(This is sermon 2 of 4 in a series Jonah: Rated PG)
A couple was enjoying a Sunday morning breakfast when the wife went to get her Sunday church clothes on. When she returned, the husband was still in his bathrobe.
“Aren’t you going to church this morning?” asked the wife.
“No, I’m not going this morning. In fact, I’m not going to church anymore at all.”
“What do you mean, we’ve gone to church for years, so why the change?
He responded, “Look, there are people at that church who don’t like me, and frankly, there are people at that church that I don’t like, and I’M NOT GOING!”
She calmly answered back, “I’ll give you two good reasons why you need to go to church. One, you’re 45 years old. Two, you’ve gotta go, you’re the pastor.”
Jonah finds himself in that type of situation. He is God’s prophet. He has a job to do – a message to deliver, but he doesn’t want to do it. God wants him to go to Nineveh and preach. Jonah doesn’t want to go.
Nineveh was about 500 miles northeast of Jerusalem in the country of Assyria. On the banks of the Tigris river. Guess what part of the world that is now? Northern Iraq just east of the town of Mosul. At the time, it was one of the largest cities of the Assyrian Empire. It had 120,000 people. The land was good for growing barley and onions and apples and grapes and the land had a lot of marble. Even today, this area exports marble all over the world.
Assyrians and Jews were long-time enemies – attacked Israel again and again. Anthropologists tell us that the Assyrians were one of the cruelest people ever to live on the face of the earth (Top 3 – Aztecs, Assyrians, Vikings).
When they went to war, they were brutally vicious. Every man they captured they tortured to death. Every child prisoner was killed. Every woman prisoner was taken as a slave. There are records of whole towns who committed mass suicide rather than fall into the hands of the Assyrians. The Assyrians practiced child sacrifice, burning babies as an act of worship to their demon gods.
You know, I kinda like Jonah. He’s real – and he struggles with issues I struggle with: What do you do when you don’t want to do what God wants you to do? What do you do when you know what’s right, but that’s just not the path you want to travel? What do you do when God’s plans and your plans just don’t match? What do you do when you can’t trust God – when you just know that somehow he’s going to rip you off?
Perhaps the worst struggle of all – has God ever commanded you to do something you resented doing?
These are Jonah’s dilemmas. Are they ever yours?
I believe there’s a Jonah lurking in the heart of every one of us – times our will is locked in a power struggle with God!
The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
Jonah 1:1-3 NIV
He decides to get as far away as possible. Instead of going to Nineveh which was 500miles east of Jerusalem, he decides to go sailing 2000 miles west of Jerusalem. He heads for Tarshish, which was the farthest point known to him. Instead of traveling the 500 miles God asked, Jonah sets out on a journey that will take him 2000 miles away.
God speaks and we run. Our natural tendency is to run away from God. We hear the word of God - we know the character of God - we know what it means to be faithful - to do what is right - to live God’s way - to have the right priorities and goals in life - YET, we avoid it, we make excuses, we will not listen, we choose to go in the opposite direction and often take a more difficult and treacherous journey than needed.
Resisting God is easy, disobedience is natural. When you disobey God - when you choose to live your way - when you avoid what God says about life for you - He lets you do what you want. If you choose to stop reading the Bible, he does not send a storm to get you reading again. If you choose to stop coming to church, he does not send an earthquake to shake you up. If you choose to pursue a relationship with a non-Christian, he does not send a flood to overwhelm you. If you choose to put your career or work first, he does not send a fire to wake you up. NOT AT FIRST - he allows you to do what you want - to pay for your own foolishness (reminder behavior has consequences).
What are your escapes?
Let’s face it we all do things to escape: Videogames, computer, Music, Alcohol, Self-injury, Drugs, Work, Hobbies, smoking, sports, shopping, driving, reading, working out/fitness, Food
In our desire to escape the things of God and our responsibilities we escape and many spend a life time, buying passage to the "Tarhishes" of the world.
Not all escapes are bad.
But when God makes:
A call to change your behavior – but instead you do everything you can to avoid the topic
A call to be more public with your faith – but instead you hide your faith
A call to forgive someone for harm they have done to us – but instead you avoid them in order to keep your grudge
A call to quietness and prayer – but instead you fill your life with really important busy things
A call to a specific use of your gifts – but instead you put it on the back burner until a more opportune time
A call into relationship with God through Jesus – but instead you throw yourself into the things of the world.
Try as we might there is no escape from God. The Psalmist reminds us of this:
Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight?
If I climb to the sky, you're there!
If I go underground, you're there!
If I flew on morning's wings to the far western horizon,
You'd find me in a minute— you're already there waiting!
Psalm 139:7-9 The Message
So like us, Jonah runs. But he can’t hide, because God won’t let him go – and that is a good thing – because the worst place to be in is running away from God! The good news is that God pursues Jonah through a storm. The storm is not a bad thing (I am sure it took some convincing to those that went through it).
The Good News for you is that God is pursuing you.
And You have no need to hide from God.
God is not coming to punish. (Remember Jesus’ words “I come not to condemn, but to save”).
We can learn things from this story:
1) Don’t run from God – it just doesn’t work – God will pursue you – God will not give up on you
Are you running from God? What is God’s call on your life right now? Is it to give your life to Him? To step out in faith? To stop a certain behavior?
2) Recognize God in the Storms of life
Not every storm that comes our way is sent by God, but some are. Even the ones that are not sent by God (but may result from our own behavior) can be used for His purpose. We need to ask what is God calling us to amidst the storms?
3) God gives second chances
The first two verses of chapter 3(Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”) are a carbon copy of the first two verses of chapter one – Jonah gets a second chance!
God is the God of second chances. Is there anyone here today who is running from something that they know God wants them to do? You have your excuses (just like Jonah) Maybe you’re afraid that there won’t be enough money. Or that you’ll lose some important friendships. Maybe you’re worried that God might make you go someplace in the world where you don’t want to go. We all have our “Nineveh” that scare us right down to our bones and send us running.
Can I tell you this - Stop running!
God is the God of second chances. Maybe today is yours?
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