1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,120 In the name of the glorious Trinity, Father and Son and Holy 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:06,840 Spirit, forever Amen. Glory be to the everlasting 3 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:10,720 mercies which sent you to us, O Christ, the light of the world 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:14,480 and the life of all. Give us wisdom by your law and 5 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:16,480 enlighten our impulses by Your knowledge. 6 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:20,560 Sanctify our souls by Your truth, and grant that we may be 7 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:24,040 obedient to Your words and may fulfil Your commandments at 8 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:27,320 every hour. O You who enlightens the 9 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:29,840 rational with the knowledge of Your greatness. 10 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:34,400 Do enlight, O my Lord, our thoughts, that we may meditate 11 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:37,480 upon Your holy and divine Scriptures at all times, O Lord 12 00:00:37,480 --> 00:00:40,720 of all, Father and Son and Holy Spirit. 13 00:00:40,720 --> 00:01:06,390 Forever Amen. Matthew Chapter. 20 verse 40. 14 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:10,160 Jesus says for just as. Jonah was in the belly of the. 15 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:14,280 Fish for three days. And nights thus the Son of Man 16 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:17,960 will be in the heart. Of the earth for three days. 17 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:23,600 And three nights, those who last. 18 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:28,120 Thursday was concluded the. Rogation, The commemoration of 19 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:32,560 the Rogation of the Ninevites. I take this time to pray that 20 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:36,080 the Lord will hear your supplications and will reply to 21 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:40,280 them according to His perfect will and His perfect timing. 22 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:48,960 It is one of the most precious gifts that God has given the 23 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:53,840 Assyrian community, the Ninevites worldwide, that 24 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:56,560 through this rotation a lot of lessons are learned. 25 00:01:57,840 --> 00:01:59,960 Today I want to. Talk about the Ninevites. 26 00:01:59,960 --> 00:02:02,600 Themselves we have. Done that in the past. 27 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:05,640 How? Through this through the. 28 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:10,000 Ninevites, we learn how despised sin is before. 29 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:13,800 God which? Takes man to the point. 30 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:20,480 Of destruction, sometimes by. God or other times? 31 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:29,120 In the absence of God, we learned that regardless of who 32 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:34,680 gives a message of. God, we don't look at the 33 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:39,000 person, we listen to the. Message just as Jesus. 34 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,760 Said to his disciples, the priests, and the. 35 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:46,000 Pharisees they sit. At the throne of Moses. 36 00:02:46,920 --> 00:02:51,560 What they say do, but what they? Do don't paraphrasing. 37 00:02:53,040 --> 00:03:02,240 We learn that to what extent is man to perceive the wrath of God 38 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:09,720 through the Ninevites? We learn the type of repentance 39 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:17,080 that doesn't change God's mind, the type of repentance that 40 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:23,680 brings forth the mercies of God and they supersede the 41 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:28,720 righteousness of God. And we learned that when the. 42 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,240 Mercies of God. Are bestowed and provided. 43 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:35,080 Graciously. By God, what life? 44 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:38,880 We must live. I spoke to that. 45 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:40,920 But I don't want to. I don't want to harp on that. 46 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:42,800 I don't want to continue more on that. 47 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:48,440 What I want to do is learn from Jonah and in particular his 48 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:53,720 reluctancy to obey God. And where it ended him. 49 00:03:56,240 --> 00:03:59,880 I'm going to going to read just chapter one of the book of Jonah 50 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:04,480 and we're going. To discuss and expand now the. 51 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:09,040 Word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Mehta or Matthew, 52 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:14,320 saying, Arise, go to Nineveh the great city, and preach against 53 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:17,480 it, for their wickedness came up before me. 54 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:24,920 God calls Nineveh a great city. But Jonah rose to flee to 55 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:29,120 Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Jopa, 56 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:31,520 and he found a ship going to Tarshish. 57 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:35,680 So he paid the fare, and went on board to go with them to 58 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:39,520 Tarshish, to flee from the presence of the Lord. 59 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:44,360 But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was 60 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:49,000 a mighty Tempest in the sea, so that the ship was in danger of 61 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:52,040 being broken. Then the marinas were afraid, 62 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:55,080 and cried every man to his guard, and they threw the 63 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:59,040 warriors that were in the ship into the sea to lighten it. 64 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:04,000 But Jonah had gone down into the inner hold of the ship, and he 65 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:10,960 lay and was fast asleep. So the captain came in to him, 66 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,400 and said to him, Why are you sleeping? 67 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:17,320 Arise, call upon your God. Perhaps God will deliver us that 68 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:20,520 we perish not. And they said everyone to his 69 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:25,520 fellow, Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose 70 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:28,440 'cause this evil has come upon us. 71 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:31,600 So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. 72 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:35,160 Then they said to him, Tell us for what 'cause this evil has 73 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:38,360 come upon us, what is your occupation? 74 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:41,440 And when he had told him everything, then they said to 75 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:45,640 him, What shall we do that the sea may be calm for us? 76 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:49,640 For behold, the sea continues to be more tempestuous against us. 77 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:54,040 Jonah said to them, Take me and cast me into the sea, so that 78 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:58,040 the sea may be calm to you. For I know that for my sake this 79 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:03,120 great Tempest is upon you. Nevertheless the man rode hard 80 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:07,000 to bring the ship back to the land, but they could not, for 81 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,520 the sea became more tempestuous against them. 82 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:12,760 Therefore they cried to the Lord, and said, We beseech you, 83 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:16,840 O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not 84 00:06:16,840 --> 00:06:21,960 upon us innocent blood, for thou art the Lord, and has done as it 85 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:25,400 pleases thee. So they took up Jonah, and cast 86 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:29,440 him forth into the sea. And the sea seized from its 87 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:34,120 raging, and the men were greatly terrified from the presence of 88 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:36,520 the Lord. And they offered sacrifices of 89 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:39,040 righteousness to the Lord and made vows. 90 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:43,120 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish, and it swallowed up 91 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:46,960 Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish 3 days and 92 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:50,480 three nights. Let's go very quickly and very 93 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:52,560 briefly through that and see what we learn. 94 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:56,600 Beloved, from verses one to three, we see that Jonah is 95 00:06:56,600 --> 00:07:00,720 called to go the Nineveh. Jonah is reluctant to accept the 96 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:03,080 yoke of ministry. It was a ministry. 97 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:07,480 Go and preach, go and talk, go and tell, go and warn, but he 98 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:09,160 was reluctant and we're going to say why? 99 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:13,920 Number one, never be reluctant when God calls you to a 100 00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:17,320 ministry. And how does God call to a 101 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:19,680 ministry? Through his church? 102 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:25,680 Not God told me, God said to me, God speaks through his church. 103 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:30,280 God's breaks through his vicars, the bishops, the priests. 104 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:35,680 When the church calls you to a ministry, that is God himself 105 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:39,720 calling you to ministry. Just as Martin Luther writes in 106 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:44,840 his catechism, when the priest is giving, or let me paraphrase 107 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:48,960 it, when the priest is giving the prayer of absolution and 108 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:53,120 reciting the prayer of absolution, it is as if God is 109 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:56,520 giving absolution. Don't be reluctant when the 110 00:07:56,520 --> 00:08:01,200 church is calling you for a specific ministry, and don't be 111 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:03,960 discouraged when there is no calling because God is not 112 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:06,560 calling. But wait. 113 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:12,360 Jonah also is reluctant because he fears false prophecy. 114 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:17,400 Now if he had gone to the city of Nineveh and he would have 115 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:20,280 prophesied what was coming upon them and it didn't happen. 116 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:22,880 He was scared for his life. Who knows what they would have 117 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:25,800 done? Now this is, you know, we're 118 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:31,840 speaking now prior to God's mercies upon the city of 119 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:37,039 Nineveh. Jonah's journey, we learned, was 120 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:45,520 somehow encouraged or influenced by his concern over his people. 121 00:08:45,560 --> 00:08:50,800 Israel, you know, the Israelites, the Pharisees and, 122 00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:54,720 and you know, the Seducees and all these different types of 123 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:59,120 sect, they only saw themselves to be the people of God and God 124 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:03,160 was only for them. How can it be that the Gentiles, 125 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:04,960 we saw this during Jesus's ministry. 126 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:07,600 How can the, how can he be sitting with the Gentiles? 127 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:09,600 How can he be eating with the Gentiles? 128 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:12,640 It was the same. So he had that same zeal. 129 00:09:12,680 --> 00:09:17,160 How can I go and preach to A to the Gentiles, a Gentile nation 130 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:21,200 and bring them back and, and you know, deliver them from the 131 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:25,480 wrath of God. But one thing he forgot is that 132 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:31,080 God cannot be escaped, beloved, and the Foley of escaping God is 133 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:34,240 great. Never ever question God when he 134 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:40,480 works in the life of any mankind, any human being on this 135 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:43,680 earth. Yes, the Christians are the 136 00:09:43,680 --> 00:09:48,760 children of God by faith in Jesus Christ and by baptism, but 137 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:54,160 everyone is the the, the, the creation of God, every person on 138 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:59,040 this earth God loves. When God sent his son to the 139 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:02,360 world, it was because he loved the world. 140 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:07,400 You know, John 316 doesn't quote God so loved those who would 141 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:10,480 have believed in him or who were going to believe in him. 142 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:16,120 No, for so God loved the world. That's why Jesus died. 143 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:20,680 That's why God killed his Son and gave his Son to be killed. 144 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:23,640 Not because there was a punishment and God had to 145 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:25,320 punish. So he punished his Son. 146 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:29,280 Hence, my Lord, my Lord, why do you forsake me? 147 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:34,000 That's the time when the Father good turned his face against the 148 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:35,520 Son. No, no, these are false 149 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:39,120 teachings, beloved. No, the God, God loves the Son. 150 00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:42,160 Twice we heard the the cry from heaven. 151 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:46,000 This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. 152 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:49,600 Listen to him. So no, no, it was the act of 153 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:54,160 love that saw the Son of God hanging on the cross. 154 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:59,280 We cannot escape, beloved. We cannot escape the will, the 155 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:03,560 calling of God. Amos, Amos Chapter 9, verse 3. 156 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:10,120 And if they will hide at the top of Carmel, from there I shall 157 00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:13,160 search and I shall take them. And if they will hide from 158 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:17,200 before my eyes in the depth of the sea, there I shall command 159 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:19,160 the serpent, and it shall bite them. 160 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:23,960 Do you really think you can? You can escape God's calling, 161 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:28,560 escape God's commandments, escape God's warnings? 162 00:11:28,560 --> 00:11:34,200 Do you truly think that you can, you can somehow do away with God 163 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:38,520 where God has no power over you whatsoever? 164 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:43,920 You are so misled by Satan. Rebuke Satan in the name of the 165 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:49,040 Lord Jesus Christ. Maybe on earth, maybe God will 166 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:53,880 allow you to live your free speech, free will, free choice, 167 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:56,120 Yes, that's that. Liberties from God. 168 00:11:56,120 --> 00:12:00,440 Praise me to His name, that there will come a time where no 169 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:04,760 one can escape the righteous judgement of God, Can they? 170 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:12,680 He searches all. He goes on to say, My eyes are 171 00:12:12,680 --> 00:12:15,920 in the depths of the sea. There I shall command the 172 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:18,080 serpents, and it shall bite them. 173 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:22,880 Verses 4 to 17 we see Jonah's escape fails. 174 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:25,440 You want to escape God, you will fail. 175 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:28,320 You want to go against God, you will fail. 176 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:31,760 You want to kick against thistles or pricks, you will 177 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:34,040 fail. You will come out second best 178 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:41,440 because you are going against the Almighty God, the Almighty 179 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:44,440 Father and Son and Holy Spirit one God. 180 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:49,440 You will come out second best. You may be you may be in a good 181 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:54,600 position for a period of time. That is only God giving you time 182 00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:58,840 and the the the opportunity to repent, to come back and to wake 183 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:03,160 up to yourself. But when God decides it is time 184 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:08,760 for me to strike now, it is time for me to strike my blow now. 185 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:13,200 God help that person. So Jonah fell the escape. 186 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:16,880 Beloved, in verse four, we read the perils of the ship, right? 187 00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:20,680 Nothing is secure when God is against us. 188 00:13:20,920 --> 00:13:23,760 You can be hiding in the ship and thinking, I mean, Jonah 189 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:25,440 would have think, would have been thinking, that's it. 190 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:28,640 I'm going Nineveh is South, Tershishi is north. 191 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:31,760 I'm going two different. Ways right thinking that he's 192 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:34,280 escaped it. No, no, no, no, because it went 193 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:37,920 against God's will and plan. No, he could not escape. 194 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:44,520 The Mariners cry out and attempt to lighten the ship, right? 195 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:47,240 What do they do? They start tossing out water. 196 00:13:47,240 --> 00:13:49,720 They start tossing out some of their equipment. 197 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:51,520 But it was still too heavy. You know why? 198 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:55,520 Because there was a very heavy cargo in that boat. 199 00:13:56,640 --> 00:14:02,920 And that was Jonah and his sins. Come to me all you who are heavy 200 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:08,960 laden, right beloved? Sin will cripple us, sin will 201 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:13,120 make us hunchback, sin will slow us down. 202 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:16,840 And every time we we approach the great land I put that post. 203 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:22,880 If your sins are slowing you down, why don't you fast through 204 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:26,800 fasting and praying and coming to the Lord and receiving His 205 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:30,800 gracious, merciful forgiveness? Then we become light. 206 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:33,760 How many of you will testify to this? 207 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:37,480 We enter the church our last episode. 208 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:42,400 We enter the church heavy laden. We leave the church so light 209 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:46,160 because we have been forgiven. Jonah was not ignorant. 210 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:51,560 Ignorant of God's power. Beloved, Jonah was a Sinner and 211 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:55,920 he knew God's power. So tossing out everything else 212 00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:59,200 except the most heavy cargo, it didn't work. 213 00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:03,160 And again in verse 9, we read that Jonah knew it's God's 214 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:05,840 power. Jonah was not ignorant and he 215 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:10,320 was not denying God's power. In verse 11, we read the storm 216 00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:13,240 intensified even more, more. You know why? 217 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:16,680 Because God created everything, beloved. 218 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:23,960 Everything on the face of this earth is a sermon of God. 219 00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:29,800 The ocean is a sermon of God. The trees, the animals, the air, 220 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:33,800 the sun, the moon, the stars, We ourselves, we always refer to us 221 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:38,560 as unworthy servants of God. God can use anything in this 222 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:40,960 world. Remember the the ass or the 223 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:43,880 donkey of Balaam who opened its mouth and spoke? 224 00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:46,640 God opens, opened her mouth and spoke. 225 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:50,320 Today God uses another one of His servants and that is the 226 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:54,120 ocean. Psalm 77, verse 16 The waters 227 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:59,160 saw you, O God, the waters saw you, and they feared, and even 228 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:03,120 the depths shook, because they are God's handiwork. 229 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:07,920 They are God's creation for a perfect purpose when God calls 230 00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:12,120 them to be used. Verses 12 to 13 Jonas says, 231 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:16,520 throw me into the sea, but the sailors rode toward the land. 232 00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:18,280 Now what does that teach us, beloved? 233 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:24,320 The sailors resisted Jones pleading and entreaty. 234 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:32,840 Why, it was all divine in spite. Beloved, nothing is ad hoc, you 235 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:37,800 know, chance, maybe Good luck. You're lucky. 236 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:41,920 No, nothing is ad hoc, you may say. 237 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:44,080 Well, what about those who gamble? 238 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:47,960 Do you say that God has a hand in that as well? 239 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:51,440 God allows gamblers to win millions and millions of 240 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:54,520 dollars. Well, you know, God knows this 241 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:57,920 is happening. God is not justifying gambling. 242 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:02,200 No, no, no, no. But it may be that the Lord will 243 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:06,599 allow something to happen within that act so that that person can 244 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:11,319 come back and repent and, and thank God for the, for the, for 245 00:17:11,319 --> 00:17:14,880 the blessings and do good with that money. 246 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:20,560 Which again, you know, one man's loss is another man's gain, but 247 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:24,599 one man's gain from another man's loss can be another man's 248 00:17:24,599 --> 00:17:28,200 greater gain. One man who loses and another 249 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:32,400 man wins could go and help those who need, who are needy, who are 250 00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:37,160 feet, who are starving, who are, who are naked, who are homeless. 251 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:42,080 I'm not justifying gambling. So don't, don't start, you know, 252 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:45,560 Oh gosh, a Gennar just justified gambling class. 253 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:50,560 A Gennar just approved gambling. No, God is in full control, 254 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:53,520 beloved. He can do what He pleases. 255 00:17:54,680 --> 00:17:58,120 His thoughts are not our thoughts and our ways are not 256 00:17:58,120 --> 00:18:02,080 his ways. There is a reason why the 257 00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:05,720 sailors didn't toss him out and they try to row to the land. 258 00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:11,920 To teach Jonah to be a lover of humanity and to be submissive, 259 00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:15,600 teaching us today, we must love everyone. 260 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:20,680 Beloved, do you know why God rightly claims and commands that 261 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:23,560 we must love our enemies and to pray for them? 262 00:18:24,360 --> 00:18:30,080 Because for God so loved the world that he gave his only 263 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:35,000 begotten Son to his enemies. We were his enemies, Beloved 264 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:37,600 brothers, OK, stop, stop. Listen to this. 265 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:42,480 You're an enemy of God. Just because you've repented and 266 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:44,160 you've come to Christ praise his name. 267 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:48,760 You were an enemy of God, yet he still sent his Son for you. 268 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:54,600 So why can I not or I it's it's difficult for me and it's not 269 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:58,840 fair for me to love my enemy and to be submissive to God's 270 00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:01,480 commandment. That's why they didn't toss him 271 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:02,880 out. There was a lesson to be 272 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:04,520 learned. It's as though he's crying to 273 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:09,360 John and saying, imitate the sailors, imitate the them who 274 00:19:09,360 --> 00:19:13,440 neither despise the single soul nor neglected a single body. 275 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:16,520 They didn't. They could have immediately 276 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:18,680 tossed him. And when they did, we know that 277 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:22,760 it wasn't in spite. See, notice they threw a board, 278 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:26,680 the wares and the merchandise beloved, that were in the ship 279 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:29,960 into the sea. But the ship was not getting any 280 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:33,840 lighter because the entire cargo still remained within it. 281 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:40,400 And that was Jonah, who was through his will, a burden, a 282 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:43,480 heavy cargo. In verse 14 we read that the 283 00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:48,840 sailors cry out to the Lord as a great pilot there, though there 284 00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:50,480 needed to be a great pilot there. 285 00:19:50,840 --> 00:19:54,600 The ship pilot understood from his experience that the storm 286 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:58,680 was not a a a a a usual. It was an unusual storm, that 287 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:04,840 the blow was God sent and that the surging ocean was superior 288 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:07,000 to human skill. It was it was beyond their 289 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:10,960 control, and that the hands of the helmsman. 290 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:14,400 Were of no advantage. No one could do anything. 291 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:19,040 This is not it's like when when when the king of Nineveh during 292 00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:21,240 the lenses. This is not a fight that we can 293 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:23,440 this is not a fight of weapons and swords. 294 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:26,560 No, no, no. This is a fight that we must 295 00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:28,040 fight. It's a spiritual battle. 296 00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:32,000 We must we must we must go into and be engaged in through 297 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,960 fasting and through praying. And they did that. 298 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:37,720 They fasted well, they didn't fast, but they were praying. 299 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:43,040 The sailors acknowledged the just judgement of God when they 300 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:47,600 knew that this man is trying to run from God and this is the 301 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:51,200 punishment. Will they start crying out and 302 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:55,920 saying, Lord, forgive us, We don't want to shed innocent 303 00:20:55,920 --> 00:21:00,480 blood, but this must be done to save our lives. 304 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:07,880 And in verse 15, Jonah casts, is cast into the sea, and the sea 305 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:10,960 is calm. You know when you cast all your 306 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:19,680 hope life unto the Lord, there is calm when you cast your will, 307 00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:23,240 your choices, your decisions unto the Lord. 308 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:29,000 There is calm when you cast yourself before the Lord's feet. 309 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:33,120 And as we mentioned last episode, that church, when 310 00:21:33,120 --> 00:21:36,240 you're kneeling before the Lord and you're prostate and your 311 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:40,240 head is on the ground, you're actually actually hitting your 312 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:44,240 forehead on the ground before the Lord and you're crying out, 313 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:48,200 Lord God, forgive me, I am a Sinner. 314 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:53,960 Then there is calm, beloved, there is peace. 315 00:21:54,160 --> 00:22:00,120 There is tranquility. Now they didn't cast out Jonah 316 00:22:00,120 --> 00:22:03,000 in disgust. No, he submitted himself. 317 00:22:03,120 --> 00:22:08,640 He said it's me, cast me out. Now there's a comparison here 318 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:13,360 and I want to start by reading Mark chapter 14 verses 48 to 49. 319 00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:21,040 And now we see what prototype was Jonah and all of this. 320 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:26,800 But Jesus answered and said to them, to those who came out to 321 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:30,640 to arrest him. Have you gone out as against the 322 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:33,960 band of robbers? With swords and with. 323 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:37,600 Clubs to seize me. I was with you every day when I 324 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:40,160 taught in the temple, and you did not seize me because you 325 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:45,200 know what, it wasn't my time. I now will submit myself, but 326 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:48,080 this has happened that the scriptures may be fulfilled. 327 00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:51,280 I will submit myself because it is according to the scriptures, 328 00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:55,040 meaning it is according to my Father's plans and it is 329 00:22:55,040 --> 00:22:57,880 according to the perfect will of my Father in heaven. 330 00:22:59,360 --> 00:23:02,560 Jonah is thrown into the sea in chapter verse 17 and a great 331 00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:04,520 fish swallows Jonah. Wow. 332 00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:09,520 Now we're we're now starting to to compare Jonah and Jesus, 333 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:14,400 right When we study the story of Jonah, the force of the 334 00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:18,800 resemblance becomes striking. Beloved, Jesus was sent to 335 00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:23,240 preach repentance. So was Jonah, though Jonah fled, 336 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:30,200 not knowing what was to come. Jesus came willingly to grant 337 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:34,640 repentance for salvation, and he knew that he would root 338 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:38,600 salvation. Jonas snoozed in the ship and 339 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:45,080 was fast asleep, snoring like a lamb amid the stormy sea, by the 340 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:51,680 way, while Jesus by God's will was sleeping and the sea was 341 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:54,320 stirred up. But there was a purpose for 342 00:23:54,320 --> 00:24:00,040 that, it was the purpose of manifesting the power that was 343 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:04,240 vested in him who was asleep. This all happened during Jesus 344 00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:10,600 time to show his power over nature because nature is the 345 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:14,480 servant of God. We said nature is the servant of 346 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:20,520 God and now we can we'll see that Jesus in his divine power, 347 00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:24,840 praise and glory be to His name, because he is the Lord God. 348 00:24:25,520 --> 00:24:29,760 He he seizes, he he, he speaks the sea to come. 349 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:32,760 They said to Jonah, what are you doing asleep? 350 00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:37,360 Listen to this, rise up. Our Jehovah Witness brothers and 351 00:24:37,360 --> 00:24:41,480 sisters and those who don't deny Jesus divinity. 352 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:45,520 Listen to this. They said to Jonah, rise up. 353 00:24:45,520 --> 00:24:51,680 Call upon your God that God may save us. 354 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:56,240 The apostles in Matthew chapter 8 verse 23 said to Jesus Christ 355 00:24:56,560 --> 00:25:01,480 our Lord God, the Lord God, Lord save us. 356 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:03,920 He is God, praise and glory be to his name. 357 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:08,080 Say Amen, honk your horn if you're driving notice. 358 00:25:08,280 --> 00:25:12,760 Call upon your God to save us and the apostles cry out to 359 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:17,600 Jesus Lord save us. Jonah said, pick me up and throw 360 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:21,240 me into the sea that it might quote down, quiet down for you. 361 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:26,600 Christ himself rebuked the wind and the sea, and there came a 362 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:27,920 great come. Why? 363 00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:32,160 Because nature is a servant of God the creator. 364 00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:36,000 Jesus is God the Creator praise between his name. 365 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:41,040 Matthew 826 Jonah was cast into the belly of a great fish, but 366 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:46,760 Christ of his own will descended went down to the to the to the 367 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:51,800 place of a you know, went down in a belly of an invisible fish, 368 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:56,880 which was death. Christ went down into the tomb. 369 00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:01,920 He went down to death. He went down of his own will, 370 00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:08,520 beloved, why? To make death powerless over 371 00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:12,920 those who had died, who had slept prior to Jesus Christ. 372 00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:15,480 There were righteous people, there were holy people who had 373 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:18,040 died. So Christ showed himself. 374 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:20,920 He didn't go to hell. Jesus didn't go to hell. 375 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:25,800 Jesus went to Shoal, to Shoal death, where the souls were 376 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:29,120 kept. Now those souls among the souls 377 00:26:29,120 --> 00:26:31,960 of the wicked, the souls of the righteous and the wicked were 378 00:26:32,120 --> 00:26:35,160 were kept and they were bounded. They were in bondage. 379 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:38,440 But when Jesus showed himself, it is as though one of the 380 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:41,040 fathers writes beautifully. I think it's in John Chrysostom 381 00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:45,040 that when he went there, he said you have no power over them, but 382 00:26:45,120 --> 00:26:50,880 I entrust them into your hand. They are only a depository into 383 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:55,160 your hands until I return. I will one more time reclaim 384 00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:58,160 them from you, those who are righteous. 385 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:01,880 And in Hosea chapter 13 verse 14, there's a prophecy. 386 00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:06,120 I shall deliver them from the power of the lower world and I 387 00:27:06,120 --> 00:27:11,000 shall redeem them from death. God says this, I and Jesus that 388 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:15,160 said that because he is the great I am, He is the Lord and 389 00:27:15,160 --> 00:27:17,840 Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord, our God. 390 00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:22,560 So learning from Jonah, be careful when God calls, don't be 391 00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:24,880 a fool and try to run away. Don't us escape. 392 00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:27,040 Don't you're going to end up in a Whirlpool. 393 00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:28,960 You're going to end up in the ocean. 394 00:27:29,120 --> 00:27:34,960 Don't in many other ways, by the way, when, when, when God calls, 395 00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:41,080 nothing can deter God from receiving and fulfilling and, 396 00:27:41,120 --> 00:27:45,680 and, and, you know, acting and performing what God wants. 397 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:49,360 You know I love the verse that God says the word that comes out 398 00:27:49,360 --> 00:27:52,640 of my mouth will not return empty back to me, but would it 399 00:27:52,640 --> 00:27:55,440 would have performed and acted as I please. 400 00:27:55,960 --> 00:28:01,120 So let's learn from Jonah, beloved, let's do it the easy we 401 00:28:01,120 --> 00:28:05,280 say in a serum posh now shooter, let's do it according to God's 402 00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:08,360 perfect will. When God calls you say when and 403 00:28:08,360 --> 00:28:12,760 where when God sends you don't say how and why. 404 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:17,760 When God claims you, don't ask what, you just give. 405 00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:23,520 Give everything to the Lord who is calling us every day to 406 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:27,000 holiness and righteousness, praise and glory be to His holy 407 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:28,720 name, now and at all times and forever. 408 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:57,680 Amen. We hope you enjoyed this week's 409 00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:00,000 message. Please don't forget to rate and 410 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:02,720 review this podcast and share with your friends and family. 411 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:06,480 For any future topic suggestions or to give us detailed feedback, 412 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:09,040 please visit our link in the show notes. 413 00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:13,720 Linktr dot EE forward slash double edged sword. 414 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:15,920 Until next time, God bless you all.