Fear of God
Notes
Transcript
Big Idea: God uses all types of ways to get our attention, some ways we like some we don't. No matter what or how they feel to us this all comes from God grace to us
Introduction
When we think of fear most times we think on the negative connotation of fear. We think of things like a loose dog chasing us kind of fear or something to that effect. But all fear is like that and when we talk about fearing God it isn’t this fire and brimstone type of fear. It is reverence but this reverence comes from knowing the magnitude of God’s power coupled with the reality of His grace. It’s not one or the other, it’s both/and.
VIDEO-Ocean
But the Lord threw a great wind onto the sea, and such a great storm arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break apart. The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his god. They threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel and had stretched out and fallen into a deep sleep. The captain approached him and said, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Call to your god. Maybe this god will consider us, and we won’t perish.” “Come on!” the sailors said to each other. “Let’s cast lots. Then we’ll know who is to blame for this trouble we’re in.” So they cast lots, and the lot singled out Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us who is to blame for this trouble we’re in. What is your business, and where are you from? What is your country, and what people are you from?” He answered them, “I’m a Hebrew. I worship the Lord, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were seized by a great fear and said to him, “What have you done?” The men knew he was fleeing from the Lord’s presence because he had told them. So they said to him, “What should we do to you so that the sea will calm down for us?” For the sea was getting worse and worse. He answered them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea so that it will calm down for you, for I know that I’m to blame for this great storm that is against you.” Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they couldn’t because the sea was raging against them more and more. So they called out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, don’t let us perish because of this man’s life, and don’t charge us with innocent blood! For you, Lord, have done just as you pleased.” Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. The men were seized by great fear of the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
Fear Should Drive Us to Prayer (vs. 4-8)
Fear Should Drive Us to Prayer (vs. 4-8)
Explanation
Jonah had boarded the “USS I Aint Going To Nineveh” and he thought everything was cool.....but he gone learn today. God throws a massive wind on the the sea and it starts storming like crazy. This wasn’t some ordinary type storm. (how bad is it?) It was so bad that ship was acting like it was going to fall apart. It was so bad that it spooked the sailors (these were men who did this all the time). It was so bad that the began to throw the cargo overboard.
They knew that this wasn’t the type of storm they had experienced before. This storm had divine intervention and they knew that they were going to need divine intervention in order to survive it. So what do they do? They begin to pray. Now these sailor or polytheistic, which means they accept and believe in multiple gods. So it is not the fact that they are praying to Yahweh but they did resort to calling out to these “gods” for help.
The odd moment in the text is centered around the fact that the one who serves the only true God , is the one who is negligent is calling out to Him. In fact he’s sleeping. Peep this: The Lord is again speaking to Jonah (in a storm) and ya boy is gone.
Application
We are slowing starting to see that this narrative is just as much about God pursuing after Jonah as it is about God pursuing after Nineveh. What is our response when God is pursuing after us? Is it fear? Is it negligence? Is it overreacting? It is not always that God is bringing a storm to grab our attention, though sometimes it is, but the big question is how are we responding?
God sends a wind, Jesus told His disciples that He was not going to leave them comfortless but He was going to send the Holy Spirit which would be their guide. As God is pursuing after our hearts (changing, cultivating, sanctifying), we must submit ourselves to His work.
Transition
Jonah knew he was responsible for what was happen. This is why he had a ready made answer when the lots fell on him.
Fear Ought to Drive us to Action (vs. 9-13)
Fear Ought to Drive us to Action (vs. 9-13)
Explanation
Jonah’s response show us his trifling duplicity. He gets on a boat that take him on the sea to run from the one who created the sea. He’s literally going nowhere, fast. At this point the sailor seem to be more of a model for us than the prophet (isn’t it amazing how God can use the moral character of those outside of the Body to correct those in it?).
When they hear the cause of the storm they immediately ask “what should we do?” (this meant that the believed though it may not have been a saving faith). All the while the storm is getting worse and worse, which means that God voice is getting louder and louder. How are you going to instruct them Jonah?
He tells them to pick him up and throw him into the sea. Once again he puts these cats in a bad position. You mean to tell me that your God is this powerful and now you want me to kill one of His prophets? Come on Jonah. What could have you so messed up that you moving so crazy like this?
(It drove Jonah to the wrong action…but that’s what this book is for so that we can learn from it)
Application
We can often time be so clouded with other things that we get lost in them. They begin to influence our action instead of the God we serve. God was pursing Jonah to correct some stuff that was in him but Jonah would have rather died than change.
How many times are we more willing to comprise and die spiritually than we are to actually trust God and change? How is that not only effecting us but also the people around us? (our witness)
Cross Reference
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The grace that saved us will be the grace that keeps us.
We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!
Fear Ought to Drive us to Sacrifice (vs. 14-16)
Fear Ought to Drive us to Sacrifice (vs. 14-16)
Explanation
they pray to Yahweh
they sacrifice Jonah
the sea stops
they go on to make sacrifices and vows to Yahweh (remember they are polytheistic, to this does not necessarily mean that they are commited followers of Yahweh but He is now known to them)
Application
Whatever sacrifices that we make, they ought to be in response to our reverence for God. Not so that we can get something from Him nor so that we can they to pay Him back (impossible).
Cross Reference
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.
Conclusion/Celebration
Conclusion/Celebration
This is it right here. Jonah was ready to end it all but God’s mercy was there.
The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
God will meet us right in the middle of our mess. He is changing and transforming us for His glory. Like we read in Psalms last week, there is no place that we can go that He isn’t there. In our pride, He is there. In our despair, He is there. In our trifling duplicity, He is there. He is changing us from a mess to a masterpiece. Not so that people will see us but so that other will see Him.
For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
Adam and Eve in the garden (sin)
Elijah under the juniper tree (depression)
Saul on the road to Damascus (persecution)
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (humanity)
You and I