John grew up like some of you with a good Christian mother. She taught him the Bible. She would teach and sing hymns to him. She prayed every day that God would use him and call him to be a minister.

Unfortunately she died when John was just 11 years old. He was sent to live with his father who was a sailor. Growing up around the raucous of sailors drew him away from the man his mother had hoped and prayed he would be. Sailors were not known for their manners, but John had a reputation for profanity, coarseness, and debauchery that even shocked many sailors.

In 1748, he fought a storm for 11 days. They kept trying to keep the ship on course. John was with the other sailors trying to pump out the water. Eventually he grew too tired to do that and was tied to the helm for 11 hours trying his best to keep the ship on course.

In those moments as he looked that the ripped sails and the beaten and broken ship, he realized just how wrecked his life was. He believed that there was nothing he could do about it. He was too far gone from the God that his mother had shown him. And yet he could not stop thinking about Jesus.

He eventually found a New Testament and began to read in Luke 11:13 “13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!””

On March 21, 1748, John Newton gave his life to the Lord. He would continue as a sailor for a time, but he spent time studying the Bible and leading others with his Christian witness.

Eventually he did become a minister and influenced men like William Wilberforce who led the charge to abolish slave trade in Britain.

After all the great and good things he did in his life, he always lived by one statement, “I am a great sinner, but Christ is a great savior.”

Undeserving

We need to come to this same conclusion — We are completely and hopelessly undeserving of God’s grace.

We’re coming back to Jonah this morning. We left him in the belly of the big fish about 3 weeks ago. We have been talking about God’s Amazing grace and how Jonah thought he deserved it. He thought Israel deserved it. But he did not think Nineveh deserved it.

This morning we’re talking about how undeserving we are.

God takes us to the end of ourselves so that He can lead us back to Him.

Jonah 2:1–9 ESV

1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. 3 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your breakers and your waves passed over me. 4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ 5 The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head. 6 To the roots of the mountains I went down, to the land whose bars closed upon me forever. Yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. 7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. 8 Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. 9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!”

God shows us where we are—the condition of our heart.

Jonah 2:2 “2 saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.”

We have no idea just how sinful we are until God shows us. God is still showing me.

That’s part of what it means to grow in grace.

The world tells us to trust ourselves. Hope our good outweighs our bad.

Jonah 2:3–4 “3 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your breakers and your waves passed over me. 4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight…

Jonah confesses that God has brought him to this place. He doesn’t complain but accepts that this is his fault. He has sinned against God.

God took away anything that could distract Jonah. Jonah kept running away. Down to Tarshish, down in the bottom of the ship, down into the sea…and now there is no more down to go. God has his attention.

No one will seek forgiveness until the come to the end of themselves and realize their condition.

What about Nineveh? They’re lost, doomed, dying…and they have no idea or at least no idea why…

God shows us that we cannot save ourselves — grace in our weakness.

Jonah 2:5–6 “5 The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head. 6 To the roots of the mountains I went down, to the land whose bars closed upon me forever.

Jonah is in a place that he cannot escape from.

We are powerless to save ourselves. There are no works that we can do. There are no words we can say. Without God we are lost. Without Jesus we are lost. Without the Holy Spirit we are lost.

There is grace in our weakness because many think they have to do something. They have to clean up before they come to God. YOU CAN’T CLEAN YOURSELF.

God wants to save us — Amazing grace.

Jonah 2:4 “4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’”

Jonah 2:6–7 “6 To the roots of the mountains I went down, to the land whose bars closed upon me forever. Yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. 7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.”

Where does Jonah look at the bottom of the pit?

The temple…the most holy place…the mercy seat where blood was spilt for his sin.

God came to Jonah in his sin to save him.

Jonah is still alive because God wants to save him.

See your sin, your weakness, and God’s provision of grace…

Jonah would have been good if he had stopped, but we start to see a little bit of his no quite repentant heart.

The grace that saves us is the same grace that shapes us.

Jonah 2:8–9 “8 Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. 9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!””

He was still prideful. I’m going to do this. I’m going to do that.

But they worship vain idols. Those people….

Instead of feeling sorry for them, he still feels contempt for them.

Jonah is going to be forgiven, but he is going to keep up everything else from here on out.

Now here is the deal. We do work after we are saved. But we work from grace not for grace. We work through grace not without it. You cannot live a holy life without the Holy Spirit.

Grace is not just one part of your life. It’s every part of your life.

Conclusion: Undeserving

Jonah was right that Nineveh was undeserving, but he was wrong in thinking that he was.

Do you think you are more deserving that others?

Jonah is a picture of salvation.

What a God lyrics…