WEBVTT 00:00:00.821 --> 00:00:03.770 Good morning church. 00:00:05.363 --> 00:00:05.706 Morning. 00:00:06.219 --> 00:00:07.581 It's good to see all of you. 00:00:07.581 --> 00:00:14.954 How about everybody up Go? 00:00:20.161 --> 00:00:24.931 Father we adore you. 00:00:24.931 --> 00:00:28.007 Lay our lives. 00:00:28.007 --> 00:00:35.048 We adore you, father. 00:00:35.048 --> 00:00:36.892 We adore you. 00:00:36.892 --> 00:00:40.625 Lay our lives. 00:00:40.625 --> 00:00:43.932 We adore you. 00:00:43.932 --> 00:00:52.872 I see it for you how wise. 00:00:52.872 --> 00:00:53.798 We adore you. 00:00:53.798 --> 00:01:11.466 I see it for you how wise. 00:01:11.466 --> 00:01:12.914 We adore you. 00:01:12.914 --> 00:01:13.757 We adore you. 00:01:13.757 --> 00:01:36.778 We adore you how we love you. 00:01:36.778 --> 00:01:43.805 I'm serving because I love you. 00:01:43.805 --> 00:01:47.492 You have given life to me. 00:01:47.492 --> 00:01:55.489 I was nothing before you found me. 00:01:55.489 --> 00:02:06.213 You have given life to me. 00:02:06.213 --> 00:02:23.568 Our days, broken pieces, ruined lives are why you died on Calvary. 00:02:23.568 --> 00:02:29.496 Your touch is what I long for. 00:02:29.496 --> 00:02:36.691 You have given life to me. 00:02:36.691 --> 00:02:47.953 I will serve theee because I love Thee. 00:02:47.953 --> 00:02:56.816 You have given life to me. 00:02:56.816 --> 00:03:04.432 I was nothing before you found me. 00:03:04.432 --> 00:03:12.032 You have given life to me. 00:03:12.032 --> 00:03:31.500 Hard hates, broken pieces, he says, ruined lives are why you died on Calvary. 00:03:31.500 --> 00:03:39.275 Your touch is what I long for. 00:03:39.275 --> 00:03:45.050 You have given life to me. 00:03:49.580 --> 00:03:52.509 You are my strength when I am weak. 00:03:52.961 --> 00:03:55.950 You are the treasure that I seek. 00:03:55.950 --> 00:03:58.985 You are my all in all. 00:03:58.985 --> 00:04:07.502 Seeking you as a precious jewel, lord. 00:04:07.502 --> 00:04:10.270 To give up, I'd be a fool. 00:04:10.270 --> 00:04:14.087 You are my all in all. 00:04:14.087 --> 00:04:22.490 Jesus, I bless your name. 00:04:22.490 --> 00:04:28.048 Your body is your name. 00:04:28.048 --> 00:04:43.172 Jesus, lamb of God, worthy is your name. 00:04:43.172 --> 00:04:51.310 You are my strength when I am weak. 00:04:51.310 --> 00:04:55.230 You are the treasure that I seek. 00:04:55.230 --> 00:04:59.108 Worthy is your name. 00:04:59.108 --> 00:05:05.827 Jesus, lamb of God. 00:05:05.827 --> 00:05:12.928 Worthy is your name. 00:05:12.928 --> 00:05:23.596 Jesus, lamb of God. 00:05:23.596 --> 00:05:30.110 Worthy is your name. 00:05:30.110 --> 00:05:40.216 Jesus, lamb of God. 00:05:40.216 --> 00:05:54.925 Worthy is your name, worthy is your name. 00:06:09.211 --> 00:06:15.040 Name Please be seated. 00:06:15.040 --> 00:06:57.098 Thank you, good morning church. 00:06:57.098 --> 00:07:00.860 Good morning. 00:07:00.860 --> 00:07:07.927 I'm filling in for Brett, so if you all join me for the Lord's Supper, dear Lord, we want to thank you. 00:07:07.927 --> 00:07:13.925 Thank you for this day, thank you for everything that we have in our lives. 00:07:13.925 --> 00:07:25.060 Can't say enough of what you have blessed us with over the years, for me, my family and everything else and for everybody else. 00:07:25.060 --> 00:07:26.848 I know that you have your own special blessings. 00:07:26.848 --> 00:07:38.100 So now we get a chance to take the fruit of the vine, the cup, for what you've done for us, the sacrifice you gave, is hung upon that cross for us and it's in your name we pray. 00:07:38.100 --> 00:07:39.000 Amen. 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:55.983 Thank you, I'm sorry. 00:07:55.983 --> 00:07:59.624 Thank you, um. 00:07:59.624 --> 00:09:41.360 Thank you, uh um. 00:09:47.283 --> 00:10:16.216 All right. 00:10:16.216 --> 00:10:22.746 Well, now I know how Philip felt, so he messed us up. 00:10:22.746 --> 00:10:26.427 He did the same thing First day on the job, so I apologize. 00:10:26.427 --> 00:10:29.687 So now I guess we'll do the cup. 00:10:29.687 --> 00:10:32.556 Dear Lord, we want to thank you again. 00:10:32.556 --> 00:10:44.124 Thank you for everything that you give us in this life, the ultimate sacrifice that you did, giving your son for us, so we could do this every Sunday. 00:10:44.124 --> 00:10:55.009 Sometimes I wonder that if we didn't have this that is right behind me, the bread and the cup where would we be or who would we be? 00:10:55.009 --> 00:11:02.509 Think about that and just wonder sometimes how things happen and how thankful and lucky we really, truly are. 00:11:02.509 --> 00:11:04.059 It's in your name we pray. 00:11:04.059 --> 00:11:15.361 Amen, yeah, um, thank you. 00:11:19.241 --> 00:14:42.033 All right okay uh, all right, thank you. 00:14:42.033 --> 00:14:42.975 Please join me again Now, lord. 00:14:42.975 --> 00:14:46.878 It comes to part of our services that we donate back to the church, back to you. 00:14:46.878 --> 00:14:52.868 It's great to be blessed that we can do that. 00:14:52.868 --> 00:14:58.047 You know, every time, every year, you think how bad it's been. 00:14:58.047 --> 00:15:01.360 Then you look at your health, you look at your finances. 00:15:01.360 --> 00:15:05.745 It seems like every year we get through and hopefully benefit a little bit better. 00:15:05.745 --> 00:15:10.120 So now it's time to give it back to you for all the things you've done for us. 00:15:10.120 --> 00:17:03.558 It's in your name we pray, amen um so, so All right, thank you, good morning. 00:17:05.240 --> 00:17:08.711 Today's reading is coming from Jonah 3, verses 1 and 2. 00:17:08.711 --> 00:17:17.003 The Lord spoke to Jonah a second time Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh and deliver the message I have given to you. 00:17:18.506 --> 00:17:19.711 Let's begin with the word of prayer. 00:17:19.711 --> 00:17:21.131 Dear God, we thank you for this day. 00:17:21.131 --> 00:17:29.832 God, we thank you for an opportunity to get together this morning as a church family to sing praises to you and God, hopefully to grow in our faith in you. 00:17:29.832 --> 00:17:33.775 This morning, god, we're thankful for the life of Jesus and his example. 00:17:33.775 --> 00:17:42.631 God, we're thankful for the scripture that you give us that hopefully, can help motivate us and encourage us to go out into this world and to live a life that brings you glory. 00:17:42.631 --> 00:17:45.015 God, thank you for everything that you do for us. 00:17:45.015 --> 00:17:46.336 It's in your son's name we pray. 00:17:46.336 --> 00:17:47.098 Amen. 00:17:47.098 --> 00:17:52.729 All right, this morning we're going to get started. 00:17:52.788 --> 00:17:53.990 How many of you get anxious? 00:17:53.990 --> 00:17:56.114 How many people that get nervous? 00:17:56.114 --> 00:17:59.898 Okay, if we're being honest, hopefully every hand would be up. 00:17:59.898 --> 00:18:01.621 All of us get nervous about something. 00:18:01.621 --> 00:18:02.874 We get anxious. 00:18:02.874 --> 00:18:15.213 There are certain places or there are certain things that make us overwhelmed, and typically, you know, when I do an introduction like this, I usually try to find a list of like the top 10. 00:18:15.213 --> 00:18:18.048 Like, a couple weeks ago we talked about the top 10 game shows. 00:18:18.048 --> 00:18:27.815 There is not a top 10 list that I could find of places that make people anxious, and so today I'm just going to share with you Josh's list. 00:18:27.815 --> 00:18:30.873 Okay, so these are eight things that makes Josh anxious. 00:18:30.873 --> 00:18:31.935 Okay, so here we go. 00:18:31.935 --> 00:18:35.315 The first one is the dentist office. 00:18:35.315 --> 00:18:37.953 Does anybody else don't like to go to the dentist? 00:18:37.953 --> 00:18:43.527 Okay, sorry, burke you. 00:18:43.527 --> 00:18:50.450 Just it's a little nerve-wracking right To have someone dealing with your teeth that little. 00:18:50.450 --> 00:18:53.416 The tools that you use aren't very encouraging either. 00:18:53.416 --> 00:18:54.873 They sound a little loud and things like that. 00:18:54.873 --> 00:18:56.703 I get nervous to go to the dentist. 00:18:56.703 --> 00:18:57.808 I don't like to go to the dentist. 00:18:57.808 --> 00:19:01.242 The second one is this Anybody got a guess what that symbolizes? 00:19:01.242 --> 00:19:08.451 The second one is this Anybody got a guess what that symbolizes? 00:19:08.451 --> 00:19:08.872 Starting a new job. 00:19:08.872 --> 00:19:09.993 Morgan threw that one in there. 00:19:09.993 --> 00:19:11.875 She just took a new job last year. 00:19:11.875 --> 00:19:25.708 Starting a new job is stressful, right, because there's new tasks, there's new responsibilities, there's new co-workers, there's a tradition in that business or in that position and you have to try to uphold that. 00:19:25.708 --> 00:19:28.256 So that is something that makes people anxious. 00:19:28.256 --> 00:19:34.512 Number six on my list is Walmart, but not just Walmart. 00:19:34.512 --> 00:19:35.414 I'll go to Walmart. 00:19:35.414 --> 00:19:42.291 I'm there way too often, but Walmart the day before a holiday is nonsense, right. 00:19:42.291 --> 00:19:44.597 You ever been in there on Christmas Eve for a few hours. 00:19:44.597 --> 00:19:47.472 You forgot something and you had to go in. 00:19:47.472 --> 00:19:48.215 It's crazy. 00:19:48.215 --> 00:19:51.029 People are stressed out, people are running around. 00:19:51.029 --> 00:19:51.551 It's crazy. 00:19:51.551 --> 00:19:53.171 Now, this is an outdated picture. 00:19:53.171 --> 00:19:56.229 I'll let you piece that together. 00:19:56.229 --> 00:20:01.651 There's cashiers Okay, but Walmart. 00:20:01.651 --> 00:20:09.528 How many of you get anxious when you had to take a test? 00:20:09.528 --> 00:20:10.411 Anxious test takers, okay. 00:20:10.411 --> 00:20:16.508 Or remember driving school and having to take your drives right, people get anxious doing that. 00:20:17.210 --> 00:20:24.431 When I was getting ready to graduate from OVU, in the Bible department, your final exam was an oral exam. 00:20:24.431 --> 00:20:25.353 You did it in person. 00:20:25.353 --> 00:20:27.178 There was no paper, there was no pencil. 00:20:27.178 --> 00:20:40.351 The Bible professors, the whole crew would be in there at the round table and you sat at the head of the table and they would just start asking questions and it would be anything from Genesis to Revelation. 00:20:40.351 --> 00:20:41.275 It was terrifying. 00:20:42.066 --> 00:20:45.428 All four years at OVU I was not looking forward to that day. 00:20:45.428 --> 00:20:48.094 I picked the last possible date to sign up. 00:20:48.094 --> 00:20:50.708 I was trying to put it off as much as I could. 00:20:50.708 --> 00:20:52.131 I did not do. 00:20:52.131 --> 00:20:59.128 Well, you know when you have your hands on the table and they get sweaty and it leaves like a little mark. 00:20:59.128 --> 00:21:00.913 There was a puddle. 00:21:00.913 --> 00:21:02.215 There was a puddle. 00:21:02.215 --> 00:21:10.431 It was to the point that they looked at me after two questions and said Josh, why don't you go out to the water fountain, get a drink and come back in and walk like this didn't happen. 00:21:11.566 --> 00:21:17.011 That's how bad I was, that's how anxious I was and nervous, and so some of us battle with that. 00:21:17.011 --> 00:21:25.971 When it comes to taking a test, anybody get anxious to do public speaking yes, I'm hearing a couple of yeses and hands. 00:21:25.971 --> 00:21:31.030 I get nervous every time I do this. 00:21:31.030 --> 00:21:32.756 I asked Woody. 00:21:32.756 --> 00:21:34.329 Woody says he still gets nervous. 00:21:34.329 --> 00:21:35.492 He's been doing this for what? 00:21:35.492 --> 00:21:36.415 37 years. 00:21:36.415 --> 00:21:38.298 He says I still get nervous. 00:21:38.298 --> 00:21:38.805 I get nervous. 00:21:38.805 --> 00:21:43.627 I was up at 1 am last night writing more notes because I just get anxious and a little bit nervous. 00:21:43.627 --> 00:21:45.715 I was up at 1 am last night writing more notes because I just get anxious and a little bit nervous. 00:21:45.715 --> 00:21:47.403 I write a few more things down and so we battle with that. 00:21:47.723 --> 00:21:50.630 Number three for me is roller coasters. 00:21:50.630 --> 00:21:52.673 Anybody anxious on roller coasters? 00:21:52.673 --> 00:21:54.877 A few hands To me. 00:21:54.877 --> 00:21:55.444 I like that. 00:21:55.444 --> 00:21:57.068 We just went to Kings Island two weeks ago. 00:21:57.068 --> 00:21:57.931 I like the ride. 00:21:57.931 --> 00:22:04.955 It's the standing in line and thinking about all the possibilities of the things that could happen while I'm on this ride. 00:22:04.955 --> 00:22:14.071 I have a tremendous fear that I'm going to be on the ride that stops at the top of the hill and they're going to ask me to take those little steps all the way down to the bottom of the ride. 00:22:14.071 --> 00:22:20.695 It's never happened to me, but I am nervous on roller coasters. 00:22:21.566 --> 00:22:28.737 Number two this one's obvious if you've heard me speak before I do not like airplanes and I do not like the airport. 00:22:28.737 --> 00:22:32.836 It is not fun for me to watch these planes take off because I don't want to get in it. 00:22:32.836 --> 00:22:36.734 It doesn't make sense to me that that thing can float in the air for that long. 00:22:36.734 --> 00:22:39.574 But somebody smarter than me has designed it and it works. 00:22:39.574 --> 00:22:42.070 And so I get anxious at the airport. 00:22:42.070 --> 00:22:42.874 I'm very short. 00:22:42.874 --> 00:22:48.090 What I have found is that kids have actually helped my anxiety at the airport. 00:22:48.090 --> 00:22:56.667 They're a distraction, so that four hour flight I'm just picking up gummy bears instead of worrying about what's going to happen, and so that's that. 00:22:56.667 --> 00:22:59.931 And then Morgan and I, collectively, we actually agreed on something. 00:22:59.931 --> 00:23:05.316 This next one is the most anxious place that we've ever been. 00:23:05.316 --> 00:23:10.509 Anybody know what that is? 00:23:10.509 --> 00:23:12.391 That is Buc-ee's. 00:23:12.391 --> 00:23:13.871 How many of you have ever been to Buc-ee's? 00:23:13.871 --> 00:23:18.135 Okay, so half of this room understands my anxiety. 00:23:18.545 --> 00:23:29.153 We went to Buc-ee's in Sevierville, tennessee, which Mark told me I guess he's the world's largest Buc-ee's fan, mark Bears, told me that the one in Sevierville is the largest Buc-ee's in the United States. 00:23:29.153 --> 00:23:37.852 Morgan and I traveled seven hours to Sevierville, tennessee, and we thought it would be a good idea to get our three children out and go into Buc-ee's. 00:23:37.852 --> 00:23:42.646 And if you've ever been there, there's a bunch of loud noises. 00:23:42.646 --> 00:23:45.729 They're yelling briskets on the board and everything else. 00:23:45.729 --> 00:23:49.832 It's the size of the Colony Square Mall. 00:23:49.832 --> 00:23:50.553 It's huge. 00:23:50.553 --> 00:24:00.420 There's 100 gas pumps, there's all kinds of beef jerky, there's all kinds of candy, there's all kinds of little Buc-ee's action figures and everything else. 00:24:00.420 --> 00:24:03.383 And so you've seen my kids run around here. 00:24:03.383 --> 00:24:10.436 Imagine putting them in that store, and you know you get short a little bit after long trips. 00:24:10.585 --> 00:24:13.750 And so we looked at each other about five minutes in and said are you ready to go? 00:24:13.750 --> 00:24:18.554 And we left and Morgan said I don't think I've ever been that anxious in my life. 00:24:18.554 --> 00:24:20.924 I couldn't wait to get out of there. 00:24:20.924 --> 00:24:22.711 And she is like the rock of the family. 00:24:22.711 --> 00:24:29.895 I'm the worrier Warrior yeah, not a warrior, I worry. 00:24:29.895 --> 00:24:32.887 She is kind of the rock when it comes to those kind of situations. 00:24:32.887 --> 00:24:37.119 And so that's my list of top places that make people anxious. 00:24:38.304 --> 00:24:45.347 And oftentimes when we get put in those situations where we don't like something, we either do nothing at all. 00:24:45.347 --> 00:24:53.016 We cancel the dentist appointment and go have a Coke instead or we do the opposite. 00:24:53.016 --> 00:25:00.496 When we get put in a position that we don't want to be in, we oftentimes do nothing, we ignore it, or we do the complete opposite of what we're supposed to do. 00:25:00.496 --> 00:25:11.695 And so this morning we're going to be looking at the story of Jonah, and we're not going to spend a whole lot of time in Jonah chapter 1 or Jonah chapter 2, because I think those are the chapters that we oftentimes study. 00:25:11.695 --> 00:25:14.573 But there is more to the story. 00:25:14.573 --> 00:25:16.030 There is Jonah chapter 3. 00:25:16.030 --> 00:25:24.907 And so we're going to look at Jonah chapter 3 this morning, and then Woody will be back next week, and then the following week week we'll look at Jonah chapter 4. 00:25:24.928 --> 00:25:31.789 Okay, so there will be a little bit of break there, but in Jonah chapter 1, we read that the Lord gave a message to Jonah. 00:25:31.789 --> 00:25:45.820 The message was this get up and go to the great city of Nineveh and announce my judgment against it, because I have seen how wicked its people are, because I have seen how wicked its people are. 00:25:45.820 --> 00:25:48.104 And so Jonah was asked to go to a place that he didn't want to go. 00:25:48.104 --> 00:25:50.532 The idea of going to Nineveh scared him. 00:25:50.532 --> 00:25:55.432 It was going to be uncomfortable, it was going to be unfamiliar. 00:25:55.432 --> 00:26:00.954 If you didn't know, nineveh at the time was the largest city in the world. 00:26:00.954 --> 00:26:06.212 It housed around 120,000 people. 00:26:06.212 --> 00:26:07.395 Commentaries will tell you. 00:26:07.395 --> 00:26:11.791 And so it was a huge city and we don't know a lot about Nineveh. 00:26:13.349 --> 00:26:19.029 But what we see here in Jonah, chapter 1, is we hear that it's wicked, right that there is evil. 00:26:19.029 --> 00:26:23.253 If you read through, you find out that it was a pretty violent place to be. 00:26:23.253 --> 00:26:32.066 And so, even though we don't know exactly what Nineveh was like, I do think that we can relate to it. 00:26:32.066 --> 00:26:39.086 We can relate to the idea of being asked to do something that we're not exactly sure how it's going to go. 00:26:39.086 --> 00:26:49.173 And I was thinking about this and I thought we've all been the only Christian in the room before, right, that's essentially what Jonah felt. 00:26:50.005 --> 00:26:57.792 God is asking me to go to Nineveh, where it's wicked, and I don't want to go because I don't know how that's going to turn out. 00:26:57.792 --> 00:27:08.313 And so you know Jonah, chapter 1, he decides to do what he runs, runs as far as he can, and then he buys a boat ticket and goes as far as he can. 00:27:08.313 --> 00:27:13.473 And then he says, okay, throw me overboard. 00:27:13.473 --> 00:27:16.797 And then God starts working Right, and he sends the big fish. 00:27:16.797 --> 00:27:17.861 We'll get to that in a little bit. 00:27:17.861 --> 00:27:21.271 We're not going to spend a whole lot of time there, but I want you to think about that. 00:27:21.271 --> 00:27:23.297 That's what God is asking Jonah. 00:27:23.297 --> 00:27:35.449 He's telling Jonah you go to the city and you preach to the people that are there, the people that are suffering, the people that are hurting, the people that are searching. 00:27:35.449 --> 00:27:36.313 That's what I want you to do. 00:27:36.313 --> 00:27:38.854 I want you to be the only Christian in the room. 00:27:38.854 --> 00:27:44.654 We've been the only Christian in the break room at work, right. 00:27:47.445 --> 00:27:57.269 And when you feel like you're the only person, sometimes it's really easy to just do what Blend in right, to be a chameleon? 00:27:57.269 --> 00:27:58.073 Right, to blend in. 00:27:58.073 --> 00:28:05.713 We've been the only Christian in the locker room when the talk's going on. 00:28:05.713 --> 00:28:13.196 You can either stay firm in your faith or you can just blend in. 00:28:13.196 --> 00:28:13.798 That's what I did. 00:28:13.798 --> 00:28:16.511 I just didn't say a word, just sat there. 00:28:16.511 --> 00:28:17.916 I don't want anybody to know. 00:28:17.916 --> 00:28:18.539 I'll just sit there. 00:28:18.539 --> 00:28:22.952 Or you've been the only christian at the dinner party and everybody else is doing everything else. 00:28:22.952 --> 00:28:24.856 You have your options, right. 00:28:24.856 --> 00:28:27.631 It can be intimidating. 00:28:27.631 --> 00:28:31.334 It can be easy to run or easy to blend in. 00:28:31.334 --> 00:28:34.993 I don't think any of us have run from those situations and got on a boat. 00:28:34.993 --> 00:28:40.473 I don't think we've done that, but we've definitely done the same thing as Jonah, where we've tried to avoid the situation. 00:28:40.473 --> 00:28:41.557 Does that make sense? 00:28:41.557 --> 00:28:47.901 We all have been called to go to Nineveh. 00:28:47.901 --> 00:28:53.112 We've been in a position where we could be the light in the room or the disciple in the room, but we just say it would be easier if I just keep quiet. 00:28:53.112 --> 00:29:01.285 Or, you know, once I'm here for a few months, I'll start sharing my faith. 00:29:01.285 --> 00:29:08.993 Once I've established myself in the office, or once I make the team, I'll start sharing my faith with the rest of them. 00:29:09.855 --> 00:29:15.965 In 2008, there was a motion picture masterpiece that was released, one of the greatest movies of all time in my opinion. 00:29:15.965 --> 00:29:22.435 Any guesses, any big movie fans Justin the Dark Knight. 00:29:22.435 --> 00:29:25.180 The Dark Knight was released in 2008. 00:29:25.180 --> 00:29:27.551 If you don't know what that is, it's just the version of Batman. 00:29:28.515 --> 00:29:35.913 Okay, but in that movie there is a quote that makes the movie and it becomes one of the highlight quotes of the movie. 00:29:35.913 --> 00:29:38.074 Harvey Dent says the quote. 00:29:38.074 --> 00:29:40.153 He's one of the characters in the show or in the movie. 00:29:40.153 --> 00:29:47.396 It says that you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. 00:29:47.396 --> 00:29:58.854 You either die a hero so you do the right thing, or you stay in the situation long enough that you also become the villain. 00:29:58.854 --> 00:30:02.651 Now the director, if I understand right, is Christopher Nolan right? 00:30:02.651 --> 00:30:04.182 Justin Right, that's the director. 00:30:04.182 --> 00:30:05.295 If I understand right, is Christopher Nolan Right, justin Right, that's the director. 00:30:05.295 --> 00:30:13.835 Okay, christopher Nolan said, as he was directing this movie, the script writers wrote that quote in there and he said I didn't understand it but I thought it sounded good so I left it. 00:30:15.045 --> 00:30:25.615 Then he said, as the movie kind of developed and they figured it out, he said that the line represents how anyone can become corrupt and lose their self over time. 00:30:25.615 --> 00:30:41.315 If we just stay silent, we have the risk of losing our self and our faith. 00:30:41.315 --> 00:30:44.138 I wrote down last night late. 00:30:44.138 --> 00:30:47.612 I said if you're not making an influence, you're probably being influenced. 00:30:47.612 --> 00:30:50.310 I don't know if that makes sense or not, but it made sense at one in the morning. 00:30:50.310 --> 00:30:53.954 If you're not making an influence, you're being influenced. 00:30:54.486 --> 00:31:05.678 And I think about this and I think if we continue to say those phrases like I'll just wait or the timing's not right, then eventually we're just going to become like the city of Nineveh. 00:31:05.678 --> 00:31:17.994 We'll fall right into the wickedness and the corruption and everything else and so many times our moment of doubt and fear, we become just like the world. 00:31:17.994 --> 00:31:26.213 So the question I have for you this morning, as we kind of get started who or where is your Nineveh? 00:31:26.213 --> 00:31:42.031 There's someone, there's somewhere that you need to share the hope of Jesus with, that God is continually calling and asking you to do and you're avoiding Because I know I have it. 00:31:42.031 --> 00:31:47.410 What opportunity has God been putting in your life that you've been running from? 00:31:47.410 --> 00:31:49.772 Because that's what Jonah is faced with. 00:31:49.772 --> 00:31:52.270 What do I do? 00:31:52.270 --> 00:31:59.224 And then actually he faces it twice, because that's where we pick up this morning. 00:31:59.224 --> 00:32:00.872 So where do I do if I'm? 00:32:00.872 --> 00:32:03.834 What do I do when I identify that I have a Nineveh? 00:32:03.834 --> 00:32:11.473 There is a place, there is a person that God wants me to share my faith with, but for one reason or another I don't want to do it. 00:32:11.473 --> 00:32:20.251 Whether it's fear, whether it's selfishness, whatever it is, where is it and what do I do? 00:32:20.251 --> 00:32:25.738 The first thing is this I need to understand that I've been called to be just like Jonah. 00:32:26.845 --> 00:32:28.792 In Jonah, chapter 3, what Steeler read to you. 00:32:28.792 --> 00:32:29.145 It says. 00:32:29.145 --> 00:32:36.653 Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh and deliver the message I have given you. 00:32:36.653 --> 00:32:44.131 Jonah was called not once, but twice, to share with them. 00:32:44.131 --> 00:33:00.815 That God sees them in their suffering and in their hurting, that this is a group of people that were stuck in their way, searching and finding, looking, and God wants Jonah to be there. 00:33:00.815 --> 00:33:03.433 He wants Jonah to go, and I believe there's a reason. 00:33:03.433 --> 00:33:05.030 I want you to notice the difference. 00:33:05.030 --> 00:33:18.519 I don't know if this makes sense or not, but there's a difference in the way that God instructs Jonah In Jonah 1, it's go to Nineveh and preach against its wickedness, right. 00:33:19.566 --> 00:33:25.085 The second time it's go to the great city of Nineveh and share the message that I'll give you. 00:33:25.085 --> 00:33:39.488 Now I don't know if he's just referencing back Remember that time I told you to go, preach against the wickedness or if he's just saying hey, jonah, this time just go, and when you get there I'll tell you what to do. 00:33:39.488 --> 00:33:47.873 I kind of lean it's that way, but I don't know Because I've traveled with children before. 00:33:47.873 --> 00:33:50.808 You don't. 00:33:50.808 --> 00:33:51.833 We just went to Branson. 00:33:51.833 --> 00:33:54.653 Branson takes 12 hours to get to. 00:33:54.653 --> 00:34:01.827 We were not out of Cambridge and I got. 00:34:01.827 --> 00:34:04.875 How long is it going to be till we get there? 00:34:04.875 --> 00:34:08.211 Now I can't say 12 hours. 00:34:08.211 --> 00:34:15.222 So you know what I said A little while, a little while. 00:34:15.222 --> 00:34:20.230 It's going to be just a little, because my six-year-old could only handle it's going to be a little while. 00:34:20.230 --> 00:34:24.106 If I said 12 hours he was going to lose his mind, all right. 00:34:24.106 --> 00:34:27.052 And so I kind of think of it this way. 00:34:27.114 --> 00:34:29.788 I think God is telling Jonah just get to Nineveh. 00:34:29.788 --> 00:34:31.431 Step one is just go. 00:34:31.431 --> 00:34:35.099 I've called you to go to Nineveh, just go. 00:34:35.099 --> 00:34:38.286 When you get there I'll give you what else you can handle. 00:34:38.286 --> 00:34:39.548 Okay, but just get. 00:34:39.548 --> 00:34:41.771 The first time I tried to give it to you all and you ran. 00:34:41.771 --> 00:34:44.795 So this time, just go and I'll give it to you as you need it. 00:34:44.795 --> 00:34:48.278 And so that's what he does. 00:34:48.278 --> 00:34:51.606 We've been given the same message. 00:34:51.666 --> 00:35:01.677 Matthew, chapter 28, is the great commission, where Jesus tells the people to go and make what Disciples? 00:35:01.677 --> 00:35:03.920 What was God asking Jonah to do? 00:35:03.920 --> 00:35:09.487 To proclaim a message. 00:35:09.487 --> 00:35:10.889 What's he asking you and I to do? 00:35:10.889 --> 00:35:14.637 Proclaim a message right Now. 00:35:14.637 --> 00:35:21.012 I wish we knew more about what Jonah says to the people, because in a minute we're going to see God does some great things, but we don't know the message. 00:35:21.012 --> 00:35:22.496 Really, we don't know exactly what was said. 00:35:22.496 --> 00:35:30.132 There's probably a reason we weren't supposed to, but the fact is is that you and I have been called, just like Jonah has been called. 00:35:31.235 --> 00:35:35.371 Now, I was thinking about this as I was working through this. 00:35:35.371 --> 00:35:40.059 What's neat is that that call has been answered by a lot of people. 00:35:40.059 --> 00:35:46.226 Call has been answered by a lot of people. 00:35:46.226 --> 00:35:46.668 Go and make disciples. 00:35:46.668 --> 00:35:47.009 Think about that. 00:35:47.009 --> 00:35:49.114 You're here this morning because somebody answered that call. 00:35:49.114 --> 00:35:51.420 Go and make disciples. 00:35:51.420 --> 00:35:55.188 Someone told grandma and grandma told you. 00:35:55.188 --> 00:36:01.416 Or someone told Bob Alt and Bob Alt told you. 00:36:01.416 --> 00:36:04.320 Insert that name. 00:36:04.320 --> 00:36:05.369 Think about that a little bit. 00:36:05.369 --> 00:36:07.070 This week there's a little bit of homework for you. 00:36:07.070 --> 00:36:11.833 Who has answered the call that has put you in this seat this morning? 00:36:11.833 --> 00:36:15.119 And it's really neat. 00:36:15.119 --> 00:36:18.353 It's almost like a celebration to think about all these people in this room. 00:36:18.353 --> 00:36:22.927 Right, but there could be a lot more people in this room, couldn't there? 00:36:22.927 --> 00:36:23.621 We could squeeze a little bit right. 00:36:23.621 --> 00:36:24.476 But there could be a lot more people in this room, couldn't there? 00:36:24.476 --> 00:36:25.271 We could squeeze a little bit right? 00:36:25.271 --> 00:36:28.938 We could get out of our pew just a little bit to make room for more right. 00:36:28.938 --> 00:36:30.228 There's more people that could be here. 00:36:32.652 --> 00:36:36.150 When you read through the Great Commission, it says continue to make disciples. 00:36:36.150 --> 00:36:42.914 That's kind of what it translates Go and make disciples, but continue to do that, continue to press on and continue to make disciples. 00:36:42.914 --> 00:36:49.150 And that's what we're asked to do, and that's what Jonah was kind of asked to do to go to the city of Nineveh and give them a message. 00:36:49.150 --> 00:36:56.047 But the problem is is that for many of us, we've heard that message before. 00:36:56.047 --> 00:36:58.891 We've heard go and make disciples and we haven't. 00:36:58.891 --> 00:37:04.298 And so now we say, well, I didn't do it. 00:37:04.298 --> 00:37:06.690 I haven't done it, so God doesn't want me to do it now. 00:37:07.686 --> 00:37:09.273 We're really good at sitting in our failure. 00:37:09.273 --> 00:37:13.393 We can do a hundred right things, but then we do one wrong. 00:37:13.393 --> 00:37:14.295 And what do we focus on? 00:37:14.295 --> 00:37:17.092 That one wrong thing right? 00:37:17.092 --> 00:37:23.295 Well, good news is is that God had to call Jonah twice. 00:37:23.295 --> 00:37:26.451 God gives more chances. 00:37:26.451 --> 00:37:37.688 So if you're sitting here this morning saying, okay, yes, I have a Nineveh, there is a person that I should be reaching out to, but I haven't done it, that opportunity has been given to me 20 years now and I haven't ever stepped out in faith and shared with them. 00:37:37.688 --> 00:37:41.050 While I have hope in Jesus, well, I think God will still use you. 00:37:41.050 --> 00:37:41.532 I really do in Jesus. 00:37:41.532 --> 00:37:42.737 Well, I think God will still use you. 00:37:42.737 --> 00:37:49.355 I really do believe that If you look throughout Scripture and history, you continually see how God continues to use people. 00:37:50.125 --> 00:37:51.311 Adam and Eve sinned right. 00:37:51.311 --> 00:37:54.588 You know what the next thing God did? 00:37:54.588 --> 00:37:59.115 Give them clothes, dressed them, continued to use them, continued to work them. 00:37:59.115 --> 00:38:00.778 Moses, you know what Moses did? 00:38:00.778 --> 00:38:08.349 Moses got really mad at somebody, took out his frustration, committed murder. 00:38:08.349 --> 00:38:12.465 Guess who God used to deliver his chosen people? 00:38:12.465 --> 00:38:19.914 Moses Elijah was a prophet following God and being a messenger for God. 00:38:19.914 --> 00:38:20.505 But guess what? 00:38:20.505 --> 00:38:26.688 He was like me, he liked to complain, he wanted to quit. 00:38:26.688 --> 00:38:29.356 Guess what? 00:38:29.356 --> 00:38:32.210 God continued to still use him. 00:38:32.853 --> 00:38:39.751 Peter, we love to pick on Peter when Jesus is being arrested. 00:38:39.751 --> 00:38:43.393 What's Peter known for? 00:38:43.393 --> 00:38:46.967 Denying Christ? 00:38:46.967 --> 00:38:48.733 Right, I don't know him. 00:38:48.733 --> 00:38:50.849 No, I've never seen that guy before. 00:38:50.849 --> 00:38:52.494 Nope, doesn't look familiar. 00:38:52.494 --> 00:38:57.349 Guess who spoke at Pentecost? 00:38:57.349 --> 00:39:01.244 Peter, god chose to use him. 00:39:01.405 --> 00:39:06.166 There's a guy in the book of Acts, when Paul is doing all his mission trips. 00:39:06.166 --> 00:39:08.172 There's a guy by the name of John Mark. 00:39:08.172 --> 00:39:12.811 John Mark got to go on one of those trips when things got a little tricky and a little bit dicey. 00:39:12.811 --> 00:39:13.835 Guess what John Mark did? 00:39:13.835 --> 00:39:16.047 He fled right, he ran. 00:39:16.047 --> 00:39:17.711 It says he deserted them. 00:39:17.711 --> 00:39:27.855 Now there is a little bit of an argument in there if you read Paul doesn't want to go with John Mark again, but they come up with a deal and John Mark gets to go on another mission. 00:39:28.925 --> 00:39:37.494 And so my encouragement to you this morning is hopefully, as you sit here this morning, that, yes, you've been called to Nineveh, you've been called to share your hope with somebody. 00:39:37.494 --> 00:39:43.793 But if you've sat and not done anything, my hope is that you know that there's still opportunity for you. 00:39:43.793 --> 00:39:45.365 So number two is this Understand. 00:39:45.365 --> 00:39:46.869 God is in control. 00:39:46.869 --> 00:39:48.976 Jonah 1. 00:39:48.976 --> 00:39:51.512 I said we weren't going to be in Jonah 1, and here we are. 00:39:51.512 --> 00:39:52.967 Jonah 1,. 00:39:52.967 --> 00:40:01.550 After he runs, he gets thrown into the ocean, where I truly believe he thought that was going to be the end for him. 00:40:01.550 --> 00:40:04.652 We read in verse 17,. 00:40:04.652 --> 00:40:20.891 It says now the Lord had arranged a great fish to swallow Jonah, and so how was Jonah able to walk into a city and proclaim the Word of God? 00:40:20.891 --> 00:40:23.878 Think about it. 00:40:23.878 --> 00:40:28.152 The second calling was still the same intimidating job that he turned down once. 00:40:28.152 --> 00:40:32.534 The mission didn't change. 00:40:32.534 --> 00:40:40.931 It was still go to Nineveh, preach against their wickedness, tell them to turn. 00:40:40.931 --> 00:40:47.297 But what changed is Jonah's mindset. 00:40:50.166 --> 00:40:54.737 In Jonah chapter 1, jonah thought he had to be in control. 00:40:54.737 --> 00:41:02.213 In Jonah chapter 3, there's a recognition that God is in control because there's really no denying it. 00:41:02.213 --> 00:41:16.898 He was sinking in the ocean, he was sinking in the water, should have been a dead man and there he is breathing in the belly of a fish, and so he doesn't have to really look very far back to understand that. 00:41:16.898 --> 00:41:19.371 It's pretty plain to see that God's in control. 00:41:19.371 --> 00:41:28.893 So I'm going to tell you, it's not going to be as easy, probably for you, because I don't think you've been in the belly of a fish and if you have come on up, let's talk about that. 00:41:28.893 --> 00:41:50.273 But I think, if we take some time in our walk with God, that we can start connecting dots and we can say, oh, I see what God did there and oh, I see how he put this person in my life and that was one of the worst moments of my life. 00:41:50.273 --> 00:41:54.215