You Can't Keep a Good Man Down
You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down (Jonah and the Fish)
Remember our formula for these Great Stories of the Bible is A
Called , Submitted Person + Insurmountable Opposition = Supernatural Intervention
In the book of Jonah we see real revival with over 1 million dedicating their lives to Gold. It is one example of what God can do when His servants prepare themselves to become agents of revival.
Let’s look at three powerful principles to prepare us for our revival.
Examine our Compass
A compass provides direction
· A Personal Compass “The Word of the Lord came to Jonah” (Jonah 1:1) The Hebrew suggests that this word was designed for Jonah. God has a personal word for each of us.
There were other prophets like Amos, Habakkuk, and Obadiah who were capable contemporaries. But they were not sent to Nineveh. We are each called to our Nineveh. You are either going to revival or ruin (Nineveh or Tarshish). Where are you heading?
God calls particular people to particular places for particular purposes. Look at someone and say you are pretty particular! Jonah was called to go to preach against sin…but his response was “send someone else”. God said go and Jonah said no. It does no good to be on time if you are going in the wrong direction. Ask God to give you a fresh word from the Lord.
· A Precise Compass “Arise, go to Nineveh” Jonah 1:2
God doesn’t only have a generic plan for everyone, he has a specific plan for you.
Nimrod founded the city of Nineveh shortly after the confusion of tongues at the Tower of Babel. It was the capital of the gentile world bordered on three sides by rivers. It sat on the East Bank of the Tigris River.
It was also enormous and was located in what today is called Iraq. It’s streets were 20 miles long. It’s walls were one hundred feet high. It was the capital of Assyria.
It was a city of great sin, cruelty and brutality.
We need to know about our Nineveh. We need to know something about our city. Read the paper and move around and learn a few things. Know who you are ministering to.
Explore the Consequences Of Our Choices
Every choice has a consequence. Every “yes” means a “no” somewhere else.
Let’s look at the downward spiral that Jonah took:
Disobedience is always downward, never upward. When is the last time you have head of anyone falling up? J
Jonah went downward in his:
· Decisions “But Jonah rose up to flee” Jonah 1:3
He made a decision to run. You are either running from God, to God or with God. He was suppose to go 500 miles to the east…but he started for Tarshish which was 2000 miles to the west.
He went downward in his:
· Direction “ But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish” Jonah 1:3
Some of you are running, but you are running in the wrong direction.
When you go downward in your decisions, and downward in your direction, you will go downward in your:
· Destiny
Let’s look at the danger of the downward spiral:
· The Private Cost “paid the fare” Jonah 1:3 (the cost of doing your own thing)
Some think that because they find a ship and it’s running on time, then it must be the permissive will of God. But if God calls you to Nineveh and you go to Tarshish, there is a storm brewing and sooner or later you are going overboard. It is truly amazing how people justify sin in their own eyes.
Anytime you want to disobey God, there will be a ship available on time going in the opposite direction. But if you try running from God, eventually you will run into God. God does not have to go somewhere to get some place. He is already there!
Jonah couldn’t hear the storm or the Lord’s voice because He was sound asleep, totally unaware of the dangers around him.
Not only is there a Private Cost, there is also:
· The Public Cost “the sailors…threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea” Jonah 1:5
When you run for God, there is a cost to others and sometimes, like the sailors, they don’t even know what the source of the problem was.
The sailors thought they needed to lighten their load, so they through cargo overboard when they really needed to throw Jonah overboard.
How much are you going to cost your family and friends? How much will you cause them to throw overboard when it is your rebellion that is causing the storm in their lives.
Many Christians are looking for a more convenient time, an easy time to seek God’s face in behalf of our families, church, neighborhood, and city. However, the longer we wait the higher the price tag. There is never a better time than today. Today is the day of Salvation.
The sailors paid for Jonah’s disobedience. Is there a sailor that we are causing to pay for our disobedience? A spouse, a child, a company, a church, a friend? Please don’t allow disobedience to hinder family members from getting to know Jesus. Please don’t allow disobedience to keep people on our pew from praising God. Your disobedience may cause a ministry to stop functioning.
You would think that Jonah would feel sad about this, but instead he is asleep.
Jonah was the only one on board that knew how to get to God, but he was asleep below decks. It is time we touch God for our community an families.
The third principle that make this a Great Story is Jonah had an:
3. Encounter with the Creator
Even when Jonah was running God was after him. This morning God is pursuing us because He loves us!
“The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea” Jonah 1:4
· Severe windstorm has hit the waters-but Jonah is asleep
· The sailors on board are afraid-but Jonah is asleep
· The waves are crashing into the board-but Jonah is asleep
· The cargo is dumped overboard-but Jonah is asleep
· A Prayer Meeting is held-but Jonah is asleep
Now aroused out of his sleep to discover that while he was sleeping, God has been busy. Not only has God moved upon the circumstances, but He has moved upon the hearts of the ungodly.
Understand this morning, God is not only the God of the Saved, He is also the God of the Unsaved. He rains on the just as well as the unjust.
“And the Lord appointed a great fish” Jonah 1:17
God even moves on fishes. God makes appointments even for fish. God’s got an appointment for you and today he is calling and reminding you of your appointment.
Jonah woke up and…
· Realized what he had done-in the belly of the fish. Some of us are hard headed and it takes a while.
Once Jonah realized what he had done, Jonah…
· Responded to God
Jonah slept through the first prayer meeting 1:5
He was the subject of the second prayer meeting 1:14
Missed the third prayer meeting 1:16
But finally Jonah showed up for the fourth prayer meeting
“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord His God from the stomach of the fish” Jonah 2:1
When Buddhist call on Buddha, they get a disconnected message.
When Muslims call on Allah, they get a no longer at this address message.
When Hindus call on their ancestors, they get a busy message.
But when we call on Yahweh (Yashua), El Shaddai, the whole world can be turned upside down!
Jonah said , “I have been expelled from your sight. Nevertheless I will look again toward your holy temple.” Jonah 2:4
When Jonah responded to God he was…
· Restored by God “Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.” Jonah 2:10
God is waiting for us to cry out to Him for help. To admit our inadequacies, our shortcomings and our weaknesses.