Jonah 2, Test or Discipline?
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(Rough Draft)
(Rough Draft)
, Hebrews 12
Intro
Steeling the fire truck.
Many decades ago when a few friend of mine where 10 the volunteer fire department in Appling kept the key in the firetruck.
-These 2 guys one hot summer day are walking down the street, see the fire truck and decide it’s a good idea to take the fire truck for a ride.
-After 20 minutes of riding around they decide to do doughnuts is a field and bury the fire truck to its axels. The fire truck was stuck in muddy clay. They get out and walk home. Their muddy foot prints gave them away.
-When it came to light who stole the fire truck and got it stuck - they both got a spanking they would never forget.
These boys would never steal a fire truck again in their life.
Transition - Today we will talk about how Jonah experienced discipline in his life for running from God, when he was told to preach in Nineveh and he disobeyed.
Discipline from God is a type of a trial.
Discipline is just 1 of many kinds of trials.
Trials in life come in many forms.
James tells us this about trials.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
3 For you cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas,
and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
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 at 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.
-There are general trials (hard things in life) that come on us. God has many purposes in trials. We don’t have time to unpack them all. One thing trials do is they draw us closer to God.
-Trials also give us an opportunity to glorify God. When we draw close to God during trials our actions say 2 things:
A) Despite the pain of the trial, I hold on to the fact that God is good.
B) I am staying close to God because Jesus is better. (unpack/reexplain this).
I. God cares more about my character than my comfort,
Jonah 2:3-6
Jonah experienced a specific kind of trial.
Jonah’s trial was a trial of discipline.
It was a trial of correction.
Jonah had disobeyed God.
Jonah ran from God and God’s word in His life.
3 For you cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas,
and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
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 at 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.
Jonah 2:
God begins to bring Jonah back to God and God’s plan.
God is not concerned about Jonah’s comfort. God is concerned about Jonah’s obedience.
God was getting Jonah’s attention.
God was getting Jonah’s attention.
How do you respond to discipline?
Do you accept it and change or do you push back against it?
In our passage today, Jonah is swallowed by the big fish.
If being swallowed by a huge fish doesn’t get your attention, nothing will.
When God disciplines us He gets our attention and sets us back on course.
Jonah says this about being in the stomach of a huge fish.
3 For you cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas,
and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
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 at 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.
I want to hear this clearly, Discipline means training.
The discipline that God bring to His children is always out of love.
When we are disciplined by God we are disciplined for a purpose.
God’s purpose is to get us back inline with His Word.
God is not trying to get us back or to make us pay.
God never makes His people pay for their sin.
Why? Jesus has made the payment for our sin on the cross.
In discipline, God is correcting the spiritual course of our life.
Illustration - Trip overseas 15 hour flight.
When the airplane reaches cruising altitude, if the pilot sets autopilot 2 degrees off course, small mistake. 7,000 miles later you are way off course.
When we get way off course - God make a course correction.
I understand that the Lord disciplines, but what are some examples?
Examples of God’s discipline:
Natural Consequences - Most of God’s discipline comes in the form of a Natural Consequence.
-You refuse to take time to study for your classes. You fail the class or make a poor grade and get in trouble with your parents.
-You neglect your relationship with your children, they drift & you lose closeness, and it hurts.
-God teaches you the importance of staying relationally connected to not only your family, but others.
Getting Caught - You cheat or break the law, you get caught.
Getting Hurt -
Illustration - Broken leg playing football.
I was making ball an idol. I was thinking about it way too much and finding my identity in it. In the 2nd game of the season I broke my leg.
-In hind site, it was one of the best things for me spiritually.
Are all or even most athletic injuries God’s discipline?
No, most injuries are a simple trial. Trust God that He knows what He is doing.
However, getting hurt can be discipline.
Maybe because of the sin of selfishness you hurt someone in a relationship. Now you hurt because of it.
Maybe due to greed or coveting you get hurt financially.
Discipline is training - You rejected God’s way spoken in His Word.
Through the hurt God is training you not to go your own way - out of His love.
-This is one of the reasons we place a high value for you getting in God’s Word.
You avoid hurting yourself and others by living life God’s way.
This is discipline. Out of love - God correcting our spiritual diretion.
God steers our course by asking us to following His Word,
when we don’t God must course correct through discipline.
He disciplines because of His care for us.
Hebrews tells us this about discipline. Hebrews 12:4
4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
2. God disciplines me for a purpose
4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,
In Hebrews 12 we see the unique trial of Discipline
-God treats us as His chidlren
-God disciplines who He loves
-God’s discipline is a sign that He loves us.
-He disciplines us so we do not share in sin, but share in holiness.
-Discipline brings righteousness to or life.
Discipline means training and it is done in love.
Punishment is how we pay for our wrong. God will never make you pay for your wrong.
God will only train you to not go back to sin.
-God trains us to stay close to him and trust Him.
Illustration - My family has a little Yorkie as a pet. Small 12 pound dog named Tinkerbell.
-I’ve trained her to stay with me.
Without a leash I take her into Lowes, walk through the parking lot not leash and the Auto parts store & on walks with no leash. Because she follows me - she gets to get out of the house - out of the yard and experience things other dogs don’t.
-When you follow God’s lead, you get to experience life in a way other people don’t.
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
“He leads you besides still waters,
“...He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.”
God disciplines us with the purpose of helping us stay close to Him and follow Him.
Transition, We know that when we are disciplined by God that...
Helpful questions when discerning if your trial is for discipline
We will ask what kind of trial it is and where it comes from.
Is this from the brokenness of
We will ask if it has a purpose or design and what it is.
Is there a sin in my life that God is trying to get my attention about?
Where does fit in?
Example - Breaking my leg in High School. I was letting sports and football be a God to me. Does that mean all sports injuries are for reasons of sin? No - absolutely not.
3. How I respond to the discipline of God is critical
3.
Illustration Karis, One of the things that I love about my Karis, my oldest is that she is fiery. She is a passionate person and feels a lot. When she was in elementary school and had to get a spanking we would have to tell her that after the spanking she could go to her room, but she could not slam the door.
-When she slammed the door, it was an expression of anger and pushing back against authority. She learned over time not to slam the door.
How do you respond to discipline?
Point… My response to the discipline of the Lord must be humility and teachability.
How do you respond to discipline?
Do you accept it and change or do you push back against it?
-Over time she learned to respond in humility.
Jonah’s responded in humility.
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!”
Point… My response to the discipline of the Lord must be humility and teachability.
Point… My response to the discipline of the Lord must be humility and teachability.
How do you respond to discipline?
Point… My response to the discipline of the Lord must be humility and teachability.
Our response to the discipline of the Lord must be humility and teachability.
Do you accept it and change or do you push back against it?
The proper response to the Lord when being confronted with discipline is that of humble prayer.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
Psalm 139:
Closing
While we all experience trials and difficulty.
Is there a difficulty in your life right now that is a discipline?
Is there something that God is getting your attention with and using that to call Him back to himself with?
Is there a discipline happening in your life that you are trying to ignore because of a sin that you want to hang on to?
Would you respond in humility now, confessing to the Lord?
We praise the Lord that He does not punish us, but only disciplines us.
Jesus has taken our punishment.
Jesus has paid for our sin on the cross.
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
If you have not trusted in faith in the payment of Jesus on the Cross, will you now trust him?
-Do not wait another day.
Examples of God’s discipline:
Natural Consequences - Most of God’s discipline comes in the form of a Natural Consequence. You refuse to take time to study for your classes. You fail the class or make a poor grade and get in trouble with your parents.
-You neglect your relationship with your children, they drift & you lose closeness, and it hurts.
-God teaches you the importance of staying relationally connected to not only your family, but others.
Getting Caught -
Getting Hurt -
Illustration - Broken leg playing football.
Are all or even most athletic injuries God’s discipline? No, most injuries are a simple trial.
Maybe because of the sin of selfishness you hurt a relationship. Maybe due to greed or coveting you get hurt financially.
Discipline is training - You rejected God’s way spoken in His Word.
Through the hurt God is training you not to go your own way - out of His love.
-This is one of the reasons we place a high value for you getting in God’s Word.
You avoid hurting yourself and others by living life God’s way.
Discipline means training.
Punishment is how we pay for our wrong. God will never make you pay for your wrong.
God will only train you to not go back to sin.