"The Hound of Heaven"

INTRODUCTION

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An article in the Los Angeles times this “chase” was “one of the most surreal moments in the history of Los Angeles Criminal Justice. The chase began at 5:56 p.m. (Pacific time) on the Santa Ana freeway and ended 7:57 p.m. (two hours later) at a home in Brentwood, California. The “low speed” chase of a white Ford Bronco was broadcast on live t.v. and our nation was captivated by the drama of former football star O.J. Simpson being pursed by the LAPD after he failed to turn himself in to the authorities after being charged with the murder of his x-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. The “chase” was eventually overshadowed by the drama of the eventual trial. I’ll never forget the dramatic chased captured by t.v. helicopters hovering above as they followed O.J.’s bronco down the freeway.

Perhaps you’ve never been pursued by a fleet of police cruisers like O.J. (maybe a few of you) but I’m willing to bet all of us have been under hot pursuit in our lives. Let’s find out. Everyone please – I’m going to make a statement and if it’s true of you go ahead and sit down, eventually we’ll see if someone has never been chased in their lives (whoever remains standing at the end).

· You have been chased by a dog (Sit)

· You have been chased by a goose (Sit).

· You have been chased by a squirrel (Sit)

· You have been chased by a chicken (Sit)

· You been chased by a bat – either one animal or baseball equipment (sit)

· You have been chased by the police (Sit)

· You’ve been chased in a game of hide and seek (Sit)

· You’ve been chased in a game of tag (Sit)

· You’ve been chased in a game of football (Sit)

· You’ve been chased by a boy (sit)

· You’ve been chased by a girl (sit)

· You’ve been chased by a jet ski (Sit)

· You’ve been chased on a ski slop (sit)

All of us have been chased by someone or something in our lives. All of us have experienced the feeling of being pursued by someone or something in our lives. Everyone one of us has a story about being chased – I’ve been chased by a psychotic goose on a golf course, I thought she was going to attack me and I didn’t want to use my putter so I ran away – I look forward to hearing your favorite chase story.

Need

Have you ever been chased by God? Have you ever felt like God is pursuing you? In 1893 English Poet Francis Thompson captured expressed his feelings of being chased by God in his poem entitled “The Hound of Heaven.” Thompson’s poem was praised by G.K. Chesteron and also influenced the work of J.R R Tolkien (“The Lord of the Rings”).

· Excerpt

· Description

Perhaps you’ve felt like God is “The Hound of Heaven” chasing you. Like Francis Thompson, the OT prophet Jonah tells the story of being chased by God. Today we continue our journey through the story of Jonah where we will see “The Hound of Heaven” in action! If you have your Bible (I hope you do) open it and turn or scroll to . . If you forgot your Bible or don’t have a Bible there are extra copies in the pew, please grab one so you can participate in this study, it’s good to get used to getting your hands on the Scriptures and follow along as we consider the truth of God’s word together.

Preview

Last week we kicked off our series in JONAH entitled “Pursued by a Relentless God.” Let me do a one-minute recap for those who might have missed last week. God called Jonah to preach a message of judgment to the wicked people of Nineveh but the rebellious prophet ran away. Jonah booked a ticket straight for Tarshish—2,000 miles in the opposite direction of Nineveh (MAP) – instead of preaching a message in the city of Nineveh Jonah took a Mediterranean cruise to Spain. God said go east and Jonah headed west. Jonah ran from God because he didn’t want to be His servant, He didn’t want to do the ministry that God had called Him to do, and so this rebellious prophet is on the run. And when we ended last week this rebellious prophet was on board a Phoenician cargo ship headed to Tarshish. Jonah has become a “prodigal prophet” – a rebellious prophet who has run away from home. How will God respond to Jonah? Will God strike Him down with a lightning bolt? (A common view of God) Will God be apathetic and do nothing? How will God respond to us when we run from Him? Let’s dig in. (Read )

I) GOD’S PURSUIT OF A REBELLIOUS PROPHET

In we see God’s response to this rebellious prophet. God didn’t strike Jonah down with a lighten-bolt from heaven (our common view of God) and yet God didn’t ignore Jonah’s rebellion either. The story reveals God’s pursuit of this rebellious prophet.

Jonah’s Mediterranean cruise was cut very short. Let’s take a closer look at how God pursued Jonah in his rebellion and how that applies to our lives.

A) God pursued Jonah through a Fierce Storm (1:4)

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4 Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a

violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.[1]

First, we see God’s pursuit of Jonah (rebellious prophet) through “A Fierce Storm” that impacted his cruise to Tarshish. Not long after Jonah boarded the ship at Joppa (PICTURE), they got out onto the open seas, and eventually encountered “A Fierce Storm.” Yahweh “sent a great wind on the sea”—He literally “cast” or “hurled” (threw it down on the sea) a wind so powerful (mighty) that it caused a “violent” storm to erupt on the open sea—the furious winds created a whirlwind so violent that the ship threatened to break up.” The tempest was so strong, the storm was so fierce, that the ship “seriously considered breaking apart.” The storm was so fierce that the ship “threatened to break up”—in dramatic and poetic flair the ship is personified as having rational thought—literally “the ship seriously considered breaking apart.” The winds created such a violent tempest that the ship was on the verge of shattering into many pieces. Imagine the waves began pounding this vessel, tossing it to and fro in such a violent manner that the ship was going to be broken into pieces, sending everyone on board sinking down to their watery grave.

Don’t skip past this verse too quickly. God caused this storm to happen…let this sink in for a second. This wasn’t Mother Nature’s doing, this storm forecasted to hit on this specific time, Yahweh sent this storm. God is the Creator – God is greater than the weather – and He can cause a great whirlwind tempest to break out on the open sea whenever He wants to. The Lord caused a “great” wind that produced a “great” storm.

· - He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses. [2]

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We learn right away that God was not going to let Jonah’s rebellion go unchecked. Jonah’s sin is serious business in the eyes of God. Jonah had paid the fare to get out of serving God in Nineveh but he will discover that disobeying God will be more costly than the price he paid for the ticket to Tarshish. This tempest was caused by God – it arose quickly and was perfectly timed – and Jonah was the target of this localized storm. God caused “The Fierce Storm” to pursue Jonah. God intentionally sent a storm to discipline Jonah for His disobedience. Yahweh will use this storm to draw Jonah back to Himself and get him back on track to Nineveh. Yahweh wasn’t going to allow His commission to preach to the people of Nineveh to be ignored, shoved aside, or outright rejected by this rebellious prophet. God had called Him to preach to the city of Nineveh and Jonah’s decision to run was not going to get him off the hook

NAC - The plans of a sovereign God are not so easily thwarted by the stubborn will of a puny prophet.[3]

God pursued the rebellious prophet by sending a storm to stop him dead in his tracks. God created a storm as an instrument of divine discipline in the life of this disobedient prophet. Maybe you didn’t think God could or would do that, He can and He did, and He would and He will in order to accomplish His divine plan purposes.

B) God pursued Jonah through The Pagan Sailors (1:5-16)

Secondly, we see Yahweh pursuing Jonah through “The Pagan Sailors” on board the ship. highlights the passenger’s response to the storm. Interestingly, the story highlights that the ship was the first to respond (threatened to break up), the pagan sailors are the second to respond, and Jonah is the last to respond. Let’s keep walking through the story to have a deeper understanding of how God pursued Jonah through these pagan sailors.

1) The Sailor’s Distress (1:5-6)

All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish.” [4]

One the storm erupted on the sea – distress erupted on the ship. The storm was so fierce and furious that the pagan sailors were frightened—they “were afraid” as the waves began to pound the ship—the imminent threat was so severe these sailors afraid. Picture seasoned seaman, men who had encountered their share of serious storms and survived, but this particular storm had them fearing for their lives. The storm was so severe that they were afraid the ship would go down and all of them would drown. Their initial response to the storm is threefold.

First, these sailors did what many people do in a life-threatening situation, each of them “cried out to their own god,” revealing the belief in a pantheon of gods in the ancient near east.

· Leslie Allen (NICOT) – the heathens “resort to SOS prayers” to the god of their choice.

The sailors probably worshipped one or more gods, and it’s very likely some of them were crying out to the Cannanite god Baal that we read about a lot in the OT. The sailors are crying out in hopes that one of the gods would hear and save them. It’s also possible they were trying to determine which god had caused the storm, in that sense their crying out would include asking the god to stop the storm. This crew was polytheistic who believed that there were various deities who controlled different aspects of life – gods of different ranks in the Pantheon – and likely thought one of them had caused the storm so they were trying to find out which patron deity could stop this storm.

Secondly, the sailors went into emergency protocols. The sailors “threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.” The typical and logical next step would be to empty the ship of its cargo in an effort to keep it from going under. Notice the play on words, Yahweh “hurled” the storm onto the sea and the pagan sailors “hurled” their cargo into the sea in an attempt to save themselves.

Third, in their distress the pagan sailors sought out the help of Jonah. During this storm we find Jonah in the lower part of the ship taking a nice nap. Two interesting parallels jump out from this scene—the “deep sleep” is the same description of Adam’s sleep when God took a rib from him to make Eve. Jonah slept on a boat during a strong storm as well. Jonah was not accustomed to life at sea and so he likely retreated to the lower deck to sleep through the majority of the trip on the high seas. How many of you like to sleep on a long flight, road trip, or train ride? Jonah did as well.

And yet there is symbolic imagery to Jonah’s actions, the story repeatedly highlights Jonah’s “downward” spiral as he ran from the Lord, for Jonah had go “down” to Joppa to find a ship headed for Tarshish, after he paid the fare he went “down” into the ship that set sail for Tarshish, and now read that he had gone “down” into the lower deck of the ship where he laid “down” and fell fast asleep. Running from God causes a “downward” spiral as you try to escape His purposes and plans. Jonah is completely unaware and aloof to the storm that rages above. Jonah is clueless and oblivious of the consequences of his rebellion as he sleeps in the bottom deck. In Jonah’s actions we a parallel between Jonah and Jesus. In Biblical interpretation this is called “Typology.”

· Typology Defined

How is Jonah a type of Christ up to this point in the story? (Share). Jonah was a prophet – Jesus is a prophet. Jonah was Galilee - Jesus was from Galilee. Jonah slept on a boat - Jesus slept on a boat. We’ll continue to highlight these parallels as we walk through the story.

Notice how God pursues Jonah through the captain of the ship. As the sailors hurled the cargo overboard the captain (“head of the rope pullers”) made his way down to lower deck to impart Jonah’s help. The captain awoke Jonah with some all-to-familiar words—“How can you sleep? Get up and call upon your god. Maybe he will take notice of us and we will not perish.” Jonah was awakened from his deep sleep by haunting words “Get up” (Arise) and “Call (cry out) upon your God.” Sound familiar to you? It was familiar to Jonah. This is the same declaration that Yahweh had spoken to Jonah which caused him to get on this ship in the first place—“Arise” (Get up and Go) to Nineveh and cry out against it” (1:2)—I bet the captain’s words shook this rebellious prophet to the core. “God is that you?” The captain entreated Jonah to pray to his god in hopes he will hear and save them from the storm—he asked the prophet to pray to Yahweh in the hope that he would literally “take notice of them so the won’t perish” (ESV)—in his distress the captain is imploring to pray in the hopes that his god will “take notice of them” so they will not “die.” (NET). Ironically, Yahweh is giving much thought to Jonah - so much so he cause the storm in the first place – he had taken notice of Jonah’s rebellious ways and that’s why they were in danger.

I love God’s pursuit of Jonah in this moment. Not only is the language the same – the captain is asking Jonah to cry out to his god – this is the last thing on this rebellious. God was using this man to get Jonah’s attention. Notice, Jonah never called out to the Lord, he never prayed to his God, he remained silent as the sailors frantically prayed and chucked cargo overboard. Jonah continued in his rebellion – running from God even while Yahweh was graciously pursuing him through a storm and these sailors.

2) The Sailor’s Discovery of Jonah’s rebellion (1:7-10)

The sailor’s “Distress” eventually turned into an “Interrogation” to determine who was responsible for this terrible tempest that raged against them.

7 Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you? 9 He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.” 10 This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They

knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.) [5]

Upon realizing their initial “prayers” had no effect on the storm they took the initiative to discover who was responsible for “this calamity.” The sailors wanted to know “whose” god was responsible for brng such “calamity” (distress – evil) upon the ship. Therefore they cast lots in an attempt to determine whose god was responsible for the storm. The casting of lots to make decisions and discern divine was commonly practiced in the ancient Near East. The people of Israel used lots to determine the guilt of Achen (), for distributing the land in Israel (), and for selecting king Saul () so this is no small matter. The lots were akin to “divine dice” - “stones or pebbles” that were painted different colors on each side, if two light sides landed up the answer was “yes,” if two dark sides landed up the answer was “no,” if a light and a dark landed up they should throw again. Everyone believed that the gods would reveal the guilty man through the casting of lots, the roll of the dice so to speak was subject to God’s sovereign control, and this is affirmed in says “the lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision comes from the Lord.” They used this method on each of the men. Toss after toss the lots landed to dark sides up until it was Jonah’s turn—when the lot was cast for Jonah they landed two light sides up. Jonah won the lottery—two light sides up on his roll (drama)—and now these determined sailors had discovered who had brought this storm upon them.

All eyes were focused on this rebellious prophet and so the interrogation began.

Jonah was immediately assaulted with a series of questions.

· “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? (Who is responsible for this disaster to overtake us?)

· What do you do? (Occupation – prophet!) – On vacation?

· Where do you come from? – (Gath Hepher) – visiting family?

· What is your country? (Israel)

· From what people are you?” [6] (Hebrews)

These sailors wanted to know why their lives had been put in such grave danger. The sailors were determined to discover more about Jonah’s life and god. Imagine what Jonah was thinking as he was being questioned by these sailors. Jonah has been completely silent up to this point in the story – and the drama of this scene builds up to this moment of confession (focal point – emphasis) – as Jonah finally broke his silence and responded to the sailors. Jonah response to the barrage of questions is two-fold—“I am a Hebrew” which essentially answered where he came from, his country, and his people—it revealed that he was a descendant of Abraham form the land of Israel (, , & ). Jonah’s second reply is the response to the implied question of “whose” god is responsible for making all this trouble for us?—Jonah replied “I worship the Lord, the God of heaven who made the sea and the land”—“I fear the Yahweh (although at the moment he was fleeing from Him instead of fearing Him), the God of heaven who created the sea and the land. Jonah revealed that he worshipped the “high God of heaven who has control over all creation.” Jonah identified his God as the supreme deity, the one who created the land and the sea, and therefore He possessed ultimate power and authority over it. ()

Ironically, Jonah had run away from Yahweh’s call to tell the people of Nineveh “who HE was” and His judgment upon them but at this moment if forced to share this message with the pagan sailors. Jonah didn’t want to tell the people of Nineveh about God so he ran away but found himself telling a group of pagan sailors about his God. God’s graciously pursuing Jonah through these sailors.

Jonah’s confession caused fear to flood the hearts of this crew—they literally “feared with a great fear”—the sailors had been afraid of sinking to their watery grave but now they were filled with a “holy fear” because Jonah served a god who controls everything on the land and sea. These men were frightened in the depth of their beings.Therefore they questioned Jonah again.

· “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.) [7]

The parenthetical statement revealed that Jonah had not only told them that he worshipped Yahweh, the God of heaven who controls the land and the sea but that he was also running from Him. The question “What have you done?” seems appropriate! In essence they were asking Jonah “why in the world he thought he could run from his god?” Running away from any god is foolish but to run away from the God of heaven who controlled the sea and the land seemed suicidal! You can’t run from the God of Heaven who controls the sea and the land. Are you crazy? You said you fear Him but we’re beginning to wonder! You are foolish to run from the god who made the land and the sea! The sailor’s response was an exclamation of horror, they were frightened that they were with a man who had just defied the supreme God of the land and the sea, no wonder the Lord had sent such a violent storm. At this point in the story the pagan sailors feared God more than Jonah!

4) The Sailor’s Reluctant Decision (1:11-15)

The results of the “Interrogation” prompted the pagan sailor’s to take “Action.”

11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” 12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” 13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried to the Lord, “O Lord, please do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O Lord, have done as you pleased.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16[8]

Upon Jonah’s confession the storm continued to intensify—the “sea was getting rougher and rougher” (walking and storming)—the storm was growing worse and worse so the sailor’s asked Jonah “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” The time had come to make a important decision about what to do with Jonah since his rebellion had caused God to create the storm. The sailor’s believed that Yahweh had caused the storm that was threatening their lives, the waves were getting rougher and rougher by the minute, and they wanted Jonah to tell them what they could do to placate Jonah’s god.

Jonah told the sailor’s to “pick” him up and “throw” him into the sea to make the storm cease. Jonah’s guilty conscience prompted his confession, “I’m the reason Yahweh hurled the wind onto the sea so hurl me overboard and the storm will cease.” Jonah revealed his guilty conscience and ready to face his watery grave as the consequence of trying to run from God. Jonah has not repented, he has not admitted sorrow for his sin nor declared that he is willing to go and preach to the people of Nineveh, more than anything Jonah’s this is the voice of conscience admitting that he was guilty of running from God and thus the object of His discipline. It seems Jonah would rather die than go preach to the city of Nineveh.

Initially the sailors are unwilling to throw Jonah overboard. The sailors were caught in a dilemma – they didn’t want to be held accountable to God for tossing Jonah overboard so they tried to row through the storm to deliver Jonah safely to the shore. It seems they reasoned if the Lord is simply trying to track Jonah down then they will row him back to Joppa. The sailors began rowing frantically, the used the oars “to dig into the water” in hopes of driving the ship back to land, but their best efforts failed because the storm was too intense/fierce. The harder they rowed the harder the storm raged. It became quite clear to the sailor’s that Jonah’s god would not let them row him safely to shore. The sailor’s resigned themselves to throwing Jonah overboard but not before crying out to Yahweh—out of reverence they cried out in prayer “O Lord, please do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O Lord, have done as you pleased”—the pagan sailor’s have gone from crying out to their own gods to crying out to Yahweh, the God of heaven. The sailor’s petitioned God—asking Him to not kill them for killing Jonah—they were afraid of God’s vengeance enacting divine retribution for what they did to Jonah. Secondly, they asked God to not hold them responsible for Jonah’s death because Yahweh was fulfilling His sovereign purpose—“You have done as you pleased”—so please don’t hold us accountable for Jonah’s death.

5) The Sailor’s Expression of Worship (1:16)

After the sailor’s prayer they picked up this rebellious prophet and hurled Him overboard. Once Jonah splashed down into the sea, the storm ceased. The “raging” waves grew calm. The sailor’s immediately learned that Jonah’s god did in fact control the land and the sea. The revelation of Yahweh’s power prompted these pagan sailor’s who once “feared” the storm to “fear” the Lord—they now “feared the Lord with a great fear”—their fear for their lives turned into a reverent awe of Yahweh. Therefore they offered demonstrated their “fear” of Yahweh by offering up sacrifices and making vows to Him. The pagan sailor’s expressed their fear of Yahweh by worshipping Him. It’s debated if these pagan sailor’s became true worshippers of Yahweh—they certainly expressed their acknowledgement of Yahweh’s power and perhaps added them to their pantheon of gods they worshipped—and yet it’s possible they might have returned to Joppa to journey to Jerusalem to become Jewish proselytes as recorded in extrabiblical Jewish writings (Midrash). The conversion of these sailors would be in line with the message of this story—Yahweh’s compassion for sinners—He is willing to save the people of Nineveh and pagan sailors if they are willing to turn to Him.

At the close of this scene of the story we are presented with quite a contrast. The pagan sailor’s have been saved from the storm but the rebellious prophet was lost at sea. The pagan sailor’s worshipped Yahweh but the rebellious prophet was resigned to suffer the consequences of a watery grave. Jonah won’t be able to tread water for long. Jonah would have seen this turn of events as God’s judgment/discipline for his disobedience. Jonah’s running from God has been a downward spiral into the sea. And yet at the moment when all seems lost God has Jonah right where he wants him—a place of desperation—he has become a rebellious prophet in desperate need of God’s salvation, just like the Ninevites and just like the pagan sailors.

II) God relentlessly pursues us when we run from Him

The story of Jonah is going to teach us so much about the character of God. Last week we considered that God cares for the vilest of sinners and commissions us to share the message of salvation in Jesus with those who are far from Him. Today we see God’s power on full display. The God of Heaven who controls of the wind and the waves is also in control of our very lives. Today were get a glimpse of Yahweh’s love, mercy, and grace through His response to Jonah’s rebellion—Jonah rebelliously ran away from God’s calling to preach to the people of Nineveh—and yet Yahweh relentlessly pursued Jonah. Today’s story depicts God’s “pursuing grace.” God is so gracious that He relentlessly pursued the wicked people of Nineveh, the rebellious prophet Jonah, and you and me?! We are confronted with another timeless truth that changes our lives.

God relentlessly pursues us when we run from Him.

God relentlessly pursues us when we run from Him. This is one of the amazing truths about God that we learn from this book. When we run from God (turn away from Him, reject His calling, disobey His Word) He won’t reject us and He won’t neglect us. When we run from God He won’t abandon us, condemn us, or hurt us.

God’s love, mercy, and grace is on full display through His relentless pursuit of us when we run from Him. God is loving, merciful, and gracious. God is the “Hound of Heaven” who will pursue to correct us and convict us. God’s pursuit of us in our rebellion can lead to loving discipline that is designed to bring us to repentance.

- “The Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

God disciplines and punishes us as a loving father. God’s discipline is not wrathful but loving. God will relentlessly pursue us in our rebellion, correcting and training us as a loving Father, so that we will return to Him. As we reflect upon the story of Jonah we learn that God uses two specific instruments of His relentless pursuit of us

God can pursue us through various circumstances and various people. God will use various circumstances and people to wake us up from our own rebellion. God pursues us to transform our hearts so that we’ll return to Him.

1) God relentlessly pursues us through various circumstances

God will used various circumstances as a tool to draw you back to Himself. God used a literal storm to draw the sailors and Jonah to Himself. God caused the storm to stop Jonah from going further “down” the road of rebellion. God can and will use circumstances of life to get a hold of you. God can work through difficult circumstances to deal with your heart of rebellion and bring you to a place where you desperately need to turn back to Him! Sometimes God will use a storm in your life to stop you dead in your tracks—getting our attention through our circumstances—not that God is the author of evil but the storms can be His way to get your attention and turn back to Him.

“When you won’t listen to His whisper from His word,

often he will get our attention from the shouting of a storm!

When we run from Him God can pursue us through difficult circumstances that are designed to draw us back to Himself.

Loss of a job Financial hardship Loss of a loved one

Sometimes God will use your circumstances as an instrument of designed to draw you back to Him. Don’t reject it. He’s pursuing you to fulfill His purposes and plans. God wants you to turn back to Him.

B) God relentlessly pursues us through other people

Secondly, God will relentlessly pursue us through various people. In the book of Jonah we are confronted with the truth that God will use unexpected people as an instrument of His relentless pursuit. God pursued Jonah through the pagan sailors. God used the sailor’s as a tool to expose Jonah’s rebellious heart. God can and will use people to wake us up from our own rebellion! If you’re running from God He might send someone to expose your rebellious heart. When David committed a series of sins when he slept with Bathsheba God used Nathan the prophet to expose David’s sinful heart—he went from having a rebellious heart to having a repentant heart—God can use people to speak God’s truth into our lives so that we’ll turn from our sin.

· Unexpected People – stranger

· Familiar friend - Proverbs - “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.”

· Fellow believer - - “Speak the truth in love” as members of the body of Christ.

If God sent someone to expose your heart, how would you respond? Are you humble? Are you approachable? Are you teachable?

DISCLAIMER

Considering God’s pursuit of us through our circumstances and other people can be misunderstood and misapplied to our lives. I don’t want us to begin interpreting one another’s circumstances as evidence of God’s divine pursuit – “You lost your job so you must be running from God.” – Let’s not give bad advice like Job’s friends! Also, let’s refrain from being a self-proclaimed instrument of divine pursuit – “You’re running from God so He sent me to smack you up-side the head.”

How do we know if God is pursuing us through our circumstances and people? Like Jonah, I trust He will make it very obvious. Jonah tried to sleep through the storm and avoid the sailor’s but the lot fell to Him. Jonah came to the right understanding that God was pursuing Him – he knew it was true – and he rightly confessed that the “God of Heaven” had chased him down on the ship that day. Deep down, we all know if we’re running from God even if we’re putting on a good show outwardly (going to church & reading the bible) – and we’ll know clearly through the conviction of the Holy Spirit when God is pursuing us to through our circumstances and other people to draw us back to Him. You can run from God in rebellion but He will relentlessly pursue you to bring you back to Himself. If anything comes out of our time together today I pray that it will be God dealing with the disobedience in our hearts, that each of us will examine our own hearts for places where we’re running from Him, and we’ll return to Him. This would glorify God and make this a good Sunday morning of worship.

Some of you have been running from God all your life. You’re still running today…and you’ve ironically run right into a church which is no accident by the way…for God’s pursuing you in the midst of your rebellion. He brought you here and He wants you to stop running from Him. God wants you to turn to Him for forgiveness of your sin so that you’ll have new life in Him. God is a missionary God – He pursues sinners – He goes after us. God pursued sinful humanity by sending Jesus to become flesh – go to the cross and pain for our sin in full so that we could be reconciled to Him – and He will pursue us in our rebellion in order to discipline us like loving gather disciplines his children. Stop running in your sin and surrender to Him by faith today.

CONCLUSION

Refresh – Infamous “White Bronco” pursuit of O.J. Simpson in 1994. All of us have been pursued by someone or something

Renew – All of us are guilty of running from God – we have rebellious hearts that run from His calling. We have people we don’t want to care for or minster to in our lives. We have excuses for why we don’t obey His word.

Restate –

Are you running from God this morning? God will relentlessly pursue you to draw you back to Himself. God’s pursuit of us is loving, merciful, and gracious – intended to change our hearts and draw us to repentance. If you choose to run from God this week – expect “the hound of Heaven” to pursue you through various circumstances and various people – prepare for God to pursue you, not to condemn you or harm you – but to correct you and draw you back to Himself.

1) God pursues us through our circumstances.

2) God pursues us through other people.

Pray

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), .

[2] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), .

[3] Billy K. Smith and Franklin S. Page, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, vol. 19B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 229.

[4] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), .

[5] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), .

[6] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), .

[7] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), .

[8] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), .