the works of the Lord as God took corrective action against him.

Jonah 1:4–5 CSB

4 But the Lord threw a great wind onto the sea, and such a great storm arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break apart. 5 The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his god. They threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel and had stretched out and fallen into a deep sleep.

God’s sent a storm against the boat. The word here in the original Hebrew is that God hurled a great wind onto the sea that stirred up a storm that was threatening to break up the boat.

Everyone was afraid and crying out to their own god. They were there tossing everything overboard so they wouldn’t sink, but Jonah did a very strange thing. He went below-deck and took a nap.

When every heathen in sight is freaking out and crying out to be saved, the believer has an advantage...

Psalm 107 is a psalm of thanksgiving for God’s deliverance in a time of trouble. It speaks of times just like this, where the storm is breaking the ship apart. It talks of the redeemed of the Lord calling out for help...

Psalm 107:23–32 CSB

23 Others went to sea in ships, conducting trade on the vast water. 24 They saw the Lord’s works, his wondrous works in the deep. 25 He spoke and raised a stormy wind that stirred up the waves of the sea. 26 Rising up to the sky, sinking down to the depths, their courage melting away in anguish, 27 they reeled and staggered like a drunkard, and all their skill was useless. 28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. 29 He stilled the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 They rejoiced when the waves grew quiet. Then he guided them to the harbor they longed for. 31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all humanity. 32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders.

When the storm comes in life, what is the proper and appropriate response? I think most of us would agree and scripture would agree that the time of trouble is the time to pray and cry out to God. It is not time to go below and take a nap. Even the pagans pointed out that Jonah’s behavior was strange...

Jonah 1:6 CSB

6 The captain approached him and said, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Call to your god. Maybe this god will consider us, and we won’t perish.”

Jonah was so lost in this moment that he was willing to let the entire ship be battered and all the souls onboard to be tossed into the sea. He just did not care in that moment.

These sailors were desperate and they looked for a solution...

Jonah 1:7 CSB

7 “Come on!” the sailors said to each other. “Let’s cast lots. Then we’ll know who is to blame for this trouble we’re in.” So they cast lots, and the lot singled out Jonah.

Isn’t it interesting here that in a desperate game of chance, God outed Jonah and caused his sin to come out before these pagan sailors. There are times that God will reveal our sins so that they can be dealt with and resolved and purged. This was God’s way of working on Jonah and revealing to him how he had been sinful.

II. Jonah is Charged with Wrongdoing

Jonah 1:8 CSB

8 Then they said to him, “Tell us who is to blame for this trouble we’re in. What is your business, and where are you from? What is your country, and what people are you from?”

Jonah knew where the storm was coming from. Look at his response to the sailors...

Jonah 1:9 CSB

9 He answered them, “I’m a Hebrew. I worship the Lord, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.”

He answered their question and bragged on the God that he worshiped saying that his God made the seas and the dry land. These sailors knew that Jonah was running from his God and they were hoping that he would be able to put things right and get this storm off their backs. So when he said this, they were angry and afraid. They asked him “What have you done ?!?” (1:10).

The sailors asked Jonah “What should we do to you so that the sea will calm down?” At this point they knew that they had pinpointed the source of their troubles. If they could just punish Jonah, they would surely be spared from the storm. And Jonah agreed with them. He figured that God had caught up with him and the quickest way for him to make things right was to let the sailors throw him into the sea so that the storm would calm.

Isn’t it interesting that we don’t see Jonah crying out to God. He just accepts that he will die and the sailors will be spared. At this point they try to row back to dry land and cannot get there because of the storm. God won’t let Jonah off the hook.

These pagan sailors began crying out to Jonah’s God, calling him by his personal and intimate name of YHWH. They seemed to know better how to respond to God than even Jonah did in his spiritual condition. They prayed to God...

Jonah 1:14 CSB

14 So they called out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, don’t let us perish because of this man’s life, and don’t charge us with innocent blood! For you, Lord, have done just as you pleased.”

…and they tossed Jonah into the sea and begged for God’s forgiveness. And the sea was immediately calmed and the sailors seemed to come to a knowledge of and belief in the God of Israel.

Verse 16 is kind of a post-script or tag-along statement, saying that these sailors seemed to come to a true belief in God through this event.

Jonah 1:16 CSB

16 The men were seized by great fear of the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

The original Hebrew is a bit awkward to translate into English or Spanish. It says that the sailors “feared great fear” of Yahweh. Basically they were in awe of God, they revered him and respected him because of the events that they witnessed. This appears to have the implication of being more than a trivial or inconsequential response to God, but bears the marks of being a transformational change in their lives.

However...

III. Jonah Failed God Again

Jonah had an opportunity to respond to God when he was wakened and challenged by these sailors.

He could have called out to God himself and repented of his sinful behaviour.

He literally could have turned back and accepted God’s calling and started working to fulfill the call rather than resist it.

He could have have jumped overboard rather than forcing the sailors to throw him overboard.

Jonah figured that death by drowning was better than accepting God’s call to bring truth to the Assyrians. So he allowed the sailors to throw him overboard.

Instead of prayer or action, Jonah continued his response to God’s call with obstinance and rejection.

Have you ever known someone to be so stubborn that they would willingly walk toward their own demise rather than admit they were wrong or make any changes in their life?

There seems to be no doubt here that Jonah deserved the death sentence that was carried out by these sailors. While they seemed to feel badly about having to take this action against Jonah and they tried to avoid it, they easily understood that Jonah had disobeyed his God and the storm was a punishment for his disobedience. Jonah himself seemed to understand and accept that he deserved death.

The subtext here seems to be that Jonah deserved death, but we’ll see next week that he experiences something very different.

Conclusion

Principle: There’s still time to change the road you’re on.

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The Lord’s Table

We now move to the Lord’s Table as we remember the sacrifice and the salvific work that Christ completed on the cross. As we do regularly, we come to the table reflecting upon his sacrifice and we remember the reason that He made that sacrifice.

This is an appropriate time to reflect on your readiness and upon your personal condition before God.

[pause]

I know that a few of you come from a tradition of closed communion, which means that only members of the church are allowed to participate in communion. But here at FBC Pharr, we practice open communion. That means that we leave the decision to participate or not participate up to you.

If you are a Christian, who believes in Jesus Christ, and have taken him as your Savior and your Lord, we invite you to participate with us, if you feel it is appropriate.

Scripture teaches us that if there is any sin in your life or conflict with your brother or sister that might keep you from participating in this meal, then do not participate. If this is the case with you or if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please allow the bread and the cup to pass and do not participate.

If this is you, please do not feel guilty or compelled to participate. There is no judgment or condemnation here. However, if this is you, please seek one of us out to get answers to questions that you might have or to correct some things in your life. We are here to serve you.

[pause]

Jesus came to this world to open the doors of Heaven to us by taking our say sin upon Himself and provide a way that we might enter into the presence of Almighty God.

[distribute the elements / pray / send out the deacons]

You’ll notice that you have two cups, one inside the other. The bread is in the bottom cup. You can gently separate the two cups.

1 Corinthians 11:23–24 CSB

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

This is the body of our Lord, Jesus Christ, take it and eat in remembrance of His body broken for for us.

1 Corinthians 11:25–26 CSB

25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

This is the blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Take it and drink in remembrance of His blood poured out for us.

For by eating this bread and drinking this cup, we join together in proclaiming the Lord’s life, death, and resurrection until His return to us.

Doxology

Praise God from Whom

All blessings flow

Praise Him all

Creatures here below

Praise Him above

Ye heavenly host

Praise Father Son

and Holy Ghost,

Amen