Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. There's a frightening storm, the ship is about to break up, everyone is about to perish at sea, and Jonah is asleep. He's lost at sea. He's running away from God. But God has his own ways of waking up Jonah.
You see, Jonah is a vivid illustration of what happens When we try to run from God. Welcome to The Verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. Do you actively seek God's will? Or have you found yourself going through the motions, hoping that the will of God agrees with your plans and desires?
Well today, we're continuing our new study in the book of Jonah. and learning what happens when we choose to obey the will of God.
So now, let's join Pastor John Monroe as he introduces today's message, Lost at Sea. Today, we continue the story of Jonah as we see him lost at sea. This runaway, disobedient prophet goes in the very opposite direction from the will of God. He was called to preach in Nineveh, but he doesn't want to preach to the enemies of Israel.
So he heads west rather than east. Does this surprise you? that the prophet of God A man who would say that he loves God and serves God now refuses to obey him? God often allows us to disobey his will. But there are always consequences.
some of them, as in Jonah's case, very serious. If you're running from God or thinking of running from God, listen carefully today. As we continue our study of Jonah, The disobedient prophet. Last week we studied the opening verses of the book of Jonah. and saw that God's will was revealed to Jonah But God's will was disobeyed by Jonah.
God's will revealed And then God's will disobeyed.
Sound familiar? Hearing God's voice, understanding it, but deliberately disobeying it. And in Jonah chapter 1, as we continue our study in this chapter this morning, we see a man on the run running from God. But Jonah is going to discover, as I'm sure some of us have discovered, that you cannot run from God. And however fast and however far Jonah runs from God.
He cannot run. from the presence of the Lord. In all probability, Jonah as a prophet would have memorized Psalm 139. That wonderful Psalm of David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, where David says, Where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there.
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there, your hand. will lead me and in the remotest part of the sea. Jonah is going to discover that God is certainly There. Aren't we sometimes like Jonah?
running from God closing our ears to his word, ignoring the promptings of the Spirit of God in our hearts, we say that we want to serve God and serve the Lord, and in a sense, we do as long as it's done our way. as long as it's in our comfort zone. As long as it is in our timing, as long as it is the location of our choosing, then, and perhaps only then, will we serve the Lord. We sometimes even try to manipulate the will of God and put a superficial cloaking round our own desires. I wonder if you've ever done that.
You may have heard of the. Woman a follower of Jesus Christ who was trying to lose a few pounds and so decided before God that she wasn't going to eat any doughnuts. Not saying you should do that, but this was this woman's conviction. She was going to lose weight. And one of the ways she was going to do that by eating no doughnuts.
But she really had a craving for donuts and One day as she's driving to her work, Uh she has this deep, deep craving for just one Donut. And as she's driving to work, she says, Lord, if it's your will that I eat a donut, may there be a parking spot right in front of the donut shop. And sure enough, After driving round the block seven times, there was a There was a spot right in front of the donut shop. We've all been guilty of that kind of prayer, of that kind of manipulation of the will of God. But do you really seek to do God's will, whatever the cost?
Or are you just going through the motions of the Christian life, coming to church, parroting a few spiritual platitudes, perhaps even being involved to some extent in Christian life and ministry, but you know in your heart that you're away from God? You want things to be done your way in your timing rather than God's. I'm sometimes like that.
Sometimes, like Jonas, saying, Lord, I want to do your will. But when God's will doesn't fit into my agenda, my ideas or my timing, I struggle and sometimes end up doing my own thing. And I suspect I'm not the only Jonah here. This morning, our passage is a reminder of what happens when we run from God. We're going to see what happens.
when you And I are out of the will of God. Turn in your Bible with me to Jonah chapter one. And we're going to read the whole chapter. This fascinating little book, One of the Minor Prophets. The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry against it.
for their wickedness has come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshis from the presence of the Lord.
So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshis, paid the fare and went down into it. to go with them to Tarshius. From the presence of the Lord. And the Lord hurled a great wind on the sea. And there was a great storm on the sea, so that the ship was about to break up.
Then the sailors became afraid, and every man cried to his God, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down, and fallen sound asleep.
So the captain approached them and said, How is it that you're sleeping? Get up, call on your God. Perhaps your God will be concerned about us so that we will not perish. And each man said to his mate, Come, let us cast lots.
so that we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.
So they cast lots. And a lot. Fellow. On Jonah. Then they said to him, Tell us no.
On whose account has this calamity struck us? What's your occupation, and where did you come from? What's your country? From what people are you? They said to them, I'm a Hebrew.
And I fear the Lord God of heavens. Who made the sea? and the dry land. Then the men became extremely frightened, and they said to him, How could you do this? For the men knew That he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord.
Because He had told them.
So they said to him. What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us? for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. And he said to them, Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you.
For I know that on account of me this great storm. Has come upon you.
However, the men rowed desperately to return to land, but they could not see, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them. Then they called on the Lord. And said, We earnestly pray, O Lord. Do not let us perish on account of this man's life. And do not put innocent blood on us.
For you, O Lord, have done as you have pleased.
So they picked up Jonah. Threw them into the sea. And the sea stopped its raging. Then the men feared the Lord greatly. And they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
And the LORD appointed a great fish To swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the stomach of the fish, Three days. And three. nights an incredible Story. First of all, this morning we want to understand that when we're out of God's will, there are always.
Consequences. When you are out of God's will, there are always consequences. Here we see that Jonah's disobedience had consequences. First, the storm. Did you notice in verses four and five that the more the sailors did, In fact, throughout the passage, the more they did, The more cargo they threw overboard, the more they rowed, the greater the storm.
Then there was the fish. He was swallowed up by the sea monster, that's where he is. The point is that initially Jonah was unaware of the consequences of his disobedience. I mean we're red. In verse 5, that the sailors are afraid, they're praying to their gods, they're throwing cargo over the ship.
But what is Jonah doing? Jonah is asleep. His disobedience resulted in him being sensitized. There's a frightening storm, the ship is about to break up, everyone is about to perish at sea, and Jonah is asleep. He's lost at sea.
He's running away from God. But it doesn't seem to bother him very much. But God Has his own ways of waking up Jonah and getting his attention. You see, Jonah is a vivid illustration of what happens when When we try to run from God, When we're out of fellowship with God. Our sin Please understand this this morning.
Sin. always, always has consequences. We think of shame, of guilt, of finger pointing, of irrationality, of hardening of heart and conscience, but sin always has consequences in your life.
Someone Essays of another follower of Christ, another believer. How could so-and-so do or say such a thing? Or someone says, you know, that person is a follower of Jesus Christ, they could never have done that. That kind of argument to me has always been very unconvincing. The fact is that any of us Away from the Lord can do terrible things.
Here is Jonah, a privileged man, a prophet, a man that God had used in the past, as we saw last week. A man who is the very voice of God, and yet he's running. From God. That can happen to you. And they can happen.
To me. A heart Hardened by sin. Here is a woman, she's a follower of Christ, but her conscience has become desensitized because she's been running from God. Here is an individual, he once was a leader in the church, but now his thinking has become distorted. Why?
Because over and over again he's ignored the voice of God. Sen. Always. Changes you. Do you understand that?
Sin always has consequences. It changes you. And here in the board, Jonah doesn't need a sleeping pill. His back is to God. But he's sleeping.
Soundly. Could it be this morning? That some sitting here are Spiritually asleep. Spiritually s speaking, You are desensitized to spiritual realities. Your heart And your conscience has become hardened.
Once your heart was very soft to the Lord. Once, as you read the word of God, you were very sensitive. Once when you heard preaching, you immediately responded, but now something has happened in your life and your heart has become hardened and your conscience has become desensitized. I know what the problem is. You've allowed sin to come into your life.
Sin always has consequences, and sin always changes us.
Someone says, Well, I feel okay. Jonah felt okay. He's asleep. Being at peace Having a comfortable life, as it were, and sleeping well, are not always evidences of being in the will of God. And Jonah illustrates two things.
which are present When we are away from the Lord. When we're out of the will of God, ineffective prayer, number one. Secondly, ineffective witnessing. Have you noticed that in your own life? One of the first indicators that you're getting away from the Lord and that your back is being turned to the Lord is an ineffective prayer life.
Oh, you may go through the motions, you may give thanks for your food, you might even stand up at the prayer meeting, but it is ineffective. You're going through a routine and the verbancy of Pleading with God and of praising of God has gone. The pagans are praying, they're crying out to their false gods. Jonah, who knew the true and the living God, is asleep. Hard to pray when you're running away from God, isn't it?
The other thing is That Jonah, instead of witnessing To these men. A silence. It takes the captain, it takes the other sailors to say, What's going on here? What are you? What do you believe?
They've got to drag it out of them. Instead of him, In a crisis As a prophet, as the man of God, as the man who knows his Bible, as the man who knows the Lord, saying, Listen, we're in a crisis, listen to me, I know what's happening. He doesn't do that. He's silent. about God's call.
on his life. Did you notice? In verse eight, one of the questions is. What is your occupation? He doesn't answer the question, how could he?
He's a prophet. who guides People in the truth of God, but he's running away from God, and the pagan sailors are responding far better than he is.
Now let me ask you, how are you doing? In regard to prayer, and in regard to witnessing. How's your prayer life? Be honest before God, He knows. How are you in terms of your witness?
and your work. In your street. People know that you're a Christian. Not asking if they know you go to church. I'm asking: do people know that you're a follower of Jesus Christ?
that they know that you're an individual. who loves Jesus Christ? Or could it be that because your back is towards God, you become desensitized and the urgency of prayer and the urgency of evangelism and witnessing have been dulled in your heart?
So, isn't it to be so concerned about ourselves, our comfort, our needs, our friendships that we neglect prayer and evangelism? Sad, isn't it, that we need a storm from God to get our attention, to waken us up. Are we spiritually asleep or are we on the alert? Remember, Jesus said at the end of Mark chapter 13: be on the alert. Why?
The Lord Jesus is coming. But we can be so preoccupied with ourselves, our life, our comfort, That we are blind to spiritual realities, blind to the lost, blind to the need. To get on their knees before the Lord. And here, Jonah's disobedience results. In an awful waste of time and hardship and suffering.
He's running from God. You say, well, a silly thing to do, of course, of course.
So why do you do it? Why do I do it? But God isn't going to let Jonah get too far away. You see, Jonah is trying to avoid Preaching in Nineveh. But God said to his servant, Arise and go and cry against that wicked city.
I want you to do that, Jonah. And as we know the story, Jonah is going to preach in Nineveh, but he's going to take a long, hard, painful way to get there. How much easier would it have been for Jonah? to have said yes lord You have given me a tough assignment. But you've called me.
And I'm going. No. He has to go through a traumatic experience. Can you imagine being thrown Into the Mediterranean in the middle of a storm. Imagine being swallowed by a fish, unimaginable.
Thrown into the sea, swallowed by a fish. He had sown the wind. No, I'm going to run from the presence of the Lord. And now he is reaping a whirlwind. God is still watching over Jonah, but in the meantime, he's experiencing pain and hardship and suffering.
You see, sin never ever pays. Sin always has consequences. Sin will take you further than you want to go. slowly but wholly taking a toll. Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay.
Sin will cost you more than you want to pay. Like Jonah, we too are being commissioned to bring the message of the gospel, the glorious gospel to the lost. Is it going to take a dramatic storm in your life to get your attention. When we're out of the will of God, There are always consequences. When we're out of God's will, your sin affects not only yourself but others.
Have you found that out? When you are out as an individual, When you are out of the go out of God's will, Your sin not only impacts you, it does that, as we've seen. it impacts other people. The pagan sailors as well as Jonah experienced the storm. Here in verse 6, the captain comes to him and says, How is it that you're sleeping?
Get up or arise? The same word in Hebrew that we have the Lord using in verse 2, where he says to Jonah, Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city. Arise! Can you imagine Jonah's surprise when he hears the words repeated? Get up.
What are you doing sitting there? Why are you sleeping there, Jonah? The sailors have done nothing wrong. In fact, they react very well. They pray, they throw the cargo overboard, they challenge Jonah, they experience fear, they lose their cargo, they're in danger of being lost at sea, all because of Jonah's disobedience.
Lewis Barry Schaffer, the first president of Dallas Theological Seminary, said, You may sin in secret. But you Certainly don't sin. Alone. Have you discovered that in your life? You may sin in secret.
But you don't sin alone. The point is. Although we don't want this to happen, it inevitably does happen. that our sin impacts others. What do you like to do with your sin, the same as I do?
You want to contain it. You want to keep sin in a little area of your life. You know this is wrong, you know you shouldn't be doing this. But you say well You know, I'll keep this a little secret. I'll I'll draw a little boundary around it.
Here's a man, let's take a little bit of pornography.
Well, that's just me, and I know I shouldn't be doing it, but. There's no harm, it doesn't harm anyone else. Really? First, it offends God. Most importantly.
Secondly, it's going to change you. Don't allow anyone to tell you something differently, it's going to harden your heart. It's going to desensitize your conscience, and I also guarantee it will impact your relationship with others. With your wife, with your family, with people, the way you view the world, because sin. has that nature.
We have it here, but its tentacles begin to spread. And we don't want it to spread, we want to contain it, but it flows into other areas, affecting the way we think, affecting Our relationships and our mindset having a drastic impact not only on ourselves but on other people. Your sin, brother and sister, will impact your family, your relationships, your church, your thinking, your priorities. The Bible says, be sure your sin will find you out, that what you sow, you reap. And we have to learn that when we're out of God's will, our sin impacts not only ourselves but but others.
Here's the third one. For when we're out of God's will, God will discipline you. When you're out of God's will, God will discipline you. God is disciplining his choice servant, his runaway prophet Jonah. Jonah is experiencing a supernatural storm and an unexpected swim.
Doesn't say whether he could swim or not, but he's in to the stormy Mediterranean. But you know, there's good news.
So what was the good news? The good news is that God was at work. in his life. Did you notice verse 4? And the Lord hurled a great wind on the sea.
Who is responsible for the storm? The Lord. Centered. You see if the Lord had not intervened With that storm. Jonah would have continued with his back towards God.
going further and further away from the Lord. Heading to Tarshus. This is the verdict featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us. From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever.
but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help you do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World. Through this special resource, John shares his personal testimony, along with a careful examination of Scripture, to offer us clarity on matters of eternity. Get your copy today by visiting our website at theverdict.org. While you're there, consider making an investment in this Bible teaching ministry.
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We're located on the corner of Highway 51 and Ray Road. If you've been looking for a church home or a community to help you grow in your walk with Christ, We invite you to join us for our Sunday services. For more details about Calvary and our service times, visit theverdict.org.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well What's your verdict? Can you think of some of the serious consequences in your life? when you've disobeyed the Lord. While our sin has drastic consequences on ourselves and others, we must understand, most importantly, that sin is against God. God is not mocked.
What we sow, we reap. And Jonah is going to reap a whirlwind. But as we'll see next time, God still loves us. God watches over us even when we're going in the opposite direction He intends for us. Stop running from God.
Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
