When God Saves and We Rejoice
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Claim (of the passage) - God brings Jonah near to death so that he, through prayer, gratefully remembers the salvation (grace) of the Lord
Focus (of the sermon) - Despair is God’s mechanism for bringing us back to him in prayer and gratefulness for his salvation.
Function (for the congregation) - to engender an attitude of enormous thanks, through prayer, to God for his grace in salvation.
Chapter 1 - Irony, mockery etc.
Chapter 2 - serious theological teaching.
PRAY
The emotion of ‘despair’ is not generally considered to be a good thing!
But, All sorts of things can lead us there.
A newborn baby who wont let you sleep or rest.
A highly pressurised job.
Loneliness.
Struggling with school work.
Relationship breakdown.
Or, as in Jonah’s case,
physical life ending danger.
If you were with Jonah on the boat last week,
Then you’ll know he was on the run from God.
He found God’s request to go to the city of Nineveh and offer them grace, unacceptable.
But he can’t escape the unescapble God,
and he’s caught in a massive strom at sea as he runs.
The sailors are terrified
that someone would believe in the God of all things,
would think he could run away from God at sea!
Now they are caught in the crossfire.
And so,
the sailors, saying prayers and making sacrifices and vowes to the Lord they have now discovered,
well they cast Jonah overboard,
trusting it is Jonah God wants in judgment, not them.
They are right of course, and as Jonah gets sucked under, the storm ceases.
The sailors are the first people to benefit from the unacceptable grace of God in Jonah.
But before the storm ceases,
The waves crash around Jonah,
he is dragged down deep under the water by the swirling currents v3.
The seaweed is tangling around his head v5
And, as far as Jonah is concerned, he’s pulled as deep as the roots of the mountains v6.
The panic and distress must have been unbearable.
‘Despair’ is probably not strong enough a word to use.
But it communicates the sense of helplessness in a situation.
As hard as he tried to swim, he could do nothing to get back to the surface.
He is finished. Distressed, desperate, and terrified.
Much like the emotions of the sailors in chapter 1.
Who were also in despair. terrified, with seemingly no way out.
But what I find interesting about Jonah’s prayer in this chapter, giving thanks for deliverance from his watery grave,
is how he understands the situation he found himself in.
Of course Jonah is all too aware of his rebelion against God.
His running away, his sin.
v4
I said, ‘I have been banished
4 I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight;
from your sight;
The Holy Bible: New International Version—Anglicised. (1984). (electronic edition., ). London: Hodder & Stoughton.
(to call it banishment is to acknowledge his guilt in the matter that deserves banishment)
v 7
The Holy Bible: New International Version—Anglicised (1984) Jonah’s Prayer
7 “When my life was ebbing away,
I remembered you, LORD,
(To remember implies his acceptance that he had forgotten, or at least deliberately ignored the Lord)
and v9
The Holy Bible: New International Version—Anglicised (1984) Jonah’s Prayer
What I have vowed I will make good.
(The implication being that he realises he has not made good on his vows previously!)
From that perspective Jonah, rightly,
would see the terror of drowning in the depths of the sea as his own doing.
But that is not what is interesting -
becasue that is how we think when our life or emotions are falling apart
and we can see it’s a direct result of our rebelion or disobedience to God’s ways.
And we’d be right, but it’s not the whole picture...
I want to suggest that (unlike last week)
we can actually learn something very important from Jonah in this chapter.
He does not see his despair as a situation only brought about by his sinful actions...
He sees his circumstances that have caused his despair as a direct action of God himself.
Let me say that more simply.
Jonah believes God is responsible for throwing him in the sea to drown.
You hurled me into the deep,
into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
swept over me.
I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight;
yet I will look again
towards your holy temple.’
jon 2
God has orchestrated the terrible and terrifying situations Jonah finds himself in!
But for Jonah,
Of course Jonah deserves it, but God has implemented it.
And Jonah is not alone in his thinking,
Infact his prayer in this chapter picks up all sorts of OT passages.
For all Jonah’s faults, he knows how to pray from Scripture.
How does compare...
For my soul is full of trouble
and my life draws near the grave.
I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am like a man without strength.
I am set apart with the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
who are cut off from your care.
You have put me in the lowest pit,
in the darkest depths.
Your wrath lies heavily upon me;
you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.
Selah
-
And now notice the YOU...
You have taken from me my closest friends
and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape;
psa 88 8
Perhaps in our materialistic,
I have rights,
rights to happiness and health.
It’s not fair culture, that I have drawn the short straw (to make a pun out of last weeks chapter)
I don’t deserve my life to be in despair.
Perhaps, in our culture today, we are more blind to the irony of Jonah’s situation than we realise.
As he realises that despair comes from the Lord,
he thanks God that as a result of it the Lord is able to save!
The Grace of God. you see, has a tendency to always start with despair.
It is when we are at or lowest,
When we cannot do anything to help ourselves,
When we are mentally, or physically, or spiritually in the lowest pit.
It is then we are left with no other choice but to turn to the unacceptable, undeserved grace of God.
1 - Grace = Despair
1 - Grace = Despair
And I do mean it that way round.
Of course we understand that Despair leads us to remember again God’s grace,
but that’s not the point Jonah draws.
His point is that God’s grace is what brings him to despair… so that we might be thankful and joyful again!
God is acting in grace when he brings despair into the life of Jonah.
God’s Grace comes first - and more often than not it manifests itself in bringing us despair!
This may sound pretty ‘out there’ as statements go, but think about it.
Is this not a smaller expression of how God ultimately shows us his grace in the Gospel.
Of course it makes sense that if we deliberatly disobey God, then our actions will have consequences - and if they bring us to despair and we v7 ‘remmeber the Lord’ then that is absolutely a time to give thanks to God for his grace in bringing you to that point of despair.
The good news of Jesus is only good news when we reach the understanding that we are in utter despair to save ourselves.
The whole point of the Gospel is that we are totally helpless to save oursleves.
Total despair would reign in our lives if we believed in God, but thought we had to make it all right on our own.
That is what makes the fact that Jesus saves us, by his own work, dieing to take our punishment, that is what makes the gospel so great!
So God, graciously, by His Holy Spirit brings us to a point of spiritual despair,
inorder that we can receive his grace.
But the grace was already there, at work!
It began when he worked on our hearts to show us what we were like.
And so began our journey of first receiving the grace of eternal life.
But this pattern continues through our lives,
despair is God’s grace in action,
reminding us how much we need him,
how much he’s done for us,
how much he loves us.
Now, We do need a slight caveat here.
But what about when we reach despair for reason outside our control.
What about Alan Down, or Becky Gill both being treated for Cancer.
I am not saying that all our despair is inflicted upon us by God as punishment for disobedience,
but rather whatever the cause of despair, the despair itself is not outside of God’s grace.
Ultimately it is a form of God’s grace in action to restore us more closely to himself.
In fact, in reality, it’s rare that we get such obvious consequences for our disobedience as Jonah does.
And it’s quite common that we face despair and pain with no obvious corolation to our obedince to God or not.
God does not dish our cancer or depression or bereavement or traffic accidents becasue those people, we have done something against him and they need to be brought back to his grace.
No - experience will testify that often the most holy and god fearing Christians face the most despair and suffering in this life.
But the lesson we can learn is that whatever the cause of our despair,
we can trust that God is at work and is still showing us his grace.
In case yo u still think this is far fetched, listen to the apostle Paul speaking in 2 cor 1v8-10
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,
None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written:
“No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him”—
but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
God DOES allow (or perhaps occasionally directly inflict) despair on his people, and on those who do not know him,
But it is still an act of grace as he allows us to hurt.
now makes perfect sense,
makes perfect sense,
Jonah’s prayer here makes perfect sense.
Becasue in our despair, we can praise God that he is the only one who can save.
He is the only one who delivers us eternally from all despair.
Grace = Despair.
If God had no grace, then perhaps there would be no despairing now.
But there would be eternal despair when we pass from this life.
But the fact that God allows despair now,
proves to us that God is acting in Grace,
becasue we recognise,
before it’s too late,
that God is the only one who can save.
We renew our faith in His salvation, not our own ability.
And then despair, when we pass from this life, will be banished from our minds eternally!
I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight;
yet I will look again
towards your holy temple.’
Do you see the reverse effects of despair now - it leads to joy eternal.
There was no temple in Jonah’s time - it had yet to be rebuilt.
But he knows he will see the Lord and be in his presence nonetheless!
“When my life was ebbing away,
I remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you,
to your holy temple.
Can i share with you one more verse in this prayer that makes this point,
and it’s an important one for any that have not accepted the grace of God yet.
Who would not call themselves a follower of Jesus.
To those of you who cling to other things for this life, things that Jonah calls them idols.
BUt when life is rubbish,
When you find nothing but despair, do not turn your angre on God, see that he is leading you to his grace - his grace that can be yours, his grace that takes you to desperation...
This is what Jonah understands of you...
“Those who cling to worthless idols
forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
When you find nothing but despair, in this life,
do not turn your angre on God,
see that he is leading you to his grace
- his grace that can be yours, his grace that takes you to desperation...
SO that you may enjoy eternity instead!
We need to turn on it’s head what the world thinks of suffereing and despair.
Grace = Despair.
Grace = Despair.
Of course it’s te
The next 2 points are applications of this and don’t worry, are much shorter.
What do we do when we recognise that in our despair, God is working to show us more grace.
How do we access that saving power, that love and grace.
Well,
But there is absolutely
What about mental illness or depression brought on by unavoidable pressure.
What about the loss of a child.
1 - Grace = Despair
Grace = Despair
2 - Grace = Prayer
2 - Grace = Prayer
AS Jonah is swallowed by the great fish, who knows how consious he is.
He’s in there for 3 days.
No-one really knows if it’s possible for a man to survive inside a whale for 3 days. The general consensus is no, but there is an outside chance.
But that’s not the point.
Christians believe God made everything with a word,
that he rose Jesus from the dead,
I think he can manage to keep Jonah alive in a fish.
But it’s not likely to have been a pleasant experience!
The word ‘vomited’ in v10 is a deliberately harsh word in the original,
to imply the disgusting experience for Jonah.
Let alone the fish!
But somewhere in his drfiting in and out of consiousness
he is able to apply his trust in God’s grace.
And he applies it by praying. v1...
The Holy Bible: New International Version—Anglicised (1984) Jonah’s Prayer
“In my distress I called to the LORD,
and he answered me.
From the depths of the grave I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
God’s grace which is reveal initially in despair for us,
is then realised,
or accessed if you like in prayer.
What should we do in our despair? PRAY!
It’s the first thing we do to become Christians isn’t it?
We Pray, we aknowledge our despair,
our desperation that we are sinners before God,
and pray for salavtion.
We ought to continue in that fashion everyday.
Recognising that in our weakness,
God is shown to be gloriously gracious!
Back in that Corinthians passage, Paul immediately applies ‘Prayer’ to his desperate situation
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”
He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favour granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favour granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace.
And how can we pray?
Well, Notice most of Jonah’s prayer is acknowledging his desperation,
and that he had cause to cry for help and rescue,
But within that is an emphasis of thanks.
What’s remarkabale about the thanks is that he is still half-dead,
wallowing in a fish’s stomach acids,
v9 gives us a great summary of this
v9 gives us a great summary of this
But I, with a song of thanksgiving,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
Salvation comes from the Lord.”
He cries
Thankfulness,
renewed commitment,
and recognition that ‘salvation belongs to the Lord’.
So, that’s the first and most glorious, and most simple way to apply this passage to our own despair.
Grace = prayer.
So pray.
Make a note of this prayer of Jonah,
or read Pslam 88 when you are in despair.
Pray a prayer of repentance if you never have before,
Becasue prayer access God’s grace.
For when we cry, he answers.
We might still be half dead in a fish stomach - but boy will it have been worth it when JEsus returns.
One day we will see Jesus face to face,
and we’ll praise him for all those desperate times that drove us back to faith in him,
And prayer is the proof God’s grace is at work in us.
Some here have despaired far more than others.
Some here will in the future despair far more.
Some here are despairing today.
Thank God that he cares enough to allow you to despair.
Because you can know more than if you had an easy life,
that this life, your efforts, idols, cannot save.
BUt Jesus can.
Pray, pray pray.
heb
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Grace = Prayer.
Finally, and very briefly,
2 - I knew you had faith, becasue my grace drove you to pray. To speak to my heavenly Father. To acknowldege him even in the darkest time. And he heard you, and now, you have been vomited from this desperate life, onto dry land.
Your pryaers are answered, you are home.
3 - Grace = Declare
3 - Grace = Declare
Ofcourse, Jonah isn’t in heaven just yet, and nor are we.
So when we are able, when desperation has been lifted even temporarily,
we have a wonderful job to do.
The end of v9 more literally translated says…(it’s in the new NIV if you’re using that)
The New International Version Chapter 2
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the LORD.
Grace = Declare.
Jonah has experinced the grace of God again,
and he will declare that grace now.
That is what we will consider next week,
But to declare the Good news of God’s salvation, is the natural partner to prayer.
And the natural result of Grace.
We declare that ‘Salvation comes from God’
So that others may to be vomited unceremoniously from this desperate life, and onto the dry and eternal land of the kingdom Jesus.
1 - Grace = Despair
God causes Jonah despair (the very depths of despair, near death) to bring him to a point were he can again accept the grace of God) (2 cor 1v8-10)
2 - Grace = Prayer
Recognition of, and further receivership of, Grace if done/found through prayer. (Heb 4v16)
3 - Grace = Declare
Grace leads us to declare God’s grace through our actions (sacrifices, vows, obedience) and literally ‘declaring that ‘Salvations comes from the Lord’
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,
Grace = Despair (for it leaves us with hope in God alone - which is no bad place to be)
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Grace = Prayer (for in prayer we access the grace that is already there)
Grace = Declare (for to experience and access grace, is to leave us wanting to share)
Let’s pray.