Resisting Commitment (2)

Jonah 1:1–10 (NLT)

Jonah 1:1–10 (NLT)

1 The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai:

2 “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”

3 But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.

4 But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart.

5 Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold.

6 So the captain went down after him. “How can you sleep at a time like this?” he shouted. “Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives.”

7 Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit.

8 “Why has this awful storm come down on us?” they demanded. “Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?”

9 Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”

10 The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned.

INTRODUCTION:

Why is it that we resist and rebel in our commitment to the Lord Jesus? Why would we, knowingly go against the clearly revealed will of God for our lives? It seems to be a foolish thing to resist and rebel against the very one who desires the very best for us, doesn’t it?

Jonah, the prophet in this story, is the epitome of a person who knew exactly what God wanted him to do and yet resisted and rebelled against that call.

Through Jonah, we will learn why we sometimes resist our commitment to God.

I- RESISTING THE CALL OF GOD. (Jonah 1:1-5)

Jonah 1:1–5 (NLT)

1 The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai:

2 “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”

3 But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.

4 But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart.

5 Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold.

A- God’s Call

1- Jonah had already committed to be the prophet of God.

a- Obedience in proclaiming the word of God should have been natural.

2- Jesus has called you and I to some basic commitments when he called us to salvation.

a- The commitment to follow him.

(1) Just as he called the early disciples to do. (Matthew 4:19)

Matthew 4:19 (NLT)

19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

b- The commitment to be witnesses. (Acts 1:8)

Acts 1:8 (NLT)

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

c- The commitment to be faithful to the assembly of believers. (Hebrews 10:25)

Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)

25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

d- The commitment to pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT)

17 Never stop praying.

B- God’s specific call: (Jonah 1:1-2)

Jonah 1:1–2 (NLT)

1 The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai:

2 “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”

1- Jonah had a specific call to go.

a- Called to go to a specific place - Nineveh.

b- Called to preach a message calling the Ninevites to repent.

2- The Lord calls each one of us to specific tasks.

a- Specific acts of material stewardship.

b- Calls some to preach the Word of God.

at home

over seas

etc.

c- Calls some to teach.

d- Calls some to witness to a specific person.

e- calls some to minister to a specific person.

C- Resistance to His call. (Jonah 1:3)

Jonah 1:3 (NLT)

3 But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.

1- Jonah bought a ticket on a boat going in the opposite direction.

2- Are you resisting God’s call for you?

II- REASONS FOR RESISTING GOD’S CALL. (Jonah 4:1-2)

Jonah 4:1–2 (NLT)

1 This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry.

2 So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.

A- We are afraid.

1- Of failure.

a- Bailey Smith’s testimony:

He was “willing to do anything but fail.”

2- Of criticism.

Afraid of not living up to other people’s expectations and be criticized.

3- of success.

a- This was Jonah’s problem.

(1) He was afraid that he would succeed and Nineveh’s people would repent and be spared.

He resented the fact that God would use the hand of Assyria to chasten Israel and extend grace to the capital city of Assyria, Nineveh.

B- We are selfish.

1- God’s call doesn’t mesh with our plans. (Jonah 4:1-2)

Jonah 4:1–2 (NLT)

1 This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry.

2 So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.

a- Plans for personal independence.

(1) America is geared to the “do it my way” ideology.

b- Plans for personal comfort.

(1) Without any thought of the eternal destiny of others.

We are more concerned with maintaining our own comfort zone while others are dying and going to the furnaces of Hell!

III- HOW WE RESIST HIM.

A- We argue with Him.

1- Like Moses did at the burning bush. (Exodus 3-4)

a- We use every argument possible.

Who am I? (Exodus 3:11)

Exodus 3:11 (NLT)

11 But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

Who are you (God)?(Exodus 3:13-14)

Exodus 3:13–14 (NLT)

13 But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”

14 God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.”

What will I say? (Exodus 4:12)

Exodus 4:12 (NLT)

12 Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”

I can’t talk well enough. (Exodus 4:10)

Exodus 4:10 (NLT)

10 But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”

I don’t know my Bible well enough.

(Mark 13:11)

Mark 13:11 (NLT)

11 But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

(John 16:13)

John 16:13 (NLT)

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.

B- We substitute our plan for His.

1- Like King Saul did. (1 Samuel 15:22)

1 Samuel 15:22 (NLT)

22 But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

a- Saul was commanded to completely wipe out the Amalekites, but substituted his own plan for God’s.

The results were devastating.

C- We deny His call altogether.

1- Like the rich young ruler. (Matthew 19:22)

Matthew 19:22 (NLT)

22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

a- He ignored the divine call in order to pursue the ways of the world.

Principle to remember:

If God tells you to do something while seeking his will, do it!

“What you get while on your knees is far safer than what you get whild standing up.”

D- We run from it.

1- Like Jonah.

a- There is nowhere you can run from God.

(Psalm 139:7-12)

Psalm 139:7–12 (NLT)

7 I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!

8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.

9 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

10 even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.

11 I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—

12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.

IV- THE RESULTS OF RESISTING GOD. (Jonah 1:11-17; 4:3)

A- The loss of personal peace. (Jonah 1:11-17)

Jonah 1:11–17 (NLT)

11 And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?”

12 “Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”

13 Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn’t make it.

14 Then they cried out to the Lord, Jonah’s God. “O Lord,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.”

15 Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once!

16 The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.

17 Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

1- Jonah lost all internal and external peace!

B- The loss of personal joy. (Jonah 4:3)

Jonah 4:3 (NLT)

3 Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”

1- Jonah lost his joy.

2- Jonah became angry and depressed.

CONCLUSION:

A- How much has your resistance and rebellion against the will of God cost you to this point? How much more is it going to cost you?

B- The Lord will forgive you if you repent and surrender to Him today.

1- You will never regret surrendering to God.