1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,260 Welcome to today's Beach Talk in Jonah chapter one. 2 00:00:03,260 --> 00:00:05,440 I wanna help us understand every word of God 3 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:08,780 that's in the word of God in this chapter of the Bible. 4 00:00:08,780 --> 00:00:12,360 Jonah chapter one, my objective is always simple 5 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:13,240 and always the same. 6 00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:15,160 It's disciples making disciples 7 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:17,180 and churches planting churches. 8 00:00:17,180 --> 00:00:20,520 So the grassroots movement of Jesus can continue 9 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:22,480 all over the world wherever God wants it to go. 10 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:25,320 So in 2021, our vision is to multiply 11 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:28,460 from four ocean waters in two countries 12 00:00:28,460 --> 00:00:32,200 to eight ocean waters in four countries. 13 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:35,520 This is big, we need you to pray because God is big 14 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:36,880 and he can help us to do this. 15 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:41,560 So we hope to see you in person soon in San Clemente 16 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:44,740 or Rancho Mission Viejo or Costa Mesa or Ocean Beach 17 00:00:44,740 --> 00:00:47,640 or in a Palmer Cito El Salvador. 18 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:49,800 Now in verse one, it says, 19 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:51,720 now the word of the Lord came to Jonah, 20 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:53,500 the son of Amitai saying, 21 00:00:53,500 --> 00:00:56,240 arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, 22 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,320 and cry out against it for their wickedness 23 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:01,140 has come up before me. 24 00:01:01,140 --> 00:01:04,480 Now we see Jonah's attempted escape 25 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,840 and God's call to Jonah, just like he has a call for us. 26 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:11,200 Now God spoke to Jonah in a unique and powerful way 27 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:13,400 and he told Jonah to do two things. 28 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:16,400 First to go to Nineveh and second to cry out against it. 29 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:18,920 That is to rebuke them for their sin 30 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:20,360 and to call them to repentance, 31 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:22,680 to turn around the life that they had been living. 32 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:24,040 Now the city of Nineveh 33 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:26,400 was the capital of the Assyrian empire 34 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:29,740 and it was a large and prominent city in its day. 35 00:01:29,740 --> 00:01:34,740 It was a city that God called Jonah to go to. 36 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:37,120 It was a pagan city, it was a Gentile city 37 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:38,920 and he wanted to call them to repentance. 38 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:41,840 Now, ancient historians say that Nineveh 39 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:44,920 was the largest city in the world at that time. 40 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:47,120 It was large, it was important, 41 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:49,520 it was the capital of a dominating empire 42 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:53,480 and surely it must have been an intimidating place 43 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:54,320 for Jonah to go. 44 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:55,600 Now God wanted Jonah to go there 45 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:57,320 because he saw their wickedness. 46 00:01:57,320 --> 00:01:59,640 None of their wickedness was hidden from God, 47 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:01,840 just like in our own life, God sees everything 48 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:03,760 and it may come to a point where he demands 49 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:06,800 the specific warning and even the judgment of God. 50 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:08,200 So look at verse three, 51 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:11,240 "'But Jonah arose and fled Tarshish 52 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:12,760 from the presence of the Lord. 53 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:17,200 He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. 54 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:20,480 So he paid the fare and went down into it 55 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:25,480 to go with them from Tarshish from the presence of the Lord." 56 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:30,520 Now here we have Jonah's attempt to flee God's call. 57 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:33,160 Jonah was a reluctant prophet. 58 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:36,360 He didn't wanna go to where God had told him to. 59 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:39,120 Now, several reasons for this have been suggested. 60 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:41,000 Now one, it may have been because 61 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:42,560 he was given a difficult job. 62 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:45,720 Sometimes God asks us to do difficult things 63 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:50,320 and Jonah had every reason to expect 64 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:53,400 that at the very best he would be mocked 65 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:55,440 and be treated like a fool. 66 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:57,560 He might be attacked and even killed 67 00:02:57,560 --> 00:02:59,600 if he had done what God was asking him to do. 68 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:01,240 This is an intimidating group of people. 69 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:04,880 Now it was also because Jonah didn't want the Assyrians 70 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:07,980 in Nineveh to escape God's judgment. 71 00:03:07,980 --> 00:03:12,280 Now we all have people that we don't naturally like. 72 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:15,720 This is the group of people that God told Jonah to go to. 73 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:17,340 Think about this right now. 74 00:03:17,340 --> 00:03:20,560 Do you have a group of people that you don't like? 75 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,080 Is God asking you to go to them? 76 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:24,120 Think about that. 77 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:26,760 Now we may speculate on why Jonah 78 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:30,480 did not want to do what God had told him to, 79 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,600 but it's even better to think about why we don't do 80 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:35,220 what God asked us to do. 81 00:03:35,220 --> 00:03:37,920 Now God told Jonah to go and preach. 82 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:41,000 Now all of us as disciples have the same command 83 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:43,880 as we just looked at in Matthew 28 verses 18 to 20, 84 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:45,680 the Great Commission last week, 85 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:50,680 that we have a command from God to go and do this. 86 00:03:51,500 --> 00:03:54,100 Now the distant city of Tarshish was thought to be 87 00:03:54,100 --> 00:03:56,540 towards the end of the earth and it is always associated 88 00:03:56,540 --> 00:03:58,600 with ships in the Bible. 89 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:01,560 Now Jonah wanted to go as far as he could 90 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:05,220 to escape God's presence, but this was a futile attempt 91 00:04:05,220 --> 00:04:08,340 because we can never get away from God 92 00:04:08,340 --> 00:04:09,460 and what he's trying to do in our life. 93 00:04:09,460 --> 00:04:11,900 Now Nineveh was east of Israel 94 00:04:11,900 --> 00:04:14,260 and Tarshish was about as far as you could go west. 95 00:04:14,260 --> 00:04:16,780 It was on the coast of what today is Spain, 96 00:04:16,780 --> 00:04:18,600 past the Straits of Gibraltar. 97 00:04:19,580 --> 00:04:24,180 In heading intended to get as far away from Nineveh 98 00:04:24,180 --> 00:04:27,500 and the calling of God to go there as he possibly could. 99 00:04:27,500 --> 00:04:29,040 Doesn't this sound like us? 100 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:33,020 Now we don't doubt that Jonah felt like going to Tarshish, 101 00:04:33,020 --> 00:04:35,980 but there was an impulse within him driving him there, 102 00:04:35,980 --> 00:04:38,100 but it was just a dangerous impulse. 103 00:04:38,100 --> 00:04:40,400 Now we may take Jonah as an example of the danger 104 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:44,780 of doing things solely under an impulsive or solely 105 00:04:44,780 --> 00:04:45,680 by our feeling. 106 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:47,660 Now Charles Spurgeon wisely pointed out, 107 00:04:47,660 --> 00:04:51,920 he said that he sometimes meets people 108 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,020 that felt like they should go do so and so. 109 00:04:54,020 --> 00:04:56,500 It came upon me that I must do so and so. 110 00:04:56,500 --> 00:05:00,500 I'm afraid of these impulses, very greatly afraid of them. 111 00:05:00,500 --> 00:05:04,000 People, listen, may do right under their power, 112 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,180 but they will spoil what they do by doing it 113 00:05:07,180 --> 00:05:10,320 out of mere impulse and not because the action 114 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:12,380 was right in and of itself. 115 00:05:12,380 --> 00:05:14,580 Now how many times have we been led by our feelings? 116 00:05:14,580 --> 00:05:17,740 Now an impulse may be very brave, yet wrong. 117 00:05:17,740 --> 00:05:21,780 Very brave in embarking on such a thing like a sea journey. 118 00:05:21,780 --> 00:05:25,100 An impulse may appear to be self-denying, 119 00:05:25,100 --> 00:05:25,940 yet it can be wrong. 120 00:05:25,940 --> 00:05:28,380 It costs Jonah much in money and comfort 121 00:05:28,380 --> 00:05:31,820 to go to this place. 122 00:05:31,820 --> 00:05:34,860 An impulse may lay claim to freedom, yet be wrong. 123 00:05:34,860 --> 00:05:37,500 Wasn't Jonah free to go to Tarshish? 124 00:05:37,500 --> 00:05:39,760 So all the arguments that we make up in our own heads. 125 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:42,720 Now an impulse may lead someone to do something 126 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:44,700 that they would condemn and others. 127 00:05:44,700 --> 00:05:46,780 What would Jonah say to another prophet 128 00:05:46,780 --> 00:05:48,420 who is disobeying God? 129 00:05:48,420 --> 00:05:52,180 An impulse can make us, due to God or others, 130 00:05:52,180 --> 00:05:55,320 what we would never want to be done to ourself. 131 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:59,420 Now many people take their inner impulses and say, 132 00:05:59,420 --> 00:06:01,420 the Lord told me to do this or that. 133 00:06:01,420 --> 00:06:02,940 Now this is dangerous, 134 00:06:02,940 --> 00:06:06,800 even when it doesn't seem so immediately. 135 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:08,300 Now it seemed easy enough. 136 00:06:08,300 --> 00:06:11,500 Perhaps Jonah felt that the Lord provided the money 137 00:06:11,500 --> 00:06:12,460 for the fare. 138 00:06:12,460 --> 00:06:15,700 This shows the danger of being guided by circumstances. 139 00:06:15,700 --> 00:06:19,340 Now, nevertheless, when you run away from the Lord, 140 00:06:19,340 --> 00:06:22,060 you never get to where you're going 141 00:06:22,060 --> 00:06:23,760 and you always pay your own fare. 142 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:25,460 When you go to the Lord's way, 143 00:06:25,460 --> 00:06:28,380 you not only get to where you're going, 144 00:06:28,380 --> 00:06:30,020 but the Lord provides the fare. 145 00:06:30,020 --> 00:06:31,500 He pays for it all. 146 00:06:31,500 --> 00:06:33,160 This is a good lesson for us to remember. 147 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:36,820 Now Jonah should have read Psalm 139, where it says, 148 00:06:36,820 --> 00:06:38,900 where can I go from your spirit? 149 00:06:38,900 --> 00:06:40,540 Where can I flee from your presence? 150 00:06:40,540 --> 00:06:42,320 If I ascend to heaven, you're there. 151 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:46,060 If I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there. 152 00:06:46,060 --> 00:06:48,300 If I take the wings of the morning 153 00:06:48,300 --> 00:06:50,740 and I dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 154 00:06:50,740 --> 00:06:53,540 like the ocean behind me, even there, 155 00:06:53,540 --> 00:06:57,100 your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me. 156 00:06:57,100 --> 00:07:00,660 You can't escape the presence of God. 157 00:07:01,780 --> 00:07:04,460 Now all the while, the ship sailed smoothly over the sea. 158 00:07:04,460 --> 00:07:06,220 Jonah forgot God. 159 00:07:06,220 --> 00:07:09,140 You could not have distinguished from him 160 00:07:09,140 --> 00:07:13,020 the biggest person who was farthest from God. 161 00:07:13,020 --> 00:07:14,300 He was acting just like everybody else. 162 00:07:14,300 --> 00:07:15,140 Now look at verse four, 163 00:07:15,140 --> 00:07:17,620 but the Lord sent a great wind on the sea 164 00:07:17,620 --> 00:07:19,780 and there was a mighty tempest on the sea 165 00:07:19,780 --> 00:07:23,440 so that the ship was about to be broken up. 166 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:28,440 So here, God prevents Jonah's escape by sending a storm. 167 00:07:29,140 --> 00:07:31,880 It was the Lord who stirred up the storm. 168 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:35,000 Now we often think of Jesus as calming the waters 169 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:38,260 and he can do that, but God can also stir up the storm 170 00:07:38,260 --> 00:07:43,260 in our lives when he's trying to get our attention. 171 00:07:43,260 --> 00:07:47,520 Now the ship and the sailors were in a dangerous place. 172 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:50,120 This was all due to Jonah being on the ship. 173 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:53,780 There was nothing wrong with the sailors being on the ship, 174 00:07:53,780 --> 00:07:55,580 but Jonah had no business there. 175 00:07:56,460 --> 00:07:58,480 Though on other circumstances, 176 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:01,360 it might have been fine for him to go to Tarshish. 177 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:05,520 Now Jonah might've wondered, 178 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:07,980 I can go to Tarshish if I want to. 179 00:08:07,980 --> 00:08:10,440 I paid the fare, I'm not a stowaway. 180 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:13,840 Well, if you do a wrong thing in the rightest way, 181 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:17,020 it can be done, it doesn't make it right. 182 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:21,040 So look at verse five now. 183 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:23,740 It says, then the mariners were afraid 184 00:08:23,740 --> 00:08:25,660 and every man cried out to his God 185 00:08:25,660 --> 00:08:28,480 and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea 186 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:29,900 to lighten the load. 187 00:08:29,900 --> 00:08:33,740 But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, 188 00:08:33,740 --> 00:08:36,040 had laid down and was fast asleep. 189 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:39,380 So the captain came to him and said to him, 190 00:08:39,380 --> 00:08:41,360 what do you mean, sleeper? 191 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:43,320 Arise, call on your God, 192 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:47,720 perhaps your God will consider us so that we may not perish. 193 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:53,520 So the sailors of the ship seek their superstitious God. 194 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:57,640 So when in trouble, we do our best to fix the problem. 195 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:00,160 In this case, they threw the cargo overboard. 196 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:01,560 When this isn't enough, 197 00:09:01,560 --> 00:09:04,840 we also instinctively turn to our fake gods. 198 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:07,820 If we don't know the true God, the Lord, 199 00:09:08,780 --> 00:09:09,880 before we are in trouble, 200 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:13,900 we may sincerely turn to a false God or an imaginary God, 201 00:09:13,900 --> 00:09:15,440 one of our own making. 202 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:18,000 We trust in material things or position or power. 203 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:20,560 Now many people assume that they can put off 204 00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:22,000 doing their business with God 205 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:24,520 until they choose a better time to do it. 206 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:28,800 Well, it is presumptuous to think that in the moment of crisis, 207 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:30,880 we'll be able to call upon God 208 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:34,560 if we have not dealt with him before our moment of crisis. 209 00:09:34,560 --> 00:09:38,040 So when the storm raged, Jonah slept. 210 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:40,880 Now, perhaps because the storm outside 211 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:42,920 seemed insignificant to him 212 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:45,060 in comparison to the storm inside, 213 00:09:45,060 --> 00:09:48,500 the storm that came from his resistance against God. 214 00:09:48,500 --> 00:09:51,760 Now, all the sailors were religious men 215 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:53,520 devout in their prayers to their gods, 216 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:56,760 yet their gods were really nothing and could do nothing. 217 00:09:56,760 --> 00:09:58,260 There was one man on board 218 00:09:58,260 --> 00:10:00,080 who had a relationship with the true God 219 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:03,060 who knew his word and who worshiped him, 220 00:10:03,060 --> 00:10:04,580 yet he was asleep. 221 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:08,980 So the nature of Jonah's sleep is also instructive 222 00:10:08,980 --> 00:10:11,720 and too much like the sleep of the careless 223 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:13,640 and distracted disciples 224 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:16,880 we just talked about in Matthew chapter 27. 225 00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:19,600 Jonah slept in a place where he hoped no one 226 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:21,580 would see him or disturb him. 227 00:10:21,580 --> 00:10:23,220 You see, sometimes sleeping disciples 228 00:10:23,220 --> 00:10:26,560 like to hide out in the back of the church. 229 00:10:26,560 --> 00:10:29,400 Jonah slept in a place where he could not help 230 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:31,560 with the work that needed to be done. 231 00:10:31,560 --> 00:10:36,200 You see sleeping disciples stay away from working for God. 232 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:39,600 Now, Jonah slept while there was a prayer meeting 233 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:40,420 up on the deck. 234 00:10:40,420 --> 00:10:45,000 Now, sleeping disciples don't like prayer meetings at all. 235 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:49,140 Now, Jonah slept and had no idea of the problems around him. 236 00:10:49,140 --> 00:10:53,480 Sleeping disciples don't know what is really going on. 237 00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:56,340 Now, Jonah slept when he was in great danger. 238 00:10:56,340 --> 00:10:59,760 Sleeping disciples are in danger, but don't know it. 239 00:11:00,940 --> 00:11:04,720 Jonah slept while the heathen, the sinners needed him. 240 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:06,640 Now, sleeping disciples snooze on 241 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:08,960 while the world needs their message 242 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:11,300 and the story of Jesus to encourage them. 243 00:11:11,300 --> 00:11:15,500 Now, sleeping disciples protest if they're not asleep at all. 244 00:11:15,500 --> 00:11:17,640 Now, we talk about Jesus, 245 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:21,080 but you can talk in your sleep. 246 00:11:21,080 --> 00:11:24,400 You see, we have a walk for Jesus, 247 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:27,320 but you can't walk in your sleep. 248 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:30,720 You see, we have a passion for Jesus. 249 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:33,800 I just wept in worship the other day, 250 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:36,040 but we can't cry while we're sleeping. 251 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:37,880 So God wants us to be awake. 252 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:41,120 Now, when you have joy and rejoice in Jesus, 253 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:45,400 we can laugh and we'll be awake, we'll be alive with him. 254 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:47,700 When we think about Jesus all the time, 255 00:11:47,700 --> 00:11:52,700 our mind will be focused on him and thinking about him. 256 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:55,680 Now, what do you mean sleep or arise? 257 00:11:55,680 --> 00:11:56,600 Call on your God. 258 00:11:56,600 --> 00:12:00,000 The captain knew that his crew cried to their God, 259 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:01,000 but it didn't do anything. 260 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:03,800 Perhaps Jonah's God could do something 261 00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:06,260 in this moment of crisis, so they call for Jonah. 262 00:12:06,260 --> 00:12:08,920 Now, it must have seemed ironic to Jonah 263 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:12,240 that the sailors demanded that he call on his God. 264 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:14,600 His only reason for being on that ship 265 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:16,640 was to escape his God. 266 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:18,000 Now look at verse seven. 267 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:20,400 And they said to one another, 268 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:23,720 come, let us cast lots that we may know 269 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:26,400 for whose cause this trouble has come upon us. 270 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:29,000 For they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 271 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:31,240 Then they said to him, please tell us 272 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:36,240 for whose cause, who has caused this trouble to come upon us. 273 00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:39,040 What is your occupation and where do you come from? 274 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:40,320 What is your country? 275 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:42,600 And what people are you? 276 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:45,240 Here we see the sailors discover 277 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:48,760 that Jonah is the source of the trouble. 278 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:51,360 That we may know for who causes this trouble 279 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:52,480 has come upon us. 280 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:55,360 It is hard to know what motivated the sailors 281 00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:57,720 to think that the storm was sent 282 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:00,400 because one of them had wronged their God. 283 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:03,680 Perhaps it was because of some spiritual insight. 284 00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:06,360 They sensed a spiritual power in the storm 285 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:11,360 or perhaps it was just an accidental correct superstition. 286 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:13,080 Now, once the lot fell on Jonah, 287 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:16,760 the sailors wanted to know as much as they could from Jonah 288 00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:20,160 so that they could solve the problem and save their lives 289 00:13:20,160 --> 00:13:22,000 and by the way, all of their cargo. 290 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:26,120 Now, second Kings 14 says that Jonah was a recognized prophet 291 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:28,880 when he was asked, what is your occupation? 292 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:30,360 And he answered, prophet. 293 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:33,640 Then the sailors must have been even more terrified. 294 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:36,520 Now, verse nine, so he said to them, 295 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:40,320 I am a Hebrew and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, 296 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:42,640 who made the sea and the dry land. 297 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:46,680 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, 298 00:13:46,680 --> 00:13:48,120 why have you done this? 299 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:52,720 For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord 300 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:54,160 because he had told them. 301 00:13:55,200 --> 00:14:00,200 Wow, so Jonah tells them about who he is and what he has done 302 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:02,080 and this makes them terrified. 303 00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:06,200 Now, the God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land, 304 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:08,440 Jonah knew the truth about God, 305 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:12,800 even though his claim to fear the Lord was only partly true 306 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:15,120 because he was running from the Lord. 307 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:20,080 Now, even a believer who is in a state of rebellion 308 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:23,400 can give glory to God if he will only tell the truth 309 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:26,600 about God, although it is tragic that Jonah's life 310 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:29,200 contradicted his knowledge of God. 311 00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:34,280 See, however, at the moment when Jonah said, 312 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:38,200 I fear the Lord, he may have already repented of what he had 313 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:40,600 expected of running away, turning back to God 314 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:41,960 because of the present circumstance. 315 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:45,560 It just takes a moment to connect our hearts back to God 316 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:46,760 and to be in his good graces. 317 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:48,360 Now, have you ever done this? 318 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:52,360 Have you ever paused in your heart and said, 319 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:54,880 God, I'd like to turn around right now. 320 00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:57,760 You can do it even now, even while you're watching this 321 00:14:57,760 --> 00:14:59,600 on a screen, on your phone or at home 322 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:00,960 or on Facebook or wherever. 323 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:03,080 Now look at verse 11, then they said to him, 324 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:06,680 what shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us? 325 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:08,000 For the sea was growing more. 326 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:09,080 It was getting really wild. 327 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:10,360 Today's rather calm behind me. 328 00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:11,760 It's have a little south wind. 329 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:15,120 And he said to them, pick me up and throw me into the sea. 330 00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:17,080 Then the sea will be calm before you. 331 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:20,600 For I know that this great tempest is because of me. 332 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:24,640 Nevertheless, men rode hard to return to land, 333 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:28,160 but they could not for the sea continued to grow 334 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:30,200 more tempestuous against them. 335 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:33,240 Therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, 336 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:37,360 we pray, oh Lord, do not let us perish for this man's life 337 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:40,240 and do not charge us with innocent blood. 338 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:43,800 For you, oh Lord have done as it pleased you. 339 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:47,200 So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea 340 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:49,480 and the sea ceased from its raging. 341 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:52,200 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly 342 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:55,880 and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows. 343 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:56,840 What's happening here? 344 00:15:56,840 --> 00:15:59,720 Well, now Jonah at his own request 345 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:01,640 asked to be thrown into the sea 346 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:03,780 and the sailors reluctantly agree. 347 00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:07,240 The more the sailors hear, the worse 348 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:11,280 the situation gets, the sea was growing more rowdy, 349 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:12,480 more stormy. 350 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:15,640 Jonah was willing to sacrifice his life 351 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:18,480 to save everyone else on the ship. 352 00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:21,240 Now we may consider what his motive might've been. 353 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:25,320 Now, perhaps it was compassion for the sailors, maybe. 354 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:27,420 Perhaps it was a desire to be forced 355 00:16:27,420 --> 00:16:30,220 into complete dependence upon God alone. 356 00:16:30,220 --> 00:16:33,220 After all, there was nothing safer than casting yourself 357 00:16:33,220 --> 00:16:35,160 totally upon the grace of God. 358 00:16:35,160 --> 00:16:40,160 Or perhaps it was a feeling that anything was better 359 00:16:40,440 --> 00:16:45,360 than his continual resistance against and running from God. 360 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:48,880 Perhaps because he had already truly repented, 361 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:51,480 if this was the case, it illustrates that repentance 362 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:53,680 is not only a matter of heart and mind, 363 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:55,800 but also a matter of action. 364 00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:58,880 In all of this, Jonah is a wonderful picture 365 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:02,880 of the Messiah that would come after him, Jesus Christ. 366 00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:06,560 Jesus threw himself into the fury of God's storm 367 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:09,040 and to rescue us who were far from God. 368 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:12,240 However, there are many differences between Jonah and Jesus. 369 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:16,200 And one of the greatest was that Jonah was disobedient 370 00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:18,760 and guilty and Jesus was completely obedient 371 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:20,560 and totally innocent. 372 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:23,400 Now, the sailors did not want to throw Jonah into the sea 373 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:26,480 because they believed his God was for real 374 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:29,440 and they feared the consequences of throwing a prophet, 375 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:32,880 even a disobedient prophet into the sea still 376 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:36,200 when all hopes seem to be lost, they took precautions. 377 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:39,320 We pray, oh Lord, please do not let us perish 378 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:42,620 for this man's life and do not charge us with innocent blood 379 00:17:42,620 --> 00:17:44,820 and threw Jonah into the sea. 380 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:48,880 Now, the immediate end of the storm 381 00:17:48,880 --> 00:17:51,160 proved that Jonah's God was for real 382 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:54,360 and that Jonah's resistance to that God was the real problem. 383 00:17:54,360 --> 00:17:55,940 In a logical response, 384 00:17:55,940 --> 00:17:58,480 the sailors feared the Lord exceedingly, 385 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:02,280 sacrificed to God and made promises to serve him. 386 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:06,480 The sailors moved from fearing the storm 387 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:09,560 to fearing the Lord, just the disciples in the boat 388 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:12,080 did when Jesus calmed the storm. 389 00:18:12,940 --> 00:18:15,200 Now notice that the vows of the sailors 390 00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:17,020 came after they were delivered. 391 00:18:17,020 --> 00:18:20,460 Based on this, many commentators believe that the sailors 392 00:18:20,460 --> 00:18:23,100 came to a true faith in God. 393 00:18:23,100 --> 00:18:28,100 Now, people, when they are tossed upon the sea of conviction, 394 00:18:29,740 --> 00:18:33,300 make desperate efforts to save themselves, just like we do. 395 00:18:33,300 --> 00:18:35,580 Things get messy and then we reach out to God. 396 00:18:35,580 --> 00:18:38,740 Our best efforts always inevitably fail. 397 00:18:38,740 --> 00:18:40,360 Our sorrow will continue to increase 398 00:18:40,360 --> 00:18:43,600 as long as it relies on ourself and our own self effort. 399 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:45,180 That's why we need God's grace 400 00:18:45,180 --> 00:18:46,180 and we need to reach out to him. 401 00:18:46,180 --> 00:18:48,720 Our safety is to be found in the sacrifice 402 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:52,340 of another on our behalf, that's Jesus. 403 00:18:52,340 --> 00:18:55,060 Now, this concludes our time, 404 00:18:55,060 --> 00:18:57,140 looking at Jonah chapter one today. 405 00:18:57,140 --> 00:18:58,420 I want you to ask yourself the question, 406 00:18:58,420 --> 00:19:01,340 what was God saying to me today through the speech talk? 407 00:19:01,340 --> 00:19:02,620 And let's pray about it. 408 00:19:02,620 --> 00:19:04,900 Prayer is simply just saying, hey God, 409 00:19:04,900 --> 00:19:08,200 what did you say to me today and how can I respond? 410 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:09,960 I always pray by saying, hey God, 411 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:12,420 what are some things I need to reset in my life? 412 00:19:12,420 --> 00:19:14,140 What are some things I need to stop? 413 00:19:14,140 --> 00:19:16,700 And what are some new things that I need to start? 414 00:19:16,700 --> 00:19:19,340 God is in the business of stopping and starting 415 00:19:19,340 --> 00:19:21,220 and giving us new chances. 416 00:19:21,220 --> 00:19:22,500 Every single day, the Bible says 417 00:19:22,500 --> 00:19:24,420 his mercies are new every morning. 418 00:19:24,420 --> 00:19:25,780 So even right now, would you just say, 419 00:19:25,780 --> 00:19:27,700 hey God, would you help me? 420 00:19:27,700 --> 00:19:30,740 Give me your mercy today, give me your grace today, 421 00:19:30,740 --> 00:19:35,020 help me to follow you today, in Jesus' name, amen. 422 00:19:35,020 --> 00:19:37,260 Last thing I wanna do today is encourage us 423 00:19:37,260 --> 00:19:41,260 to be gracious and radically generous 424 00:19:43,460 --> 00:19:45,140 in our giving through what God is doing 425 00:19:45,140 --> 00:19:46,520 in and through ocean water. 426 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:51,180 We're working hard on things in a lot of different places. 427 00:19:51,180 --> 00:19:54,660 We would love for you to give as part of your worship to us. 428 00:19:54,660 --> 00:19:57,180 You can do that on our website at Ocean Water. 429 00:19:57,180 --> 00:19:58,100 You can just click on giving, 430 00:19:58,100 --> 00:19:59,540 whatever God puts in your heart, 431 00:19:59,540 --> 00:20:00,860 please go there and do that. 432 00:20:00,860 --> 00:20:05,860 Or you can Venmo us at OCNWTR. 433 00:20:05,860 --> 00:20:08,420 And we'll make sure and use that 434 00:20:08,420 --> 00:20:10,780 in the best possible way to multiply 435 00:20:10,780 --> 00:20:12,820 what God wants to do in our lives 436 00:20:12,820 --> 00:20:15,380 and through ocean water all over the place. 437 00:20:15,380 --> 00:20:19,620 And thank you so much for watching today's Beach Talk. 438 00:20:19,620 --> 00:20:22,060 And as always, I hope you have a beautiful day.