Worst Case Scenario

A quick review from last week, Jonah: Dramatic dude. Prophet, religious guy. RUNNING from God.

God told him to go to Nineveh (city of blood) and preach to them. 

We left off with sailors getting saved, and Jonah getting thrown overboard.

Jonah 1:17, "And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights."

I think it's important that we notice, God APOINTED a great fish. God chose a great fish. God is able to use whatever He wants to. Jonah wasn't willing to be used, so God used a fish. 

A lot of people read this verse, and they dismiss Jonah as a fictional work, because "how could Jonah have been in a fish for three days?"

Well, let's look at some facts. There have been a few stories of people being eaten whole by whales, one James Bartley, has a pretty intense story. He was whaling and the whale broke his boat, then he got swallowed. When the crew of another boat killed the whale and began to cut it up, they found him in the stomach. The acid from the stomach had bleached him white and burned off all of his hair.

This is only a rumored story, but some marine biologists in San Diego, California did some research. Sperm whales have a 1.5 foot wide throat, they don't chew their food, and they have multiple stomachs that slowly break down their food. These whales have been known to eat 450 lb. squid whole. They also are natural habitants of the Mediterranean Sea, where Jonah would have been.

The second candidate is also a natural habitant of the Mediterranean, the Great White Shark. With the size of their mouths, it is possible for them to swallow someone whole, and they have very slow metabolisms, so Jonah could have survived for quite some time.

It's possible that Jonah was part of the original "Shark Week" up close and personal!!

This is a real person, a real story, something that actually happened. Jesus referenced it as real. 

Just imagine being Jonah for a second here. You're running from God, you get thrown off of a boat, and when you think that you're about to drown, you get eaten. 

Imagine what it would be like to realize that you're inside an animal, and you are still alive. 

That is where we pick up in Jonah chapter 2. This chapter cover's Jonah's prayer to God from inside the fish. It's hot, it's smelly, and Jonah is realizing that God isn't done with Him yet. 

Jonah 2:1-3, "Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, saying, "I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.  For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me."

Jonah still knows that God can hear him. Even from inside a fish. Jonah gives us a fantastic example of how we can pray anywhere. There was no cell phone service down there, no 3G, not even the EDGE network! Jonah was in quite a dead zone. Almost in more ways than one. 

When Jonah says "out of the belly of Sheol" that word "Sheol" is literally, "the grave". Jonah is expecting to die.

Jonah 2:4, "Then I said, 'I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple."

God is letting Jonah know what it feels like to be separate from Him. I think that's interesting, because Jonah worked so hard to get away from God. Now that he's there, he's calling out for God to come back. 

God shows His love and His grace here though, He comforts Jonah in the fish. We don't have the specific details, but something changes so that Jonah knows things will end up okay. 

I can't speak from experience on this, I've never been in a fish, I'm only assuming. But when you get eaten by a fish, I doubt that you're thinking about how it will end up okay.

When Jonah turns to God, God comforts him even when he's gotten himself into the worst possible circumstance. Turn to God, and let Him comfort you.

Jonah 2:5-7, "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. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple."

Jonah recounts what happened, kind of poetically. He was sinking down to the bottom of the ocean. He was expecting to die. Then God saved him. I love how he puts it, "When my life was fainting away, I remembered The Lord."

A life that forgets God until the end is a life saved, but a life wasted. Don't be Jonah. Remember God today. 

Jonah 2:8-9, "Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!" 

The NIV translation says "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs."

Worthless idols can be anything that you have replaced God with. Even unintentionally. People can be worthless idols. Possessions can be worthless idols. Things that we want can be worthless idols.

Don't forfeit grace. God is handing it to you right now.

It's kind of interesting. This is the only time that we see the correct heart attitude in Jonah. Things are as bad as they can get. He's in the worst case scenario. Think of how different things would have been if Jonah had started out with this attitude. 

I promise that you do not want to look back on your life one day and think of how different it could have been if only you had followed Jesus. Don't wait, follow Him today!

In this chapter, Jonah references 20 other Bible verses. Jonah KNEW the Bible!! But he didn't submit his life to the words within it until everything was crashing down around him. Jonah knew God. Jonah knew God's Word. Jonah was openly for God. But his life didn't reflect it. Jonah knew God's character and God's Word, but chose to act against it.

Please, don't be Jonah.

Jonah 2:10, "And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land."

God gave Jonah a second chance. Even with everything that Jonah had done wrong. Running from God, putting other people's lives in danger. God's grace still extended beyond Jonah's sin.

God's grace will always go farther than your sin.

God gave Jonah a second chance, but Jonah ran so far that God used Jonah getting swallowed whole to get his attention. You don't want to be eaten by a fish. Don't be Jonah.'

Any of us without Jesus are a lot like Jonah in this situation. We're stuck somewhere, not getting anywhere on our own. We're done for if we don't get out. This is the end, this is it. We can't keep going this way. We need something to interrupt us.

Just like how God gave Jonah a second chance, God is giving you a second chance right now.

Our second chance is found in Jesus. Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sin and make you right with God. He rose again on the third day. 

Now we have something in common with Jonah. We know the truth. We have the information that Jesus loves us and died so taht we could be right with God. I've said this a few times, and I'll say it one more time.

DON'T BE JONAH!

Jonah saw God's truth and he didn't respond to it until he was dying. Next week we'll see how long the change lasts.

Don't wait to respond to God. You know this truth that God loves you more than you could imagine, and He wants a relationship with you. Respond to that today. Give your life to Him. Stop running from Him and run into His arms. 

Don't forfeit the grace in front of you. Your second chance is today.

OVERBOARD

This is part ONE of a three part series on the book of Jonah. Every Thursday, the next part will be posted!

Jonah 1:1-2, "Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me."

Jonah was a prophet. Jonah was a "religious" guy. Modern equivalent would be a pastor, or a missionary.

Throughout the book, we see the picture of a man who hears God speak, who knows God's character, but refuses to respond to or reflect God.

God spoke to Jonah. The Word of The Lord came to Jonah. Don't ignore that.

God still speaks today.

Nineveh - Capital of Assyria. Wicked city. "City of Blood" (Nahum 3)

They would kill people by peeling off their skin while they were still alive.

God is going to judge them. He sends Jonah to warn them, give them a chance to repent.

God gives a chance to repent.

Jonah 1:3, "But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD."

Jonah is a very passionate person, he is going to do something. He's not a sit around and wait and see kind of guy. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah went the oppisite direction.

Jonah didn't just stay home and disobey God. Jonah ran from what God asked.

Jonah knew what God said, and intentionally acted agaisnt it. Jonah was running from God's calling on His life.

Jonah 1:4-6, "But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, "What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish."

Jonah is on his way to Tarshish. He thinnks that he has "escaped" God, but God has been following him the whole way.

There is a big storm, so big that the professional sailors on board are fearing for their lives. They all think that they are going to die. 

But Jonah isn't too concerned, he's actually asleep. Jonah is the only one with a solution to this problem, but he's completely disregarding God's calling.

Don't be a sleeping Christian in a dying world.

Every Christian has a calling on their life. That calling is to be an active part of God's Kingdom, to reach the lost with the good news of Jesus Christ. Don't be Jonah. Don't disregard that calling.

At this point in the story, the captian of the ship is closer to God than Jonah. He doesn't understand yet, but he realizes that they need God's help.

Remember that Jonah is a "religious" person? Here the world is doing better than he is! It's a sad day when the world is better at seeking God than God's own people are. Jonah should have been setting the example. 

Jonah 1:7-8, "And they said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, "Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?"

So they all get together, they've thrown everything that wasn't needed off of the ship. The storm is still too bad. They know that if it keeps up, they won't make it. They've come to the conclusion that this storm is someone's fault. Storms this bad don't happen on their own. 

They're right. It's important to notice that they don't blame God for the storm. They know that God has caused the storm, but they realize that it's because of one of them.

Don't blame God for your storms, seek God in your storms.

You had probably already guessed it, but the lots point to Jonah. The whole boat is now looking at him, asking him questions. They're trying to get some background to figure out what he did.

Jonah 1:9-10, "And he said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, "What is this that you have done!" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them."

Jonah tells them who he is, and that' he's running away from God.

Kind of interesting... Now that Jonah is in trouble, he fears God. When he was safe and sound, he didn't.

Don't wait until you see danger to put your trust in God.

Jonah wouldn't be in this situation if his trust had been in God at the beginning.

Jonah acknowledges that he is running away from God. It probably sounded really dumb when he said it, but he admitted his sin. Part of Jonah coming to God was admitting that he didn't have it all right. Part of us coming to God means admitting that we don't have it all right. 

Jonah 1:11-15, "Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?" For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. He said to them, "Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you." Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore they called out to the LORD, "O LORD, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O LORD, have done as it pleased you." So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging."

The sailors know that something needs to happen to make the storm end. Kind of funny, Jonah's first response is "Throw me overboard!"

Forget logic and reasoning, "Throw me off the boat."

Wait what? That sounds more like a last resort.

The men around Jonah try to reason with him, they want to row back to shore. 

The response of these men shows the heart of the world. They want to do it themselves. 

Eventually they realize that they are getting nowhere, so they throw Jonah overboard.

Guess what? It works. The storm calms, and the men are safe.

This makes me think of another storm that we see in the New Testament.

In Mark 4, all of the Apostles are in a boat with Jesus, and there is a storm that seems like it's going to kill them. Jesus calms that storm with three simple words. 

"Peace, be still."

Jesus has the power over the storms in our lives, but we have to let go and let Him take that control. We can't command storms to cease, but in the storm we can cling to the one who can. 

This part of our series ends here in Jonah 1:16, "Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows."

The result of this whole adventure, the crew of the ship gets saved. Making vows meant that they were setting themselves apart for God. The beginning of a relationship with God.

This story is a great example of how God uses everything together for good (Romans 8:28)

Jonah was running from God, completely in disobedience, and God used it to save a crew of sailors.

Next week we'll look at Jonah in the belly of a great fish. The whole storm could have been avoided, and Jonah wouldn't have been eaten if he had just obeyed God. Some storms in life will come no matter what, some storms we bring on ourselves through disobedience.

Stick close to Jesus, and He will bring you through every storm. But don't put yourself through extra storms because you don't feel like doing what God has called you to. 

Our lives can end up looking a lot like Jonah's. Maybe we haven't been eaten by a fish, but I'm pretty sure that a lot of us have decided not to do something that God has called us to do, or we've avoided God until the storm is so bad that we can't go on.

Don't wait for the storm to get that bad. You can throw your whole life overboard, and wait until you're the only thing left, or you can run to Jesus today, and let Him speak "Peace, be still" over your storm and over your heart. 

Remodeling

Ever watch those home improvement shows? Some of my earliest memories are of those shows. As I got older, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition began to take the stage, and it became tradition to watch it with my family. Every Sunday night we had dinner together, the kids cleaned up from dinner, then we all watched our show together. 

I think we like those shows because it's always more than just a building that is involved. The crew shows up and they send away the family. While the family is gone, the crew tears apart everything that the family owns. They break windows and walls and completely gut the house. Then they rebuild the house again, but better. 

At the end of the show, the family comes back and sees this new house, and they're beyond excited. More often than not, tears are involved. Never once have I heard any of them say, "but I missed how the old house was.... It was broken and messed up and I loved it....." They are always rejoicing in the newness.

Isn't our walk with God kind of like that? We might not be comfortable with Him ripping down our lives, there are often tears. We hate that part, where we're torn apart. But if God doesn't tear us apart, He can't remodel. We would much rather redecorate than remodel. We like to move things around so that our current situation looks better. Maybe a fresh coat of paint on this mess, or move the couch to that wall to cover the hole. We do this with our sin all the time. We go to church, to feel better about our sin, we repeatedly make the same mistakes, saying "I'll never do that again" but a week later, we're in the same place. I believe that is because we just try and redecorate our lives. We don't want radical change, because that isn't comfortable. We make just enough changes to feel better about the wrecks that our lives can become. 

But Jesus never aimed to redecorate our lives. He was pretty straightforward too. He said "I am the way, the truth and the life. Nobody comes to the Father but through Me." That doesn't sound like a paint job and moving the table. That sounds like a complete remodel. 

Paul put it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

Wow. Paul says that the old is dead and gone, because the new has come. Jesus wants to remodel our whole lives! The Gospel should change us entirely!! It's not just making us look better, making bad good, it's so much more than the remodel that a house gets, because this remodel makes dead ALIVE. 

Jesus will remodel your whole life if you will let Him, and you haven't really lived at all until you let Him have His way in you. However, just like with the families on those TV shows, you have to get out of the way and let Him do what He wants. You can't hold on to the parts of life that you like. The remodel won't be comfortable, there will be pain and tears as you let go of the old, familiarity of your brokenness, but just like those families, as the new begins to be seen in your life, your tears will turn to tears of joy at what Jesus has done with you. 

So that leaves the question, will you open yourself up to Jesus and let Him remodel you? Or will you stick with redecorating, trying to put a fresh coat of pain on something that's really dead?

New

Spring is my favorite season. The temperature rises, birds begin singing, it's light out for longer, everything comes alive, everything becomes new.

2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

In the same way that Spring comes, when Christ comes into us we become new. Spring brings life with it, everything turns green. Everything wakes up. Ephesians 2 tells us that we were dead, but Christ has made us alive. 

Spring is just a season, but if we stop and think about it, our lives spiritually are just like that. Jesus comes and fills us and we come alive, we wake up spiritually. Life enters into us. 

We have this life, not to just sit passively on the sidelines, but to engage in God's plan. He hasn't made us alive for no reason. Think about how out of place it would look if we saw a group of birds singing, and one bird sitting off to the side watching. If we saw a tree that had a limb without leaves on it, while the rest of the tree was bearing fruit, we would assume that this branch was dead. 

Christ has made us alive in Him, so we should take that life and live it. The life that we have in Christ is what we were created for, just like trees were created to bear fruit, we've been created to live our life in Jesus to the fullest! 

We've been made new, so let us take this new life up, and run with it. 

Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."