JONAH: Through The End

 Through The End Jonah 2:10-3:4 Wrong Way Riegels. That name may not mean anything to you - but stick with me. This is a story of a guy who played football in the 1920s, in fact here he is in what you’ll learn was a most faithful day for Roy. In fact it’s when wrong way Roy would become famous for all the wrong reasons. Football may not mean much to you, but stick with me - I want us to learn more about Jonah today so that we’ll see more about God’s faithfulness. Because by the end of today certainly by the end of the book of Jonah we’ll see God is with us not to the end, but through the end. It was 1929 and the University of California Golden Bears go to the rose bowl, that was a very big game they’d play Georgia Tech in front of 70,000 people. Maybe you’ve been to the Fulton Bank stadium where ether Senators and Islanders play - its capacity is only 6,100 people - these guys played in front of 70,000. Have you ever done something stupid in front of people - it can feel like the end? My house has a steep driveway - and in the wintertime the neighbors know what’s going to happen to me, I’ll walk out, try to step carefully to my car and absolutely eat garbage - it happens at minimum 2 times a year - that said, the first thing you do when you hit the deck is look to see if anyone noticed - Imagine Roy now in front of 70,000 people: Georgia Tech fumbled the ball, Roy picked it up and started down the field, but he rolls off of a defender, gets turned around and starts running for his own end zone. If you’re not football people, this is bad they’re supposed to be defending that goal and running through it. Running that direction means he scores a touchdown for the other team… SO his own teammate runs him down, turns him around, and they start to take a first step in the right direction and boom Wrong Way Roy is pounded and tackled to the ground. Now this is bad - they’re pinned down at the 1 yard line and try to punt it away, the punt is blocked and Georgia Tech scores a safety. Maybe this wouldn’t be a big deal but in the end California looses by a single point - from there, Wrong Way Roy was famous. People are creative so they’d send him upside down cakes, he got marriage proposals on the 1 yard line, he was even voted an honorary Georgia Tech player… guys this is awful, worse than falling down in our driveway to the delight of your neighbors; he lost the game in front of 70,000 people. Now, think with me about Jonah - headed 1,500 miles away from where God’s told him to go. He’s now chosen death over what God told him to do, he asked the sailors to throw him into the sea - but God in all grace scoops him up and takes him on a little journey God is with us not to the end, but through the end. You see guys, Jonah chose an ending to his story, he chose to end his suffering - but God had a plan and would bring Jonah (you’ll come to see) through the end. It is said about Wrong Way Roy that at halftime he crouched in the corner crying and told his coach he couldn’t go back out to face those people. Now guys I don’t want to get too caught up in the humor of that story, though it’s funny but identify for a minute with this football player 70,000 people just watched him screw up and he has to go BACK. This is not too unlike Jonah, is it? Hiding from God - running from God, trying to escape God choosing death and now - back to mission. God loves the minister as much as the ministry and doesn’t just move on from Jonah - he moves Jonah on. He rescues Jonah. He restores Jonah. He revitalizes Jonah - through the end. Maybe not to Roy’s or certainly to Jonah’s degree, but I’m going to assume you’ve been here. Humiliated, ashamed - not wanting to face people maybe even not wanting to face God - this is why Jonah is SO important… Remember, my theory of Jonah is that he couldn’t make himself do what God called him to do. And so he just wanted to be hidden away from God, he wanted to sleep, he wanted to be far from God’s presence, he didn’t want to be around God’s people - and maybe you’ve been there: · Just distance will help, · Hiding will help, · Sleeping and feeling far would help…. Remember church God is with you not to the end, but through the end; Jonah’s story shows that and it does it in life, which is so big for me - because I live in my life and when odd things come up weird circumstances I’m encouraged by Jonah’s story from life. I love theology, don’t get me wrong I love theology deeply. But God told his story through flawed people and revealed truth’s about Himself through people like Jonah who mess up and I’m encouraged by that because I don’t the bear the brunt and weight of my life, rather I see freedom and grace in a pursuing God who bring me through the end. We noticed last week that God loves the missionary as much as the mission; we’ll keep seeing that today. Jonah 2:10 (ESV) 10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. In that whale in Jonah’s dark movements - Jonah repented and turned to God - and God was for Jonah, not looking to crush Jonah. Does that speak to you, this morning? Do you feel heavy and weighted - are you encouraged that God’s desire isn't to crush you that he brings you on through the end if you’ll, trust. His desire is that guilt would lead to repentance and freedom, not simply that you’d be depressed, but that you’d be lead to rejoice in grace and freedom in Him. Jonah’s disobedience, Jonah’s many screw ups didn’t change God willingness to use Jonah, His plan to use Jonah, nor His desire to use Jonah - in fact we see that: Jonah 3:1–2 (ESV) Jonah Goes to Nineveh 1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” Nothing changed. Remember how Jonah started: Jonah 1:1–2 (ESV) Jonah Flees the Presence of the Lord 1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” Maybe you’ve felt crushed before, felt the stinging weight of guilt, maybe you’ve feel like you’ve been so low that God couldn’t and/or wouldn’t use you? Consider this story of Jonah, the call from chapter 1 verses 1 and 2 came, and Jonah was disobedient and ran and hid and tried to commit suicide. But God carried him along through his darkest and lowest of times. This world will break your heart. What’s worse it will rejoice in your down turn and downward spiral it will celebrate your failure and encourage you further and further until it breaks you. That’s why we love the story of Wrong Way Roy, we just get to laugh at this guys 70k person misfortune - but God is so much different - He loves you as much as the mission he has for you He’s with you and for you even when you’re low, remember Jonah is disobedient and suicidal Jonah 3:3–4 (ESV) 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Remember here this is a story told in life, its not as if Jonah had a light time, God winked at him and he did the easy thing God called him to. No Jonah ran, Jonah may have even been so angry with God for this calling - Jonah hid from God, endangered others - tried to kill himself rather than do what God called him to but God used all that to restore Jonah, to call Jonah back and then now - to put him back on the path, where are you… maybe you think you’re at your end, God calls us through our end. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” Guys it’s so easy to miss the weight of this. Could you imagine going to a city full of a warrior people and delivering this kind of message: “forty days and Nineveh shall be over thrown”. Doesn’t that sound to you like a threat - go to warriors and say oh and so in 40 days you’ll be overthrown. Here is what we see in Jonah a patient loving God who is with His people THROUGH the end, and I pray that encourages you and by the end, you’ll see God do the impossible, because that’s what God does. He doesn’t do the impossible; He is the author of possible. 4 This world will break your heart - it will chew you up and spit you out, it will use you, mock you, and burn you - but Church God is so good, and so merciful, and so for you not against you! This world encourages us to dig our heels in and demand our way. God encourages us to trust Him and know: Romans 8:31 (ESV) 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? So how are we, even we who are running from God, to experience a grace and salvation like Jonah’s? Will I get a sign like Jonah - will God speak to me, yes and no - hear Jesus answer the question from a group who said, ok Jesus, give us a sign: Matthew 12:38–41 (ESV) The Sign of Jonah 38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. Jonah’s sigh is a picture of God’s salvation. It’s a story of a man who ran from God, who even tried to end his life and learned God is with us not to the end, but through the end. What happened to Jonah in the whale was learning about the care and grace and mercy of God when everything was stacked against him, when he’d run as far as he could run and was exhausted he was broken and turned to His God in a refreshing moment of salvation; God is with us not to the end, but through the end. Where are you this morning? Maybe you’re a believer, Church, be refreshed that you cannot out run, out last or out play God- this isn’t survivor it’s your life and God’s love for His people is great. This book is one about God that should encourage our faith. If you’re not a believer in God, if you’ve not repented and trusted Christ, I don’t know where this finds you - maybe your broken and giving up like Jonah; God is with us not to the end, but through the end. Maybe you feel like you’re at your end, at the end even maybe - I want to encourage you to keep going, but not like you have not in your strength - chances are you know that’s not working and it wont work, I want you to be like Jonah, yield your will and your spirit over to God and trust. If you’re not a believer and your not saved - that’s why I think you're here today. 2 Corinthians 6:2 (ESV) 2 “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. Make today your day to trust God - give up trying to make it work on your own and trust the God that’s with us not to the end but through the end! Maybe you have work to do for God, a calling to fulfill - you need to remember He loves you before the calling - turn to Him, not to work, receive His grace - not His mission - and then you’ll walk with God and he’ll bring you home not to the end, but through it and guys that’s true freedom! God Is With Us Not To The End, But Through The End JONAH: Through The End Pastor John Weathersby Transcend Church 5 of 5 Sunday 10/8/2017