WEBVTT 00:00:04.219 --> 00:00:06.620 You're listening to the Christ Our Cornerstone 00:00:06.620 --> 00:00:09.419 podcast, a ministry of Christ Our Cornerstone 00:00:09.419 --> 00:00:12.140 Church in O 'Neill, Nebraska. I'm Pastor Logan 00:00:12.140 --> 00:00:14.220 Merrick and it's our prayer that this message 00:00:14.220 --> 00:00:16.600 strengthens your faith and draws you closer to 00:00:16.600 --> 00:00:20.739 Christ. Let's dive in. Hello friends, Pastor 00:00:20.739 --> 00:00:24.120 Logan Merrick here. And just before we get going 00:00:24.120 --> 00:00:26.910 with this sermon, I just want to give you a heads 00:00:26.910 --> 00:00:29.410 up. The audio is not great. And I apologize. 00:00:29.629 --> 00:00:32.250 I forgot to bring my little microphone that I 00:00:32.250 --> 00:00:34.950 attached to my lapel to record the audio. So 00:00:34.950 --> 00:00:39.630 my son had to record it with my phone. So it 00:00:39.630 --> 00:00:42.990 doesn't sound great. It's not it's not terrible, 00:00:42.990 --> 00:00:46.270 but it's not, you know, quality that I would 00:00:46.270 --> 00:00:49.030 love to have. But so I just wanted to apologize 00:00:49.030 --> 00:00:52.020 for that. But still, I hope that you get something 00:00:52.020 --> 00:00:54.659 out of this message. And as I've said before, 00:00:55.439 --> 00:00:59.700 don't let this be, you should be involved in 00:00:59.700 --> 00:01:02.600 a local congregation. Don't let this be your 00:01:02.600 --> 00:01:06.390 church. If you are not physically a part of our 00:01:06.390 --> 00:01:09.730 congregation, for me to be able to shepherd you, 00:01:09.769 --> 00:01:12.510 you should have a shepherd over you and someone 00:01:12.510 --> 00:01:14.590 who is loving you, pointing you to Christ, helping 00:01:14.590 --> 00:01:17.709 you grow in discipleship. And we need the church. 00:01:17.769 --> 00:01:20.269 We need each other because life gets difficult. 00:01:20.510 --> 00:01:24.609 And so we are not meant to walk this alone. And 00:01:24.609 --> 00:01:28.390 so I would encourage you to not let this be your 00:01:28.390 --> 00:01:31.319 church, but it's only supplemental. as you grow. 00:01:31.719 --> 00:01:35.560 With that said, I hope you enjoy this sermon 00:01:35.560 --> 00:01:38.260 as we continue our walk through the book of Jonah. 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:42.659 This is Jonah chapter one, verses three through 00:01:42.659 --> 00:01:45.920 six. Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled 00:01:45.920 --> 00:01:49.859 program, back to Jonah. So what did we talk about 00:01:49.859 --> 00:01:57.950 last week? What do we know about Jonah? Everybody 00:01:57.950 --> 00:02:00.870 goes back to their notes, and the people that 00:02:00.870 --> 00:02:03.969 weren't here look down, hoping that Pastor Logan 00:02:03.969 --> 00:02:11.030 won't notice them. Yes, he is a patriot. He's 00:02:11.030 --> 00:02:14.409 very much, he loves his country, right? He was 00:02:14.409 --> 00:02:19.110 a prophet to the king. He was the only prophet 00:02:19.110 --> 00:02:21.849 during that time. We talked about Hosea and Amos 00:02:21.849 --> 00:02:24.349 spoke against the crown, right? And different 00:02:24.349 --> 00:02:29.240 things that Jeroboam. He was like, those two 00:02:29.240 --> 00:02:31.620 prophets in particular were like, hey, Israel 00:02:31.620 --> 00:02:35.300 is a sin. But Jonah was like, hey, you're great, 00:02:35.419 --> 00:02:37.240 things are great, you know, all those things. 00:02:38.340 --> 00:02:41.699 And then Jonah, because of that, Jonah hated 00:02:41.699 --> 00:02:47.659 who? The Ninevites, right? And he had good reason 00:02:47.659 --> 00:02:49.939 for it, right? What do we know about the Ninevites? 00:02:51.139 --> 00:02:56.740 Bad dudes. Definitely bad dudes. What makes them 00:02:56.740 --> 00:03:02.439 mad? You guys remember? They were cannibals, 00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:05.919 yeah. They weren't just slapping people with 00:03:05.919 --> 00:03:12.000 fish like they say in Veggie Tales, right? Yeah, 00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:14.240 they would cut off legs and arms so that way 00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:17.659 as the other enemies, right? Yeah, they would 00:03:17.659 --> 00:03:24.180 high five them in mockery. What else? It would 00:03:24.180 --> 00:03:27.639 make family members parade decapitated heads 00:03:27.639 --> 00:03:30.979 of their loved ones, right? And they were brutal 00:03:30.979 --> 00:03:34.800 people, and they were also pagan, right? They 00:03:34.800 --> 00:03:39.319 worship false gods. And so Jonah feels this sense 00:03:39.319 --> 00:03:44.319 of self -righteousness, and he doesn't want to 00:03:44.319 --> 00:03:46.120 have to do what? What does God tell him to do? 00:03:48.840 --> 00:03:51.120 Go preach to him, right? Go preach repentance. 00:03:51.159 --> 00:03:57.560 And he's like, nah. Right and so We're going 00:03:57.560 --> 00:03:59.979 to because we only got through the first three 00:03:59.979 --> 00:04:02.099 and a half verses I'm gonna start at the top 00:04:02.099 --> 00:04:04.740 and then we're gonna go through six and I want 00:04:04.740 --> 00:04:07.319 you to just highlight or underline things that 00:04:07.319 --> 00:04:10.979 stick out to you and I'll tell you the things 00:04:10.979 --> 00:04:14.259 that I think you should pay attention to but 00:04:14.259 --> 00:04:18.100 I told you last week that I Identified a lot 00:04:18.100 --> 00:04:22.310 with Jonah especially with his life When we're 00:04:22.310 --> 00:04:24.069 talking about the will of God and Him feeling 00:04:24.069 --> 00:04:27.730 like God owes me, right? I do all of these things. 00:04:28.290 --> 00:04:30.670 And as I was riding in the car of my wife last 00:04:30.670 --> 00:04:33.970 night, I said, you know what? I said, I've never 00:04:33.970 --> 00:04:37.629 in all my years, I've preached through this text 00:04:37.629 --> 00:04:40.670 many times, I've never noticed that the word 00:04:40.670 --> 00:04:45.810 get up, arise, okay, we're gonna see it some 00:04:45.810 --> 00:04:51.100 more, is in the text. But that's the very word 00:04:51.100 --> 00:04:54.920 that word coo Okay in Hebrew that word coo means 00:04:54.920 --> 00:05:00.180 to get up stand up arise go persevere That is 00:05:00.180 --> 00:05:02.399 what is tattooed on my forearm. So you guys have 00:05:02.399 --> 00:05:08.120 asked before Never noticed it before And my wife's 00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:09.980 like in this it's usually so tell me about what 00:05:09.980 --> 00:05:11.819 you're gonna be preaching on tomorrow I'm telling 00:05:11.819 --> 00:05:16.379 her she's like Wow in so many ways you are like 00:05:16.379 --> 00:05:18.360 Jonah. They're like, yeah, thanks for the reminder 00:05:19.769 --> 00:05:24.550 All right, here we go. The word of the Lord came 00:05:24.550 --> 00:05:29.449 to Jonah, son of Amittai, get up, go to the great 00:05:29.449 --> 00:05:32.790 city of Nineveh and preach against it because 00:05:32.790 --> 00:05:36.290 their evil has come up before me. So Jonah got 00:05:36.290 --> 00:05:40.889 up to flee to Tarshish from the Lord's presence. 00:05:41.889 --> 00:05:44.870 He went down to Joppa and found a ship going 00:05:44.870 --> 00:05:49.360 to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into 00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:52.819 it to go with them to Tarshish from the Lord's 00:05:52.819 --> 00:05:57.199 presence Why do you think it? says where he's 00:05:57.199 --> 00:06:01.560 going multiple times What do we say where Tarshish 00:06:01.560 --> 00:06:04.259 was Whenever we when I showed you guys the map 00:06:04.259 --> 00:06:08.300 last time last week It's the opposite direction 00:06:08.300 --> 00:06:10.379 for them. It was like literally the end of the 00:06:10.379 --> 00:06:14.680 map So this is Jonah's way of saying I was literally 00:06:14.680 --> 00:06:18.910 going the opposite direction But the Lord threw 00:06:18.910 --> 00:06:23.170 a great wind onto the sea and such a great storm 00:06:23.170 --> 00:06:27.370 arose, there's that word again, on the sea that 00:06:27.370 --> 00:06:30.550 the ship threatened to break apart. And the sailors 00:06:30.550 --> 00:06:34.750 were afraid and each cried out to his God. They 00:06:34.750 --> 00:06:37.730 threw the ship's cargo into the sea to lighten 00:06:37.730 --> 00:06:41.290 the load. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down to the 00:06:41.290 --> 00:06:44.490 lowest part of the vessel and stretched out. 00:06:44.569 --> 00:06:49.310 and fallen into a deep sleep. The captain approached 00:06:49.310 --> 00:06:52.970 him and said, what are you doing? Sound asleep? 00:06:53.870 --> 00:06:59.649 Get up! He's hearing. Arise, go, right? Call 00:06:59.649 --> 00:07:03.589 to your God. Maybe this God will consider us 00:07:03.589 --> 00:07:09.329 and we won't perish. All right. What do you see? 00:07:10.569 --> 00:07:12.250 What are things that you think that we should 00:07:12.250 --> 00:07:14.889 be looking at? What are the things that we should 00:07:14.889 --> 00:07:20.490 be taking note of? What is, let's start here. 00:07:20.610 --> 00:07:25.970 What is Jonah's attitude? Yeah, he doesn't want 00:07:25.970 --> 00:07:32.490 to go, right? What else? Huh? He's rebelling. 00:07:32.490 --> 00:07:37.410 He's rebelling, yeah. He took action and went 00:07:37.410 --> 00:07:39.550 the other way. He didn't just think about it, 00:07:39.589 --> 00:07:45.889 he went. Yeah, yeah. I want you to hone in on, 00:07:45.889 --> 00:07:50.329 for just a moment, hone in on the fact that he's 00:07:50.329 --> 00:07:54.610 in a deep sleep and the others are doing what? 00:07:54.970 --> 00:07:59.709 Raining to their God. Are these sailors new? 00:08:00.350 --> 00:08:05.149 Are they new to sailing? No! They're terrified. 00:08:05.189 --> 00:08:07.709 They're scared out of their minds. So this isn't 00:08:07.709 --> 00:08:15.040 just a normal storm. They feel... that this is 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:17.439 a God -ordained storm. Now, granted, they're 00:08:17.439 --> 00:08:19.860 God -ordained storm. They're thinking of all 00:08:19.860 --> 00:08:24.319 these different gods that they worship, right? 00:08:24.939 --> 00:08:34.340 But Jonah is fast asleep in the boat. What, like, 00:08:34.440 --> 00:08:36.600 what? Let me, I'll just go ahead and say it. 00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:39.259 There's a selfish attitude that's happening here, 00:08:39.320 --> 00:08:45.529 right? Jonah is not affected. in the least he 00:08:45.529 --> 00:08:50.509 doesn't care about what's going on in his mind 00:08:50.509 --> 00:08:53.570 he is going as far as he can from the lord's 00:08:53.570 --> 00:08:56.049 presence now we talked about last week is this 00:08:56.049 --> 00:09:01.210 possible no right our verse of the week last 00:09:01.210 --> 00:09:06.409 week was showing he he and jonah knew that song 00:09:06.409 --> 00:09:08.990 doesn't matter where i go i can make my bed and 00:09:08.990 --> 00:09:15.509 shield and you are there so Jonah, is Jonah unaware 00:09:15.509 --> 00:09:22.169 that God isn't there? No, he totally knows he's 00:09:22.169 --> 00:09:26.250 there. He knows he's everywhere, but he's lying 00:09:26.250 --> 00:09:30.009 to himself. And so there's many times in our 00:09:30.009 --> 00:09:31.750 own rebellion, we will lie to ourselves about 00:09:31.750 --> 00:09:36.110 the truth of God, just so you know. But here's 00:09:36.110 --> 00:09:41.269 something I want you to note. We can lie to ourselves 00:09:41.269 --> 00:09:45.759 too. And think that we are at peace when we are 00:09:45.759 --> 00:09:50.740 in rebellion. Here's what I mean. We can be like 00:09:50.740 --> 00:09:55.620 Nacho Libre, my life is good. Really good. And 00:09:55.620 --> 00:09:59.539 really our life is miserable. Jonah's in a deep 00:09:59.539 --> 00:10:02.860 sleep. And we can think, oh man, I sleep fine 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:07.299 at night. And there's chaos going on, but just 00:10:07.299 --> 00:10:09.779 because you sleep fine at night and there may 00:10:09.779 --> 00:10:14.019 be some things. That you find peace in but you 00:10:14.019 --> 00:10:16.460 know that you're in rebellion to God just because 00:10:16.460 --> 00:10:18.460 you have that peace does not mean that you are 00:10:18.460 --> 00:10:26.120 not in sin Does that does that make sense Thank 00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:30.960 you, please thank God What else do we see here 00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:37.559 what else should we be picking up Look at verse 00:10:37.559 --> 00:10:41.570 1 and then look at verse 4 Here's something that 00:10:41.570 --> 00:10:44.230 Warren Rears me when I was reading a book that 00:10:44.230 --> 00:10:47.889 he wrote on Jonah that I did not pick up myself 00:10:47.889 --> 00:10:49.629 and he pointed it out and I thought it was really 00:10:49.629 --> 00:10:55.889 good. Verse one says, what came to Jonah? The 00:10:55.889 --> 00:10:59.149 word of the Lord. In verse four, what comes to 00:10:59.149 --> 00:11:04.929 Jonah? A storm. Is the Lord speaking? Kind of, 00:11:05.049 --> 00:11:09.190 but not actually out of his mouth, right? He's 00:11:09.190 --> 00:11:11.830 speaking through his acts and his ability to 00:11:11.830 --> 00:11:16.529 control creation. And so one of the things that 00:11:16.529 --> 00:11:18.629 that Warren Rearsby points out that I think is 00:11:18.629 --> 00:11:22.289 really really good is he said whenever we walk 00:11:22.289 --> 00:11:27.129 in rebellion Whenever we walk in rebellion God 00:11:27.129 --> 00:11:32.409 stops speaking He gets your attention, but he 00:11:32.409 --> 00:11:37.190 stops speaking And we're gonna see in just a 00:11:37.190 --> 00:11:40.360 second Why because I asked my wife I said you 00:11:40.360 --> 00:11:44.679 ever thought about the fact that when when? The 00:11:44.679 --> 00:11:47.159 captain comes out. He says pray to your God why 00:11:47.159 --> 00:11:50.379 Jonah doesn't pray to his doesn't pray to God 00:11:50.379 --> 00:11:54.399 She's like I can't remember what what exactly 00:11:54.399 --> 00:11:58.980 she said, but I said Warner Rees me points out 00:11:58.980 --> 00:12:06.519 again Jonah knows the songs He says It's from 00:12:06.519 --> 00:12:10.470 the fact that whenever we are in rebellion, God 00:12:10.470 --> 00:12:15.049 does not hear, says that he shuts us off in our 00:12:15.049 --> 00:12:18.590 prayers. And Jonah knows that. And so he's like, 00:12:18.690 --> 00:12:22.309 yeah, I'm in rebellion. So even if I did pray, 00:12:22.409 --> 00:12:25.210 it wouldn't matter. And so there are those things 00:12:25.210 --> 00:12:30.370 in here that I'm like, man, that's really, really 00:12:30.370 --> 00:12:34.289 good to point out that God speaks, then he stops 00:12:34.289 --> 00:12:36.779 speaking, but he's not. He doesn't stop speaking 00:12:36.779 --> 00:12:38.940 in the way that he's just like shut Jonah off. 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:40.799 He's like, oh no, you're going to do what I've 00:12:40.799 --> 00:12:44.519 called you to do, but I'm done asking or telling. 00:12:44.659 --> 00:12:47.299 I'm going to just make you do it. Another thing 00:12:47.299 --> 00:12:50.899 that's important to point out too is that God, 00:12:51.139 --> 00:12:54.980 as he is moving and doing these things with the 00:12:54.980 --> 00:12:58.620 storm, these others are crying out to their gods 00:12:58.620 --> 00:13:02.179 and nothing's happening, right? This is God also 00:13:02.179 --> 00:13:07.009 flexing. He's flexing the false gods and he's 00:13:07.009 --> 00:13:10.269 going you know, I am in creation. I am in control 00:13:10.269 --> 00:13:13.070 of creation I spoke all of these things into 00:13:13.070 --> 00:13:17.950 existence. I'm the one So that's important to 00:13:17.950 --> 00:13:23.009 also know anything else that you guys see That 00:13:23.009 --> 00:13:35.039 maybe should be considered Yes Dude! You wanna 00:13:35.039 --> 00:13:38.539 come up here and preach? That's really good, 00:13:38.679 --> 00:13:45.559 yes. I was actually, this past Friday, I was 00:13:45.559 --> 00:13:50.759 at lunch with Dustin and Chap, who they had speak 00:13:50.759 --> 00:13:55.480 at their family discipleship conference that 00:13:55.480 --> 00:13:59.240 they had. And Jamie, I got to meet Jamie, very 00:13:59.240 --> 00:14:04.230 nice guy. And we were just talking about how 00:14:04.230 --> 00:14:05.850 God, different ways God speaks and different 00:14:05.850 --> 00:14:09.590 things that I said. What I find interesting is 00:14:09.590 --> 00:14:14.090 that God can still speak through donkeys. They're 00:14:14.090 --> 00:14:18.210 like, what do you mean? I'm like, God speaks 00:14:18.210 --> 00:14:24.529 all the time through pagans, he speaks through 00:14:24.529 --> 00:14:30.029 rebellious, gross pastors, right? Like he still 00:14:30.029 --> 00:14:33.190 speaks, like he will speak. And even, as you 00:14:33.190 --> 00:14:36.750 just pointed out, he speaks to Jonah, right? 00:14:37.169 --> 00:14:40.710 He's not physically speaking, but he's using 00:14:40.710 --> 00:14:43.429 a pagan to get his attention, to say the exact 00:14:43.429 --> 00:14:46.389 thing he already had said, right? Good word. 00:14:46.590 --> 00:14:56.950 Anything else? Nope? All right. Let's go ahead 00:14:56.950 --> 00:15:00.559 and start hitting it. You ready? So if you're 00:15:00.559 --> 00:15:06.480 taking notes, my first note is this. Sin brings 00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:10.419 its own storm. As we're looking at storms, we're 00:15:10.419 --> 00:15:13.960 gonna look at sin and how sin brings its own 00:15:13.960 --> 00:15:19.200 storms. But I wanna be clear, there's many times 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:24.580 that we can think that we've done something and 00:15:24.580 --> 00:15:26.519 sometimes it's not our disobedience, sometimes 00:15:26.519 --> 00:15:30.230 it's just the enemy. We see that with Joe, right? 00:15:30.289 --> 00:15:34.649 Joe didn't do anything wrong. But there's times 00:15:34.649 --> 00:15:38.230 that we can blame the devil or blame the enemy 00:15:38.230 --> 00:15:41.590 for our storms, but we need to look internally 00:15:41.590 --> 00:15:44.889 and go examine ourselves, as Paul would say, 00:15:44.970 --> 00:15:53.929 and go, oh, I did that, right? So not every storm 00:15:53.929 --> 00:15:57.570 is from the devil. Some are from our own disobedience. 00:15:57.840 --> 00:16:01.559 I want to give you guys a quick story. When Tracy 00:16:01.559 --> 00:16:06.220 and I were newly married, and I told you guys 00:16:06.220 --> 00:16:12.720 we were super, super, super broke, we found out 00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:16.960 that we were pregnant with Noah, and I was working 00:16:16.960 --> 00:16:20.200 five different jobs. And I worked one of the 00:16:20.200 --> 00:16:22.840 jobs is I worked part -time for Frida Lay, the 00:16:22.840 --> 00:16:27.299 chip company, stocking chips. and they offered 00:16:27.299 --> 00:16:31.059 me a job full time, but I had to move two and 00:16:31.059 --> 00:16:34.820 a half hours away from where we're from. And 00:16:34.820 --> 00:16:36.600 they were gonna offer me, you know, I would have 00:16:36.600 --> 00:16:38.960 insurance then, insurance, just all these different 00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:41.740 things. And I would actually get paid a regular 00:16:41.740 --> 00:16:44.299 salary as opposed to just this small hourly wage. 00:16:45.559 --> 00:16:50.539 And so, but to move two and a half hours south, 00:16:50.759 --> 00:16:52.960 then it's gonna cost a lot more money to live. 00:16:53.750 --> 00:16:55.769 And so where that area was, it's called Cape 00:16:55.769 --> 00:16:58.169 Coral, which is Fort Myers, if you know. So it's 00:16:58.169 --> 00:17:01.549 essentially like, think of the beach south. And 00:17:01.549 --> 00:17:05.829 so I go home, I'm like, yes, like I didn't think 00:17:05.829 --> 00:17:08.109 about it. I told him, yes, I would do it. And 00:17:08.109 --> 00:17:10.890 my parents were like, yeah, this is the only 00:17:10.890 --> 00:17:12.650 logical thing. You've got a kid on the way, you 00:17:12.650 --> 00:17:15.589 need to be thinking this way. So you need to 00:17:15.589 --> 00:17:18.910 do this. So I go home and I tell Tracy, and Tracy's 00:17:18.910 --> 00:17:21.970 like, are you sure? And I'm like, yes, like it 00:17:21.970 --> 00:17:25.849 just makes sense. and she's like okay and i will 00:17:25.849 --> 00:17:29.970 never forget we got our house all packed up and 00:17:29.970 --> 00:17:35.089 i laid in bed the night before we moved and i 00:17:35.089 --> 00:17:38.490 will never forget the lord waking me up and very 00:17:38.490 --> 00:17:44.210 clearly he was like you are not to go like you 00:17:44.210 --> 00:17:46.670 you need to trust me and remember like what i 00:17:46.670 --> 00:17:49.509 told you guys last week sometimes god will speak 00:17:50.099 --> 00:17:52.460 and he will tell you to do things that are not, 00:17:52.460 --> 00:17:54.559 that feels not logical, right? It doesn't feel 00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:57.240 like common sense. Because anybody else in this 00:17:57.240 --> 00:18:00.099 room, you would tell your kid, or if it was you, 00:18:00.420 --> 00:18:02.720 yes, you got a kid on the way, you don't have 00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:05.460 insurance, you're barely scraping by, this is 00:18:05.460 --> 00:18:11.079 a good salary, go, right? Well, I'm like, God, 00:18:11.180 --> 00:18:14.160 there's no way that this is you. Speaking to 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:17.650 me, we're going. So we load everybody up. We 00:18:17.650 --> 00:18:19.730 drive two and a half hours there Tracy is really 00:18:19.730 --> 00:18:23.650 big pregnant and We show up to our rental house 00:18:23.650 --> 00:18:27.309 and The doors are locked. There's no one there 00:18:27.309 --> 00:18:29.950 to give us a key. The rental company is already 00:18:29.950 --> 00:18:33.970 closed for the day and I'm like Wonderful, and 00:18:33.970 --> 00:18:36.869 it was a friend was a Friday by the way So I'm 00:18:36.869 --> 00:18:39.849 like, what do we do now? So my father -in -law 00:18:39.849 --> 00:18:41.609 says well, I'll pay for you guys to get a hotel. 00:18:41.670 --> 00:18:44.539 So we go in we stay in this hotel i'm trying 00:18:44.539 --> 00:18:46.099 to get on the phone these people like we're supposed 00:18:46.099 --> 00:18:47.799 to have keys just have all these things and they 00:18:47.799 --> 00:18:51.500 were like well we never got a deposit check for 00:18:51.500 --> 00:18:53.339 anyone yes you did there's just all this big 00:18:53.339 --> 00:18:55.799 thing well then finally i ended up just like 00:18:55.799 --> 00:18:58.819 literally i broke into the house from the back 00:18:58.819 --> 00:19:02.799 door and uh and i'm like we're just doing this 00:19:02.799 --> 00:19:05.000 like our animals all in there and everything 00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:07.400 and we're all in this house and the people show 00:19:07.400 --> 00:19:08.819 up on the sunday because i was not expecting 00:19:08.819 --> 00:19:10.839 them like what are you guys doing here how did 00:19:10.839 --> 00:19:12.339 you even get in here you're trespassing and i'm 00:19:12.339 --> 00:19:15.920 like well i technically signed a lease yeah but 00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:18.579 you know there's like this whole thing anyway 00:19:18.579 --> 00:19:22.519 we finally get that worked out i try to go to 00:19:22.519 --> 00:19:25.519 work for the next few months i don't have enough 00:19:25.519 --> 00:19:28.279 money literally one time uh our vehicle ran out 00:19:28.279 --> 00:19:34.960 of gas uh we had zero zero dollars i was so we 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:38.019 were so we were more broke than we were back 00:19:38.019 --> 00:19:43.630 home I was miserable. Miserable. My wife, thank 00:19:43.630 --> 00:19:45.950 God there was a grace on her, because it was 00:19:45.950 --> 00:19:47.630 like, she was like, yeah, it was just, I mean, 00:19:47.690 --> 00:19:49.369 we couldn't, we didn't have cable, we didn't 00:19:49.369 --> 00:19:51.609 have anything, so it was just her and our two 00:19:51.609 --> 00:19:55.150 dogs. And she's like, I spent so much time with 00:19:55.150 --> 00:20:00.029 Jesus. But it was like, it was a miserable time. 00:20:00.250 --> 00:20:02.410 And the entire time, I'm driving in the middle 00:20:02.410 --> 00:20:03.609 of the night, because that's what you do for 00:20:03.609 --> 00:20:05.329 free to lay, you wake up at like two in the morning. 00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:08.619 I'm driving to all these like gas stations in 00:20:08.619 --> 00:20:11.619 Walmart, and I'm like, I hate my life. And I 00:20:11.619 --> 00:20:13.700 can feel the word going, I told you not to go. 00:20:15.859 --> 00:20:20.460 And so it did not matter that I had a regular 00:20:20.460 --> 00:20:22.920 salary that was better and all these things. 00:20:24.400 --> 00:20:27.880 We were more broke than we were before. The only 00:20:27.880 --> 00:20:29.859 good thing was, is we now had insurance and so 00:20:29.859 --> 00:20:34.359 when they readily brought us back home, we ended 00:20:34.359 --> 00:20:36.960 up having no other. and those things end up working 00:20:36.960 --> 00:20:40.119 out. But I learned then that when the Lord tells 00:20:40.119 --> 00:20:44.619 you, don't do something or do something and you 00:20:44.619 --> 00:20:47.799 don't do it, you end up doing it in the end. 00:20:48.440 --> 00:20:53.799 That make sense? And so Jonah didn't stumble 00:20:53.799 --> 00:20:58.400 into a storm, he sailed straight into it. When 00:20:58.400 --> 00:21:02.910 we run from God, we row against his will. And 00:21:02.910 --> 00:21:04.430 here's the other thing I want you to know. Don't 00:21:04.430 --> 00:21:08.089 curse the waves you've created. The entire time 00:21:08.089 --> 00:21:10.430 I was in Cape Coral, I was absolutely cursing 00:21:10.430 --> 00:21:13.289 everything. Like I was like, I hate the rental 00:21:13.289 --> 00:21:17.269 company. I hate our vehicles. I hate the job 00:21:17.269 --> 00:21:21.529 that I had. I hate my boss. I hate all these 00:21:21.529 --> 00:21:24.589 things. And the Lord was just like, I don't know 00:21:24.589 --> 00:21:26.990 why you're hating all these things. You did this 00:21:26.990 --> 00:21:31.130 to yourself. But how many of you have done that? 00:21:31.289 --> 00:21:34.450 How many of you have rebelled, looked around, 00:21:34.890 --> 00:21:40.450 and then go, oh, like the great theologian Taylor 00:21:40.450 --> 00:21:44.049 Swift, I'm the problem, it's me. You guys know 00:21:44.049 --> 00:21:48.369 that song? No? All right. I'm just joking, she's 00:21:48.369 --> 00:21:54.849 not a theologian. She's a cyclist, anyway. So 00:21:54.849 --> 00:21:56.470 what are some other ways that we see this play 00:21:56.470 --> 00:22:00.299 out? Let's consider the life of King David. Who, 00:22:00.339 --> 00:22:03.319 despite being a man after God's own heart, fell 00:22:03.319 --> 00:22:05.759 into sin by committing adultery with Bathsheba. 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:10.099 This act of disobedience spiraled into deception 00:22:10.099 --> 00:22:13.920 and ultimately murdered. The storm of consequences 00:22:13.920 --> 00:22:16.559 that followed was immense, affecting his entire 00:22:16.559 --> 00:22:20.500 family. Hear David's story. We learn how sin 00:22:20.500 --> 00:22:24.259 can provoke chaos in our lives. Do you see it? 00:22:25.160 --> 00:22:30.130 Do you see how sin affects? In just one moment 00:22:30.130 --> 00:22:36.130 of David looking down too longingly at another 00:22:36.130 --> 00:22:40.390 woman, he commits adultery and so he commits 00:22:40.390 --> 00:22:43.789 an act against his wife and his children and 00:22:43.789 --> 00:22:46.529 the kingdom and of course God. And then he ultimately 00:22:46.529 --> 00:22:54.029 murders, right? From one moment of sin. Willful 00:22:54.029 --> 00:22:57.109 disobedience can lead to bodily hurt, relational 00:22:57.109 --> 00:23:01.420 hurt. and spiritual work. So, if we think about 00:23:01.420 --> 00:23:03.720 all the lives that were affected by David and 00:23:03.720 --> 00:23:09.079 his decision. Let's go to point number two. I'm 00:23:09.079 --> 00:23:11.220 trying something different here. I didn't write 00:23:11.220 --> 00:23:13.079 out my sermon completely. I'm trying to do it 00:23:13.079 --> 00:23:20.599 in a way that I like. Point number two. Running 00:23:20.599 --> 00:23:25.039 from God always costs you something. So, if we 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:28.470 look back, it says that Jonah Jonah paid a fair 00:23:28.470 --> 00:23:33.430 to go right? He was like One ticket to the farthest 00:23:33.430 --> 00:23:36.150 place on earth, please. He's like, oh really? 00:23:36.369 --> 00:23:39.990 That's how much I got exactly that amount of 00:23:39.990 --> 00:23:42.829 money So sin always has a fair and you'll always 00:23:42.829 --> 00:23:46.829 pay more than you've planned David paid a great 00:23:46.829 --> 00:23:53.490 price for what he did Jonah as well Jonah paid 00:23:53.490 --> 00:23:55.950 to get on a ship, as we see in verse three. And 00:23:55.950 --> 00:23:58.650 sin looks like freedom, but it always takes more 00:23:58.650 --> 00:24:04.130 than it gives. Andy Griffith, you guys know Andy 00:24:04.130 --> 00:24:07.990 Griffith? I'm like addicted right now to watching 00:24:07.990 --> 00:24:14.930 the old episodes on crime. And Andy has, there 00:24:14.930 --> 00:24:20.069 was this episode where Andy gets this person 00:24:20.069 --> 00:24:22.539 and ultimately, I don't mean to give you the 00:24:22.539 --> 00:24:24.799 whole episode, but there's always this great 00:24:24.799 --> 00:24:29.480 moral story with value to the episode, right? 00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:33.940 But he says, if you think you're just gonna play 00:24:33.940 --> 00:24:38.400 around with breaking the law, you'll end up essentially 00:24:38.400 --> 00:24:40.000 biting off more than you can chew. I totally 00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:41.519 jacked up what he said, because it was really 00:24:41.519 --> 00:24:45.440 good and accurate to play. But, Sid will keep 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:48.279 you longer than you ever wanted to stay, is essentially 00:24:48.279 --> 00:24:51.460 what he would say, in prison. You think you're 00:24:51.460 --> 00:24:54.420 just doing a small thing and you end up way farther 00:24:54.420 --> 00:24:56.559 down the road than you ever did. Let me put it 00:24:56.559 --> 00:25:00.839 to you like this. Have you ever known somebody 00:25:00.839 --> 00:25:07.980 to try a drug and they're just gonna try it recreationally 00:25:07.980 --> 00:25:11.539 and then you see them years down the road and 00:25:11.539 --> 00:25:16.599 their life is wrecked? Do you know what I'm talking 00:25:16.599 --> 00:25:21.180 about? When I talk about body hurt and what sin 00:25:21.180 --> 00:25:28.299 can do, I have seen pictures of women who are 00:25:28.299 --> 00:25:31.900 very attractive and they get addicted to meth 00:25:31.900 --> 00:25:36.000 and then they look 30 years older than they actually 00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:38.799 are. They've lost all their teeth, right? They 00:25:38.799 --> 00:25:42.019 have dog face. Sin will take you a lot harder 00:25:42.019 --> 00:25:46.140 than you ever wanted to go. It always costs you 00:25:46.140 --> 00:25:49.319 something. Rebellion always cost you something. 00:25:50.019 --> 00:25:52.539 Disobedience doesn't just affect you, it endangers 00:25:52.539 --> 00:25:56.059 everyone in your boat. So if I go back to the 00:25:56.059 --> 00:26:00.240 drug addict, I've seen drug addicts, because 00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:02.759 we were foster parents, who cannot get their 00:26:02.759 --> 00:26:04.500 lives together for the sake of their children, 00:26:04.539 --> 00:26:06.980 so their children just stay stuck in the system 00:26:06.980 --> 00:26:08.619 forever, and their lives will put them in a row 00:26:08.619 --> 00:26:14.299 too. Here's a picture, or here's a story that 00:26:14.299 --> 00:26:18.990 I found again about... running from God always 00:26:18.990 --> 00:26:20.450 cost you something. In the midst of the French 00:26:20.450 --> 00:26:23.150 Revolution, many believers faced persecution 00:26:23.150 --> 00:26:27.369 for their faith. One such individual, a pastor, 00:26:28.150 --> 00:26:31.109 chose to hide rather than face the violence against 00:26:31.109 --> 00:26:35.170 Christians. However, as the revolution intensified, 00:26:35.730 --> 00:26:38.369 he learned that his silence cost him his congregation 00:26:38.369 --> 00:26:41.190 and his influence. Ultimately, he realized that 00:26:41.190 --> 00:26:43.029 standing firm in his faith no matter the cost 00:26:43.029 --> 00:26:46.210 was the only path to obedience and impact for 00:26:46.210 --> 00:26:48.920 God's kingdom. a lesson still relevant for today. 00:26:49.220 --> 00:26:51.819 So essentially the point of that being this. 00:26:53.059 --> 00:26:55.160 He needed to speak up. His sin was rebellion 00:26:55.160 --> 00:26:57.299 of not speaking up and caring for his congregation 00:26:57.299 --> 00:26:59.599 and ultimately he lost it and they lost his influence. 00:27:02.779 --> 00:27:05.440 How many key figures, how many key figures of 00:27:05.440 --> 00:27:17.700 scripture experience the price of sin? All of 00:27:17.700 --> 00:27:24.119 them? Yeah. Let's just name a few. Abraham. Abraham. 00:27:24.880 --> 00:27:31.299 Abraham. I have Abraham. Who else? Come on. Moses. 00:27:31.839 --> 00:27:37.519 What'd you say? Moses. Come on. You guys didn't 00:27:37.519 --> 00:27:38.819 know there was going to be a test today, did 00:27:38.819 --> 00:27:41.819 you? I'm sorry. Adam and Eve. Yes, I started 00:27:41.819 --> 00:27:43.980 with Adam and Eve. So I got Adam and Eve, Moses, 00:27:44.140 --> 00:27:50.339 we got... Abraham. There's one really obvious 00:27:50.339 --> 00:27:53.960 one that you guys are missing. Judas. Judas is 00:27:53.960 --> 00:28:03.019 a great one. Saul. Saul's a good one. Samson! 00:28:04.220 --> 00:28:12.259 Yes! I think Samson is a great example of what 00:28:12.259 --> 00:28:16.569 we're talking about. What did Samson do? Who 00:28:16.569 --> 00:28:35.170 was Samson? Samson came to, an angel came to 00:28:35.170 --> 00:28:37.690 a woman who could not have children. Ultimately 00:28:37.690 --> 00:28:39.049 this angel says you're gonna have a child but 00:28:39.049 --> 00:28:40.910 you got to make sure that he follows this vow, 00:28:41.210 --> 00:28:43.630 that vow being he cannot drink alcohol, right? 00:28:43.630 --> 00:28:47.359 He cannot cut his hair or his beard. There are 00:28:47.359 --> 00:28:50.200 other pieces to that, don't touch dead things, 00:28:50.279 --> 00:28:52.160 a lot of that kind of stuff, right? And so you 00:28:52.160 --> 00:28:55.579 cannot do those things, right? He's ultimately 00:28:55.579 --> 00:28:59.240 born, but he has this super strength, he becomes 00:28:59.240 --> 00:29:02.400 a leader. Something, by the way, total side note, 00:29:02.500 --> 00:29:04.559 something that I think is important, because 00:29:04.559 --> 00:29:08.559 when I was a kid, there was these video series 00:29:08.559 --> 00:29:11.579 that these kids would go back in time and they 00:29:11.579 --> 00:29:13.799 would go through Bible stories. and I will never 00:29:13.799 --> 00:29:16.900 forget the one on Samson and Samson was just 00:29:16.900 --> 00:29:22.640 absolutely stacked ripped. Like I'm talking front 00:29:22.640 --> 00:29:27.039 page of whatever workout magazine because I know 00:29:27.039 --> 00:29:28.740 so many of them I don't know I don't know what 00:29:28.740 --> 00:29:32.519 the title but um but just absolutely just decked 00:29:32.519 --> 00:29:37.200 out I just stacked and I'm like wow I mean Did 00:29:37.200 --> 00:29:39.099 he really I remember as a kid thinking today 00:29:39.099 --> 00:29:41.319 did Samson really need the power of the Holy 00:29:41.319 --> 00:29:45.859 Spirit if he was that absolutely stacked and 00:29:45.859 --> 00:29:48.059 Then I wasn't so seminary that one of my professors 00:29:48.059 --> 00:29:50.480 was like hey more than likely Samson was very 00:29:50.480 --> 00:29:53.359 skinny Take one for the skinny guys. You know 00:29:53.359 --> 00:29:56.579 what I mean? That's how we knew it was the power 00:29:56.579 --> 00:29:58.240 of the Holy Spirit you can do all these things 00:29:58.240 --> 00:30:01.359 anyway He defeats a thousand Philistines and 00:30:01.359 --> 00:30:03.539 all these things and he keeps falling in love 00:30:03.720 --> 00:30:06.640 with women who are not Israelites. But the first 00:30:06.640 --> 00:30:08.920 one that he falls in love with, actually God 00:30:08.920 --> 00:30:12.220 says to do. Anyway, it doesn't matter. But he 00:30:12.220 --> 00:30:15.940 ultimately falls in love with a prostitute. The 00:30:15.940 --> 00:30:18.420 prostitute has been paid off by the enemy. And 00:30:18.420 --> 00:30:22.160 she says, what does it take to ultimately, like 00:30:22.160 --> 00:30:24.380 what's the secret to your strength? And what 00:30:24.380 --> 00:30:30.000 does he say? He says, my hair, my beautiful locks, 00:30:30.200 --> 00:30:33.700 right? Just run your fingers through my hair, 00:30:33.700 --> 00:30:37.059 my sweet beard. And so when he falls asleep, 00:30:37.180 --> 00:30:39.000 which by the way, man, you gotta be in a deep 00:30:39.000 --> 00:30:41.640 sleep if you don't feel like cutting your hair, 00:30:42.160 --> 00:30:45.500 brother. And so he cuts his hair, ultimately 00:30:45.500 --> 00:30:48.599 becomes enslaved, right? They gouge his eyes 00:30:48.599 --> 00:30:54.140 out. What's the price that he paid? His strength, 00:30:55.079 --> 00:30:59.480 right? His ability to lead. His ability to... 00:30:59.480 --> 00:31:05.579 absolutely uh break the back of the enemy right 00:31:05.579 --> 00:31:08.579 the spirit no longer rested upon him and then 00:31:08.579 --> 00:31:13.079 one as his hair began to grow back what does 00:31:13.079 --> 00:31:20.660 he say just give me one more chance right and 00:31:20.660 --> 00:31:24.720 he dies right but the philistines three thousand 00:31:24.720 --> 00:31:30.359 philistines died that day that's a incredible 00:31:30.359 --> 00:31:34.079 picture of running from God always cost you something. 00:31:35.740 --> 00:31:37.819 Of course David, as we've already pointed out, 00:31:39.220 --> 00:31:40.839 I think of ministries and churches that have 00:31:40.839 --> 00:31:42.900 been ruined because of the sin of pastors, elders, 00:31:43.059 --> 00:31:46.299 and deacons. We've seen it all over the news 00:31:46.299 --> 00:31:49.579 for the last however many years. Famous pastors, 00:31:49.859 --> 00:31:53.049 authors, who have all this influence. and they 00:31:53.049 --> 00:31:56.309 think in their own haughtiness and pridefulness 00:31:56.309 --> 00:31:58.049 that they'll never be caught of their secret 00:31:58.049 --> 00:32:00.890 sins always get found out. And is it just them 00:32:00.890 --> 00:32:05.730 they get hurt? No. Ministries are ruined, churches 00:32:05.730 --> 00:32:07.769 are hurt, a lot of people in the church are hurt, 00:32:08.230 --> 00:32:10.930 leadership is hurt, and of course, wives, spouses 00:32:10.930 --> 00:32:14.170 are hurt. Families split because of affairs committed, 00:32:14.390 --> 00:32:17.390 lies told, and bitterness harbored, or addictions 00:32:17.390 --> 00:32:21.589 chosen. Sin will always seem like a little thing 00:32:22.059 --> 00:32:24.119 But it will always take you farther than you 00:32:24.119 --> 00:32:30.380 ever wanted to go. Point number three. God sends 00:32:30.380 --> 00:32:34.960 storms to save, not to destroy. This is important, 00:32:35.140 --> 00:32:38.880 okay? We can look at the storm that Jonah is 00:32:38.880 --> 00:32:42.119 going through and think that God is only meaning 00:32:42.119 --> 00:32:45.839 this in a way that could destroy him. But is 00:32:45.839 --> 00:32:47.880 that God's intention? We know the end of the 00:32:47.880 --> 00:32:51.079 story. Is that God's intention? No, absolutely 00:32:51.079 --> 00:32:56.589 not. What is God trying to do? Correction. Correction. 00:32:58.250 --> 00:33:05.950 So, is the correction just for Jonah? No. Who's 00:33:05.950 --> 00:33:11.549 it for? Nineveh. Yes, it's for Jonah, but ultimately 00:33:11.549 --> 00:33:14.410 it's for God's heart. As we talked about, what 00:33:14.410 --> 00:33:17.250 is Jonah about? It's not about Jonah, it's about 00:33:17.250 --> 00:33:20.400 God and God's heart. So God's heart is always 00:33:20.400 --> 00:33:25.859 to save. The only one he seeks to destroy is 00:33:25.859 --> 00:33:30.799 who? The one who seeks to destroy you, right? 00:33:32.660 --> 00:33:36.539 And so when God sends a storm or a storm comes 00:33:36.539 --> 00:33:39.240 your way through your own sin, do not see it 00:33:39.240 --> 00:33:42.940 as not, it's not just about punishment. And that's 00:33:42.940 --> 00:33:46.759 what I have here. The storm was punishment, but 00:33:46.759 --> 00:33:51.119 it was also pursuit. It's God pursuing Jonah 00:33:51.119 --> 00:33:55.900 saying, stop. I have your best interest in mind. 00:33:56.000 --> 00:33:59.640 Stop being scared. Stop being prideful. Stop 00:33:59.640 --> 00:34:05.660 being self -righteous and just go. But Jonah 00:34:05.660 --> 00:34:09.480 takes the long way around because, by the way, 00:34:09.519 --> 00:34:14.139 to get from Joppa, And where he's from in Gath, 00:34:14.400 --> 00:34:17.019 to go to Joppa, it's 50 miles. Remember, he's 00:34:17.019 --> 00:34:21.539 walking. So that's going to take him some time. 00:34:22.219 --> 00:34:23.619 Then he's going to get on a boat, and it's going 00:34:23.619 --> 00:34:26.900 to take him time. And then he's got to float, 00:34:26.980 --> 00:34:32.079 go back, right? And then how far did I say Tarsha 00:34:32.079 --> 00:34:39.239 or Nineveh was from Gath? 500 miles. So think 00:34:39.239 --> 00:34:41.420 about all the time that John has lost in the 00:34:41.420 --> 00:34:45.000 entire time God is going, man, if you would just 00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:48.639 listen, you took the hard way around. Brothers 00:34:48.639 --> 00:34:51.340 and sisters, I have done that so many times. 00:34:52.360 --> 00:34:55.480 I have taken a long way around. You guys have 00:34:55.480 --> 00:34:58.119 heard me say it a thousand times. As a matter 00:34:58.119 --> 00:35:00.760 of fact, Micah, as we were pulling in, he goes, 00:35:00.900 --> 00:35:03.059 dad, can you believe it's almost been a year 00:35:03.059 --> 00:35:05.500 since you preached here the first time that you 00:35:05.500 --> 00:35:15.550 and I came? And I go, no. And he goes, and to 00:35:15.550 --> 00:35:21.150 think, God finally got me here. Tell me, man, 00:35:21.489 --> 00:35:25.909 me and Jonah got a lot in common. But God kept 00:35:25.909 --> 00:35:29.289 pursuing me. I took the long way around, but 00:35:29.289 --> 00:35:34.250 I finally got here. God wasn't trying to sink 00:35:34.250 --> 00:35:37.550 Jonah. He was trying to save him and save men. 00:35:38.579 --> 00:35:41.480 Sometimes God's mercy feels like chaos before 00:35:41.480 --> 00:35:45.800 it feels like the call. And God will rock the 00:35:45.800 --> 00:35:51.039 boat to rescue your soul. Consider a gardener 00:35:51.039 --> 00:35:54.699 who prunes trees, not to destroy them, but to 00:35:54.699 --> 00:35:57.860 foster new growth. In a similar sense, God's 00:35:57.860 --> 00:36:00.880 storms in our lives serve as a necessary pruning, 00:36:01.179 --> 00:36:03.820 cutting away at distractions and sinful habits 00:36:03.820 --> 00:36:06.579 so that we can blossom in ways previously thought 00:36:06.579 --> 00:36:11.010 impossible. His chaos can lead to profound fondness 00:36:11.010 --> 00:36:17.849 for the beauty of his design. During World War 00:36:17.849 --> 00:36:20.750 II, many cities experienced bombing raids that, 00:36:20.750 --> 00:36:27.289 while destructive, led to eventual what? Liberation. 00:36:28.050 --> 00:36:32.050 Right? The bombings of cities in World War II 00:36:32.050 --> 00:36:34.809 brought destruction, but ultimately brought liberation. 00:36:38.010 --> 00:36:40.190 Liberation of the occupants, God's storms may 00:36:40.190 --> 00:36:42.590 feel like an assault on our lives, but they often 00:36:42.590 --> 00:36:45.409 serve a greater purpose. Just as those cities 00:36:45.409 --> 00:36:48.789 rebuild stronger after the chaos, we too can 00:36:48.789 --> 00:36:51.929 emerge from God's storms more resilient and closer 00:36:51.929 --> 00:36:54.969 to him. I want to give you an example of this 00:36:54.969 --> 00:37:00.909 in the life of my cousin. My cousin's name is 00:37:00.909 --> 00:37:06.170 Garrett. And Garrett is in my entire life, Garrett. 00:37:06.900 --> 00:37:10.780 I looked up to him. He was a ladies man and as 00:37:10.780 --> 00:37:12.940 someone, as his cousin four years younger, he 00:37:12.940 --> 00:37:15.380 was a great athlete, but I was enamored by the 00:37:15.380 --> 00:37:17.739 girls that liked him. And I was like, dang, man, 00:37:17.739 --> 00:37:20.340 how do I get to be so smooth like Garrett? And 00:37:20.340 --> 00:37:21.980 Garrett would always be like, the never -loving 00:37:21.980 --> 00:37:27.599 man. I'm just too man. But Garrett was also heavily 00:37:27.599 --> 00:37:31.219 influenced by others, and he early in high school 00:37:31.219 --> 00:37:34.820 got into, in with the wrong crowd. became a drug 00:37:34.820 --> 00:37:38.360 addict. He was, Tommy was a sophomore. We had 00:37:38.360 --> 00:37:42.679 this store that's kind of like Dillard's, but 00:37:42.679 --> 00:37:44.840 it's a local store in Florida called Birdeins. 00:37:45.619 --> 00:37:50.119 And he stole a bunch of Tommy Hilfiger stuff, 00:37:50.239 --> 00:37:52.719 very expensive clothing, and he was ultimately 00:37:52.719 --> 00:37:55.739 banned from Birdeins for life. Well, Birdeins, 00:37:56.079 --> 00:37:57.739 ultimately, Garrett got the last laugh because 00:37:57.739 --> 00:37:59.599 Birdeins went out of business about five years 00:37:59.599 --> 00:38:08.260 ago. Anyway, so he gets really caught up. He's 00:38:08.260 --> 00:38:10.320 been to jail many times, goes to prison many 00:38:10.320 --> 00:38:16.440 times. His life is an absolute wreck. And one 00:38:16.440 --> 00:38:20.239 day, I went and visited him with my mother while 00:38:20.239 --> 00:38:23.260 he was in prison, and I just shared the gospel 00:38:23.260 --> 00:38:25.500 with him and felt led to do that. He knew the 00:38:25.500 --> 00:38:29.159 gospel. He grew up in church just like I did. 00:38:30.199 --> 00:38:33.599 But ultimately, he surrendered that day. He finally 00:38:33.599 --> 00:38:38.840 got to a place where God had rattled his cage 00:38:38.840 --> 00:38:44.079 enough where he could stop running. And sometimes 00:38:44.079 --> 00:38:46.300 we have to get to that place where God is more 00:38:46.300 --> 00:38:49.739 than willing to let us get to a place where we 00:38:49.739 --> 00:38:55.519 just stop running. We tire ourselves out. And 00:38:55.519 --> 00:38:59.940 Garrett did. And so Garrett begins to read the 00:38:59.940 --> 00:39:05.050 Bible while he's in prison. And he comes up for 00:39:05.050 --> 00:39:08.150 parole and ultimately they let him move to Teen 00:39:08.150 --> 00:39:09.610 Challenge. If you guys know what Teen Challenge 00:39:09.610 --> 00:39:12.969 is, it is a, I don't know that they have one 00:39:12.969 --> 00:39:15.130 like this anymore, but back then in North Florida 00:39:15.130 --> 00:39:17.750 they had one, they were like a boot camp. And 00:39:17.750 --> 00:39:21.429 so he goes to that and gets clean. And now he 00:39:21.429 --> 00:39:26.889 has a family. He's got kids. He has a very successful 00:39:26.889 --> 00:39:29.510 construction business in Florida. He loves the 00:39:29.510 --> 00:39:34.360 Lord, but it took. Him continually making terrible 00:39:34.360 --> 00:39:36.400 decisions after terrible decisions everybody 00:39:36.400 --> 00:39:38.679 going here This isn't the life that has for you 00:39:38.679 --> 00:39:40.940 and you just continue to make dumb decisions 00:39:40.940 --> 00:39:43.659 dumb decisions like a dumb decision But finally 00:39:43.659 --> 00:39:47.099 he gets to a place where he stops running because 00:39:47.099 --> 00:39:50.460 he's in prison And he can finally hear the the 00:39:50.460 --> 00:39:53.400 love that God has for him and says it's time 00:39:53.400 --> 00:40:02.039 to stop running Last last point There's always 00:40:02.039 --> 00:40:08.519 mercy in the storm. God uses storms to change 00:40:08.519 --> 00:40:14.619 us. We talked about Abraham, right? Abraham experienced 00:40:14.619 --> 00:40:17.940 years of wandering to prepare him to become the 00:40:17.940 --> 00:40:22.699 father of a nation. Joseph experienced slavery 00:40:22.699 --> 00:40:25.900 and prison to break him of his own arrogance 00:40:25.900 --> 00:40:31.210 to prepare him to save a nation. Storms are a 00:40:31.210 --> 00:40:35.409 kind of mercy for us and for others. The saving 00:40:35.409 --> 00:40:40.110 of Nineveh. So you need to hear that the storm 00:40:40.110 --> 00:40:42.849 is not just about the storm. It's not just about 00:40:42.849 --> 00:40:46.449 the chaos. You should see the mercy within the 00:40:46.449 --> 00:40:52.949 chaos. Yes, you have chosen this. And yes, you 00:40:52.949 --> 00:40:55.929 are reaping your own harvest because of the sin 00:40:55.929 --> 00:40:58.900 you've committed. And God is allowing these storms 00:40:58.900 --> 00:41:03.119 to happen, but ultimately there is mercy in that. 00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:07.400 The story of Job is one of the most profound 00:41:07.400 --> 00:41:11.619 examples of mercy and storms. Job faced unimaginable 00:41:11.619 --> 00:41:13.699 loss and suffering, yet through it all he gained 00:41:13.699 --> 00:41:16.500 a deeper understanding of God's nature. Now again, 00:41:17.219 --> 00:41:21.639 not all storms are because of our own disobedience, 00:41:21.739 --> 00:41:27.110 but I'm still speaking from a big... 30 ,000 00:41:27.110 --> 00:41:31.489 foot view of storms. His trials seen through 00:41:31.489 --> 00:41:34.590 human eyes were storms, yet they were also God's 00:41:34.590 --> 00:41:37.909 merciful hand guiding Joe to a greater relationship 00:41:37.909 --> 00:41:41.730 with him in our storms. We can find a similar 00:41:41.730 --> 00:41:46.789 mercy inviting us to trust him now. So I wanna 00:41:46.789 --> 00:41:50.570 ask you, if there is a storm that either you 00:41:50.570 --> 00:41:53.989 have created or a storm you're just walking through 00:41:53.989 --> 00:41:58.019 that is not of your own creation, But it's a 00:41:58.019 --> 00:42:01.320 storm, nonetheless. It feels chaotic. It feels 00:42:01.320 --> 00:42:03.880 like things are out of control. I would ask you 00:42:03.880 --> 00:42:07.320 to do one of two things. If it is for your own 00:42:07.320 --> 00:42:11.980 creation, then you would stop. Then you would 00:42:11.980 --> 00:42:16.920 repent. Then you would see Jesus standing there. 00:42:16.920 --> 00:42:20.420 I want you to think of it like this. I heard 00:42:20.420 --> 00:42:25.539 a pastor years ago say, many times, many times, 00:42:27.000 --> 00:42:31.880 We're wondering where God is in everything. In 00:42:31.880 --> 00:42:34.639 the midst of a storm and he's like, if you would 00:42:34.639 --> 00:42:36.460 just stop and turn around, you'd see that he's 00:42:36.460 --> 00:42:38.860 standing right there. He's been pursuing the 00:42:38.860 --> 00:42:43.460 entire time. Much the way a father does to a 00:42:43.460 --> 00:42:48.559 child who's running out into the street. And 00:42:48.559 --> 00:42:51.639 so I would ask you to just stop and turn around 00:42:51.639 --> 00:42:56.000 and see that maybe the storm that has been created 00:42:56.139 --> 00:42:58.619 Is the mercy of God trying to get your attention 00:42:58.619 --> 00:43:04.579 because you're running out in the traffic If 00:43:04.579 --> 00:43:06.639 it's not from your own creation, but it's just 00:43:06.639 --> 00:43:10.039 because of we live in a fallen world and therefore 00:43:10.039 --> 00:43:16.579 It just happened storms happen I would ask you 00:43:16.579 --> 00:43:22.380 to look for the mercy of God in that Just like 00:43:22.380 --> 00:43:33.699 Joe you should seek and ask the lord the psalm 00:43:33.699 --> 00:43:42.159 is said over and over how long you can ask that 00:43:42.159 --> 00:43:46.260 charles virgin said this i'm closing the lord's 00:43:46.260 --> 00:43:49.960 mercy is a sea which cannot be filled though 00:43:49.960 --> 00:43:53.980 mountains of sin be cast into its midst it is 00:43:53.980 --> 00:43:57.360 like noah's flood which covers all and drowns 00:43:57.360 --> 00:44:00.500 even the mountaintops of heaven defying sins 00:44:03.369 --> 00:44:05.550 I'm going to say that one more time because you 00:44:05.550 --> 00:44:10.170 have to get what Charles was going to say. The 00:44:10.170 --> 00:44:14.150 Lord's mercy is a sea which cannot be filled, 00:44:14.869 --> 00:44:18.929 though mountains of sin be cast into its midst. 00:44:20.389 --> 00:44:23.989 It is like Noah's flood which covers all and 00:44:23.989 --> 00:44:26.909 drowns even the mountaintops of heaven -defying 00:44:26.909 --> 00:44:32.130 sins. That's the mercy of God. You can't out 00:44:32.130 --> 00:44:38.500 -send it. I'm not saying go try. But the mercy 00:44:38.500 --> 00:44:43.320 of God fills even that. So why do I share that? 00:44:44.460 --> 00:44:46.699 Because if you're in this room this morning and 00:44:46.699 --> 00:44:51.000 you're running from God, he's been tracking you 00:44:51.000 --> 00:44:54.920 down like the hound of heaven that he is. And 00:44:54.920 --> 00:44:57.139 he has brought you to this place for this moment 00:44:57.139 --> 00:45:01.489 right now. This is his mercy. This is his call. 00:45:01.789 --> 00:45:04.130 This is the moment that he sang. It's time to 00:45:04.130 --> 00:45:13.510 stop. If you're here and in the midst of a storm 00:45:13.510 --> 00:45:17.969 that has been difficult, but it's not sin caused, 00:45:21.250 --> 00:45:24.630 I would say again, look for the mercy of Christ. 00:45:25.719 --> 00:45:28.320 Get your eyes off of yourself and off the moment 00:45:28.320 --> 00:45:35.280 and just look up to Jesus. The other thing I 00:45:35.280 --> 00:45:38.760 would like to say in closing is this. If you 00:45:38.760 --> 00:45:43.219 have, like Jonah, are rebelling against God, 00:45:47.920 --> 00:45:50.500 quit living a selfish life and see that you are 00:45:50.500 --> 00:45:56.000 affecting others around you. and those who you 00:45:56.000 --> 00:46:00.059 have affected in your own sin, you should repent 00:46:00.059 --> 00:46:01.219 too.