"Running / Repenting / Revived" W/ Pastor Brad

Today’s message begins a new series called Jonah: Running from God, Repenting From God, Revived by God.  The sermon highlights God’s sovereign grace in pursuing sinners who run from Him. Through Jonah’s flight from his calling, we see the depth of human rebellion, but even more, the relentless mercy of God who does not abandon His people. Be reminded of the good news: just as Jonah was cast into the sea, Christ was given for us, rescuing those who deserve judgment. God not only calls His people, He graciously pursues, redeems, and restores them for His glory.  Hallelujah!

Transcript

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Where do you go to answer this question today? Who are you? Or another way of putting it, are you running away who God says you are? Or are you running toward who God says you are? Let the church go, hmm. All right, turn to your neighbor and show your ponder emoji, okay? We're thinking about identity today. Uh, and to way to bring this up as a way to introduce today's message. Uh, check this out. A couple weeks ago, my middle son was in a school play called Lion King. And here's uh a snapshot of the final uh bow that everybody gave as a part of this play. I was blown away by the acting, the singing, the choreography of these middle school teammates and the costumes. Y'all, the costumes were just incredible. Now, taking a little bit of a step back, the Lion King has had a major impact on society today. It has been translated into dozens of languages and it is beloved globally. It has become the most popular, highest-grossing animated film of all time. And at the heart of the Lion King is a basic story of a young cub who is given identity, but then he runs away from it only to return to it. Stay with me. Here's a bit of uh a reminder of the narrative plot line that we see in The Lion King. Right there's the lion cub Simba. And the movie really begins with little Simba believing a lie. And the lie is that his uncle Scar tells him he is the one to blame for the death of his father, Mufasa. Right? Spoiler alert, sorry, I just gave it up there. Um, but then Simba, right, he runs away. And he had a calling to be the next king, but he adopts a new identity, a new way of life. And if you know it, you can fill it out for me. Hakuna what? Hakuna matata. Hakuna matata, right? It means no worries for the rest of your days. In other words, a life of no responsibility, just avoidance. The modern day version of that would be if maybe you've seen the t-shirt, good vibes only, right? But then Simba is confronted with the truth. So it begins with a lie, and he runs, and then he's called and confronted with the truth from a prophet by the name of Rafiki who says, the father lives in you. The father lives in you. Don't run from it, receive it. Friends and family, welcome this morning to a new series on Jonah. It is four chapters, four sermons. And here's really the whole preaching of the book the three lines running from God, repenting before God, revived by God. When facing conflict, we all have certain traits, right? There's the classic fight the conflict, flight, fly away from the conflict, or freeze in the midst of it. Which one are you when conflict comes a knock-in? Jonah, he's the classic flight. Just get me out of here. He's the press the eject button out of the crisis as fast and as far away as possible. Jonah is the story of a man who tries to run from God. And the emphasis is on the word try. It's a story of flight and a God who stops him and turns him around. Now, uh Jonah, he's not alone. Scripture is filled with people who ran and a God who pursued them. Hmm. In fact, God often calls those who earlier in their life ran from him, which means this no one, no one, and just point yourself and say, even me, even me. No one is beyond the redeeming grace of our God. So ask yourself, is there someone in your life who you care about who's running from God? In this series, I pray that you are prompted to pray for them and look for moments to point them into the embrace of God. Or make it personal where are you, myself, tempted to run from God? As we open God's word of Jonah 1, I did want to mention this too as a word of intro. Psalm 19, 9 through 10 says this. This is regarding the word of God, and such a joy and a privilege it is to be under God's word today. The decrees of the Lord are true, all of them. Let the church say, all. All of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, much more pure than gold. They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. The Bible is more precious than gold and sweeter than honey. Pastor John Piper says it's infinitely more valuable than we could know, and infinitely sweet. What a joy to spend our lives in the Word of God together. It is amazing to be gathered under the Word of God that has been forming God's people since the very dawn of time. Because when we do, we find our purpose and identity to face, not run away from, but to face whatever may come. So in honor of God's holy, living, and active word, let's begin in Jonah, and you can remain seated. We're gonna go section by section here of Jonah 1. Hear the word of the Lord. The word of the Lord came to Jonah, who was a prophet in the Bible, son of Ametai. And God said, Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me. So that's the calling. And then we see the response. But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Jopa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard that cruise and he sailed for Tarshish to flee from the land. This is the holy word of God. Thanks be to God. Let's dive in. Let's get a bit of the lay of the land here. This is a bit of a helpful map that puts into perspective the context of what's happening. So on the right side is Nineveh. Nineveh is in modern day Iraq today. Jonah is near Jopa, which is in modern day Israel. And Jonah takes a one-way ticket to Tarshish in the complete opposite direction, which I just learned this past week, scholars suggest would have been modern day Spain. He tried as much as he could to go in the opposite direction. So let's see what happens here. What's going on? Why avoid Nineveh? Well, Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire. It was massively powerful. It was a well-fortified city with walls that still stand today. It was known for its military strength, its conquest, and brutality towards its enemies. In fact, Jonah had grown up hating the Assyrians and fearing the atrocities that the Assyrians had committed to Jonah's people. And so Jonah has a working memory of Nineveh. And even the mention of this place is traumatizing for him. So much so that his hatred is so strong that he didn't want them to receive God's mercy. Jonah was actually afraid that what if what if they listen? What if they actually repent of their sin? Perhaps even with a shred of hope, possibly turn to God. The very thought of that made Jonah want to run in the opposite direction. Jonah had a deep resistance to share God's love and mercy towards those who had hurt him, even though God had given him that exact calling and mission. So let's just pause for a moment and take that in and apply this to today. My friends, it is not hard to see how sin runs rampant both in our own lives and within the society around us. Daily headlines flood our algorithms, right? From cases of domestic abuse to pornography, to murder and crime and ruthless dictators. The world seems to be filled with a mix of violence, hatred, and corruption. Right? Even this past week, it is wild that a sitting US president would threaten the death of an entire civilization. It's wild because if you take that literally, he's talking about committing genocide. Reading and hearing about these words, we begin to understand the need for God's justice. That's what we need. For God's justice to reign in the world and over all of God's people. We cry out for God's justice. One of the signs of the times in which we live, just like the signs of the times of Jonah, is that this was a time where many wished for vengeance by any means against those who they disagreed with. Stay with me, church family, because just imagine for a moment the phrase, love your neighbor and hate your enemy. Imagine that being replaced with the phrase, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you. Well, you don't have to imagine very much, do you? That's from Jesus. The words on the Sermon of the Mount, the very words of our Lord and Savior. So given this, and this is really a challenge as we go through Jonah, think of one person that you may be tempted to despise, or the person that offends you the most. Consider this thought. What if God told you in a very crystal clear way, like a sticky note that was written on your mirror at home? What if it said this? Share the gospel to the worst offenders in your life. How would you respond? Welcome, friends and family, to the world of Jonah. He was given such a task, and it was so inconceivable that he bolted the other way. Church, family, when God gives us directions through his word, we all have reactions to it. We can fight it, fly away from it, and freeze in the midst of it. Jonah is so confused that God had a message of repentance and restoration for his enemies that his only recourse was to run. So let's see where the running of Jonah takes him. It's far better to obey the Lord from the beginning, but instead, as we'll soon see, there is a costly price for running. Verse 4 says the following. Church, this is important here that while the storm raged, Jonah, he's sound asleep. Even as he ran from God, Jonah's actions of disobedience didn't bother him at all. Even in his running from God, he acted like everything was normal, all good, nothing to see here. Let me take a good nap. That's the thing with what feelings do to us. Sometimes things are so way off that we turn off our feelings like a light switch. Instead of running to God to ask, does this line up with what he says is right? We run to our feelings that trick us and confuse us and try to nap it away. For example, like a student tempted to slowly start cheating, or watching something, or watching content you know is not helpful for this thing, or ignoring that someone you love who you know needs help, at first you might feel that impression to act, but then it becomes the norm to just get used to it with apathy that can sink in. Our feelings are often like, I heard this before, like the weather app. All over the place, kind of like a Michigan spring day, where you can shovel snow and mow the lawn on the same day. What we need yet is a compass to navigate our reactions in life. And this is where we see God's word come in, verse 6. The captain went to Jonah and said, How can you sleep? Get up and call on your God. Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish. Then the sailors said to each other, Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity. They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. We don't really know how they did it, but casting lots was like drawing straws. Whoever gets the shortest straw is it, who's responsible. And while we don't know the method here, it lands on Jonah, verse 8. So they asked him, Tell us, tell us who is responsible for making all this trouble for us. What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you? And he answered, I'm a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea in the dry land. This terrified the sailors, and they asked, What have you done? They knew he was running from the Lord because he had already told them so. The sea was getting rougher and rougher, so they asked him, What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us? He's got an idea here. Pick me up, throw me into the sea, he replied, and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you. Jonah knew, he acknowledges, he confesses his sin, that he had disobeyed the Lord. And as soon as that happens, the storms calmed down. And he didn't say anything until the sailors really called him out. And the truth of this passage begins to come alive, that we cannot seek God's love and run from him at the same time. But before he returns to God, he had to stop going the wrong way. Church family, what has God called you to today? He has given each of us a calling and responsibilities to live into. And there is this powerful truth in 1 John 2, verse 6 that says this. This is how we know we are in him. It's this simple. Which is so interesting to this passage and applicable here. Because did you notice that John Jonah, he's offering to sacrifice his life for the sailors? He's saying, Hey, toss me into the sea. But he refuses to do the same for those in Nineveh. And watch these remaining verses here, verse 13. Instead, the men did their best to row back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried out to the Lord, please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased. Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men, the sailors, greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. Jonah had disobeyed the Lord, but while he's running away, he stops and he submits to God. And the ship's crew, the sailors, they begin to worship God because they saw that the storm was now made calm. Isn't it amazing how God is able to use even our mistakes to help others know him and experience him? Admitting our sins can be a powerful testimony to those who may not yet know God. And as a result, these sailors give us a take-home here to pray to God and then vow to serve Him. Church family, the good news of the gospel is for all who repent and believe in Jesus. That's why the series is simply called Jonah: Running from God, repenting before God, and revived by God. God has given all of us a calling, an identity, and a purpose. And Jonah was unsure that led him to run away. But God reminds him of who he is. The Bible is full of promises, church family, to assure us of who we are in him. At the beginning of the message, I asked you this question: where do you go to to answer, who are you? Right? Or another way of putting it, are you running away from who God says you are, or running toward who God says that you are? Because here, church family, is an invitation. Um, I printed off a whole number of these, and I remember getting this easily more than a decade ago from our prayer ministry from back in the day when we were at the Ford School, still in the gymnasium. And as a reminder, as really a gift to receive God's purpose and his calling and reminding us of who we are in him. Check this out. When you surrender your life to Christ, these biblical words of power and promise are completely and fully true for you. And these are all just different scriptures that are referenced. These are true for you and your calling when you give your life to Christ. Number one, you are accepted. You have been redeemed and forgiven of all your sins. You are complete in Christ. John 1 says you are a child of God. John 15 says you are Christ's friend. Romans 5 says you have been justified. 1 Corinthians 6 says you have been united with Christ and you belong to God. 1 Corinthians 12 says you are a member of Christ's body. Ephesians 1 says you have been adopted as God's child. Ephesians 2 says you have been, you've direct access to God through the Holy Spirit. These are just gifts after gift after gifts. Gift in him you are secure. Romans 8 says, You are free forever from condemnation. You are assured that all things work together for good. That you cannot be separated from the love of God. Second Corinthians 1 says, You have been established, anointed, and sealed by God. Go all day, church. Philippians 1 says, What God has begun in you will be perfected. Philippians 3 says, You are now a citizen of heaven. 2 Timothy 1 says, you shall not fear. But he has given you now a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. Hebrews 4 says, you know there is grace and mercy in a time of need. It also says, you have significance. Matthew 5 says, you, church family, are the salt and light of the earth. John 15, you have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit. Acts 1, you are a personal witness of Christ. 1 Corinthians 3, you are God's temple. 2 Corinthians 5, you are a minister of reconciliation to God. You are God's coworker. Ephesians 2, you are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. You are God's workmanship. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. You may approach God with freedom and in confidence. These are beautiful promises that remind us of who we are in Him. And all of that rests upon the one-time sacrifice that Jesus has given for the world. Right? That when Jesus was with the disciples in the upper room after they had finished singing songs, he drew on what was available. He drew on the bread that was there and he broke it. And he said, This is my body that has been given for you. And then he took the wine that was there and he poured it. And he said, This is my blood that has been shed for you. For every time you eat of my body and drink of my blood, you proclaim the resurrection until I come again. And so, because of what Jesus Christ has given to us, the promises are endless. And that helps us have a firm foundation to face whatever may come our way.