Recalculate

Introduction

Several years ago while traveling on business from New York to Connecticut, I picked up a rental car to drive from the airport in New York to the hotel in Connecticut near the training facility I was sent to attend. I had never driven from New York to Connecticut before and to make matters worse, I was driving on a ticket and it was night time.

I was just a tad bite nervous about the trip but I was confident that I could make the trip because I had selected a car that had a Global Positioning Satellite system on board and all I had to do was follow, it’s directions.

It was not very long after leaving the parking lot of the airport that I realized that I had no sense of direction and I was going the wrong way. I was IN TROUBLE, and the way that I knew I was in trouble was because I kept hearing the GPS saying RECALCULATING after every missed turn, again and again time after time, recalculating, recalculating. I finally reached my destination, but it would have been a much smoother trip if I had just followed the directions.

So it is often times in our life as followers of Jesus Christ, we fail to obey God’s directions and find ourselves going through some situation that could have been avoided if we had only followed God’s directions the first time.

That relationship we engaged in that turned out to be a nightmare would have been avoided if we had only followed God’s prompting to stay away from smooth talking people, who make promises that they can not deliver.

That urge to get something for nothing, that led to spending more money on the item than the item was worth.

Going to places that you know God is not pleased with you being there, but you go anyway and he has to bail you out from a possible life altering event.

In each case we did what we wanted to do and not what we knew God wanted us to do, we went where we wanted to go, not where God wanted us to go and we found ourselves in a place that we didn’t need to be, a place we did not want to be, and certainly not the place God had called us to.

Lets you think this place is always a physical location let me reassure you it’s not, this can be an emotional place, a psychological place and certainly it can be a spiritual place. In other words we can arrive at a dangerous emotional state, because we have failed to keep our mind on God, and now instead of having peace we are an emotional wreck. We can take a unbiblical worldview of the issues of today in light of our past as African American’s and react in such a manner that people would wonder which spirit is controlling our tongues, and our thinking.

When we find ourselves in these places we too need to recalculate. Thus I’ve titled today’s message recalculate. Turn with me to as we will find the prophet of God in need of recalculating his direction. Recalculate

Read the text

Jonah 1:1–6 ESV

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.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. 4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. 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. 6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”

Outline

God assigns Jonah a mission v. 2a

“Arise, go to Nineveh”

The first of 2 commands from God to Jonah spell out Jonah’s mission, “go to Nineveh”.

Jonah is aware that this command is from God, as a prophet Jonah is aware of the voice of God.

Nineveh was a city that Jonah was familiar with, “that great city” and therefore he knew where to go.

God gives Jonah a ministry v2b

Here is the 2nd of the 2 commands God gives Jonah, “call out against it”.

Call out against it, Proclaim the message from God, Preach the message God had given.

Call out against it, Proclaim the message from God, Preach the message God had given.

“Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgressions, to the house of Jacob their sins.”

Jonah’s ministry to the Ninevites was to preach, proclaim the message from God to the people.

“for their evil has come up before me”

Although it often appears that God is unaware of matters on earth, this text allows us to see that God is not only aware, he takes action.

The message of salvation is not for an exclusive group of people, it’s a message that includes opportunity for everybody. “whosoever believes”.

Dr. Gerald M. Dew states in his book Jig Saw Puzzle Leadership “While we look at what is; seeing the big picture allows us to see what will be.”

Jonah makes a theological miscalculation v.3

Jonah thought that he could escape the power of God.

“Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.”

Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

Jonah thought that if he was able to reach a place were God was not worshipped he would be free from the power and the voice of God.

It was the thinking of some during this time and culture that if you found a place where a god was not worshipped you would be free of the power of that god.

Jonah thought that if he was able to reach a place were God was not worshipped he would be free from the power and the voice of God.

psalm 139:7 the Psalmist ask “where shall I go from your Spirit, or where shall I flee from your presence?” He goes on to imply that if it were possible to reach the highest heights or the lowest depths you would not be able to escape the presence of God, not even darkness can hide us from God. Jonah made a wrong turn and was in need of a recalculation of his direction.

God saves Jonah’s life v. 4, 17

God uses a storm to get Jonah to recalculate.

The storm prevents Jonah from continuing to go in the wrong direction. v.4c {the ship threatened to break up}

The storm enables the non-believing mariners to witness the power of God. v.6 {Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish}

The storm positions Jonah to call on God. v.17 {And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.}

Close

Are you aware of God’s mission for your life?

Are you engaged in the ministry God has called you to?

Are you ready to recalculate your theological miscalculation?

Are you ready to see the big picture of God’s plan of salvation?

Are you ready to realize that God loves non-believers as much as he loves you?

Are you ready to follow Jesus or are you still wanting to live life based on your terms ?

The main focus of the book of Jonah is not Jonah, but God.

God who loves a rebellious prophet enough to teach him that the plain of salvation includes those that would be considered our enemies, or people we have marginalized for one reason or another.

God that uses his people, as flawed as we may be, to carry his message to others to warn them of the judgement of God.

God that loves us enough to send his only son to save us from our theological miscalculations by dyeing on the cross and paying our sin debt in order that we might be placed in right relationship with the Father.

On January 1, 1929, the Golden Bears faced the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, USA. Midway through the second quarter, Riegels, who played center on both offensive and defensive lines and who was then playing in a role similar to that of the modern defensive nose guard or nose tackle, picked up a fumble by Tech's Jack "Stumpy" Thomason. Just 30 yards away from the Yellow Jackets' end zone, Riegels was somehow turned around and ran 69 yards in the wrong direction.

If you are truly ready to recalculate the direction of your life, you’ll say like the song writer “I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.