From Fearful Terror to Fearful Reverence

Introduction

Tell story about Being out on Saylorville with my dad testing out the boat fro the first time

Points-

I was 18 and bought a boat cheap without a truck!

it didn’t work so I paid a boat mechanic to fix it.

left the mechanic and did what every 18 year old with a boat would do- I headed straight to the lake.

Got out I the middle of Saylorville lake and a storm came up out of no where

It was terrifying- We thought we were going to sink!

And I remember my dad saying We need to pray for God to step in because we are in literally way over our heads!

Today, we're going to dive into a story that many of us have heard since childhood, but we're going to look at it from a fresh perspective.

We're continuing on in the story of Jonah, but our focus this morning isn't on Jonah himself. Instead, we're going to explore the incredible journey of faith experienced by the sailors on that fateful ship.

If you have your Bibles and again I encourage all of you to bring them with you, turn with me to our text this morning

Jonah chapter one where we will be looking together at verses 5-16.

In this familiar story, we often focus on Jonah's disobedience and God's Divine persistence. But today, I want us to see the powerful narrative of conversion that unfolds for these pagan sailors.

I want us to see that even in Jonah’s Great rebellion God was still using him to Pursue undeserving men!

As our story begins, we find these sailors in a desperate situation. A violent storm has overtaken their ship.

These where mighty men of the sea, They most likely had spent their entire life sailing Across this body of Water. These would have been the guys standing on the shore of Saylorville Lake laughing at me and my fear in the storm.

For these men to fear for their lives meant that this storm was so great that they saw no way of escape.

And it was in this moment where they knew that they were standing at the door of death that the author describes them as being terrified in their fear!

Notice where they ran to in this moment of great desperation.

verse 5

Jonah 1:5 (ESV)

5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep.

Church family we need to understand that these men where doing what came naturally to them – They cried out to their gods to save them!

Point # 1 in your notes is

I. A Pagan’s Prayer: Lost in Idolatry (1:5-6)

These men ran tot heir gods for escape!

This scene paints a vivid picture of the human condition apart from the true God.

These men, skilled in their trade and probably confident in their abilities, are suddenly faced with a power far beyond their control. And their natural response was to run to what ever they thought could save them from this fear!

In our own lives, we often find ourselves in similar situations.

We can sit here and laugh at this futile attempt these men where making praying to gods that really didnt even exist,

But Friends understand we do the very same thing in our lives today- even as the redeemed church!

We might not be bowing to carved images, but we all have things we turn to for security, for significance, and for salvation apart from God.

It might be our career, our relationships, our intellect, or our own self-reliance.

An Idol is anything you run to in time of need instead of God

An idol is anything that you think can bring you more happiness or contentment than following Jesus

An idol is anything in your life that is so central to your life that you could not have a meaningful life without it!

Friends we need understand that idol worship is a sinfully natural problem in every humans life.

To run to anything other than the one true Creator God is Idol worship and this should never be part of the Christians life, Because God has saved us from this futile way of thinking!

Look where this left these frighted Sailors- They where still lost without any way of salvation, Because they had placed all their hope in gods who where not alive,

They where trusting in gods that could never bring them peace, in gods that could never offer them salvation from this storm.

These sailors where crying out with all of their hearts worship for a divine intervention, but their gods never heard their cries becaus ethose Gods didnt care about their lives!!

They were left in their fear!

And church we need to understand that this is where the world is without Jesus- They are Lost and hopeless, looking for someone or something to bring peace into their life! They are looking for a god to rescue them!

Transition:

As the story progresses in verses 7-9 , we see God using this storm to reveal Himself as the one true God .

In a very real way God is stepping into their pagan lives and is begining to open their eyes to see Himself as the One true God!

Look with me at the text:

Jonah 1:7–9 (ESV)

7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?”

casting lots was an ancient practice used to seek divine guidance in decision-making, often by drawing marked stones or sticks to determine a person's guilt or innocence.

These sailors where so desperate that they had nothing left to offer their gods, and so they cast lots hoping that one of their gods would identify who was responsible for the storm, and God in his sovereignty caused the lot to fall on Jonah, revealing him as the cause.

Pause

Even in their unbelief, God still was working in their life- He was opening up their eyes, He was drawing them to himself as the one true God.

Look at Jonah’s stunning confession in verse 9 where he spoke the truth of God.

Jonah 1:9

”I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land."

Even in his rebellion God was using Jonahs voice to draw sinners to himself!

Point #2 in your notes is that these sailors where in a

II. Perilous Predicament: Confronted by God's Power (1:7-10)

Look at their reaction in verse 10?

Jonah 1:10 (ESV)

10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

They were exceedingly afraid."

Notice the shift that takes place in this verse. The sailors moved from being afraid of the storm to being afraid of the God who controls the storm.

This is a crucial first step in their story of redemption.

These pagan sinners beginning to realize that they're dealing with something – Someone – far greater than they had ever imagined. They are starting to see a glimpse of the almighty Creator God in their life!

They are no longer seeing the storm that they are going through as their greatest fear!

These sailors have gone from fearing the storm and its destruction to fearing the One who is over the storm.

Friends, This is the truth that Proverbs 9;10 is speaking of when it says:

Proverbs 9:10 (ESV)

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Brothers and sisters this is the necessary starting point for a genuine relationship with God.

A lost sinner must first recognize who God is in all of his perfection and who we are in all of our sinful rebellion.

and when this transformation begins to happen the sinner goes from fearing the destructive path of sin, to fearing the one who is soverign over all things including life and death.

Trans: As the realization of God's power dawns on these sailors, they still make one last frantic attempt to save themselves and, interestingly, to save Jonah as well.

They still dont fully believe that God’s Way is the only way of escape

Look with me at verses 11-13

Jonah 1:11–13 (ESV)

11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.

III. Pointless Paddling: The Futility of Human Efforts (1:11-13)

These men where lost in their idol worship

They had been confronted with the power of god in their lives, and now even Jonah has told them the way of escape.

But Even after they were confronted with the one true God they still tried to save them selves and Jonah on their own. They said We are sailors - We dont need any help We can save ourselves! and so They rowed and rowed with all their might. “If only we can get closer to the shore we can save our selves.”

But the harder they rowed the greater the storm become.

These sailors were not going up against the storm they were going up again t the God of the storm. A God who we will see was relentlessly perusing them. A God who put them in a place where they had to trust in Him or die! !

The Apostle Paul, reflecting on his own efforts to earn God's favor, came to this conclusion in Eph 2:8-9

: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast"

Friends Part of coming to Jesus is coming to the realization that we cannot save ours selfs and we are in desperate need of divine intervention in our lives!

We should Never underestimate this part of someone’s salvation story.

This futility of human effort is a crucial step in the journey to faith.

It strips away our self-reliance and prepares our hearts for God's intervention. Its what drives prideful men to the point of crying out to the God of the Universe to step into their brokenness and save them!

Trans:

and Now we come to verse 14, the climax of our story.

Jonah 1:14 (ESV)

14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, They stopped trying to save them selves and they turned to the Lord! and they cried out…

“O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.”

Having exhausted their own resources and recognizing that every attempt they made to save themselves still left them condemned to die the sailors do something remarkable.

- They cried out to Jonah's God. for Salvation!

Point # 4 is

IV. A Pivotal Petition: The Sailors Cried Out to the One True God (1:14)

This is a profound moment of change. For the first time, these pagan sailors address the creator God.

In this simple prayer

They acknowledge God’s Soverignty in their life – "you have done as it pleased you."

They are saying its all about you and your ways.

They also appealed to His justice –they cried out“"lay not on us innocent blood."

And most importantly, they cry out for mercy – "let us not perish." They begged God to save them from their hopeless state!

TO put this prayer in simple terms they cried Out “God their is no other way for salvation but through YOU” God we need you to save our lives!”

Friends, This prayer marks the beginning of genuine faith in these men’s lives.

They're no longer crying out to their false gods or relying on their own strength to save them .

They have now turned to the only One who truly has the power and ability to save them from this storm!

Brothers and sisters- It was in this sinner’s prayer where we see that it was their belief in God that was the catalyst for change.

But as we will see in verse 15 this change wasn't just a dead belief it was immediately followed By Actions

Point # V . Prompt Performance: Genuine Faith always results in Genuine Obedience (1:15)

Their actions flowed from their newfound, albeit rudimentary, faith.

They now believed that this God had the power to save them, and that belief led them to act.

Look at their actions in verse 15

Jonah 1:15 (ESV)

15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.

The response to their act of faith is immediate and dramatic obedience.

They obeyed what God told them to do through the words of Jonah- They picked him up and threw him overboard

Church, This illustrates a fundamental principle of the Christian life: faith precedes and produces action in the believers lives.

As James would later write, "Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (James 2:17).

Meaning the proof of genuine faith is a life of obedience

The sailors' belief in God led them to take the drastic action of throwing Jonah overboard, trusting in God's mercy and justice.

Let say this point again “Genuine faith always results in Genuine Action.

and Did you see the result in verse 15 of what happend when they obeyed ?

Jonah 1:15 (ESV)

15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.

Can you Imagine the awe these sailors must have felt at that moment?

The God they had just prayed to for the first time in their lives, had answered in a powerful and undeniable way.

The contrast between their previous ineffective prayers to false gods and this immediate response from the true God must have been staggering.

. It's one thing to hear about God's power; it's another thing entirely to experience it personally.

And I believe that it was in this moment moment that God became so real in these sailor’s lives.

And in verse 16 we read the beautiful conclusion of the sailors' journey. in fact, its the last mention of any of these men in the Bible.

Look with me at these Now beleiving mens response to what they had just seen God Do.

Jonah 1:16 (ESV)

16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

These new Beleiver’s lives where changed forever…

Point number 6 is that when a sinner is confronted with the power of God in their life it should lead them to a..

6. Profound Piety: From Fearful Terror to Reverent Fear (1:16)

remember what they feared at the beginning of the story?

they were "exceedingly afraid" of the storm.– this was a terror born of ignorance and helplessness.

They had no hope

They had no way of escape

every human effort they tried failed and still left them in their fear of death

But now, After God stepped into their lives and saved them they "feared the Lord exceedingly" – this fear of God refers to a deep reverence and awe for God's power and authority he displayed over that storm,

as the sailors saw the powerful hand of God quiet that raging sea, It drove them to a heart of Worship.

Look at what they did… They offered sacrifices to God as worship and committed their life to follow after Him!

These are not the actions of men cowering in terror, but of men who have encountered the living God and want to honor Him.

This is what it means to fear the Lord- its to humbly recognize His sovereignty over all your life and to stand in Awe and worship Him above all else.

What I want us to understand from this verse is that True reverent fear of God leads not to paralysis in our christian walk living in fear that we might slip up and make him mad, No it means to stand in utter awe of Who God is and when we do this it leads us into a vibrant life of worship and obedience.

BRING IT HOME: Personal Parallel: The Gospel in the Sailors' Story

As we wrap up, I believe that this story of the sailors is a powerful picture of our own relationship with God.

Like these sailors, We all began our lives on a sinking ship!. We have all been condemned to die because of sin.

Romans 3:23 confimrs this when it says for all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God

ansd then in Rom. 6:23

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Everyone of us was bron in sin and condemend to die because of that sin!

And People all around us are trying everything they can do to escape this hopeless state, They are crying out to gods who do not exist, god s that cannot hear them, Gods that still leave them dead in their sins,.

people all around us are trying everything in their own power to be good enough so that maybe they could be acceptable before a holy God,

I think Paul wrote it well when he said in 2 Cor. 4:4

2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV)

4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Becaus eof sin and because of satans great hatred towards God, Man is blinded to the truths that God loves them and that he desperately wants to save them from eternal death.

And everyone of us who is sitting here today as the redeemed chirldren of God had to come to the end of our own efforts, realizing that we could not save ourselves. because it is in This realization that prepared our hearts for the gospel – the good news that God has provided a way of salvation.

Just as the sailors cried out to God in faith, we are called to put our faith in Jesus Christ Alone.

The apostle Paul puts it this way in

Romans 10:9: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Friends just like the sailors the only way of escape is to Beleif

And when we do, we experience God's power and mercy in our own lives. The storm of God's judgment against our sin is calmed, not because we are thrown overboard, but because Jesus was thrown overboard in our place.

Friends understand that when Jesus went to that Cross, he took upon Himself the storm of God's wrath that we deserved.

To believe in Jesus is to believe that God in His great love for you sent Jesus to pay your debt in full satisfying his judgement against you for your sins,

and its this belief in Jesus that leads us to a transformed life, marked by reverent fear and worship of God.

Why, because we understand what Jesus did to save us!

Like the sailors offering sacrifices and making vows, when we truly understand the great mercy and grace God offered us through Salvation we willingly want to follow and obey Him.

Let me be clear: This is the gospel – the good news that God saves sinners.

Friends If you've never taken this step of faith, I invite you to do so today. Stop rowing trying to escape the storm on your own, Turn from your idols, cry out to the true God, repent of your sinfulness, and put your trust in Jesus Christ.

And brothers and sister who have already trusted in Jesus as your savior, let this story remind you of God's amazing grace in your life.

Let it renew your sense of awe and reverence for God, leading you to worship Him more fully , and let it compel your obedience to Go Make and equip Disciples of Jesus in this community and around the World.

May we all, like these sailors, move from terror to reverence, experiencing the transforming power of God in our lives.

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