Sin Leads Down — Billy Graham

God's Word and Jonah's Commission

Believe that this book the Bible is inspired of God. It's God's book. It's God's message to every generation. The word of the Lord came unto Jonah and God's Word said Jonah arise and go to Nineveh. Cry out against Nineveh for their wickedness has come up before me.

Judgment for Persistent Wickedness

There comes a time when God can stand sin and wickedness no more and judgment must come. That's the danger in America right now. That's the danger in the world right now. Our wickedness is so great that God may allow judgment to fall.

Turning Back to God

Unless we as a people turn back to God and that's one of the encouraging things about this youth revival across America. Thank God that the young people are beginning to turn to Christ in great numbers.

Jonah's Reluctance to Preach Judgment

The word of the Lord. Came unto Jonah. But you know Jonah wasn't happy about it. He didn't want to be a fire and brimstone preacher in Nineveh. There was no glamour in that. He knew he would be persecuted.

He knew he wouldn't be popular. He didn't want to have to give a message of judgment to Nineveh. So Jonah decided that he was going to flee. He was going to get away. He was going to disobey God and the Bible says that Jonah fled from the presence of the Lord and He went down to Japan.

Jonah's Attempt to Escape God

He bought a ticket for Tarshish because you see Tarshish was a great resort city and he thought to himself I can go down there and lie on a beach and the Lord won't even know where I am. I can get away from it all and that's been true all the way through the Bible.

Adam and Eve thought they could get away from God and hide in the garden and hide behind the fig leaves that they sowed after they rebelled against God. But God came walking in the garden and said Adam where art thou?

Sin's Downward Spiral

The Bible says you can make your bed in hell and you can't get away from God. There's nowhere for you to flee from God. And then the Bible says that he went down to Joppa. Got into the ship and went down into the bottom of the ship to go asleep.

Sin always leads us down. Jonah went down and when you sin and persist in sin, it's going to lead you down.