The Rescuer

Intro

- Illustration- watching kids try to do things their own way- “Dad, I can do it!”- sooner or later they come to me for help

o Sometimes it’s something small, but other times we find ourselves in dire circumstances and it is very clear that we need a rescuer!

- We spent much time in Galatians and in our Easter series on suffering, it’s causes, and how God uses it in our lives to bring us closer to him.

o We know that suffering and difficult times in our lives are not always a punishment for wrongdoing

§ Blind man that Jesus healed

o We live in a sinful and broken world, and we are daily confronted with that reality

o But this morning we are going to focus on difficulties brought upon us by our own rebellion against God

§ It is clear to us that Jonah was in this predicament by his own doing. God knew it, the sailors knew it, and in his heart, Jonah knew it.

- Last week we left Jonah in the sea, sure of his impending death, and without hope of rescue

o It is fun to speculate how these events actually unfolded- we even mentioned the possibility of the sailors seeing Jonah get swallowed by the fish, but as we will see this morning, it wasn’t quite that easy

o Jonah had some work to do in his own heart before that rescue submarine came

- Read Jonah 1:17-2:10

God is the great rescuer, and when we acknowledge our own rebellion, forsake all idols, and turn to him, he is ready to pour out his great love and mercy on us.

Rescue Requires Us to Acknowledge Our Rebellion

A. Jonah pursues his own way until he hits rock bottom

1. He had no hope

2. He realized where a life running from God would take him

a. Our lives are hopeless apart from God

b. His fear was not death, it was dying in his rebellion, knowing that he had turned his back on God

3. God opens our eyes

B. My prayer is that we don't have to get to the bottom before we turn to God

1. Jonah had plenty of opportunities to acknowledge his rebellion and make things right, but he continues to dive deeper into the pit

2. Wherever you are at in your running from God, now is the time to acknowledge our sin for what it is and begin the path back to God and what you know to be true about him

C. The God of second chances

1. God is not done with Jonah and he is not done with you!

2. Look at Saul, Peter, King David, now Jonah

Rescue Requires us to Turn to God

A. Turning to God in Prayer

1. After Jonah’s refusal to pray for so long, he finally calls out to God

a. 2- “I called out to the Lord in my distress, and he answered me”

b. God was ready and waiting to hear him

2. Where can we pray

a. Jonah was in the belly of a great fish! We can surely pray anywhere

b. Illustration- closing one eye while driving

3. What to pray

a. Our hearts

b. Scripture- it is clear that Jonah knew scripture- much of his prayer can find its foundation in the Psalms

(1) This is where he is turning when he is in difficult times

(2) Do you ever wonder what you what words you should say?

(3) The importance of memorizing scripture

B. Turning to God in Thanksgiving

1. We should offer Praise to God

a. Even under these circumstances!?

2. When do we give thanks?

a. 1 Thess. 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

b. But how? Where does this thankfulness come from?

(1) Heb. 12:28-29 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

3. Do we see what God is doing or do we just focus on what’s going wrong in my life?

a. Illustration- “First World Problems”

C. Turning from Idols

1. V. 8- speaking of Jonah, not the idol worshipping Ninevites

2. J.D. Greer - "An idol is anything you love more than God, anything you trust more than God, or anything you crave more than God."

a. What has become an idol in your life- where do we turn for comfort when things get difficult

b. When we pursue those things, like Jonah did, we abandon, forsake, forfeit the grace that God so freely offers us, because we are turning away from him

3. What we truly crave, what we were made to desire, cannot be found in chasing after worthless idols

a. you see, it's our desire for God and his steadfast love that drives us to worship, and when we worship the wrong things, we come up empty and hurt

b. We will only be truly satisfied when we turn to God. When we worship him, he pours out his steadfast love on us, and we can finally know what it means to be whole

Rescue Demonstrates God’s Great Mercy

A. God puts us in these trials to bring us back to him, not as punishment

1. It is clear that God placed Jonah in this dire circumstance

a. V. 3 “For You cast me into the deep”

2. He is not in it for revenge. He is in it for restoration

a. Heb. 12:5-6 “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.”

b. Heb 12:8 “If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.”

B. Offered freely even as we stand guilty

1. We don't deserve it

C. His mercy places us back on the right path

1. Remember, He is the God of second chances- he is not done with you

2. He uses our weakness for his glory

a. 2 Cor 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.”

3. In fact, he is bringing you through this to make you stronger

D. God desires to pour out his steadfast love

1. We saw the negative aspect of forsaking God’s steadfast love by pursuing idols, but the positive side is that when we turn to God, he is ready and waiting to pour out his love on us

E. Salvation belongs to the Lord

1. It is a gift- it is not something we achieve

2. This separates Christianity from other religions- our salvation does not belong to us- we can do nothing to secure it

3. The answer to our struggle is not to try harder (swim faster), to fix things, to punish myself, to be better

a. The answer is to turn to God in complete dependence because salvation belongs to him and him alone

Conclusion

- Maybe you find yourself facing the consequences of your actions Maybe you find yourself at the bottom, hope is fading and you cannot see a way out

5-6 “The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head 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. “ This is what Jesus has done for us

So What?

- Are we willing to acknowledge our rebellion against God right now?

o Don’t wait until you’ve reached rock bottom.

- How do you prioritize prayer and thankfulness?

- What idols have you knowingly, and perhaps unknowingly, set up in your life as replacements for God?

- Are you resting in God’s mercy and his gift of salvation?