Jonah's Storm (2 of 6)

Jonah 1:10–17 NLT

The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned. And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?” “Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.” Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn’t make it. Then they cried out to the Lord, Jonah’s God. “O Lord,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.” Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him. Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

Introduction

You remember the story from last week. God told Jonah to go and preach a message of repentance in Nineveh. This assignment so upset Jonah that he ran in the opposite direction. He booked passage on a ship bound for Tarshish. Unfortunately for Jonah and everyone else on the ship it didn't take God long to catch up.

Jonah's storm was no mere chance occurrence. This was no random storm on the Mediterranean Sea. Jonah's storm was sent by God to arrest His disobedient prophet. The storms of life come and go. Sometimes we know why they happen and sometimes we don't. In Jonah's case it's pretty clear why things turned out as they did. Jonah caused his own storm by running away.

Look at some of the details of this storm and see how we can avoid our own.

JONAH'S STORM HAD A PURPOSE

Jonah 1:10 NLT

The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned.

Jonah knew there was no mystery about the storm's origin. He told his sailor friends why it occurred, and he was right. How did Jonah know this? He just knew. When there is a purpose to our sufferings and the storms of our lives God will let us know. He won't leave us in the dark. What would be the purpose in that? Not telling us would do nothing.

You have heard me on more than one occasion tell of God answering my prayers in such a way that I responded with: “ I get it Lord, you don’t need to use a 2x4.

There has been, however, twice in time in my life when God had to use a 2x4 in my life to correct my path. And like Jonah, I had abandoned my Call of God. God called me to ministry around the 4th of July in 1976, in a very dramatic way that also was a 2x4 experience. During a sermon by the then Pastor to the US Congress (Dr. Richard Halverson) I took what I refer to as a vision trip: During this vision I saw as a first person the crucifixion of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In this vision, I was guilty of sin as we all are, and I was sentenced to death by Pilate himself. Then Jesus came into the courtyard and told Pilate that He would die in my stead. And Jesus did just that. I at once accepted Christ, gave my life to Him, and was transformed. In some ways this was like Paul’s Damascus Road Conversion.

I realized that I had the Call of God on my life. I went to school to gain the skills that I use here at Curry’s Chapel Church today.

Now some of you know my checkered history already, and some of you may be surprised by what I am about to share with you. This is my Jonah Strom: I ran far from my Calling, and like Jonah, I alone caused my storm by running away from God.

While I had been transformed in 1976, I held back from allowing the Holy Spirit to fully transform me. In the early 2000’s I allowed my greed to take hold of me. Up until this time, even though I was a believer, I lived much less than a Godly life. I would get extremely angry at the drop of a hate. I lived a very selfish life, with little concern for my family or others. I allowed my greed to take hold and committed crimes that landed me in Federal Prison for 21 months.

The purpose of my Jonah Storm of going to prison, was like Jonah’s Whale. It was a wake-up call to turn my life around. While in the belly of my whale I allowed it to complete my transformation. During my time in prison, I committed myself back to God, I studied His word continuously, I lead Bible studies and witnessed as much as I could. I was privileged to personally lead a dozen men to the saving grace of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. So, prison became my Nineveh. And like Jonah, I hated the experience.

Yes, there were some good times (especially seeing Nancy and my kids), and leading others to Christ. There we even a few funny times: One example of a funny time is: Early on, I was assigned to the kitchen for my work detail, one day I was assigned to make biscuits, which were always looked forward to by my fellow inmates. However, it turned out that I cannot make good biscuits, but I did make some really good hockey pucks that day. These discs were so bad that I got actual death threats. Now that is funny as I look back on it now but was terrifying at the time.

It has taken me a long time, to overcome my guilt and to feel worthwhile enough to be in a pastoral position. I am humbled that you have accepted me, for who I am despite my past.

Hopefully, most of you have not had Jonah Storm experiences.

However, sometimes there doesn't appear much purpose in some of our storms. Sometimes things happen because that is simply the nature of the fallen world in which we live. Tragedy is this world's middle name. Every life is going to have some level of tragedy attached to it. The key thing is not knowing why things happen but knowing that God will always be available to those of us who belong to Him.

Romans 8:28 NLT

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

JONAH'S STORM AFFECTED THE LIVES OF OTHERS

Jonah 1:10 NLT

The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned.

Jonah 1:16 NLT

The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.

In these verses we find two different kinds of fear. At first those who sailed with Jonah were afraid for their lives but by the end of their ordeal they were more afraid of the Lord then they were of dying. These men might have been common sailors, but they were no fools. It is a foolish person who refuses to learn something from God's judgment of others.

My own Jonah Storm not only sent me to prison, but it deeply affected my dear wife and wonderful children in ways that I can never undo. Whatever we do good or bad always has an effect on others, whether we realize it or not

The fear these men felt in verse 10 was because of God's judgment. Unfortunately, good people will get caught up in the bad things we do. Thinking of others more than we do ourselves will keep others from sharing in our judgment.

The awe these men felt in verse 16 was because of God's justice. God knew something neither Jonah nor these men knew. They didn't know about the whale. They thought they were throwing Jonah to his death. God's judgment got Jonah to his pulpit in Nineveh, but a very visible demonstration of God's justice changed the lives of those who sailed with Jonah.

It's a foolish person who doesn't learn something about God's judgment of others.

JONAH STORMS:

I’ve mentioned Jonah Storms a few times now.

Jonah Storms are storms of our own making. Some characteristics of Jonah Storms.

They can be of varying intensity - from spring showers to F5 Tornadoes.

If not dealt with they will become deadly.

Even spring showers Jonah style are deadly.

These are the only storms that WE can control.

Jonah storms represent a fundamental spiritual problem.

If we are going to survive Jonah storms, we need to know several things. I said before that these are the only storms over which we have control. Therefore, we need to know where they come from and how to stop them or better yet how to prevent them.

1 - Causes

(I refer you back to Jonah 1:1-3, from last week) Now I want you to know that I have named these Jonah Storms for a reason. Not because he is the only one in scripture to have them, to the contrary almost every important person in the scriptures has faced these storms. Jonah just is a perfect example in a just a few verses. He displays perfectly all four of the major causes of these storms. Let’s look at four major causes of Jonah storms.

a. Disobedience

God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh. Jonah boards a ship for Tarshish. Understand Nineveh and Tarshish are in opposite directions. Jonah did exactly the opposite of what God said to do. Now let me tell you something very important this morning. You cannot disobey God without consequence. God’s desire is always for our best. As a father watches over his children so God watches over us. Always desiring the very best for our lives. He gives us instruction for a reason - to protect us and prosper us. We disobey him at our own peril. I talk with people all the time who know what God wants for them but they simply say "I know it’s not right but I’m going to do it anyway."

b. Self-indulgence

What I mean by this is pampering that part of us that cries out to be indulged (for me it was greed). The I part. I want, I deserve, I need, I, I, I. Jonah didn’t want to do what God said to do - so he didn’t, and he paid the price. Jonah cared more about feeling good than about obeying God. (Essentially, this is my story as well.) The danger in this is that what feels good and what is good are often different. I could spend all day talking about this, but I think you know what I mean. You know the difference between right and wrong - between good and bad. While wrong and bad might feel good for a moment they lead to a lifetime of consequences. Sin might feel good for a moment but ask Jonah and he would tell you that "Sin always takes you farther than you want to go, keeps you longer than you want to stay, and costs you more than you want to pay."

c. Spiritual Disregard

The scripture says in Proverbs 9:10:

Proverbs 9:10 NLT

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

Jonah disregarded the spiritual war that was raging around him. Satan had a plan for Nineveh (the thief comes but to kill, steal, and destroy). God had a plan for Nineveh

Jonah 3:5 NLT

The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow.

What Jonah failed to realize was that he had the opportunity to be the servant of God or the servant of the Enemy, but he was going to be one or the other. Folks you cannot live your life with no regard for spiritual matters - they are life.

d. Out Thinking God

What I mean by this is thinking we know better than God what should be done. Have you wondered why Jonah did what he did? Was he scared to go to Nineveh? Was he intimidated by the scope of the job? Look at Jonah 4:2

Jonah 4:2 NLT

So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.

Jonah knew that God would change Nineveh and he didn’t want Nineveh changed. He wanted them destroyed. We get into major problems when we think we know better than God what should be done. The world is full of progressive thinkers who reject the word of God. I once listened to a news program recently where a broadcaster actually advocated abstinence till marriage. An email came in asking what century he was living in. Folks it doesn’t matter what century your living in truth is truth. You might think it’s outdated you might think it’s old fashioned, but you are going to learn eventually that God knows best. You may be one of those who thinks we have fought the sexual revolution and that society has chosen a better way. The truth is that the battle is still raging - the front has just shifted - now the battle rages in abortion clinics, aids hospices, and sexually transmitted disease treatment centers. The truth is on many fronts we are still losing - we think we are in the midst of cultural progress and the truth is we have cast off all restraint and now we are reaping the whirlwind in Jonah storms.

2 - Responses

Jonah 1:12 NLT

“Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”

Our response to Jonah Storms must be a two-pronged approach. Like any disease we have to deal with prevention and cure.

Storm Prevention

I told you in the beginning that these storms are the only storms that can be prevented. We have control over what these storms look like, how long they last, and even if they hit at all. I want you to avoid Jonah storms.

a. Listen to God

Look, God has given us a road map for life. If we follow it, we do well and if we don’t, we lose. This is what God said to Joshua as he entered the promised land. It says in Joshua 1:8

Joshua 1:8 NLT

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

b. Obey God

We read in 1 Samuel 15:22-23

1 Samuel 15:22–23 NLT

But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”

Those are the words spoken to Saul - King of Israel just before his Kingship was removed. Saul knew what God wanted but didn’t do it. We live in a world where Christian’s worship on Sunday and live like there is no God on Monday. Folks you cannot disobey God without consequence.

Storm Cure

If you find yourself in the midst of a Jonah storm, there is only one way out. Repentance. Reluctantly and stubbornly, Jonah repented. Throw me overboard - he tells the crew. The reality is Jonah wasn’t asking to be lowered over in a boat so he could make his way back to Nineveh - his storm was only beginning. He wanted to be thrown overboard because he would rather die than to obey. So, a fish swallowed him. Now I guess when you’re hanging out in a fish’s digestive system it gives you a few minutes to review your life. Cause Jonah did. As did being in prison did for me. Look at just a few phrases from Jonah’s prayer to God .

Jonah 2:4 NLT

Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’

Jonah 2:7 NLT

As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple.

Jonah 2:9 NLT

But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”

Repentance took hold in Jonah’s life, as well as, mine. And indigestion took hold of the fish. The storm was over - and Jonah got vomited onto the beach in Nineveh. Not a real auspicious arrival for a prophet - but terribly effective. If you want to stop living through Jonah storms you have to start making better decisions. Following better advice. And listening more to God

Two dangers are inherent as we look at Jonah Storms.

One is ascribing no storms to this category - By this I mean, not self-assessing our lives.

The other is ascribing all storms to this category - sometimes you have fault - many times you don’t - but discerning which it is - is of vital importance.

Jonah Storms are storms none of us should go through - we should all learn to stay out of them. There are storms aplenty for us to face in the world. Spring storms that make life stressful. Thunderstorms that make life difficult. F5 Tornadoes that make life dangerous. But Jonah storms are storms of our own making. I hope that you have learned some strategies that will help you survive and even thrive in the storms of life.

As you know I have had my Jonah Storm, I have learned much. Please know that I am here to help you face your storms, whether that be spring showers or F5 Tornadoes.

Now, I pray that you will review your life to see if there are any storms especially Jonah storms that may be occurring in or headed your way. I urge you to see seek help and seek cover as soon as you can.