WEBVTT 00:00:04.150 --> 00:00:04.551 Thank you. 00:00:04.551 --> 00:00:18.286 Well, today I want to share a message with you that I have titled P, d and C Now we'll get into what those letters mean here in just a little bit. 00:00:18.286 --> 00:00:25.271 But I want us to go ahead and turn in our Bibles to the book of Jeremiah. 00:00:25.271 --> 00:00:30.509 We're going to be in chapter 29. 00:00:30.509 --> 00:00:37.929 Chapter 29 of the book of Jeremiah, we're going to be going a little Old Testament today. 00:00:37.929 --> 00:00:46.366 Today, as we're going through the different scriptures, I'm going to be reading out of the New Living Translation For me. 00:00:46.366 --> 00:00:48.131 It's just easier for me to understand. 00:00:48.131 --> 00:00:49.213 That's why I like that. 00:00:58.859 --> 00:01:03.807 So if you would stand for the reading of God's word, jeremiah 29, verse 11, and this is what it says, for I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. 00:01:03.807 --> 00:01:13.409 They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 00:01:13.409 --> 00:01:17.221 Amen, father. 00:01:17.221 --> 00:01:24.150 I just thank you that as we come together today, father, you will give us ears to hear what your spirit would say to us. 00:01:24.150 --> 00:01:29.331 Father, help me to get out of the way and help your word to shine forth. 00:01:29.331 --> 00:01:37.370 Father, I know it's your word that destroys the yoke of bondage and we thank you, father, for working in and through our lives. 00:01:37.370 --> 00:01:43.405 Just give us ears to hear, father, what you would say In Jesus' name. 00:01:43.405 --> 00:01:46.971 And everyone said Amen, you guys can have a seat. 00:01:46.971 --> 00:01:55.313 I want to remind everyone today that God has not forgotten about any of us. 00:01:55.313 --> 00:02:04.200 As far as God is concerned, there is no such thing as a second class citizen, amen. 00:02:04.200 --> 00:02:06.423 Okay, how many of you know God made each and every one of us, is no such thing as a second-class citizen? 00:02:06.423 --> 00:02:08.747 Okay, how many of you know God made each and every one of us? 00:02:08.747 --> 00:02:13.794 The Bible tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. 00:02:13.794 --> 00:02:20.942 Now, there are a lot of folks that don't believe that. 00:02:20.942 --> 00:02:21.723 How many of you know that? 00:02:21.723 --> 00:02:31.292 There are a lot of people that don't buy into that and see, here's the thing None of us are any less important in the eyes of God than somebody else. 00:02:31.292 --> 00:02:36.800 We all have a part to play in God's plan, amen. 00:02:36.800 --> 00:02:44.943 And God has a plan for each and every one of us. 00:02:44.943 --> 00:02:50.686 Look over to someone and say God has a plan for you, and that is the truth. 00:02:50.686 --> 00:02:53.108 He has a plan for all of us. 00:02:53.108 --> 00:03:08.149 Now, god's plans are always good, god's plans are always filled with hope and God's plans always give us a future. 00:03:08.149 --> 00:03:10.781 Amen, and that's a good thing. 00:03:10.781 --> 00:03:17.913 But now, having said that, I do need to clarify God's plans are not always easy. 00:03:17.913 --> 00:03:30.949 There are going to be times that God's going to ask you to do some things that seem just a little bit bigger than what you want to do and a little bigger than what you feel comfortable with. 00:03:30.949 --> 00:03:36.872 If you haven't experienced that yet, you will. 00:03:36.872 --> 00:03:39.985 But that's okay. 00:03:39.985 --> 00:03:43.849 God has a plan. 00:03:43.849 --> 00:03:51.200 God has a plan. 00:03:51.221 --> 00:03:55.168 Today, I want us to take a look at a man who looked at P, d and C straight in the eye and learned a lot of important life lessons. 00:03:55.168 --> 00:04:02.343 How many of you know that as we go through life, life has a way of teaching us some things. 00:04:02.343 --> 00:04:08.655 Have you ever had your mom or dad give you some really good advice that you just kind of eh? 00:04:08.655 --> 00:04:18.834 And then, as you get a little life experience, you come to the realization of you know what. 00:04:18.834 --> 00:04:22.550 Maybe mom and dad weren't as dumb as I thought they were. 00:04:22.550 --> 00:04:31.531 I've had that conversation with my father when my oldest son was just a couple of years old. 00:04:31.531 --> 00:04:39.303 I was working nights at Brookshire's and came down to where he was working one morning after I got off and I told him. 00:04:39.303 --> 00:04:40.065 I said dad. 00:04:40.065 --> 00:04:42.252 I said I want to tell you something. 00:04:42.252 --> 00:04:50.870 I'm going to only say it once and if you ever bring it up, I'm going to deny I ever said it. 00:04:50.870 --> 00:05:08.353 But I have come to the conclusion that you and mom were not near as dumb as I thought y'all were, and life has a way of teaching us some things. 00:05:08.353 --> 00:05:31.319 Now, my mom and dad they tried to keep me from hitting the potholes, but I'm one of those people that I just need to know, but I'm one of those people that I just need to know. 00:05:31.319 --> 00:05:40.701 And in life, it's not the years but it's the off-road miles that add up. 00:05:40.701 --> 00:05:45.651 Amen, and for you, young guys, y'all understand that as you get a little bit older. 00:05:46.934 --> 00:05:50.389 Okay, today I want us to turn to the book of Jonah. 00:05:50.389 --> 00:05:55.350 Now Jonah is in the Old Testament, towards the back of the Old Testament. 00:05:55.350 --> 00:06:03.992 It's a small book, only four chapters, okay, but inside these four chapters there is a lot of life lesson. 00:06:03.992 --> 00:06:13.005 We're going to start with verse one of chapter one, and God is talking to Jonah. 00:06:13.005 --> 00:06:22.487 It says the Lord gave this message to Jonah, the son of Amittai get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. 00:06:22.487 --> 00:06:30.112 Announce my judgment against it, because I have seen how wicked the people are. 00:06:30.112 --> 00:06:35.964 Does that sound something kind of like when we watch the news. 00:06:35.964 --> 00:06:43.485 What we see right now going on here in America, it's not some third world country, it's right here at home. 00:06:43.485 --> 00:06:46.769 There's a lot of wickedness going on. 00:06:46.769 --> 00:06:51.408 There's a lot of people that don't want to act right. 00:06:51.408 --> 00:06:54.990 There's a lot of people that don't know how to act right. 00:06:54.990 --> 00:07:02.470 Okay and I'm not saying that in a mean way, I'm just saying it They've never been taught how to act right. 00:07:02.470 --> 00:07:05.906 They've never had it modeled for them. 00:07:07.728 --> 00:07:16.274 Now Jonah heard from God, and Jonah reacts the same way we do oftentimes when we hear things from God. 00:07:16.274 --> 00:07:21.471 Jonah said in his heart that's not God. 00:07:21.471 --> 00:07:29.069 Hmm, that's not God. 00:07:29.069 --> 00:07:29.471 That's not God. 00:07:29.471 --> 00:07:31.319 God wouldn't ask me to do that. 00:07:31.319 --> 00:07:38.591 I mean, I know me. 00:07:38.591 --> 00:07:40.420 God's not going to ask me to do that. 00:07:40.420 --> 00:07:48.567 That was what Jonah was saying. 00:07:48.588 --> 00:07:49.692 Jonah was given a big responsibility. 00:07:49.692 --> 00:07:51.079 He did not believe he was ready for the assignment. 00:07:51.079 --> 00:08:02.065 Have you ever faced some things in your life that you really and truly thought you were not ready for and after just a little bit you realize, whoo, this is a lot bigger than I thought it was. 00:08:02.065 --> 00:08:02.747 Okay, it happens. 00:08:02.747 --> 00:08:14.613 Jonah was afraid, he dealt with anxiety and Jonah was dealing with a poor self-image. 00:08:14.613 --> 00:08:19.540 Can any of y'all relate with any of that At some point? 00:08:19.540 --> 00:08:27.591 I think we all deal with fear, we all deal with anxiety on some level and we all sometimes don't think we're good enough. 00:08:27.591 --> 00:08:32.126 It's just kind of the way things are. 00:08:34.600 --> 00:08:35.965 Jonah was dealing with fear. 00:08:35.965 --> 00:08:37.870 He was dealing with the fear of what if. 00:08:37.870 --> 00:08:41.809 How many of you know that when you start playing the what if game, nobody wins? 00:08:41.809 --> 00:08:49.522 Playing the what if game, nobody wins. 00:08:49.522 --> 00:08:50.784 Well, what if I go and this happens? 00:08:50.784 --> 00:08:52.408 Or what if I go and it doesn't happen? 00:08:52.408 --> 00:08:54.552 Or what if it's really hard? 00:08:54.552 --> 00:08:59.666 What if I'm not able? 00:08:59.666 --> 00:09:03.133 Or, even worse, what if I fail? 00:09:03.133 --> 00:09:04.461 Even worse, what if I fail? 00:09:04.461 --> 00:09:12.626 We allow ourselves oftentimes to be paralyzed by the what ifs in life. 00:09:12.626 --> 00:09:20.173 We get so busy focusing on the what ifs that we forget about the biggest what if. 00:09:20.173 --> 00:09:25.456 What if God shows up and is just God in the middle of the situation? 00:09:25.456 --> 00:09:34.139 What if God shows up and empowers me to do what he's called me to do? 00:09:34.139 --> 00:09:37.912 What if? 00:09:37.912 --> 00:09:49.484 Have you ever prayed for something, maybe in a situation, and the answer that you get is nothing like what you were wanting or what you thought it was going to be? 00:09:49.484 --> 00:09:52.489 I know I have. 00:09:52.489 --> 00:09:57.721 So when Jonah hears this news about. 00:09:57.721 --> 00:10:00.407 Go to Nineveh and give them a message. 00:10:00.407 --> 00:10:02.210 What does Jonah do? 00:10:02.210 --> 00:10:10.749 Looking in verse 3, it says but Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. 00:10:10.808 --> 00:10:15.301 He went down to the port of Joppa where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. 00:10:15.301 --> 00:10:23.190 He bought a ticket, went on board to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish. 00:10:23.190 --> 00:10:34.874 But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. 00:10:34.874 --> 00:10:37.206 Doesn't that sound like a lot of fun? 00:10:37.206 --> 00:10:46.250 Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted out to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. 00:10:46.940 --> 00:10:53.793 But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold of the ship. 00:10:53.793 --> 00:11:00.993 He was letting the rockiness of the storm just rock him on to sleep. 00:11:00.993 --> 00:11:04.567 No care in the world. 00:11:04.567 --> 00:11:09.634 Because, in his mind, I'm getting away from God. 00:11:09.634 --> 00:11:12.423 I don't have to do that. 00:11:12.423 --> 00:11:15.589 I'm going to take this into my own hands. 00:11:15.589 --> 00:11:19.881 How many of you know, we get in trouble when we do that. 00:11:19.881 --> 00:11:26.513 So we see Jonah's reaction to the plan. 00:11:26.513 --> 00:11:37.340 Jonah didn't pray, jonah didn't ask for reassurance, he didn't ask for clarification. 00:11:37.340 --> 00:11:44.974 Okay, jonah did not obey, jonah ran. 00:11:44.974 --> 00:11:53.610 How many of you ever heard the saying when the going gets tough, the tough get going. 00:11:54.841 --> 00:12:01.870 Or, in Jonah's case, when the going got tough, jonah ran from the presence of God, or at least tried to. 00:12:01.870 --> 00:12:09.360 He was trying to get away from the assignment that God had given him. 00:12:09.360 --> 00:12:13.267 He ran in the complete opposite direction. 00:12:13.267 --> 00:12:19.804 He was running from his plan, from God's plan, for his life. 00:12:19.804 --> 00:12:22.394 Have you ever been guilty of doing that? 00:12:22.394 --> 00:12:22.594 I have. 00:12:22.594 --> 00:12:24.078 Have you ever been guilty of doing that? 00:12:24.078 --> 00:12:27.044 I have. 00:12:27.044 --> 00:12:37.764 I know there have been assignments God has given me and I'm like mm, mm-mm, mm-mm, mm-mm. 00:12:37.764 --> 00:12:53.139 No, god you know and I've had those discussions with God to where I'm like I don't want to God and God just keeps giving me the same assignment. 00:12:53.139 --> 00:12:54.419 It's very interesting. 00:12:54.419 --> 00:13:03.450 Okay, jonah did not like the assignment, so he decided to take life into his own hands. 00:13:03.450 --> 00:13:07.102 He decided it was time to get away for a little me time. 00:13:07.102 --> 00:13:17.351 How many of you know, it's okay to get by yourself and have some me time from time to time, but it doesn't mean that we need to be running from God in the process of doing that. 00:13:18.041 --> 00:13:22.645 Okay, so Jonah's running wasn't working. 00:13:22.645 --> 00:13:30.995 As a matter of fact, jonah's running was causing extreme collateral damage to the people around him. 00:13:30.995 --> 00:13:36.327 Your running doesn't only just affect you. 00:13:36.327 --> 00:13:44.870 Okay, now, the men on this ship, the sailors they were traitors. 00:13:44.870 --> 00:13:57.831 Okay, the goods they were throwing overboard, trying to make the ship lighter so it would not sink, this was their livelihood they're throwing into the ocean. 00:13:57.831 --> 00:14:02.207 They are literally throwing their income away. 00:14:02.207 --> 00:14:10.604 Okay, now, how many of you know you got to be in a pretty desperate situation to be throwing your livelihood away? 00:14:10.604 --> 00:14:27.725 They were not in a good place and I'm pretty sure that the cost of Jonah's little ticket to sail to Tarshish was not going to cover the cost of what they were throwing in the ocean. 00:14:27.725 --> 00:14:32.398 There was some collateral damage. 00:14:33.529 --> 00:14:37.360 The men on the ship did not serve the one and true God. 00:14:37.360 --> 00:15:01.039 They were praying to their little g gods, and by little g I mean they were praying to their little stick image, or their little rock image, maybe their little gold or silver bronze image of whatever that image might be, whether it was a person, whether it was a dog, whether it was a cat no, they wouldn't do a cat, but maybe a cow or what. 00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:06.481 They were praying to any and everything but the one true God. 00:15:06.481 --> 00:15:11.461 And how many of you know, when you do that, you're not going to get an answer that you like. 00:15:11.461 --> 00:15:16.498 You're not going to get an answer Period, so that's just kind of the way that works. 00:15:17.330 --> 00:15:33.284 But during all this commotion, jonah was asleep and even though there was all this commotion, all this chaos all around him, jonah was clueless. 00:15:33.284 --> 00:15:42.453 Have you ever met someone that, after talking with them for just a little bit of time, you realize oh my gosh, y'all are clueless. 00:15:42.453 --> 00:15:56.583 You listen to someone talk about their grandiose plans and how they're going to get there and what's going to happen, and you look back and go it's not going to work out that way. 00:15:56.583 --> 00:16:02.556 Probably it might, but I'm not going to put any money I care about losing on that bet. 00:16:04.097 --> 00:16:11.285 Okay, see, many of us today we take this same approach to living our lives. 00:16:11.285 --> 00:16:24.073 We want to bury our head in the sand and forget about, or not think about, that there is a lost and dying world ready to split hell wide open. 00:16:24.073 --> 00:16:37.275 There's a message the people around us need to hear, and it may be that God's assignment for us is telling them about it. 00:16:37.275 --> 00:16:43.873 I may not can affect the whole world, but I can affect someone in my world. 00:16:43.873 --> 00:16:47.619 We all have a sphere of influence. 00:16:47.619 --> 00:16:59.884 The question I want to ask today is how are you influencing If you are the only Jesus Somebody sees? 00:16:59.884 --> 00:17:09.136 Are they getting an accurate picture? 00:17:09.136 --> 00:17:10.898 Some questions I've had to ask myself. 00:17:12.901 --> 00:17:17.931 The wicked people of Nineveh needed to hear a word from God. 00:17:17.931 --> 00:17:28.046 Jonah was supposed to deliver that word, and Jonah wanted nothing to do with that plan for his life. 00:17:28.046 --> 00:17:37.143 Moving on to verse 7, it says the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. 00:17:37.143 --> 00:17:41.961 When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. 00:17:41.961 --> 00:17:45.199 How many of you hate being identified as the culprit? 00:17:45.199 --> 00:17:48.239 It's a bad day when you get called out. 00:17:48.239 --> 00:17:52.599 Why has this awful storm come down on us? 00:17:52.599 --> 00:17:55.395 They demanded who are you? 00:17:55.395 --> 00:17:57.036 What is your line of work? 00:17:57.036 --> 00:17:58.536 What country are you from? 00:17:58.536 --> 00:17:59.996 What's your nationality? 00:17:59.996 --> 00:18:02.915 They're grilling him. 00:18:02.915 --> 00:18:13.265 Jonah answered I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land. 00:18:14.810 --> 00:18:22.144 The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them that he was running from the Lord. 00:18:22.144 --> 00:18:26.211 Oh, why did you do it? 00:18:26.211 --> 00:18:36.362 They groaned, and since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him what should we do to stop this storm? 00:18:36.362 --> 00:18:41.507 Jonah replied Throw me into the sea and it will become calm again. 00:18:41.507 --> 00:18:52.708 I know this terrible storm is because of me. 00:18:52.708 --> 00:19:00.000 Don't you hate it when that realization of the storm that you're in the middle of you caused? 00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:16.924 It's one thing to be in a storm that somebody else has caused, but when the realization hits that the reason I'm in this mess is because of decisions I've made. 00:19:16.924 --> 00:19:25.221 Verse 10 tells us that the sailors were terrified. 00:19:25.221 --> 00:19:28.738 The sailors didn't want to sacrifice Jonah. 00:19:28.738 --> 00:19:30.172 They didn't want to kill him. 00:19:30.172 --> 00:19:33.038 That's not what they were wanting to do. 00:19:33.038 --> 00:19:35.311 They just wanted this storm to stop. 00:19:35.311 --> 00:19:38.157 They wanted to be safe. 00:19:39.902 --> 00:19:43.269 And you need to understand that this is not a calm conversation. 00:19:43.269 --> 00:19:47.622 That's going on because the Bible tells us the storm is constantly getting worse. 00:19:47.622 --> 00:19:51.769 That's going on because the Bible tells us the storm is constantly getting worse. 00:19:51.769 --> 00:19:56.153 If the storm is constantly getting worse, how many of you know that? 00:19:56.153 --> 00:20:11.234 Tensions start to rise and the conversation you may just have very calmly now becomes an in-your-face what-the-mess-is-going-on kind of conversation. 00:20:11.234 --> 00:20:13.141 Any of y'all ever been involved in any of those? 00:20:13.141 --> 00:20:14.566 It's not any fun being on the receiving end of that, is it? 00:20:14.566 --> 00:20:15.549 I'm just saying at least it hadn't been for me. 00:20:16.111 --> 00:20:22.644 The crew members were being affected in a very negative way due to Jonah's actions. 00:20:22.644 --> 00:20:51.882 And here's the thing there are families all around us today that are experiencing their own storms because somebody in the house is drinking excessively, somebody in the house is allowing a drug issue to overtake them, someone is allowing pornography to rule their lives or any one of a million other things going on. 00:20:51.882 --> 00:21:09.902 Families are under attack today, and there are families that are literally about to explode from the inside because one family member refuses to act right. 00:21:09.902 --> 00:21:13.134 And how many of you know that? 00:21:13.134 --> 00:21:19.238 There are times that we're going to come across people that just flat don't want to act right. 00:21:19.238 --> 00:21:30.951 They want to do life their way, they want to do life on their terms and they don't give a flying flip who is affected in a negative way because of it. 00:21:30.951 --> 00:21:34.155 And that's sad. 00:21:34.155 --> 00:21:36.861 But you know what? 00:21:36.861 --> 00:21:40.006 I can't control somebody else's actions. 00:21:40.006 --> 00:21:48.662 I can only control my actions and reactions and, to be real honest, I don't do that well a lot of the time. 00:21:50.605 --> 00:21:59.041 Okay, jonah provides the crew a solution, but the sailors don't like Jonah's answer. 00:21:59.041 --> 00:22:02.492 Jonah says just throw me overboard, it'll be all right. 00:22:02.492 --> 00:22:05.636 And then our sailors are like no, that's not what we're about. 00:22:05.636 --> 00:22:13.326 Jonah believes it is better to be dead than to follow God's plan. 00:22:13.326 --> 00:22:15.234 Think about that. 00:22:15.234 --> 00:22:22.278 Jonah's like just throw me overboard, just put me out of my misery, please. 00:22:22.278 --> 00:22:25.797 It's a sad place to be. 00:22:27.631 --> 00:22:38.604 Moving on to verse 13, it says instead the sailors rolled even harder to get the ship to land, but the stormy sea was too violent for them and they couldn't make it. 00:22:38.604 --> 00:22:52.099 Then they cried out to the lord, jonah's god, oh lord, they pleaded don't make us die for this man's sin, don't hold us responsible for his death. 00:22:52.099 --> 00:22:59.564 Oh Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons. 00:22:59.564 --> 00:23:10.560 Then the sailors picked Jonah up and they threw him into the raging sea and the storm stopped at once. 00:23:10.560 --> 00:23:17.316 The state let me try that again. 00:23:17.316 --> 00:23:25.157 The sailors were awestruck by the Lord's great power and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him. 00:23:25.157 --> 00:23:36.403 Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights. 00:23:39.371 --> 00:23:46.057 There are some days that seem to never, ever, ever want to end. 00:23:46.057 --> 00:23:52.325 It's like this day is taking forever. 00:23:52.325 --> 00:24:07.046 And you look down at your watch and you're an hour into your 12 hour shift and you're like, oh my gosh, I feel like I'm back in math class in high school again, going uh, ms Abbott, you need to check your clock. 00:24:07.046 --> 00:24:09.310 I think it's broke because those hands aren't moving. 00:24:09.310 --> 00:24:16.020 Okay, yeah, it's that kind of a day. 00:24:16.020 --> 00:24:17.623 Now see the sailors. 00:24:17.623 --> 00:24:20.250 They were trying to fix their storm. 00:24:20.250 --> 00:24:29.545 The sailors figured if we just row hard enough, if I try hard enough, I can get myself out of this. 00:24:29.545 --> 00:24:37.022 And the storm was going yeah, that's not going to work, that's not going to get it. 00:24:37.022 --> 00:24:47.722 Then they cried out to the Lord not a God, but the God. 00:24:47.722 --> 00:24:54.383 See, the sailors are learning. 00:24:54.383 --> 00:25:01.885 The sailors aren't going to take three days to get this. 00:25:01.885 --> 00:25:04.660 They beg for mercy, they ask for forgiveness. 00:25:05.089 --> 00:25:11.102 Now I want to ask you a question, Thinking about some of the storms that you've dealt with in your life. 00:25:11.102 --> 00:25:20.067 Have you ever tried to fix your own storm? 00:25:20.067 --> 00:25:27.648 Have you ever tried to fix it and then just made a bigger mess out of it? 00:25:27.648 --> 00:25:32.153 Or maybe you tried to cover up your part of it? 00:25:32.153 --> 00:25:42.270 Because if I admit that I might have had something to do with this storm, then somebody's going to want me to take responsibility. 00:25:42.270 --> 00:25:48.384 Heaven forbid, heaven forbid, heaven forbid. 00:25:48.463 --> 00:25:53.567 Just this week, I was slapped in the face with some very disappointing news. 00:25:53.567 --> 00:25:55.607 Anybody ever got some disappointing news? 00:25:55.607 --> 00:26:06.788 I think we all have, and I was running through my mind what can I do to fix it? 00:26:06.788 --> 00:26:17.156 Now, bear in mind I've already been working on this lesson, but I'm still going to fix it. 00:26:17.156 --> 00:26:23.680 And I realized real fast okay, that number one. 00:26:23.680 --> 00:26:28.013 It was out of my hands, it was beyond my control. 00:26:28.013 --> 00:26:39.256 Me trying to fix it was not going to fix a thing and it was frustrating. 00:26:39.256 --> 00:26:42.439 And I had to realize. 00:26:42.439 --> 00:26:50.707 You know what Life happens and sometimes it doesn't go the way I want it to. 00:26:50.707 --> 00:27:02.619 I yelled, I screamed at my steering wheel. 00:27:02.619 --> 00:27:18.710 I am 56 years old and I was throwing a straight up two-year-old fit. 00:27:18.710 --> 00:27:36.885 I want to color myself in a more favorable light, but I was out of control and I am very grateful that I was on some back country roads At a time of the day that there was no traffic and nothing but the cows going, huh. 00:27:36.885 --> 00:28:06.894 And then God brought me back to this and I had to apologize to God for my childish actions. 00:28:06.894 --> 00:28:17.566 I had to repent For the way I was trying to handle things and that's not an easy place to be in, but it's a good place to be in. 00:28:17.566 --> 00:28:34.570 I know God has a plan and I have to trust that God is putting the parts into place to give me a future and a hope. 00:28:37.555 --> 00:28:45.826 Now, it's easy to talk about walking by faith when you're not the one having to do it. 00:28:45.826 --> 00:28:54.005 It's easy Pastor Stephen, correct me if I'm wrong it's easy to even preach about walking by faith. 00:28:54.005 --> 00:29:04.269 But when God says, hey, jim, it's your turn, I'm like what? 00:29:04.269 --> 00:29:09.140 My turn? 00:29:09.140 --> 00:29:12.959 It's not my turn, I just had a turn. 00:29:12.959 --> 00:29:15.545 It his turn or her turn? 00:29:15.545 --> 00:29:16.446 Somebody's turn? 00:29:16.446 --> 00:29:21.523 Surely it's not my turn again, any y'all? 00:29:21.523 --> 00:29:24.308 I think y'all know what I'm saying there. 00:29:24.308 --> 00:29:26.378 Oh, my goodness. 00:29:28.301 --> 00:29:32.308 And I felt like God asked are you going to walk by faith? 00:29:32.308 --> 00:29:36.244 Are you going to throw a fit, whine and complain? 00:29:36.244 --> 00:29:41.404 Well, my answer was yes. 00:29:41.404 --> 00:29:51.494 I started by throwing a fit and then I went on to the whining and complaining. 00:29:51.494 --> 00:29:55.914 And then I went on to the whining and complaining. 00:29:55.914 --> 00:30:01.755 And how many of you know there's a difference between whining and complaining? 00:30:01.755 --> 00:30:06.837 Complaining is just simply talking things out. 00:30:06.837 --> 00:30:07.800 The whining is when you're stretching it out. 00:30:07.800 --> 00:30:09.625 But God, I don't want to do this. 00:30:09.625 --> 00:30:12.634 Okay, I don't put up with that from my kids and I don't want to do this. 00:30:12.634 --> 00:30:18.845 Okay, I don't put up with that from my kids and I don't figure God is going to put up with it from us. 00:30:23.316 --> 00:30:28.988 And then the realization hit me Life happens. 00:30:28.988 --> 00:30:41.605 Let God be God, walk by faith, do what he's told me to do and rest assured he will take care of the situation. 00:30:41.605 --> 00:30:52.156 Now it's easy to talk about, but when you go to take that step and you don't see nothing, but just a whole lot of nothing. 00:30:52.156 --> 00:30:52.799 And God says take that step. 00:30:52.799 --> 00:30:55.090 And you don't see nothing, but just a whole lot of nothing. 00:30:55.090 --> 00:30:56.655 And God says take the. 00:30:56.655 --> 00:31:17.119 Why have you ever just asked God? 00:31:17.119 --> 00:31:17.299 Why God? 00:31:17.299 --> 00:31:19.364 Why is this going on? 00:31:19.364 --> 00:31:22.269 Why can't I seem to get ahead? 00:31:22.269 --> 00:31:28.910 Why can't this be easier? 00:31:28.910 --> 00:31:33.101 Because a lot of times, easy doesn't teach us a lesson. 00:31:33.101 --> 00:31:35.885 It's the hard times where we seem or at least me. 00:31:35.885 --> 00:31:48.075 I'm just going to bring this back on me the hard times when I learned my lesson a little better. 00:31:53.156 --> 00:31:54.752 Even the sailors knew that the storm was sent by God for his good reasons. 00:31:54.752 --> 00:32:01.743 Okay, they did throw Jonah overboard and the storm stopped at once. 00:32:01.743 --> 00:32:14.824 And it was at this point that the sailors really freaked out, because they know this doesn't happen and God was taking care of them. 00:32:14.824 --> 00:32:18.789 They offered sacrifices to God and promises to serve him. 00:32:18.789 --> 00:32:24.934 That's a good thing. 00:32:24.934 --> 00:32:35.307 When Jonah hit the water, not only did the storm stop, but there was a great fish waiting to have a meal, okay, and Jonah found himself in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights. 00:32:36.915 --> 00:32:48.086 And then, skipping down to Jonah, chapter 2, verses 8 through 10, it says and this is Jonah talking those who worship false gods turn their back on all of God's mercies. 00:32:48.086 --> 00:32:53.266 But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise. 00:32:53.266 --> 00:32:56.037 We talked about songs of praise earlier today. 00:32:56.037 --> 00:33:01.444 In the hard times, god still wants us to praise him. 00:33:01.444 --> 00:33:07.855 Amen, and I will see songs of praise. 00:33:07.855 --> 00:33:14.229 And Jonah says and I will fulfill all my vows, for my salvation comes from the Lord alone. 00:33:14.835 --> 00:33:18.885 Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out on the beach. 00:33:18.885 --> 00:33:23.326 In some versions say vomited Jonah out on the beach. 00:33:23.326 --> 00:33:26.403 Now, doesn't that give you a warm case of the fuzzies? 00:33:26.403 --> 00:33:35.174 Know that you've been up chucked out on the beach, but you tell you what I'd rather be up chucked out on the beach. 00:33:35.174 --> 00:33:39.295 But you tell you what I'd rather be up chucked out on the beach than still in the stomach of the whale. 00:33:39.295 --> 00:33:43.944 Okay, just saying Jonah spent three days inside that fish. 00:33:43.944 --> 00:33:47.217 Three days, think about that. 00:33:47.217 --> 00:33:49.305 72 hours. 00:33:50.135 --> 00:33:53.021 It took him that long to come to his senses. 00:33:53.021 --> 00:34:09.896 Now I would like to think that, even though I can be stubborn, even though I can be hard headed, that I'm not three days in the belly of the fish kind of stubborn, okay. 00:34:09.896 --> 00:34:19.762 But I guess Jonah finally realized that, sitting there in the belly of the fish, there was no way for him to mail out invitations to his pity party. 00:34:19.762 --> 00:34:26.681 Any y'all ever mailed out invitations to a pity party and nobody shows up. 00:34:26.681 --> 00:34:29.608 That's just a sad day, isn't it? 00:34:29.608 --> 00:34:32.360 That's just a sad day, isn't it? 00:34:32.360 --> 00:34:41.726 After three days, jonah comes to his senses and Jonah decides it is better for me to follow God and do what he asked me to do. 00:34:41.726 --> 00:34:52.663 Jonah starts by offering songs of praise and then Jonah makes a promise to fulfill his assignment. 00:34:52.663 --> 00:34:56.717 He's going to follow through with what God tells him to do. 00:34:56.717 --> 00:35:07.351 Now verse 10, when it says that God caused the fish to spit Jonah up. 00:35:07.351 --> 00:35:09.539 That's a pretty powerful thing. 00:35:09.539 --> 00:35:15.570 Okay, give the little guy a bellyache, get close to the shore. 00:35:15.570 --> 00:35:17.760 I don't still don't want jonah to drown. 00:35:17.760 --> 00:35:21.148 Get him where he can get about my business. 00:35:21.148 --> 00:35:23.556 That's a good thing. 00:35:25.659 --> 00:35:33.708 Chapter 3, verse 1, says then the lord spoke to to Jonah a second time get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. 00:35:33.708 --> 00:35:35.050 Does that sound familiar? 00:35:35.050 --> 00:35:40.797 Okay, and deliver the message that I have given you this time. 00:35:40.797 --> 00:35:48.202 Jonah obeyed the Lord's command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all. 00:35:48.202 --> 00:35:55.280 On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowd 40 days from now, nineveh will be destroyed. 00:35:55.300 --> 00:36:13.365 Now you would think, or at least I would think, that the first order of business is for Jonah to get cleaned up. 00:36:13.365 --> 00:36:38.362 If I've been three days off in the belly of a fish in there, with all the other stuff that's in the belly of that fish, okay, you're not going to smell squeaky clean and smelling good, all right, you're just not going to smell squeaky clean and smelling good, all right, you're just not going to be there and having a bedhead is going to be the least of your worries. 00:36:38.362 --> 00:36:47.027 Okay, think about this, as Jonah is going and preaching, don't you think he was a sight to behold? 00:36:47.027 --> 00:36:49.675 And don't you think the people of Nineveh are going? 00:36:49.675 --> 00:36:56.802 Hmm, if God's judgment looks anything like this, I'm going to take a hard pass. 00:36:56.802 --> 00:36:58.940 I'm going to go ahead and repent right now. 00:36:58.940 --> 00:37:02.739 Okay, they learn quickly. 00:37:02.739 --> 00:37:04.934 Now. 00:37:04.934 --> 00:37:13.186 God has a plan for each and every one of us. 00:37:13.186 --> 00:37:15.369 He just does. 00:37:17.436 --> 00:37:27.485 Verse 6 says when the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne, took off his royal robes and he dressed himself in burlap and sat on a heap of ashes. 00:37:27.485 --> 00:37:38.625 Then the king and his nobles sent out a decree throughout the city, no one, not even the animals from your herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything at all. 00:37:38.625 --> 00:37:44.784 People and animals alike must wear garments of mourning and everyone must pray earnestly to God. 00:37:44.784 --> 00:37:48.384 They must turn from their evil ways and stop their violence. 00:37:48.384 --> 00:37:49.385 Who can tell? 00:37:49.385 --> 00:37:56.764 Perhaps even yet God will change his mind and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us. 00:37:56.764 --> 00:38:06.985 And when God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and he did not carry out the destruction he had threatened. 00:38:06.985 --> 00:38:30.382 That's a good day, when you know you're in the crosshairs and it's about to be over and you decide to get you a little act right and a little repentance going on and God says okay, I'll take my hand back, I won't do what I was about to do. 00:38:30.382 --> 00:38:32.918 That's a good thing. 00:38:34.724 --> 00:38:36.630 The king heard the message. 00:38:36.630 --> 00:38:45.135 The king wanted to make sure it went throughout the whole town, city and let's get everybody on the same page. 00:38:45.135 --> 00:38:47.818 How many of you know it's good to be on the same page? 00:38:47.818 --> 00:38:48.800 Amen. 00:38:48.800 --> 00:38:54.467 And everyone laid down the violence that was in their hearts. 00:38:54.467 --> 00:38:59.280 God saw the people of Nineveh repent and he changed his mind. 00:38:59.280 --> 00:39:05.050 God showed mercy and Nineveh got a second chance. 00:39:05.050 --> 00:39:19.342 How many times does God give us a second chance to get things right, or a third chance, or a fourth chance, and I'm very grateful for that? 00:39:19.342 --> 00:39:27.320 But we need to understand that there's going to come a time that God says that's it, you've had your chance. 00:39:27.320 --> 00:39:34.902 So we don't want to push past our limit, or at least I know I don't. 00:39:36.635 --> 00:39:42.027 Now, in the letters that we started out with today, the letter P stands for protect. 00:39:42.027 --> 00:39:48.927 God protected Jonah even though he was running from him. 00:39:48.927 --> 00:39:54.157 Okay, why am I old and wise? 00:39:54.157 --> 00:39:57.262 Because God protected me when I was young and dumb. 00:39:57.262 --> 00:40:09.777 Okay, god was protecting Jonah, jonah, god protected the ship's crew members in the middle of the storm. 00:40:09.777 --> 00:40:15.416 God protected Jonah from drowning by sending a big fish. 00:40:15.416 --> 00:40:24.150 Now, that big fish for three days probably wasn't comfortable, probably wasn't easy, but he wasn't dead. 00:40:24.150 --> 00:40:27.304 But he wasn't dead. 00:40:27.304 --> 00:40:32.333 You know, jonah, for that three days, had his alone time. 00:40:32.333 --> 00:40:37.931 He had some time to think about some things to get some things right. 00:40:39.273 --> 00:40:48.458 God also protected his plan for the people of Nineveh because God doesn't want to kill us off. 00:40:48.458 --> 00:40:55.085 He wants all of us to come to repentance, amen. 00:40:55.085 --> 00:40:57.226 He wants us all to make good choices. 00:40:57.226 --> 00:41:00.331 When we follow God's plan, things go much better. 00:41:00.331 --> 00:41:12.688 Now we're still going to have trials and challenges along the way, but we also have the peace in the middle of the storm, knowing that we are where God wants us to be and doing what he wants us to do. 00:41:12.688 --> 00:41:14.773 That's a good place to be. 00:41:14.773 --> 00:41:17.659 The D stands for direct. 00:41:17.659 --> 00:41:22.010 God will direct us where he wants us to go. 00:41:23.893 --> 00:41:32.994 Okay, the book of Psalms says in chapter 37, verses 23 and 24, that the Lord directs the steps of the godly. 00:41:32.994 --> 00:41:35.773 He delights in every detail of their lives. 00:41:35.773 --> 00:41:39.795 A lot of times we stop there, but I want us to look at verse 24. 00:41:39.795 --> 00:41:45.998 Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. 00:41:45.998 --> 00:41:48.855 God knows that we're going to make mistakes. 00:41:48.855 --> 00:41:49.764 He knows that we're going to make mistakes. 00:41:49.764 --> 00:41:54.050 He knows that we're going to come up short, but he's holding our hand anyway. 00:41:54.050 --> 00:42:13.485 He wants us to understand that he has our best interest at heart, and we also need to understand that God is more interested in our obedience and our growth than he is our comfort in our obedience and our growth than he is our comfort. 00:42:13.485 --> 00:42:22.503 Hate it when that happens, but you know, sometimes it's going to be a little tough. 00:42:25.065 --> 00:42:38.257 And following God is more about the journey of walking with God hand in hand and trusting that he'll direct us in exactly what he wants us to be, remembering our key verse, jeremiah 29, 11, for I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. 00:42:38.257 --> 00:42:42.594 They are plans for good and not a disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 00:42:42.594 --> 00:42:52.518 I believe we need to quit asking God to bless our plans and we need to ask God God, what are your plans? 00:42:52.518 --> 00:43:00.329 And then let me get in line with your plan, because I know your blessing, where you're directing? 00:43:00.329 --> 00:43:06.244 Because where God directs us, he's going to provide for us, amen. 00:43:06.244 --> 00:43:10.836 And when we're about God's business, he's going to be about ours. 00:43:10.836 --> 00:43:20.686 That's just a fact. 00:43:20.706 --> 00:43:22.548 Now, back in Jonah 3.10, it said God changed his mind about Nineveh's destruction. 00:43:22.548 --> 00:43:33.226 Over in Jonah, chapter 4, verse 1, it says this change of plans greatly upset Jonah and he became very angry, so he complained to the Lord about it. 00:43:33.226 --> 00:43:37.835 Didn't I say before I left home that you would do this, lord. 00:43:37.835 --> 00:43:41.268 This is why I ran away to Tarshish. 00:43:41.268 --> 00:43:47.168 I knew that you are merciful and compassionate, god, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. 00:43:47.168 --> 00:43:53.612 You are eager to get back, or you are eager to turn back from destroying people? 00:43:53.612 --> 00:43:56.137 Just kill me now, lord. 00:43:56.137 --> 00:44:01.032 I'd rather be dead than alive if what I predicted won't happen. 00:44:01.032 --> 00:44:03.097 The Lord replied. 00:44:03.097 --> 00:44:07.206 Is it right for you to be angry about this? 00:44:07.206 --> 00:44:20.724 And how many of you know that when God asks a question like that, he already knows the answer. 00:44:23.005 --> 00:44:27.657 Jonah is mad because God did not rain down fire and brimstone and just suck these people up into nothing. 00:44:27.657 --> 00:44:31.711 And he's complaining about it. 00:44:31.711 --> 00:44:34.692 But how about us? 00:44:34.692 --> 00:44:41.038