Part 1.2 - A Prophet On The Run
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
This morning, we looked at Jonah as A Prophet On The Run - We looked at how Jonah was not always on the run - Earlier in life, he had been running with God back in 2 Kings 14, but when we find him in Jonah 1, he’s running from God.
The interesting thing about running from God is that when you are running from God, it doesn’t take very long before you run into God…We see this with Jonah.
Because of his hatred for Ninevah, he flat-out refused to go preach to them.
I often get lost in my thoughts concerning Jonah - He was a man of God, called by God, sent to a place he didn’t want to go, to preach to people he didn’t want to preach to, much less love and God forces his hand so to speak and makes Jonah go, and it brings about one of the greatest revivals in history!
Please don’t take what I’m about to say the wrong way - these are just musings - I think this speaks to an extent of the Sovereignty of God - I’ve always been taught, and I believe that we need to pray, we need to fast, we need to get serious with God if we want revival - But God is ultimately in control.
I highly doubt Jonah was praying for the people he was about to preach to, he didn’t love them - I can say that because he wanted them to die - that’s why he ran, I mentioned that this morning. He wanted God to judge them - they were wicked…But that wasn’t what God wanted. God, in His everlasting love,
2 Peter 3:9 (KJV 1900)
9 ...is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
So God forces Jonah’s hand through judgment - and even after Jonah did do what God told him to do, he still wasn’t happy about it - But God used him as a messenger to bring revival to a city with somewhere between 600,000 to 1 Million people in it. - I just find that amazing...
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
Jonah was a backslidden preacher on the run.
Jonah was willing to pay his own way in life rather than have the blessings and provision of the Lord.
The Lord promised to meet our needs, but he made Jonah pay for the trip because He knew that Jonah didn’t need to go to Tarshish.
Why did Jonah have to finance the trip? Because he didn’t need to disobey God, he didn’t need to go to Tarshish, but because of his disobedience Jonah had to pay from his own resources.
Hey, when we are out of the will of God, we too will pay the fare thereof...financially, physically, and spiritually.
Have you ever paid for your disobedience? Can you testify that disobedience is costly?
The life of Edgar Allen Poe is one of the most tragic of all American writers. Within a brief span of forty years, he literally went from riches to rags.
In his heyday, he produced poems and short stories such as The Pit and the Pendulum or The Raven. Tragedy struck his home and his life began to crash. His young bride died of tuberculosis. Poe turned to alcohol, drugs, the occult and Satanism. These things destroyed him. Depression and insanity plagued his short life, eventually leaving him unconscious in the gutter of a windswept street in Baltimore. Four days later he died, having never regained consciousness. His riches were robbed by his rebellion toward God and they turned to rags. He died a penniless bum. Your ticket to your Tarshish does not guarantee you will arrive there.
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
Jonah went down physically and spiritually. Desertion in the face of the Almighty leads downward.
He went down to Joppa, 1:3;
down into the ship, 1:3;
down into the sides of the ship, 1:5;
down into the fish, 1:17; and
down to the bottom of the sea, 2:6.
One downward trip led to another and another. One sin leads to another, breaking down the fibers of resistance.
Disobedience lowers a person. The world says, “The way up is live in sin.” Salesmen lie, students cheat, and movie stars lower their morals. No one ever grows while they are living low.
Jonah’s life is a picture of a life out of the will of God. What way are you heading now in your life? Are you going upward or downward spiritually? You are heading downward if you are deserting in the face of the Almighty.
I promise, like Jonah, if you’re running from God, it won’t take long before you’re running into God...
Running Into God
Running Into God
4 But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
Jonah’s flight seemed successful. Satan had a boat. Jonah had the fare.
But, we see right here in verse 4 that even though Jonah is running as hard as he can from God; it doesn’t take him long to run right into God...
Thank the Lord Jesus Christ that He does not give up on us when we turn our back on Him. Even when we run from the will of God, He works in our life to bring us back to Himself.
A restored and forgiven child of God should always be able to thank God for the storms of life.
Hey, listen right here, God uses storms in life to confront and correct His wayward children. In verse four the Bible teaches us that God was at work in the prodigal prophet’s life. Romans 8:28 can be applied to Jonah’s life back then and to our life today.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Jonah would have never thought that this really bad storm, or three days in the fish’s belly would be “good” for him, but it was!
Our disobedience will bring disruption in our life. God let Jonah have his own way and then He made His move.
Notice the first three words, “But the Lord …” When God says “Go,” no “but” will be acceptable to Him.
Our Lord expects immediate obedience from us. Everything we do is of concern to Him. Failure to obey the Lord puts us into a struggle with the Lord. The result will be pain, sorrow, and suffering for us. The “but” of rebellion in verse three led to the “but” of retribution in verse four.
*Jonah’s actions brought action from God.*
Our disobedience will bring discipline from God. Matthew Henry said, “Sin brings storms and tempests into the soul, into the family, into churches and nations; it is a disquieting disturbing thing.”
The storm in Jonah’s life was no little thunderstorm, but a raging and mighty tempest.
5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.
This storm got the attention of the seamen. When God sends storms in our lives for corrective purposes, they will always get our attention, oftentimes, like in verse 5, it gets the attention of those around us before we realize what’s going on...
So many times, the Pastor, Preacher, Sunday School teacher, Christian family member, or friend will see what’s going on before you do. So many times, I’ve begged people not to go the way I’ve seen them going, they can’t see it for themselves, but someone else can.
Another obvious truth found right here is that Jonah’s disobedience brought a great storm that not only endangered his life, but the life of the sailors as well.
Our disobedience affects our lives and the lives of those around us as well. Never think for a second that it doesn’t.
So great was the storm that the ship was about to be broken.
God’s displeasure with His prophet was shown in the furious storm that pounded the ship.
John Butler wrote, “Locking horns with God is a good way to get dehorned. If you upset God, God will upset you. It would be a great help to man if he got a great deal more concerned about the fact that sin really disturbs God. Men need to get more concerned about God’s reaction to things. Often folk seem very concerned about what other men think of their performance, but seldom do evidence much concern about what God thinks.”
Conclusion
Conclusion
God was on Jonah’s heels right here...
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
God tells the lukewarm Laodicean church the same thing:
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
God brought the mighty storm into Jonah’s life to bring Him back to obedience and fellowship with Himself.
Reasons for Storms:
▪ Some storms are demonic (hell sent)
▪ Some storms are Divine (heaven sent)
▪ Some storms are for perfections (to grow us)
▪ Some storms are for correction (to guide us)
Not every storm of life is brought on by our disobedience, but all storms are used by God to make us more like Jesus.
We know though that some storms in life are a direct result of our disobedience.
Maybe you are in a storm right now and the storm you are in is a direct result of your disobedience.
There will always be consequences that come to the disobedient.
When we face the storms of life, we must turn to and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.