Jonah 1:1-4

Let's go ahead and stand. Our call to worship comes from Proverb 19. It's a short one this morning. But it's straightened to the point of where we're going in our passage today. Proverbs 19 verse 21 Says many are the plans in the mind of a man.

But it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. Amen. Well, let's let's go to him in prayer. Lord we thank you. We thank you that you've brought us together this morning. We know we have a number of families and individuals that are out through sickness and travel and.

And we miss our brothers and sisters in that way, but we are so Grateful that you have brought us together This morning. And we've come together not just for fellowship. Not just so that we can Enjoy each other's company, which we get to enjoy.

But we come together this morning with a with a desire and a drive to honor and worship you. Or because you are the only one that is worthy to be worshipped. You are the reason that we gather. You are the reason that we that we sing.

You are the reason that we pray you are the reason that we preach and God we we pray that you would be honored in our worship and not only in ours God but we pray for our brothers and sisters all over this this city all over this region of Northeast, Arkansas this morning that that the songs that are saying in these churches would be honoring to you and.

And.

The man of God would stand up and preach and proclaim your truth your holiness not opinion not not self-help. But your glory and your majesty and your salvation. I pray that we would collectively Proclaim that truth.

Or be with us this morning as we sing as we as we offer up worship that it would be pleasant to you. It'd be a sweet smelling aroma and we have planned our day, but we make our plans and you direct our step God.

So we pray that the Holy Spirit would move in our midst in Christ's name. Amen. It's a wondrous mystery in the dawning of the King be the theme of Heaven's praises. Robed in frail you and our Lord our life has come and pray for our time of offering.

Trusting God's Providence in Worship and Giving

Well, we come to you again and we thank you well, we thank you that. That we get to trust in your perfection and your perfect love and your perfect grace. That is seen through Jesus that we get to have Communion with with the Father because we are in Christ and we trust we trust in Christ Providence and and part of trusting in Christ Providence is trusting in your provision in this world and These means Financially the means through our time and our efforts God and and so this moment when we get to worship you through our time of offering that that it would it would just be an extension of worship today that we Could give back to you what you and your grace mercy and kindness and Providence has Has granted to us.

Pray that you're honored in this giving in Christ's name. Amen. You may be seated. Alrighty, let's go ahead and open up your copy of God's Word the Old Testament book of Jonah this this is week two of our study through this book and Last week was basically just a giant introduction, wasn't it?

We were able to kind of walk through the entire four chapters hitting all the high points. And the reason that we did that if you remember is because this book is commonly misunderstood. Most people can only see this book for the story that is within it the narrative that is within it.

But this book is not about Jonah, right? It's not about how Jonah was swallowed by a great fish. It's not about a rebellious prophet. There is a theme that goes throughout this entire story this entire book and what is that thing?

What is the driving theme of the of the book of Jonah? It's God. Right. It's God. I was fixing to say if you guys didn't answer that we were gonna jump back and do the introduction again. But this theme throughout Jonah is is God we we were able to see through this narrative a beautiful picture of of really who God is and what God does and We identified near the end of last week.

We identified four specific things about God that that we see in this book. This is not an exhaustive list. This is not all that we see but these are some of the high points that we see about God and I just wanted to Recap those to make sure they're in our minds as we continue on through this study.

The first one that we looked at was the demeanor of God. The the demeanor of God how God carries himself. God is not reactive as we are Jonah throughout this story is being reactive to God. The sailors on the ship are being reactive to the storm.

The the people of Nineveh are reacting to what God is telling them through Jonah when he finally gets there. Everything in this story is being reactive except God. God is intentional and Calculated with every single thing that he does throughout this story.

And the second thing we saw is the dominance of God the fact that God dominates over every single molecule of this universe. Everything throughout this entire story. We see God. We even saw kind of how how the word Lord or God is mentioned in almost every single verse of this.

He's dominant throughout this story. This story is about him and Thirdly, we see the dominion of God that he has the right to dominate over his universe over his creation because it's his. It's his dominion, right and the Potter has the right over the clay to do with it as he pleases and that's everything.

Everything that God creates. It's his it's his dominion. And lastly we saw the disposition of God. We saw that that not only is God dominant over his dominion, but but that God's disposition is one of kindness and grace mercy long-suffering.

Which is why he's so patient with Jonah, which is why he saves the sailors on that ship which is why he saves the people of Nineveh in their wickedness because his disposition is one of grace and Mercy and kindness.

So this is the guy we're looking at. So let's go ahead and look at our our study here the book of Jonah. Starting in chapter 1 and verse 1 as we begin the process over the next few weeks of walking through this book.

Verse 1 says now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying arise. Go to Nineveh that great city and call out against it for their evil has come up before me.

But.

Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence of the Lord.

But.

The Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea and there was a mighty tempest on the sea so that the ship Threatened to break up. We're gonna stop there. This is the reading of God's Word. Let's let's pray one more time as we as we talk through this Lord we come to you again.

We ask that you open our eyes our minds our hearts to your truth Lord illuminate the truth of your word for we know that that this story that this. This narrative here in the book of Jonah is inspired by you and it is here and it is about you so I pray that we could see you in this and that we could see what it is that that you are.

Speaking to us through it today. Lord guard my words from error. That I would speak only truth Christ's name. Amen. So I would say that most of us in here at different times in our lives have all asked that proverbial question.

What is God's will for my life? Right, we go through different stages of life, you know when we're younger and we're trying to figure out what we're gonna do. With our lives, I guess some of us are still there.

What are we gonna do when we grow up, right? We're thinking what does God want me to do? Where does God want me to go? Do I need to get this degree? Do I need to do I need to get this job? What does God want me to do?

What's the will of God? Wait when we're at that stage when we're trying to find a spouse. You know, who does God want me to marry? Does God want me to marry this person? Is it is it his will? Where am I supposed to live?

Am I supposed to live in Jonesboro, Arkansas? Where am I supposed to live? What's God's will for me and Where do I go to church? Should I go to church at 12 -5 church? Should I go to the church down the road?

What's God's will? We all ask these types of questions and and more often than not these questions are not. They're not easy to obtain an answer to. It's not always as cut and dry as we would like for it to be is it.

There's so many times in my life where I've just I've wanted God like when I lived down in Florida I just I wanted God to come in and and and interrupt my binge watching on the recliner and say Nathan get up and rise and move to Jonesboro, Arkansas and plant a church.

Let's say it the Lord that would have seemed easier, right? It would have seemed easier for me. We but we all do it. We. I'm joking obviously, but we all kind of want God to speak to us though.

Then.

Similarly to the way he spoke to some of the Old Testament prophets like Jonah. We wanted to speak that way and in the midst of that we forget. We forget that we now on this side have a far more sure and clear View of God's will through God's Word.

We we we have a better understanding and a clear understanding of what God wants from us. Then even the prophets in the Old Testament did Because of his word, right, but we forget that.

And.

Even though we forget that I think I think we we desire for it to. To be something more. We want to have some some sort of a direct revelation from God. Even though he doesn't do that anymore. All right.

God doesn't speak to us directly in that way unless it's confirmed through his word, right? He speaks through his word, but that's for another sermon. But there's no guarantee that even if. Even if he came to me and spoke to me in that way or came to you and spoke to you in that way There's no guarantee that you're gonna like what he has to say.

Much less obey it. At least at first there's no guarantee. And how do I know that? How do I know that? There's no guarantee that we're gonna obey well. First of all because God has given us a direct revelation through his word hasn't he?

As a matter of fact many of them there are many imperatives throughout scripture that we as his people.

Ignore.

Consistently. We disobey these direct commands from God. So what makes us think that if we have such a sure word of? God's will that we disobey that we're gonna obey if he comes and speaks to us. And I know this also because Jonah we see one of his own prophets a prophet of God and God gives him a Direct revelation.

It was clear as clear could be wasn't it. God told him everything he could possibly want to know and then some. It was clear as a matter of fact. Look at it verse 1 it tells us now the Word of the Lord came to Jonah.

This is God Speaking to Jonah. I don't know what that looked like. I was never an Old Testament prophet. So I don't know how God spoke to these men in this way. But obviously it came clear enough because we see here in verse 2.

We see that he tells him where he's to go. It's very specific look at it. He says arise. Jonah says get up. Go to Nineveh gives him a direct revelation. This is my will go to Nineveh and he tells him where to go.

But he doesn't just say Jonah go to Nineveh and when you get there. Then I'll give you what other information you need. He goes on he gives me more information. He tells him what to do doesn't he? Look at it.

He says go to Nineveh that great city and call out against it. Call out against this city call them to repentance. Tell them of the wrath to come and that they must turn warn them. And he doesn't even leave it there.

He could have left it there. He didn't need any more information, but God gave him more information. He tells him why he's sending him to Nineveh. Really this prophet of God should have should have just gotten up and gone to Nineveh at God's whim and he he's a man.

Why does he need to know why but God gives him that he tells him the why he says for their evil has come up before me. Their evil has come up before me. This is why I want you to go. So God has told Jonah precisely the where the what the when the how.

All the information of his will and what is Jonah do? Yeah, he runs verse 3 says but Jonah rose to flee. This was no misunderstanding on Jonah's part was it God's will was Unmistakable. He had given him all the information at his fingertips that he wanted him to carry out.

However, Jonah had another plan. Jonah's plan was to carry out his will wasn't it Jonah deliberately Disobeyed the will of God now here. You may be thinking.

Hold on.

Doesn't this poke holes in your whole God is dominant over his dominion. Sovereignty thing. How is it that this man is defying God. If God is so sovereign and God is so dominant over his dominion. Seems as though Jonah's exercising his will over the will of God.

So which one is more powerful is God sovereign. Is God dominant. Well, hopefully we'll see that today. Many will look at something like this and say doesn't this prove that man has a free will. That man has a free will and if man has this free will doesn't that undermine this sovereignty of God thing?

It undermines it. Well, I think we need to address it before we continue on in the passage. If we if we want to to identify What this means we must what define our terms, you know, I say that a lot around here define our terms.

We know that man was created after the image of God, right? Adam and Eve were created volitional beings and this simply means that that that he is able to choose either good or evil and Before the fall Adam and Eve Really had what I would say is probably the closest Semblance of what most people today think of as free will.

Not all the way. But what do people today think of as free will? What is free will in the mind of most? Let's say churchgoers Christians people in our culture. What is their idea of free will? It's something that we refer to as libertarian free will.

This libertarian free will is this idea that that you as a human are not constrained by By your human nature. You're not constrained by any Predisposition you're not you're not affected by any outside source and you're certainly Not affected by the predetermination of God.

This is libertarian free will and I think it's important that we identify that Adam and Eve had what I said a semblance of this type. Because Adam and Eve after all could choose good or evil. But we know that they were definitely not free of the predetermination of God.

That wouldn't make sense. Would it he put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden? He could have left that tree out and just never had the fall happen in the first place. God determined it.

God had chosen to to bruise his son long before creation had ever Had ever come into play. God had set his love and affection on us before the foundations of the world. So God had already predetermined it so they weren't free of that.

So even Adam and Eve didn't have a libertarian free will. But they had a freer will than us. They were able to choose between good and evil. And what did they choose? What did Adam and Eve choose? They chose evil, didn't they?

Even in their own sinlessness in the garden, they had not yet done evil. They still chose evil over good and Because of that We have all sinned in Adam. We are all born in Adam and even though we're still Volitional creatures because we're made in the image of God.

We still have an ability to chase and pursue what we desire what we want what our will is our will is tainted because of that sin and Left to ourselves. What will we choose every time? Evil. No one seeks after God.

No, not one. We always choose evil hence this concept of libertarian free will that people think of as free will today. It's simply a fairy tale. It doesn't exist. It's non-existent this idea of free will.

So what about what about us as Christians on this side of Being given a new nature and a new heart. Do we maybe have this idea of free will. Do we have a libertarian free will? Of course not. Everything is under the predetermination of God.

What we do have is what many refer to as free moral agency. Man is free to do as he perceives. Is his desire? We have the ability to do good and evil prior to the fall. We didn't we could only choose evil.

We could never choose good. We didn't have the ability to but now. Now if you were in Christ, you've been made a new create a new creature a new creation. You have been given a new heart you your mind is being renewed by God's Word.

Hence, you have the ability to choose good and evil yet. Here's here's the kicker. We still struggle with the flesh don't we on this side of glory? We still had this sinful wretched flesh that Paul likes to talk about right?

We still have this in us and and quite often at least more than we would like to admit. We still choose evil. Don't we we still choose sin. We still choose our own will. Even though we've been given a new nature.

We act just like Jonah did. We choose our own will over the will of God quite often. Like I said more often than we care to admit more often than I care to admit. There's a matter of fact there are some Striking similarities between Jonah's actions and ours.

Whenever we're railing against God We have this free moral agency. We're acting as free moral agents. Yet God's predetermination always stands doesn't it? I'm going to see that as we continue on through this book.

But these similarities between us and our disobedience and Jonah or there they are. Striking the first of which that I want you to see is is what we just saw is is he Consciously chose to disobey Noah.

Conscious Noah. I said Jonah Consciously chose to disobey God. God had given him a direct command and he chose not to. We do that don't we? We consciously choose. That's the first step towards sinning against God.

Running from God is a conscious decision and There are times when we disobey God out of ignorance. We don't know what God's will is honestly. We've maybe not understood it from Scripture yet. We're young in the faith.

We didn't understand that that was sin, but the difference here is is once we were made aware of it. What did we do? We'd repent and if we don't repent once we're made aware of it, then we are making a conscious decision to disobey.

So that's what. No, that's what Jonah did. I keep wanting to call Jonah Noah, I don't know why that's what Jonah did though isn't he consciously disobeyed but Many times we know that God's Word says This is my will.

This is an imperative. This is my will for you. This is what I'm calling you to do. But we're still not willing to submit to that will we see the connection you see what Jonah is doing here. But then the second thing I want us to see that Jonah does in his direct disobedience towards God's will is He contrived a plan.

He's got this plan, doesn't he? That's the next thing we do we make a conscious decision and then we we contrive some sort of a plan. We come up with an idea as to what we're gonna do. Look at our passage look at verse 3 says but Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish.

From the presence of the Lord he went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence of.

The Lord.

You notice the repetitive language in this verse. It it's there on purpose that in Hebrew literature. This would have been commonly used to draw emphasis.

And.

So when we see this word Tarshish, you know when you read through it It's almost like a tongue twister you get to it Tarshish Tarshish Tarshish. He keeps mentioning he mentions it three times which again in Hebrew in Hebrew literature.

This is important. What they're saying is pay attention to this city. This is important in this passage. So why Tarshish? Why is this important for us to see in here? Well, we have to understand where Tarshish was in order to understand why it's important.

So if you're looking at a map, I didn't have time to put a map up here. But if you were to look at a map of where where Jonah is and where he goes down to the port in Joppa Nineveh is roughly 600 miles Northeast but Tarshish is on the opposite side of the Mediterranean Sea the opposite direction 2 ,200 miles.

This is important just to give you a visual to understand it if you've done any traveling It would be like God coming to me and saying Nathan. I want you to go to Charleston, West Virginia. Go northeast 600 miles and instead I get in my car and I immediately drive to Seattle, Washington.

That's the that's the difference. This is this is where Jonah has Deliberately and intentionally decided he's gonna go because he says it went he went down to Joppa and Found a ship. He's looking for a ship.

This was his plan. He wanted to take a ship to Tarshish. And this is this is where he's wanting to run so. So what is the purpose and wanting to run away so far? Why does why does Jonah want to get so far away?

Because of one of the other phrases in here that's repetitive that's driving our attention notice he says from the presence of the Lord twice. This is important. He's running from the presence of the Lord.

That's why I wanted to get away so far. Now did Jonah really think that he was going to be able to find Somewhere that God can't go. Do you think that Jonah and his mind thought I got to get away from the physical Spiritual presence of God and I think I can do that on the other side of the Mediterranean Sea.

That's of course not of course Jonah didn't think that way. We know that because of verse 9 when he's speaking to the sailors during the storm. What does he say? He says he says I am a Hebrew. I fear the Lord the God of heaven Who made the sea who made the dry land.

He knows God is everywhere. So he can't get away from the presence of God. So what does it mean? What does this phrase mean? Well in order to understand it We need to understand this in the Hebrew this this phrase that's in the Hebrew.

It's used also elsewhere in Scripture. As a matter of fact, it's used back in Genesis chapter 4. You remember the story of Cain and Abel? Cain is jealous of his brother and kills his brother and God brings consequence.

Oh on to Cain because the blood of his brother is crying out from the ground for justice. Well in verse 16, it says then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord. It's the same phrasing. It's the same language that's used.

For Jonah desiring to go to Joppa 2 ,200 miles the opposite direction from what God's will was. So this simply means the phrasing in this language simply means that you are out of God's good graces. You are away from his common means of grace and More specifically it means that you are away from God's people.

That's what Jonah wanted Was to get away From God's people. This is what Jonah was trying to achieve by going all the way to Tarsus. As he wanted to get away. Have you ever noticed that the first thing anyone ever does when they want to run from the will of God including yourself?

The first thing Is to get away from the people of God to get outside of fellowship. We want to separate ourselves. We want to separate ourselves from any kind of conviction and the reason for that is because we want to get out from under the Influence of God.

That's what Jonah wanted. He wanted to get away from the influence of God. He wanted to get away from what reminded him of the holiness of God. He wanted to get away from any kind of accountability. He wanted to get away from any other men of God that would come to him and say you know What God told me you disobeyed him you better obey or there's judgment coming.

He didn't want that conviction. He didn't want to be confronted. It's just like when we are running from the will of God. The last thing we want is that accountability? We don't want to be at church. We don't want our pastors.

We don't want our brothers and sisters in Christ who can point us to God's Word because it reminds us of God's will and it Reminds us of our rebellion. So we want to get 2 ,200 miles away the opposite direction.

Just like Jonah did this intentional Plan by Jonah. This was the will of Jonah wasn't it? This was his will and he wanted to he wanted to override the will of God. So what about the will of God? What about God's will?

Where's God's will in all of this? Isn't he sovereign and and dominant? Isn't his Pre-pre determining will gonna override. What why can't he just override Jonah's will here it's a good question, isn't it because he could have but look at verse 4 Says but the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea.

God gave him enough rope to hang himself, didn't he? He gave Jonah the ability to exercise his free moral agency to exercise his will and get on that boat and head as far away from the presence of God as he possibly could and God allowed him but.

But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea and there was a mighty tempest on the sea. So that the ship threatened to break up. We so often live our lives under the illusion that we have some control, don't we?

We have some control because after all I'm a free moral agent. I can choose where I want to go and we forget that God is Sovereignly ordaining and orchestrating every millisecond. Nothing happens apart from God Ordaining and allowing it.

Because it's his will that will stand. Let's think about that for a moment. I want you to see the big picture here. What if Jonah had obeyed God right away that would have been a really short book wouldn't it have Jonah.

Jonah setting there and God says arise. Go to Nineveh that great city and call out against them and Jonah says yes, sir. Stands up takes the 600 mile trip straight up to Nineveh calls them out. They're saved end of book, right?

That would have been that would have been easy.

But.

Because of Jonah's disobedience we in God's Word now get to see the power.

And.

Providence of God in a way that we would not have seen If that would have been the case if Jonah would have obeyed right away. We get to see it portrayed right before us. God wants to us to know who he is, doesn't he?

God is interested in his glory. God wants to know wants us to know who he is. Why does he want us to know him in full? How why does he want us to know him more so that we can worship him in a greater capacity?

And so God wants us to see a Picture of him. We would not have seen this Providence. And what Providence is that? Think about the sailors on that ship. When the sea starts to tear that ship to pieces and Jonah's in there Sleeping at the bottom of the ship and these men are fighting for their lives.

God sent Jonah to them. Intentionally didn't he look at verse 16 of chapter 1 Says then the men feared the Lord exceedingly and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. Prior to that verse these men have been praying to their own gods to idols false gods.

Seeking help these men were unbelievers and now because of their interaction with Jonah and the power and majesty Of God these men are making sacrifices to the Lord. These men were saved. God's providential ordaining purpose was fulfilled through Jonah's disobedience.

God had an elect remnant on that ship, and he was not about to let them go. Was he. He had a purpose in it. Jonah's disobedience this Rebellious prophet that was that that spits in the face of God and runs from the will of God.

He disobeys and and he wants to carry out his own will. God is dominant. God uses even that disobedience in him. This should give us great. Hope shouldn't it? We've already acknowledged. We see God's will and in the Word of God through imperatives every day.

And we choose at times to disobey them and that can become discouraging because we choose evil over good and we run after our own Will and we want to get away from from conviction and we want to get away from God.

Yet.

This powerful sovereign God Will wrangle us into obedience. He won't leave us to to ourselves will he not only will he wrangle us into obedience But he in this process In our brokenness in our foolishness will carry out his perfect Holy just Mighty sovereign will now I want to say something here.

I was thinking about as I was preparing. I was standing in here about 11 o 'clock last night. Thinking through and praying about this. Because here's here's a propensity when we go and we look at these Old Testament narratives and we see them in the majesty of God.

And we see our our brokenness before this this majestic God we sometimes. We sometimes leave these types of sermons. With this idea that well, I guess I need to go out and do better. I guess I should go out and do better.

I Thank goodness that his mercy and kindness and his sovereign grace will will cover that. But that's not what this sermon is about if If as I've been preaching today or at any time if I've given you the the idea that you should go out from this place.

And do better. I'm sorry, forgive me. I failed you. I think it's important that we We don't preach moralism, that's not what I'm preaching here. God does give us precepts. He does tell us his will and we do disobey them.

I'm not encouraging disobedience. But what I am courage encouraging you and what this sermon really should drive home is. Drive your attention to that good God. That's who we want to look to right one.

That is long-suffering and merciful One that gave his only son. To be a propitiation for every single Sin of his elect even in our disobedience all of our rebellion. Every ounce of it if you were in Christ has been paid for and that great.

That great kindness of that great. God is what leads us to continual repentance, isn't it? If I were to tell you don't be like Jonah when God tells you to do something do it right away. And when you do and when you do that Really just pull yourself up by your bootstraps and make it happen.

Even when you don't want to now I would encourage that because there comes consequences. God chastens those that he loves. But that's not what this is about. I don't want to leave you with that. That's not what what we're preaching here.

This kindness of God is what will make you want to obey his will. That's who I want you to look to. Don't look to yourself to obey God's will don't look to your power to say I am gonna kill my own will so that the Will of God can stand and I'm gonna look to myself and I'm gonna constantly be fighting that without ever looking to who God is.

And when we see the kindness of God when we see that disposition of God that gives us the power to obey the will of God. Because when you look upon him you will long to obey him, right. And Then you won't be like Jonah.

That when the will of God tells you very specifically in his word. This is what I desire for you. Because of his kindness. Because of his grace. Because we see him for who he is because we love him for who he is because he loved us first.

Then and only then can we have the power to obey his will and not be like Jonah. But because of this wretched flesh. There's going to be times that we disobey there may be times that you're in disobedience this morning.

For something God has specifically told you what to do and you're in disobedience. If you're in Christ. Don't just don't just lay yourself in sackcloth and ashes and say I I just I'm upset about this.

No, look to Christ. Look to that good God so that you would desire to obey him and see his kindness that leads you to that repentance, right? And align that will back up with God knowing that even in your disobedience God is going to use For his good pleasure and his purposes.

He may have an Elect remnant on that ship that you're headed to don't make this an excuse to be able to sin, right? Don't say well I'm just gonna I'm just gonna ignore the will of God. I'm just gonna do whatever I want to do and then God and his sovereignty is gonna use it all for good.

That's presuming upon God, isn't it? We don't want that. But do you do you see the rest in this. I'm not hitting you with a hammer of Law and morality this morning. I'm bringing you to a gracious and good kind father.

Who's sovereign and in control? Look to him. That's why this book is about God. This book isn't about moral moral principles so that we can do better. That's not what it's about. We can look at those.

But then we have to tie them to the character and the nature and the glory and the majesty of God and when we see The character nature and glory and majesty of God. We don't want to sin anymore because of his kindness so with that I Would like to lead us to the Lord's table again today.