1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:08,160 Father in heaven, we give you praise for the gift of this 2 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:11,520 gathering. This time to veil ourselves the 3 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:16,480 means of grace, to have our eyes fixed upon the glory of our 4 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:21,480 risen King Jesus, to be reminded of the power of the Holy 5 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:26,000 Spirit's role in our life, rebuking us, correcting us, 6 00:00:26,240 --> 00:00:30,600 training us in righteousness. Father, we pray that as we open 7 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:34,760 your word, You would feed our souls that you would make us 8 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:38,000 different. That we would hear things that 9 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:42,160 we have not heard before, see things that simply we've not 10 00:00:42,160 --> 00:00:46,400 seen before, and because of the power of this living word would 11 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:53,040 leave this place unable to stop speaking about You and the 12 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:56,240 things that we have seen and heard. 13 00:00:56,600 --> 00:01:00,560 All for your glory. We pray this and for our good in 14 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:06,400 the name of Jesus, Amen. Remain standing as I read the 15 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:10,920 passage today, which is one verse we are concluding our 16 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:17,320 study of the book of Jonah. Last week, Pastor Paul Goble did 17 00:01:17,320 --> 00:01:20,640 a remarkable job really of leading us all the way through 18 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:24,000 the end of that chapter, 48 verses. 19 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:29,320 And today we're going to come back to one verse that is so 20 00:01:29,320 --> 00:01:32,560 critical to the whole book and actually the whole Bible. 21 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:37,640 And it's a verse that Jonah prayed from the belly of the 22 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:40,720 fish. If you're new to our church, we 23 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:44,880 believe that there was a real man named Jonah who was a 24 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:48,680 prophet who had fallen. He'd rebelled, and it's God's 25 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:53,440 restoration, in God's Providence, in God's pleasure. 26 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:57,800 He finds himself in the belly of a well, and from that place, 27 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:01,400 reaching rock bottom, he cries to the Lord. 28 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:04,680 And this is what he says at the end of his prayer, the last 29 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:08,080 thing he says from the belly of the fish, verse 9 of Jonah 30 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:10,919 chapter 2. But I, with the voice of 31 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:16,240 Thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you what I have vowed I will 32 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:20,160 pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord. 33 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:24,120 This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. 34 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:33,600 Please be seated. Salvation belongs to the Lord. 35 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:39,120 A remarkable summary of this remarkable small, minor prophet 36 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:42,320 48 verses. But it's also a remarkable 37 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:46,720 statement about all of Scripture from beginning in Genesis to the 38 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:50,320 end of Revelation. It's about the salvation that 39 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:54,640 belongs to God. During our announcements, I made 40 00:02:54,640 --> 00:02:58,200 a comment about the 2025 ministry impact. 41 00:02:58,440 --> 00:02:59,840 I know some of you weren't here yet. 42 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:02,280 This is just something we report every year. 43 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:04,640 It has a lot to do with the finances of the church, how 44 00:03:04,640 --> 00:03:07,960 money is being spent, giving patterns, things like that. 45 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:10,560 I would love for you to grab one of these in the Grand Hall, or 46 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:14,520 you can download it off of our website or off of our PCPC app. 47 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:19,360 There's wonderful things to celebrate inside these pages, 48 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:23,040 but what I want you to hear for just a moment is that on every 49 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:28,600 page, behind every person, behind every effort, is the 50 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:32,640 truth that salvation belongs to the Lord. 51 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:38,040 In everything we seek to do, we want to bring God glory by 52 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:43,360 proclaiming that Jesus Christ our King alone is the way of 53 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:46,960 salvation. There is no other way. 54 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:51,440 It's been an amazing month. As I mentioned at the beginning, 55 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:54,240 the first Sunday in November, we had the Global Mission 56 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:57,920 Conference here at PCPC. On that Sunday I was in Nagoya, 57 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:02,680 Japan preaching in a church having attended the Christ Bible 58 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:06,800 Institute 20th anniversary. That Friday and Saturday I was 59 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:09,880 invited as a guest preachers incredible honor. 60 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:12,720 I preached on the woman at the well from John 4. 61 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:18,640 But that Friday night, October 31st, I was overwhelmed by what 62 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:23,280 I witnessed as 500 to 600 registered guests, mostly 63 00:04:23,280 --> 00:04:28,240 Japanese, gathered in an auditorium to worship for most 64 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,760 of these. When I say most, 90% plus they 65 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:37,320 had never been in an auditorium or anywhere with that many 66 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:42,320 Christians praising the Lord. This was the first and not 67 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:43,960 likely something that will happen soon. 68 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:47,080 Again. The soil in Japan is so hard. 69 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:50,840 Less than 1% Christian. And then the Goya where Christ 70 00:04:50,840 --> 00:04:54,520 Bible Institute is located. The 8 reached least prefectures 71 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:58,000 are in that area. But what I witnessed was 72 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:03,560 overwhelming because these brothers and sisters in Christ 73 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:08,240 who had been saved by God's grace were lifting their voice 74 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:12,560 loudly, raising their hands and praising the Lord. 75 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:16,880 One of the songs that was most moving to me had this refrain 76 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:19,200 from the mountains to the valleys. 77 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:24,680 Let the song of the resound filling all the nations with 78 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:29,360 praise and Thanksgiving. I didn't understand a word of it 79 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:35,480 until they put up the words Hallelujah, Hallelujah. 80 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:39,120 I just listened. Hallelujah. 81 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:43,240 God is at work. He's saving his people. 82 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:49,880 But in Japan, a church for most of the Japanese brothers and 83 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:52,680 sisters and the missionaries that are, they're serving a big 84 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:59,000 church, is 25 members. The church I preached in had two 85 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:01,160 services. They have their own building. 86 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:05,520 It's quite old now, but they can only hold 40 people and they've 87 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:09,320 grown past that. The first service was at 8:30, 88 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:10,880 and I preached to about nine people. 89 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:14,920 Around 35 showed up at the later service. 90 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:21,560 We sing Jesus loves me in Japanese, Amazing Grace in 91 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:26,080 Japanese. In between the services, I met 92 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:28,920 with their three elders. Their three elders handed me a 93 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:33,160 piece of paper and said this is the vision that we believe God 94 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:38,040 has given us for this church. This little church is tucked 95 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:39,680 away in a neighborhood. If you didn't know it was there, 96 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:42,800 you would never know. They're praying that God would 97 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:45,400 help them sell that building and buy another building where there 98 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:49,880 was more exposure to Christ and the people of Christ. 99 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:54,080 They talked about their vision as they've sought the Lord's 100 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:56,680 face. A sweet Presbyterian flock. 101 00:06:57,880 --> 00:07:02,000 But what struck me most was their humility and their sense 102 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:04,680 of purpose truly to bring God glory. 103 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:08,080 And then in a paragraph near the end, it says we believe God is 104 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:15,320 calling us to be a mega Church of 200 people. 105 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:27,680 That would be a mega church. I hope we will pray fervently 106 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:31,480 for that to happen and give as the Lord enables us. 107 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:37,720 The pastor there is a very faithful, lovely man, saturates 108 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:41,320 deep in the gospel. He's been there 25 years, and 109 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:44,280 for every year he's been there, they've had one member at it. 110 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:55,240 On average, God alone has the power to save a person. 111 00:07:56,280 --> 00:08:02,880 It takes no more power to save a Japanese teenager than it did to 112 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:06,840 save the apostle Paul when his name was Saul. 113 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:15,160 But it takes God's power. Salvation belongs to the Lord. 114 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:22,680 God's going to do it His way, His will accomplished. 115 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:28,280 That's what Jonah is seeking to teach us. 116 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:36,640 This small book, 48 verses, reveals so much about the glory 117 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:39,480 of God and about God's plan of salvation. 118 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:43,720 In order to help you follow along, especially children, I 119 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,360 want you to do this. I want you to take the bulletin. 120 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:49,160 You'll probably have to move off your zest quest for a moment and 121 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:52,200 I want you to go to the page that says sermon notes. 122 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:54,640 It looks like this. And then there's actually a 123 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:59,440 little spot right behind the words of assurance and comfort 124 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:02,160 of the gospel and adult or children. 125 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:04,280 What I want you to do is I want you to draw your hand. 126 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:12,640 I'm going to give you 5 statements that we are being 127 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:17,240 taught from this one statement. Salvation belongs to the Lord. 128 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:20,240 Now as you're drawing that, I want you to think about this for 129 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:23,120 a moment. This prayer coming out of the 130 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:27,000 mouth of Jonah from the belly of the well is when he is at rock 131 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:28,840 bottom. If you don't don't have your 132 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:31,440 Bible, grab the Blue Pew Bible and turn to Jonah 2. 133 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:37,520 Jonah 2 is where this prayer is recorded. 134 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:40,480 Jonah describes his life this way. 135 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:44,480 Jonah 2 verse 5, The waters closed in over me to take my 136 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:46,800 life. The deep surrounded me. 137 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:51,480 Weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. 138 00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:53,160 That's how he's describing his life. 139 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:56,720 You can't get lower than the roots of the mountains. 140 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:00,680 And that's where he is. And from this place Jonah is 141 00:10:00,680 --> 00:10:04,680 coming to the end of himself. And from this place the last 142 00:10:04,680 --> 00:10:08,000 thing he praises. But I, with the voice of 143 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:14,160 Thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you what I have vowed I will 144 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:18,320 pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord. 145 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:21,800 What does Jonah mean by that? What does God want us to 146 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:25,200 understand about that? So I'm going to give you 5 147 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:29,040 things in the poem. Simply write salvation belongs 148 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:31,840 to the Lord. And now I'm going to give you 5 149 00:10:31,960 --> 00:10:35,440 phrases. Each of them end with a word 150 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:38,120 that starts with Pi. Did not do that on purpose. 151 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:41,240 I don't actually like it when that happens, but it's helpful 152 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:42,880 to remember. Here's the first one. 153 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:45,600 Salvation belongs to the Lord. What does it mean? 154 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:52,720 It's His sovereign plan. Sovereign means all powerful, 155 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:56,960 all knowing, in full control. When we celebrate Christ the 156 00:10:56,960 --> 00:11:00,560 King, he's our sovereign King. He's not just somewhat in 157 00:11:00,560 --> 00:11:02,840 control. He's not just someone with some 158 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:04,480 power. He has it all. 159 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:09,640 This is our Lord, sovereign, Lord, sovereign plan. 160 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:15,160 Salvation belongs to the Lord. Charles Spurgeon says no human 161 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:20,800 intellect and no created intelligence assisted God in the 162 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:25,040 planning of salvation. He contrived the way even as he 163 00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:30,760 himself carried it out. Salvation belongs to the Lord. 164 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:33,880 It's his plan. It's his idea. 165 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:37,080 We could never come up with it, and we would never come up with 166 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:41,000 it. God's plan is so much larger, so 167 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:43,800 much more grand than we can imagine. 168 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:48,360 His plan communicated to Jonah was that I'm going to actually 169 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:54,200 save this wicked, evil, violent people, an enemy of my people, 170 00:11:54,200 --> 00:12:01,040 the Israelites, the Ninevites. I want them to hear my word. 171 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:04,640 That was not Jonah's plan. It was God's plan. 172 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:08,280 Salvation belongs to the Lord. First point. 173 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:14,720 It's His sovereign plan. If you were in Christ Jesus, it 174 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:18,520 wasn't your plan if you were in Christ Jesus. 175 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:22,240 If you were in Christ Jesus, it wasn't your idea. 176 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:27,960 God initiates. God pursues the second P, His 177 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:32,520 sovereign proclamation. When I say proclamation, I'm 178 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:35,880 referring to God delivering His word to us. 179 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:40,280 Notice in Jonah 1 chapter 1 verse one, it says now the word 180 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:44,680 of the Lord came to Jonah. Jonah chapter 3 verse one, same 181 00:12:44,680 --> 00:12:46,680 thing. Then the word of the Lord came 182 00:12:46,680 --> 00:12:50,960 to Jonah the second time. But this is not the first time 183 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:53,760 God's word had been revealed. Go all the way back in your 184 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:58,040 Bible to the very beginning. In the beginning God created the 185 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:02,680 heavens and the earth, and when God gets around to creating man 186 00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:08,000 and then woman, He proclaims His word and His word to them is all 187 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:12,280 of this I have given to you. Tend to it, take care of it. 188 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:15,680 It is for your pleasure. And it was perfect. 189 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:21,320 There wasn't one thing wrong. There wasn't one thing broken, 190 00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:26,520 not relationally, not in nature, Nothing was wrong. 191 00:13:26,840 --> 00:13:32,560 But He proclaimed this all is yours except for this one tree. 192 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:36,280 Do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 193 00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:42,080 That was it. The first question in the Bible 194 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:45,640 is not a question from God. It's question. 195 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:48,080 It's a question from Satan in the form of the serpent. 196 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:52,320 Serpent comes up to the woman Eve, and the very first thing he 197 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:55,800 attacks is the word of God. And here's his question. 198 00:13:56,080 --> 00:14:01,080 Did God really say? Eve responds by saying yes, this 199 00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:03,760 is what God said. He continues to tempt her, and 200 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:08,760 it's the same way he tempts you and tempts me every day. 201 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:13,520 Did God really say this is the way I'm to think of myself? 202 00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:21,720 Did God really say I'm not to put my trust in my wealth or my 203 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:24,680 reputation? Did God really say I'm not 204 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:27,520 supposed to look at worthless things? 205 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:31,720 And there are lots of worthless things we can look at, not just 206 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:36,400 pornography. Did God really say I'm supposed 207 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:40,880 to give my money this way? Did God really say I'm supposed 208 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:44,040 to obey this law? Did God really say that's how 209 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:47,200 Satan works? His first question in the Bible, 210 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:50,640 Eve responds by saying yes, this is what was proclaimed. 211 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:55,440 But as he continues, she and Adam succumb to the temptation. 212 00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:57,560 They take the fruit and they eat it. 213 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:02,040 And as soon as they eat it, their eyes are opened, Sin is 214 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:04,120 entered in. Their relationship with each 215 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:06,200 other is broken. The relationship with God is 216 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:08,960 broken. God's first question. 217 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:13,040 Now comes the first question from God in the Bible is really 218 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:16,400 interesting. Where are you? 219 00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:20,760 That's a question he's asking to Adam and Eve. 220 00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:24,560 Where are you? It's not a question that he 221 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:27,920 doesn't know the answer to. Because he's omnipresent. 222 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:30,120 That means he's everywhere. Present. 223 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:32,000 There's nowhere he is not present. 224 00:15:33,640 --> 00:15:36,760 It's not a lack of knowledge because he's omniscient. 225 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:43,280 There's nothing God can ever learn about anything about you, 226 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:46,680 about your children, your grandchildren, nothing. 227 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:55,840 It's not a question of his power, but he asked where are 228 00:15:55,840 --> 00:15:58,440 you? And listen to the response. 229 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:03,640 Adam says we were afraid. They'd never known fear before. 230 00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:06,400 Think about that. They'd never known fear. 231 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:08,480 They'd never known shame. They'd never known guilt. 232 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:10,600 All of a sudden it rushes in them. 233 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:15,240 We were afraid because we were naked, so we hid. 234 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:19,720 Now comes God's second question. First, where are you? 235 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:23,680 We were afraid because we were naked, so we had Second 236 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:26,160 question, Who told you you were naked? 237 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:30,760 Have you eaten? Third question, have you eaten? 238 00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:34,720 Have you eaten from the tree? The one tree that I commanded 239 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:38,480 you not to eat from Adam's response? 240 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:47,000 The woman you put here with me. Do you see the brokenness? 241 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:55,520 God's word proclaimed? Salvation belongs to the Lord. 242 00:16:56,320 --> 00:17:01,720 He has a sovereign plan. His sovereign plan is proclaimed 243 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:05,319 by His sovereign word being delivered. 244 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:08,400 Notice again in Jonah one it comes to Jonah. 245 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:09,880 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah. 246 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:13,319 Jonah rebels against that word. He rejects that word. 247 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:16,480 He thinks he can hide and flee from the Lord, but the Lord 248 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:20,400 continues to pursue him. Verse 3 of verse 1 of chapter 3. 249 00:17:20,599 --> 00:17:23,000 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time. 250 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:28,000 Do you see what's happening in God's plan of salvation? 251 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:31,440 Salvation belongs to the Lord. In His sovereign plan. 252 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:34,480 He's bringing His sovereign proclamation. 253 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:38,680 So what he's doing is this. The word now came to Jonah. 254 00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:43,280 Jonah rejects it. God continues to bring his word 255 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:46,640 to him. And then God does what only God 256 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:49,360 can do. He takes the word that comes to 257 00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:53,280 Jonah, and now the word comes from Jonah. 258 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:56,200 The word comes to Jonah. He rejects that. 259 00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:59,000 It comes to him again after he spit out of the well and it's 260 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:03,320 time he obeys. And in God's Providence, the the 261 00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:06,680 rebellious prophet now is the one taking the word that he 262 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:09,240 heard the first time and the word that he heard the second 263 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:11,400 time. And he's going into the city to 264 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:17,640 proclaim it to a people that are violent, evil, vile people. 265 00:18:19,880 --> 00:18:22,440 Part of God's plan of salvation is the proclamation. 266 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:31,600 And now consider this, thousands of years later, literally 267 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:38,200 thousands, on November 23rd of 2025, a flock of God's people 268 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:41,160 are hearing the same word proclaimed. 269 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:52,320 It's coming from God to us and it's meant to go from us all 270 00:18:52,360 --> 00:18:57,600 over this world. That's God's plan. 271 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:04,560 It's God's proclamation, and it goes with here's the third P His 272 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:11,600 sovereign power. In the 48 verses of Jonah, most 273 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:17,800 people are fixated on the fish. But in 48 verses, this little 274 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:23,200 book does so much to show the power of our sovereign God. 275 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:30,440 First, God will always accomplish His will. 276 00:19:31,120 --> 00:19:34,400 He is going to accomplish His plan the way He wants to 277 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:38,880 accomplish it. And it's His will to use a 278 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:45,120 fallen, rebellious prophet of God to bring His message of 279 00:19:45,120 --> 00:19:50,160 grace and forgiveness to a Pagan people, and that same word to 280 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:55,120 Himself in His sovereign power. Notice what happens in this 281 00:19:55,120 --> 00:19:59,760 small book. God exercises his power over 282 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:04,760 nature. First, he appoints a storm. 283 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:10,880 He appoints a storm to come up on the boat that is holding 284 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:12,720 Jonah. Jonah is asleep. 285 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:15,160 The sailors are trying to save their lives. 286 00:20:15,160 --> 00:20:18,120 Don't you care? Is essentially the question to 287 00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:22,280 Jonah. God has brought the storm to 288 00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:25,800 this one particular place that it would overwhelm the sailors 289 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:29,240 and the boat that they're on. He appointed the storm. 290 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:33,720 He's a power over nature. Secondly, He brings the fish. 291 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:36,960 This blows my mind when we give it time to think deeply about 292 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:40,360 it. This fish that God made, this 293 00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:46,280 fish that Christ himself made, He's the Creator was created at 294 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:50,120 a time it would grow into the fish that even when it was 295 00:20:50,120 --> 00:20:52,840 created, the Lord knew. This will be the one. 296 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:56,400 This will be the one who is going to swallow up my 297 00:20:56,400 --> 00:20:59,880 rebellious prophet who has been thrown over the edge of the boat 298 00:21:00,120 --> 00:21:05,280 to keep him from dying so that he might receive My mercy and My 299 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:10,040 grace, my sovereign power. This fish is going to swallow 300 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:13,960 him, and for three days this fallen prophet of mine is going 301 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:16,440 to live in that fish. But from the belly of this fish, 302 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:20,720 this prophet is going to pray to me, and he's going to end his 303 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:25,280 prayer by saying salvation belongs to the Lord. 304 00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:36,000 We couldn't make this up. So Jonah goes, he is restored. 305 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:40,960 He is recommissioned. He goes into the city of Nineveh 306 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:45,080 and proclaims exactly what God told him to proclaim. 307 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:51,040 He's faithful, finally. But then God does what Jonah 308 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:54,880 suspected he might do. He shows a people that Jonah 309 00:21:54,880 --> 00:22:05,400 despises, that Jonah hates mercy and grace, and from the least to 310 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:14,120 the king there's repentance. That city repents and Jonah's 311 00:22:14,120 --> 00:22:17,560 angry. Jonah leaves the city. 312 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:21,720 He finds himself in a position pouting. 313 00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:25,440 That's not one of the peace, but he finds himself in a position, 314 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:31,160 pouting, angry, and the Lord appoints a plant. 315 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:36,000 A plant that he himself designed, that he himself then 316 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:40,000 created, that he himself then grew on that particular patch 317 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:44,920 that would come over his fallen prophet Jonah to give him shade. 318 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:49,320 And then the Lord, exercising his power over nature, creating 319 00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:55,040 this massive fish, uses a small worm that devours the plant. 320 00:22:57,560 --> 00:23:02,920 His power is seen and how he appoints nature to accomplish 321 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:08,320 his will, but it's also seen in how he uses people just like 322 00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:12,560 you, just like me, just like Jonah who have fallen to 323 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:18,040 accomplish his means. 4th P is his sovereign pity. 324 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:24,880 This book and this study has been personally very convicting 325 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:28,400 to me and I've heard from many of you the same. 326 00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:32,640 And most of the time it's centered in this area where the 327 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:36,160 Lord and His grace towards you has shown you that you do not 328 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:40,800 have the same pity and care for the lost nations, the lost 329 00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:44,440 people that the Lord has. You're like Jonah. 330 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:51,880 I'm like Jonah. We want our people to be saved. 331 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:57,320 We want our nation to be protected, but I don't really 332 00:23:57,320 --> 00:24:00,640 care that much about the people who aren't walking in Christ. 333 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:06,920 You do not get grace. I'm going to be very direct if 334 00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:10,520 that's where you are. There's something missing in 335 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:14,760 your theology. You do not get grace because the 336 00:24:14,760 --> 00:24:21,760 people who are acting like non believers because they are non 337 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:25,560 believers have hearts that were just like yours. 338 00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:27,960 If you're in Christ, they were dead. 339 00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:33,120 They're not morally sick, they're spiritually dead. 340 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:40,000 Salvation belongs to the Lord. The only way someone is going to 341 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:44,360 come to faith is if the Lord opens up their eyes and their 342 00:24:44,360 --> 00:24:48,760 ears and causes that dead heart to be, which is what he did for 343 00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:52,360 you if you're in Christ. And if you don't want others to 344 00:24:52,360 --> 00:24:57,400 receive that news, you're missing grace. 345 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:02,840 The grace that was shown to you. God has pity. 346 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:09,480 The same God who asked those three questions to Adam and Eve 347 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:13,160 is the same God asking Jonah these questions near the end of 348 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,920 his book. His last question to Jonah's 349 00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:20,080 found in 4-9. But God said to Jonah, do you do 350 00:25:20,080 --> 00:25:23,560 well to be angry for the plant? And he said, yes, I do well to 351 00:25:23,560 --> 00:25:27,120 be angry, angry enough to die. And he meant it. 352 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:32,800 That's how sad his condition is. And the Lord said to Jonah, you 353 00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:35,720 pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make 354 00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:40,240 it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a 355 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:43,840 night. Verse 11 And should not I pity 356 00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:46,440 Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than 357 00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:50,560 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their 358 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:55,320 left, and also much cattle? The Lord shows us pity. 359 00:25:56,160 --> 00:26:00,640 He shows us compassion. Salvation belongs to the Lord. 360 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:08,280 If you are saved, it's not because you initiated this plan. 361 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:11,720 It's not because you proclaimed it to yourself. 362 00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:15,520 It's not because you suddenly made your dead heartbeat. 363 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:19,640 It would be like Lazarus coming out of the tomb after Jesus, 364 00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:23,800 raising him from the dead and saying I've been raised from the 365 00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:27,400 dead. Salvation belongs to the Lord 366 00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:32,360 and it also belongs to me. I made my dead heartbeat. 367 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:38,480 It's ridiculous. We don't 'cause our dead heart 368 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:41,920 spiritually to beat. You cannot cause your child's 369 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:45,160 dead heart spiritually to beat or your grandchildren's. 370 00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:50,560 You can't, but God can. And in God's plan of salvation, 371 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:56,400 God's plan of salvation, salvation belongs to the Lord. 372 00:26:57,080 --> 00:27:02,720 It's His proclamation, His Word, and it's His power, and it's His 373 00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:05,040 sovereign pity. Last P. 374 00:27:06,120 --> 00:27:10,520 This is so encouraging. It's His sovereign perseverance. 375 00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:15,800 One of the great truths of the Christian faith that is so 376 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:18,560 different than other religions in the world is that God is the 377 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:21,720 one who initiates. That's why his first question 378 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:24,360 is, where are you? It's not that he didn't know, 379 00:27:24,360 --> 00:27:26,000 it's that he's saying I'm coming for you. 380 00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:29,360 You're my people. And if you're 1 of God's people 381 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:33,480 and you've come to faith, it's because He came for you before 382 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:36,160 all time. He knew He was going to come 383 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:39,520 after you. And at the age, whether young or 384 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:42,000 old, you receive Christ as your Savior. 385 00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:49,080 The promises for those who all are, are truly in Christ is that 386 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:51,640 you and I will persevere to the end. 387 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:55,280 And it's not because of the vows we make. 388 00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:59,800 It's not because of our strength or our stamina. 389 00:27:59,920 --> 00:28:04,160 It's because of God's faithfulness to us. 390 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:09,440 You see in the book of Jonah, God's pursuit. 391 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:13,920 When Jonah felled in chapter 1, the Lord could have wiped him 392 00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:16,440 out, but he didn't. It wasn't His plan. 393 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:21,080 His plan was to use His Word to proclaim His truth, to reveal 394 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:24,640 His power, showing His pity even for Jonah. 395 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:27,920 And by His grace, Jonah spit up on the shore. 396 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:34,080 Now Jonah goes, Jonah falls again, this time complaining, 397 00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:38,720 displaying his anger at God for the grace that God showed the 398 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:42,480 Ninevites. And then the book ends in such a 399 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:45,360 strange way. Let me read it one more time. 400 00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:48,640 And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city in which there 401 00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:51,920 are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand 402 00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:56,800 from their left comma and also much cattle question mark. 403 00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:01,520 The end. Do you know why Jonah ends that 404 00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:04,680 way? Because that's how God wanted it 405 00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:12,600 to end. It shows us what can happen to a 406 00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:17,040 person not just once, but multiple times. 407 00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:22,600 And it shows us God's perseverance of those who 408 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:24,840 stumble and fall, just like me, just like you. 409 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:29,880 And it shows us that God continues show His grace and 410 00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:34,520 mercy. If the book was to go on, it 411 00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:38,640 would it would have to have another chapter like 2 where 412 00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:41,360 once again Jonah will be coming to the end of himself. 413 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:46,080 Readers frustrated that it ends this way need to be reminded 414 00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:47,880 that this is how God wanted it to end. 415 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:53,040 In his closing chapter of his book called The Prodigal 416 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:57,880 Prophet, Tim Keller ends the same way he ended his sermons on 417 00:29:57,880 --> 00:29:59,240 this series. He says this. 418 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:03,000 As we have seen, the book of Jonah ends with a cliffhanger. 419 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:06,600 We are never told how the prophet responded to God's final 420 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:10,000 appeal. I propose, however, that we can 421 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:14,160 make a reasonable guess about how Jonah ultimately responded 422 00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:17,560 to God. How do we know Jonah was so 423 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:21,280 rebellious, defiant, and clueless? 424 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:25,760 How do we know that he made that unbelievable statement? 425 00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:32,480 I hate the God of love speech. How do we know about his prayer 426 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:36,120 inside the fish? The only way we could possibly 427 00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:41,920 know these things is if Jonah told others. 428 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:47,840 What kind of man would let the world see what a fool he was? 429 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:55,560 Only someone who had become joyfully secure and, might I 430 00:30:55,560 --> 00:31:03,760 add, thankful in God's love. Only someone who believed that 431 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:08,480 he was simultaneously sinful but completely accepted. 432 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:13,440 In short, someone who had found in the gospel of grace the very 433 00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:18,640 power of God. If it can change Jonah, it can 434 00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:25,000 change anyone. It can change you, but you 435 00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:32,480 cannot change yourself. Salvation belongs to the Lord, 436 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:38,760 but the one who ordained salvation also ordains the means 437 00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:43,000 of salvation. And the means of salvation are 438 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:49,800 God's sovereign plan, His Word being proclaimed, His power, 439 00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:55,680 sovereign power on display, His pity present, and the promise of 440 00:31:55,680 --> 00:32:02,520 His perseverance also true. So do we have any response, any 441 00:32:02,520 --> 00:32:05,280 responsibility? Well, the answer's yes. 442 00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:11,320 And you see it in what Jonah wrote in the final sentences of 443 00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:15,520 his prayer from the place that is at the roots of the 444 00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:18,560 mountains. Jonah proclaimed verse 9 again. 445 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:21,960 But I with the voice of Thanksgiving will sacrifice to 446 00:32:21,960 --> 00:32:24,720 you what I have vowed I will pay. 447 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:29,360 Salvation belongs to the Lord. I'm really struck by the first 448 00:32:29,360 --> 00:32:31,800 part of that verse. But I with the voice of 449 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:36,080 Thanksgiving from the belly of the well. 450 00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:38,280 He didn't know he was going to be spit up. 451 00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:40,640 He didn't know he was going to hear the word of God a second 452 00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:44,160 time. I'm one of five children. 453 00:32:44,880 --> 00:32:46,760 I'll see all of my siblings this week. 454 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:48,840 My mom and dad have both gone to heaven. 455 00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:53,560 Still grieves us though. It's 15 and 20 years ago. 456 00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:59,640 Whenever me or my brother or one of my three sisters came home 457 00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:04,120 from the event, whether it was individual or corporate, my mom 458 00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:08,640 cared about one thing. Her first question isn't what a 459 00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:10,560 lot of our questions might be today. 460 00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:13,440 Did you have fun? I don't think she cared whether 461 00:33:13,440 --> 00:33:15,760 we had fun or not. What did you learn? 462 00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:17,680 She didn't ask that. She had one question. 463 00:33:18,240 --> 00:33:25,520 Did you say thank you? We were taught to say thank you. 464 00:33:26,120 --> 00:33:30,240 We were reminded before we left. When you come home, don't forget 465 00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:33,760 to say thank you. And we did. 466 00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:40,280 But one time, maybe because I'm the middle child, I decided to 467 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:43,360 answer differently. When I walked through the door 468 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:44,920 and my mom said, did you say thank you? 469 00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:48,640 I said no. And I never did that again. 470 00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:53,760 Never. And it wasn't even true. 471 00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:59,000 I did say thank you. But soon I was on the phone 472 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:02,240 calling the people that had dropped me off, telling them I'm 473 00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:04,440 sorry that I didn't say thank you, but you did. 474 00:34:04,440 --> 00:34:06,760 But my mom thinks I didn't. Why does she think that? 475 00:34:06,760 --> 00:34:08,960 Because I told her I didn't. Why did you do that? 476 00:34:09,080 --> 00:34:11,800 I don't know. Pray for me. 477 00:34:15,639 --> 00:34:17,560 I wanted you to laugh a little bit because I want you to hear 478 00:34:17,560 --> 00:34:21,320 this. I'm very concerned that our 479 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:25,840 gratitude looks like a little boy who's just simply checking 480 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:27,600 the box saying, yeah, I said thank you. 481 00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:34,239 Thank God for all the provision he's given you. 482 00:34:35,080 --> 00:34:38,840 Thank God for the blessing. Even thank God for the hard 483 00:34:38,840 --> 00:34:41,000 times, the word, if God tells us to do that. 484 00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:45,800 But as those who have been redeemed, whose plan of 485 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:49,760 salvation has rescued us from something worse than the belly 486 00:34:49,760 --> 00:35:00,080 of a whale, of a fish, we must always ask God to awaken the 487 00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:05,320 appropriate gratitude in our hearts for what He did to save 488 00:35:05,320 --> 00:35:09,160 us, sending His only Son. That was His plan. 489 00:35:10,440 --> 00:35:16,160 Who is the Word? He's the proclamation with His 490 00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:19,200 power. Power to raise people from the 491 00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:22,600 dead, not just Lazarus, but all who are spiritually dead. 492 00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:28,520 Who would trust in Him, His pity being shown with tears, and the 493 00:35:28,520 --> 00:35:35,560 persistence of our Lord, all the way to the cross and all the way 494 00:35:35,560 --> 00:35:40,040 to the grave, and from the grave ascended to heaven, till Christ 495 00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:47,000 is told to come again. Thank him with gratitude, just 496 00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:50,280 like Jonah when he said, but with the voice of Thanksgiving. 497 00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:53,680 But there's more. Jonah said. 498 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:57,960 I, with the voice of Thanksgiving, will sacrifice to 499 00:35:57,960 --> 00:36:01,960 you what I have vowed I will pay. 500 00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:11,240 You've made vows. Jonah made a vow, whether it was 501 00:36:11,240 --> 00:36:14,720 when he was called to be a prophet or from the belly of the 502 00:36:14,720 --> 00:36:18,760 fish or both. When he is ending his prayer, 503 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:24,120 not knowing what will happen next, he says I will sacrifice 504 00:36:24,120 --> 00:36:26,800 to you what I have vowed. I will pay. 505 00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:39,760 We don't obey like Jonah did and then didn't in order to be 506 00:36:39,760 --> 00:36:43,840 saved. Salvation belongs to the Lord. 507 00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:49,400 But when we are saved and we see all that has been given us so 508 00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:54,880 that we could be saved, gratitude and a desire to obey 509 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:59,960 the Word proclaimed is in us. It's what we want. 510 00:37:02,480 --> 00:37:04,840 I didn't know it until it was pointed out at the 8 O clock 511 00:37:04,840 --> 00:37:09,920 service when I ended this way, that gratitude and obedience, 512 00:37:10,200 --> 00:37:15,640 Jonah's response spells go. And that's what we're called to 513 00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:21,680 do, not to earn our salvation, but because we've received it 514 00:37:22,120 --> 00:37:32,480 and we just can't get over that. Thank you Father, for saving me 515 00:37:32,760 --> 00:37:39,000 from hell. Father, I do pray that thank You 516 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:41,640 for Your word proclaimed to us even this day. 517 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:46,040 Thank You for the feast of this word that anticipates the 518 00:37:46,040 --> 00:37:48,920 perfect feast, and we will be with You forever. 519 00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:52,920 Give us eyes for that, even as we close in song about that. 520 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:57,920 And Lord, continue to do what only You can do. 521 00:37:59,640 --> 00:38:05,440 Save us for your glory, for our good, we pray in the name of 522 00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:08,560 Jesus, Amen. Please stand.