Sermon Tone Analysis

I have three questions for us to answer as we continue in .

Courageous Obedience II (GO)

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I have three questions for us to answer as we continue in .

1) True or false?

God accomplishes what we perceive to be impossible things?

2) True or false?

God accomplishes impossible things through people?

3) True or false?

God accomplishes impossible things through people who have failed?

But why is it true?

Why does God choose to use people who have sinned, who have failed, who have weaknesses …?

I have two axioms (true statements) for you.

Axiom #1 - God accomplishes impossible things through people who have failed - because there aren’t any other kind of people.

If God accomplishes impossible things through people (and that is His way), then whom does He have to choose from other than people who have failed?

Find one person throughout history whom God has used to accomplish His purposes who has not failed at time or another?

Whether it’s financial, moral, physical or spiritual failure - everyone whom God has ever used has been a failure at something.

Which tells me God can accomplish impossible things through whom?

Every person in this room.

Axiom #2 - God accomplishes impossible things through people who have failed - because God is a great God.

And His greatness is greater than all our failures put together.

- Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.

Nothing is too hard (difficult) for you.

- Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us …

- Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us …

What does this tell us about God?

It tells us that God can accomplish impossible things through people who have failed because God is a greater than any of our failures.

He is greater than our weaknesses.

He is greater than our handicaps.

He is greater than our past.

He is greater than our excuses.

He is greater than anything we can throw at Him.

What does this tell us about God?

It tells us that God can accomplish impossible things through people who have failed because God is a greater than any of our failures.

He is greater than our weaknesses.

He is greater than our handicaps.

He is greater than our past.

He is greater than our excuses.

He is greater than anything we can throw at Him.

Nothing is too difficult for our God and if He is calling you to go, if He is telling you to begin something (i.e. a ministry or outreach), if He is asking you to talk to “those people,” if God is asking you to __________, then guess what - you can do it.

If God is behind it, then is true ...

is true - “Nothing will be impossible for you.”

I like what Chip Ingram wrote in his book Good to Great in God’s Eyes:

I like what Chip Ingram wrote in his book Good to Great in God’s Eyes: “God delights … to do IMPOSSIBLE things … through IMPROBABLE people … to IMPART exceeding grace … to UNDESERVING recipients” - Chip Ingram

“God delights … to do IMPOSSIBLE things … through IMPROBABLE people … to IMPART exceeding grace … to UNDESERVING recipients” - Chip Ingram

Does this mean we can accomplish anything we want?

No. What it means is that we can accomplish anything that God calls us to accomplish, but the problem is too many of us are either content with status quo, or disobedient, or immobilized by fear.

You’re not going to see the impossible when you’re content with living a spiritually status quo life, when you’re living in disobedience or when immobilized by fear.

Let me read that again: “God delights to do IMPOSSIBLE things through IMPROBABLE people to IMPART exceeding grace to UNDESERVING recipients.”

“God delights to do IMPOSSIBLE things through IMPROBABLE people to IMPART exceeding grace to UNDESERVING recipients.”

Doesn’t that summarize the entire book of Jonah?

God wanted to do an impossible work through an improbable prophet to impart exceeding grace to the undeserving people of Nineveh.

That’s what God wanted to do - but what was the hindrance?

Was it the Ninevites?

No! Was it God - was He asking too much?

No! Was it the mission?

It was mission impossible to the max?

No! So what was the problem?

The problem was Jonah!

He was the only hindrance for God to do an impossible work.

You know what I’ve discovered.

Of all the things that God wanted to accomplish through me during the past 46 years - the number one hindrance to God - was me.

Whether it was disobedience, fear, laziness or unbelief - I was and still am the greatest hindrance to God doing the impossible in my life.

The great evangelist and pastor D.L. Moody was once asked which people gave him the most trouble in his ministry.

His response was,

“I’ve had more trouble with Dwight L. Moody than any other man alive.”

~ D.L. Moody

Understand, if you want to see God do impossible things to impart exceeding grace to undeserving people - He will need to use improbable people - meaning you and me - because there aren’t any other people available.

I want you to believe that God can accomplish the impossible through you - and let me show you what I mean.

If you remember from last week, we wanted to know two things from ) WHAT GOD EXPECTS.

Which is what?

1) WHAT GOD EXPECTS

- Which is what?

1) WHAT GOD EXPECTS

Courageous obedience

This week, we want to know

2) WHAT GOD ACHIEVES

- and what I mean by that is this - what does God do, what does God accomplish, what’s the result of our obedience.

So let’s look at .

And then verse

And then verse When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

So what did God achieve?

What happened because of Jonah’s obedience?

God does a lot of things when we obey, but I believe two things stand out.

So what did God achieve?

What happened because of Jonah’s obedience?

God does a lot of things when we obey, but I believe two things stand out.

1) God is Gloried

When we obey, God is glorified which means He is made much of.

To glorify means to ascribe greatness to God - He gets the credit, and He becomes the center of attention.

When we love our spouses in a godly way, when we raise our children in a godly home, when we manage our money and other resources according to God’s Word, when we are the kind of employee or neighbor that obeys God, people notice and God is gloried and when God is gloried, what happens?

Jesus said, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

This was in reference to His crucifixion, I also believe it was in reference to His ascension but I believe it goes beyond that - that when we lift Him up, God is glorified, and when God is glorified what happens?

This was in reference to His crucifixion, I also believe it was in reference to His ascension but I believe it goes beyond that - that when we lift Him up, God is glorified, and when God is glorified what happens?

2) Lives are Changed

Look at what God did through a wayward, disobedient cowardly prophet who finally decided to obey.

Thousands of lives were saved because of Jonah’s courageous obedience.

Thousands of people, including the king fasted and repented and lives were changed.

We may not experience the instant results that Jonah experienced, but the truth is still the same - God always wants to and will change lives.