Coming Clean

At some point in everyones life there is at least a perceived need for a turnaround.

At some point we all have this feeling deep down that something has to change in our lives or we may drown in our own sea of our own unrest.

Maybe we feel like we need a turnaround in our job...

We may feel like something needs to change about our health.

We find ourselves in a rut, Maybe our life is not turning out the way we want.

We struggle with our faith.

We may even be struggling with the struggle of change itself…Knowing we need to change but either not wanting to let go of where we are or we are simply fearful of taking the next step.

The struggle of change itself is probably where most of us find ourselves.

It is also the place that many organizations, even churches find themselves in from time to time. Knowing that a radical turnaround is needed but being unsure or unwilling to embark on the journey of turnaround....So this leads to the question...

Why do you think it is so hard for some people…maybe even you and me to begin our turnaround life?

I would like to suggest a possible answer today:

Turnarounds are Hard becuase every Turnaround begins with us.

Every turnaround or change whether it is personal or within an organization starts as a personal recognition that a turnaround is in fact nessacary....Then we are the ones than must initiate that Change or turnaround.

Me not you…No one can initiate the change you need for your turnaround…We know this intellectually.....Yet many of us struggle with implementing this turnaround even though we know its nessacary ....Why...

“Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.”

― Tony Robbins

We know something needs to change put we often doubt that it can actually change…Or to put it another way we get so used to the pain we are in it becomes comfortable.

The pain of a change that needs to happen in our lives will always leads to progress but the pain we feel resisting God’s leading will always lead to stagnation and frustration.

Not only that but the pain that we feel while resisting God’s leading is not only felt by us individually but it affects all of those around us.

Healing the pain we feel starts with an understanding that what we are doing now is not working and God can and wants begin to bring something beautiful from your misery.

This is the lesson from our passage today from the book of Jonah. The book of Jonah is a bit problematic becuase when we hear it we automatically think of what......(Big Fish)

Becuase of this over the top story I think it is hard to extrapolate what God is really trying to say to us. but we are going to dig into it.

So..... I am going to warn you…Today (Pause) I am skipping the fish…because it tends to overshadow the real purpose of this passage .

Jonah 1:1-16

Summarize Verses 1-6

God calls Jonah to Nineveh to preach repentance, Jonah decides to run away…and in the process puts innocent sailors at risk…God sends a storm the sailors are frighted but Jonah selfishly retreats to the hull of the ship to sleep without any remorse or intention of helping them out....The captain of the ship goes to Jonah and confronts him but instead of helping he continues his dismissive attitude toward God and those being most affected. his is where we pick up the story.

7 Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. 8 “Why has this awful storm come down on us?” they demanded. “Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?”

9 Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.” 10 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.” Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold.

“11 And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?” 12 “Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.” 13 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.

14 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.” 15 Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! 16 The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.

Even though Jonah knew that he was the reason for the storm he made the crew figure this out for themselves. JOKE ABOUT CASTING LOTS TO DETERMINE GUILT... This highlights how selfish Jonah really was.

It also reminds us that the book of Jonah is not about a fish, the sailors or even the sin Nineveh for that matter…it is about Jonah....Its about facing his unwillingness to turnaround and embark on God’s preferred reality for his life.

When things are going wrong most of us like Jonah know the reason however instead of owning it we often continue down a path of turmoil until we are found out or until we just cannot stand the pain anymore.

The problems is that at some point like Jonah we find out no matter how far away we try to run from God He is waiting for us when we get there and we will have to deal with the consequence of our choices.

When the crew finds out Jonah is the reason for the storm and that his God is the God of the Air and the sea their response is priceless... Why? Why have you done this…Not really wanting to know what he did but why Jonah decided to drag them into it.

They were in shock that Jonah could be both this stupid and selfish...

When we are running from God’s greater plan for our lives we affect everyone around us....When we drag others into our tumultuous lives Those closest to us like the sailors in the story often wonder what they have done to cause the conflict…they also like the sailors are willing to do whatever it takes to help but when they find out they are being lied to it is a difficult pill to swallow.

Even though Jonah had brought this storm upon them the sailors response was still centered on helping everyone even Jonah survive this storm.

Being scared for their own life angry, hurt and frustrated they tried to save Jonah…they rowed instead of throwing him overboard…They were willing to do whatever it took to keep Jonahs blood off their hands....This is codependency at it worst…but when we refuse take steps to our turnaround we fuel dysfunctional relationships like this.

We might ask why in the world did the sailors not just throw Jonah overboard sooner…after all Jonah told them too so everything after this is on the sailors Right? Wrong!

Jonah is often seen as noble by telling them to throw him overboard when what he really did was show his selfishness. He made his disobedience their problem to solve…He placed them in a horrible position…kill Jonah and risk further wrath from his God…or die.

When we fail to accept responsibility for our own turnaround we place others in very difficult positions.

ADDICTED FAMILY FRIENDS ....AT SOME POINT WE OFTEN HAVE TO CUT OFF THAT FAMILY MEMBER BECUASE IT IS DRAGGING US DOWN WITH THEM…IT IS NOT BEING insensitive IT IS understanding that they will never change until the Pain of where they are is greater than the pain of Change.

The sailors did not want to throw Jonah overboard…but soon they would be in a position that they would have no choice.

The Storms that are affecting our lives need not affect others. We do not need to make our problems felt by those we love. We need not run from God’s leading becuase of lack of understanding or an unwillingness to turnaround.

You and I have the ability to begin our Turnaround and Stop Hurting those around us.

Take a Concrete First step into God’s Future.

Admit to God you have been resisting.

Refuse to blame circumstance and others for you being stuck.

Choose different thinking and actions when given opportunities

Once you take that first concrete step of getting out of your own way when it comes to your turnaround…God’s Faithfulness will provide all the healing and peace you could never receive on your own.

The First Step of your Turnaround starts with You and Ends in Glory

Hebrews 13 ...For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” 6 So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?””

God is waiting to help you take that First step of your turnaround…Will you take it?

Altar/ Communion

Song Promises

Benediction