Running from God

When God asks you to do something,

When God asks you to do something,

what would be your response?

Read Jonah chapters 1 and 3. After chapter 1, mention that chapter 2 is Jonah’s prayer. And after reading chapter 3, just mention that in chapter 4 Jonah is angry that Nineveh was not destroyed.

Are we prepared to do what God asks us to do?

We got the story of Jonah here…

His name Jonah means Dove.

Now when you think of a Dove you think of purity,

you think of peace,

he wasn’t a dove he was a donkey!

Did he live up to his name?

Do we live up to our name?

How about us, as followers of Christ.

Do we live up to our name Christian?

So God gives Jonah instructions here,

hey Jonah you live in Jappa,

I want you to go to Nineveh.

I want you to tell the Assyrians that I care about them,

that I’m willing to forgive them,

if they are willing to repent.

And I’m wiling to redirect them and bless them.

Jonah does not want to go. Why?

Because Jonah is very prejudiced

The Assyrians are a very barbaric race.

There are lots of conflict between the Assyrians and the Israelites.

And when they conquered cities for example,

they would build huge pyramids with human skulls,

I mean they were really fierce and barbaric.

And Jonah, does not want to go and deliver this message,

because if he delivers this message he’s got an idea,

they will repent and God is going to forgive them.

“And I don’t think God should forgive them.” pause

So he is coming up with his own theology.

He is basically saying to God.

God I think you have your theology wrong.

I don’t think your forgiveness should extend to certain people groups.

Jonah had un-forgiveness in his heart.

“When you have got un-forgiveness in your heart,

your heart is wrong.

When your heart is wrong nothing can ever be right.”

So if we have a distorted heart or a wrong heart,…

there can never be right.

So He refuses to go.

What about us, are we slightly prejudiced, slightly racist.

Perhaps there are certain groups where we say,…

“ahh, why don’t they just go back to where they came from.”

Listen that is totally un-acceptable by God.

HE does not want any of that.

So what does Jonah do?

He thinks, I know what I will do I will run away.

So he goes down to the port in Jappa,

And there is a boat waiting to leave,

exactly at that moment!

Listen “Whenever we want to run away from God,…

the devil will make sure we got transportation.” Pause

I’m telling ya, if ever you say I’m going to turn my back on God,

or not do what God has told me to do.

The moment you do that,

the devil is right there saying,

“here is a Boat will go on a cruise.

or Here is a car lets go for a ride.

The moment you say NO to God,

the devil would say come on Boy, I have been waiting for you.

And when you read the story in Jonah,…

you read and hear something like this…

and Jonah went down to the port.

He went down into the boat;

he went down into the sea.

Notice the downward spiral… down, down, down.

The whole story is going down, down, down.

Now, what does God do?

God sends a perfect storm.

The Sailors, okay they live and breath sailing.

They knew about storms, they knew about the wind.

They knew about these things,

but they knew this is not normal.

This one was not natural.

They knew that this one was supernatural.

They knew that something was wrong.

Someone on the boat must have done something.

Who was it?

Well, it was not the sailors.

They thought it could have been the passenger that we picked up in Jappa.

Where is he?

And they had to go Down to find him and he’s sleeping.

Listen I tell you this, whenever we are guilty we will be very sleepy.

Seriously you know why?

Because guilt is so heavy.

It not only can affect your posture.

There is this heaviness about guilt.

Ahh you feel tired, you feel tired and lethargic.

And he is sleeping.

They wake him up. What have you done?

He tells them that God told him to go to Ninevah,…

and he refused to go…

and now he went in the opposite direction.

And these sailors, I mean they were such good people.

I’m impressed with them really.

Because what they did,

they threw the cargo over board.

They threw it over board,

they are trying to save the boat,

they ‘re trying to save themselves,

they try to save Jonah.

Oh well, he is running from his God,

but lets try to save him anyways.

Listen, whenever we are running away from God,…

there will be consequences and ramifications,…

and it will be Very, Very expensive. pz

You see, we think ahh I am just going to go to Tarshish,…

because that’s where the boat was going.

Its called Maleka today, it’s in Spain.

That’s where I’m going to go.

All I have to do is pay the ticket.

No you don’t my friend…,

you just now cost all those sailors, their entire cargo.

How much value did they lose?

People don’t think, what will it cost other people,…

if I do this particular action.

If a husband or a wife has a little fling with somebody on the road trip.

They don’t think what would the ramifications be…

for the wife, husband or the children.

There will be severe consequences for many other people around.

Eventually, Jonah realizes,

God is not going to stop this storm.

So he says to them can you throw me over?

I didn’t think he could jump himself,…

that’s why they had to throw him over.

So they threw him over,…

and God sends a fish to swallow him up.

Now, God’s got his attention.

So if you are running away from God.

You want God to get your attention?

Would you like God to get your attention?

The psalmist, psalm 23 says he makes me lie down.

Do you want God to make you lie down? 

How about make you lie down so you can’t get up…

and leave you for a few days,…

so you can’t get up, just to get your attention.

Maybe, now he’s got his attention.

And he is in the belly of the fish.

Do you know there are historical stories of whales,

that they are so huge that you can be in the belly for a few days,

with enough air to breath.

Can you imagine Jonah soaking,…

with all the things around him in the belly of the fish.

Can you imagine him there for 3 days and 3 nights.

Its not a pretty picture, or place to be,…

if you think about it.

Now, don’t you think Jonah could have learned his lesson after one hour?

And there God makes the fish sea sick and spits him out.

He is out all disoriented and discolored.

Okay, just imagine Jonah going back to his mom.

His mom goes, what’s been happening to you?

He goes, Mom you are not going to believe it.

I sent you for milk where have you been for three day.

You are not going to believe it mom.

Listen to this, whenever you are running from God,…

it will be obvious to other people.

I can tell you this, we think we can hide from God,…

and we think that we can hide from other people,…

and we can hide ourselves.

Listen, we cannot hide, People will know, God knows.

And God gives him another instruction,…

and it’s exactly the same instruction as the one in the beginning.

I want you to go to Nineveh,…

and want you to preach this message that I have given you.

And he goes; eventually he goes,…

and preaches this message.

And what happens the Assyrians all repent and they all turn to God.

I mean, that’s incredible! They turn to God.

In fact, if you notice in the book of Jonah,…

Everyone, accept Jonah, obeys God.

Everyone accept God’s servant is obedient to God.

The sailors obeyed God,

The fish obeyed God,

The Ninevites obeyed God,

In chapter four the plant that gave shade to Jonah, obeyed God,

The worm that ate the plant, obeyed God,

And the wind that gave Jonah grief obeyed God.

They all obeyed God, but not Jonah.

So Nineveh is in Iraq…

In Nineveh today in Iraq… there are 800 thousand Assyrian Christian,

They have an annual Jonah day.

You know like we have an annual day for this or that.

They have a Jonah day.

The whole day they thank God for sending Jonah,

And through Jonah telling them how they may receive forgiveness.

Now can you imagine what it will be like in heaven,

Talking about the annual Jonah day.

You think someone will go up to Jonah and ask,

you didn’t even want to go ?:)

How do you get a day and you didn’t want to go!:)

Jonah was the most reluctant missionary in the history of world missions.

HE didn’t want to go!

How do we respond to this story?

Well, there are 4 chapters in the book of Jonah.

In chapter 1, Jonah runs from God.

Are you running from God?

Are we running from God?

Has God spoken to you,

has God revealed himself to you.

And you are running away from God.

You know he is after you.

He’s like the hound of heaven

and you are running away from God.

Listen don’t run away from God.

In Chapter 2, Jonah runs TO God.

Don’t run away.. run to God.

In Chapter 3, Jonah runs FOR God.

You see, we can run TO God and just stay there.

Or we can run TO God and begin running FOR God.

So have you run to God but you are stationary?

It’s like I’ve run to God but I am not moving.

No, I’ve run TO God but now I am running FOR God.

And then Chapter 4, God has to have another word with him,…

because he’s still a bit of an idiot.:)

And he runs INTO God and experiences a new touch.

Listen… if you have not yet found God, find Him.

He is not hidden;

you don’t have to struggle to find him,…

because he is looking for you.

It’s not too late, if you have ignored in what God has asked you to do.

Let’s go back to God and do what He has asked us to do.

Many of us are constantly asking God for more instructions.

Listen friends, if God has already told you to do something,…

and you have not done it.

Don’t bother asking for other instructions.

Totally wasting your time.

Has he asked you to do something but you have not done it?

If you have not done it, he will not going to give you any another instruction.

Do it! What is it that he’s wanting you to do?

Give up something,

change something, break a habit,

or give something away.

He’s always prompting us to give something away.

Give Money away. He’s always doing that. Give it away!

If he has asked you to do it.

All I can say to you get on it and do it.

Do you know the word faith in the whole of the New Testament in the Bible?

You know what the word means?

it just means commit.

That’s what the word faith means.

It’s making a commitment to do what God has told us to do.

So we have here 7 questions to help us respond to this timeless story.

Okay, I will ask these questions you answer it in your mind.

A quick answer yes or no in your mind.

Don’t need to have a discussion with yourself.

Just think yes, or no, just to yourself.

1. Am I reading my Bible for information or transformation?

2. Is there anything in my life that God is consistently dealing with, that I am trying to ignore?

3. Is there a sin I need to confess and ask for help?

4. Am I fully utilizing the time, the talent and the treasure that God has blessed me with?

5. Am I allowing people in all circumstances to steal the joy that Jesus promised to me? Let’s not allow that.

6. Who are the people in my life that God has placed around me for the purpose of sharing Christ with?

7. Have I surrendered my life to Christ? Committed to doing His will.

Here is the question.

Will we live our lives to please God?

That’s the question.

Will we live our lives to please God?

Will we do so? I pray that the answer is YES!

A Thousand times yes.

Why don’t we have prayer now,

and let the Lord know that we choose Him,

and we choose to serve Him.

Let’s pray.