1 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:05,600 It was the fall of my senior year and me and a couple of my 2 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:09,040 friends were driving around on the country roads of southeast 3 00:00:09,040 --> 00:00:13,680 Iowa and we were in a mood. We were in that season of my 4 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:17,240 life where I was taking stupid pills like Tic Tacs. 5 00:00:17,240 --> 00:00:19,440 You know what I'm talking about. Has anybody ever bought Tic 6 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:20,720 Tacs? And then they were, you still 7 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:23,040 had them the next day. Like, they just disappear as 8 00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:25,160 soon as you get them. And if there were stupid pills 9 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:26,840 in the medicine cabinet, I wanted them all. 10 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:29,360 And so it was one of those nights where we'd taken all the 11 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:33,480 stupid pills and we were driving around and we saw this car that 12 00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:36,680 was in a field and we didn't think much of it other than we 13 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:39,520 should just pull in. And it kind of looked like, you 14 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:41,520 know, it didn't belong to anybody. 15 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:46,200 And so and our thought progression, if you want to call 16 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:50,240 it thinking we should have a lot of fun with this vehicle. 17 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:53,160 And that's exactly what we did. Me and my friend, we got out and 18 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:58,520 broke out the windows, jumped through the sunroof, ripped the 19 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:02,560 doors off, flipped it up on its on its hood or on the roof. 20 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:05,720 And some of you guys are going to, this isn't going to make 21 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:10,080 sense to you, but two of the girls that were with us had a 22 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:14,280 camcorder like a shoulder mounted. 23 00:01:15,320 --> 00:01:20,800 And so they filmed me and my friend being dumb and we kind of 24 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:22,240 moved on, didn't think anything of it. 25 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:24,640 Well, a couple weeks later I was at a party and hear a bunch of 26 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:28,320 people laughing and cheering. And I'm like, I should go inside 27 00:01:28,320 --> 00:01:31,200 and check what that's all about. And I walk in and they're on the 28 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:35,200 big screen. Is me and my friend demolishing 29 00:01:37,320 --> 00:01:40,600 this car with our feats of strength and feats of stupid. 30 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:46,160 And turns out that wasn't some abandoned car that nobody cared 31 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:49,120 about. It was a car that was parked in 32 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:52,800 the field to keep it from the person who was going to get it 33 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:55,960 on their 16th birthday. Yeah. 34 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:59,640 I mean, who you chose to be your pastor says a lot about you 35 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:00,840 guys. You guys. 36 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:08,240 Some checked up people. Well, my life came to a 37 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:12,720 screeching halt. I just made Allstate Choir, got 38 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:16,840 kicked out, had to sit out the first couple games of my senior 39 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:19,960 year basketball season, had to ride the bench. 40 00:02:20,640 --> 00:02:25,240 I'd let my parents down, my team down, my family down, my coaches 41 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:29,040 down, teammates down. I had let everyone down. 42 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:35,600 My parents were looking at me. I mean, I was likable. 43 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:39,000 I had good social skills. Teachers liked me. 44 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:41,160 And yet there were the stupid pills. 45 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:47,960 And I was like, I want a refill. And the consequences of my 46 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:56,760 actions hit me so fast and so hard that I could not see a path 47 00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:01,320 forward. And so I was suicidal. 48 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:05,600 One of these days I'll unpack more of what happened, but my 49 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:09,680 future was fading. I couldn't see anything beyond 50 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,760 what I was in. There was this war going on 51 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:17,920 inside of me between who I wanted to be and who I was 52 00:03:17,920 --> 00:03:26,480 capable of, and who I was and who I was was winning. 53 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:30,520 If I were to say it in a spiritual way, there was a 54 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:34,280 battle going on between who God created me to be and who God 55 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:39,880 called me to be and who Satan was tempting me to be and who 56 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:43,560 Satan was tempting me to be was winning. 57 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:52,280 I had hit rock bottom. If you are somebody or know 58 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:55,360 somebody who's has hit rock bottom, can you get your hand up 59 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,320 for just a second, turn to your neighbor and say rock bottom, 60 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:03,600 man. I want to welcome all of our 61 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:06,600 different locations. Those of you watching online, 62 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:09,400 we're glad for you. To those of you who are a part 63 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:13,040 of the crossing inside, this might be a very special message 64 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:16,959 for you because I'm guessing you are either in rock bottom or 65 00:04:16,959 --> 00:04:19,880 you've been here before and you're can't believe that you're 66 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:23,200 back because you thought, man, after I get out, I'm never going 67 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:25,120 back. And so if you're a part of our 68 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:27,440 inside family, I just want you to know I love you. 69 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:29,880 I'm rooting for you. I'm praying for you, and I hope 70 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:32,400 that this message will be a special benefit to you. 71 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:35,280 There might be some of you in here. 72 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:39,000 We're on this sermon series called The Story of Jonah, and 73 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:43,720 the the tagline is The Unusual Path of Grace. 74 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:47,000 And what you're going to see in this series is that God 75 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:52,080 continues to run after the people who are running away from 76 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:54,000 him. There might be some of you 77 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:57,400 gathered today or tuning in and you've been running for God from 78 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:00,880 for a really, really long time. And I just want you to know, I 79 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:04,840 am so glad that you're here. You might be here today and you 80 00:05:04,840 --> 00:05:08,640 know somebody who's been running from God for a really long time. 81 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:10,920 And I'm glad that you are here as well. 82 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:13,760 You might know somebody who has hit rock bottom. 83 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:18,040 You might need to pay attention on their behalf so that you can 84 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:20,600 give them a word of hope in a moment of crisis. 85 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:25,320 There might be some of you right now when you are actually at 86 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:29,800 rock bottom, and I'm thanking God that you were here. 87 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:32,560 And I want you to know that I've been praying for you this week. 88 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:37,440 I want to recap last week we were in Jonah chapter 1. 89 00:05:37,840 --> 00:05:42,480 Jonah is a prophet of God, the mouthpiece of God, the preacher 90 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:45,480 of his day. And God calls him to do 91 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:49,200 something, to go and preach to the Ninevites, which is 500 92 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:53,520 miles to the northeast. And Jonah decides not to do that 93 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:58,000 thing, and he hops on a ship that is setting sail for 2500 94 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:01,480 miles to the West. We asked ourselves a really 95 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:03,280 tough question. And the fact that you showed up 96 00:06:03,280 --> 00:06:06,920 again this week surprises me. Because the question last week 97 00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:09,720 is, what do you do when God calls you to do something you 98 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:14,760 don't want to do? All of us have things that God 99 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:16,680 has asked us to do that we don't want to do. 100 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:19,800 It might be asking for forgiveness. 101 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:26,040 It might be forgiving. It might be loving your enemies. 102 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:30,240 Maybe it's finally using your gifts, talents, and abilities to 103 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:33,360 build the Kingdom of God instead of your own castle. 104 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:37,800 It might be inviting a friend or a family member to church. 105 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:41,960 What you do when God calls you to do something you don't want 106 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:47,200 to do says a lot about you. Where your priorities stack up. 107 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:53,600 What you actually believe and what you do when God calls you 108 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:57,440 to do something you don't want to do reveals what you really 109 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:02,600 believe about God. Is He actually your Lord and 110 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:08,000 your Savior? Is His way really the best way? 111 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:12,800 So Jonah runs from God, and God sends his storm, not to end 112 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:17,040 Jonah's life, but to bring Jonah back to God. 113 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:21,720 In the process, the sailors that are on the ship, they go from 114 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:26,200 not believing in God to believing in God and making vows 115 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:30,600 and commitments to God. And the story ends in chapter 1 116 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:35,200 with Jonah being picked up and thrown into the sea. 117 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:39,520 The very last words in Jonah chapter one verse 17 are these. 118 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:45,600 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah 119 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:50,880 was in the belly of the fish 3 days and three nights. 120 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:54,480 There have been some who have doubted the historical 121 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:57,800 reliability of the story of Jonah. 122 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:02,000 They claim it was just a spiritual story, a fable, not an 123 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:05,800 actual event that actually took place. 124 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:09,440 However, here are four reasons why I believe that this is a 125 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:17,080 real story that really happened #1 Jonah was a real person in 126 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:21,160 the history of Israel. His name is recorded in Second 127 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:25,840 Kings chapter 14 verse 25 and it is also recorded his family 128 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:29,960 tree, his lineage, how he got here. 129 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:33,679 This is backed up by a Jewish historian by the name of 130 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:37,120 Josephus or Flavius Josephus in the 1st century. 131 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:41,440 So #1 Jonah was a real person who actually walked planet Earth 132 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,400 number two-part of the reason why people believe that this 133 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:48,760 story didn't actually happen is because for thousands of years 134 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:51,920 the city of Nineveh could not be found. 135 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:59,440 The story of Jonah takes place about 700 BC, but in 1800 AD, 136 00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:05,040 the city of Nineveh was unearthed in the vicinity of 137 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:09,760 Mosul, which is in modern day Iraq, and the city was unearthed 138 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:13,680 underneath. It was under 2 mounds, two 139 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:17,560 hills. The name of one of the hills was 140 00:09:17,560 --> 00:09:19,440 Kuyunjik. You don't need to remember that 141 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:21,960 one. The name of the other hill that 142 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:26,640 also housed the underneath it housed Nineveh was Nabi Eunice. 143 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:29,160 Turn to your neighbors, say Nabi Eunice. 144 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:35,040 In Arabic, Nabi Eunice means the prophet Jonah. 145 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:43,440 They found Nineveh, which Jonah preached to, under the hill that 146 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:52,040 people had named the prophet Jonah #3 Some say that there is 147 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:55,600 no way for a whale to follow to swallow Jonah. 148 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:57,400 Why? Because while whales have big 149 00:09:57,400 --> 00:09:59,280 old mouths, they have pretty tiny throats. 150 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:01,400 And so there's no way that this could have taken place. 151 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:03,120 Well, I would say a couple things to that. 152 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:06,720 One of the sperm whale has the size of mouth and the size of 153 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:09,720 throat to accomplish that, and so does the fin whale. 154 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:14,280 And the fin whale is the largest whale in the Mediterranean Sea. 155 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:23,400 Now if Jonah was not a six, six, £300 bad golfer, this is what it 156 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:27,360 would look like to scale. If I was Jonah and I was about 157 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:32,040 ready to be eaten by a Fen whale and he's going to swallow me 158 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:36,320 like a chicken wingy. OK, boom, gone down the gullet. 159 00:10:36,320 --> 00:10:41,120 But that does not really give you the scale of the Fen whale. 160 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:47,120 So what what I would like to do, tech team, if you can, I want 161 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:51,960 you to like do like a green screen thing and then put like a 162 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:57,160 fin whale like in the center of the room above my head so they 163 00:10:57,160 --> 00:10:59,720 can get an understanding of yeah. 164 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:07,920 So if I yeah, yeah, I'd fit. And I've got like German 165 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:11,560 lineage, not Jewish lineage. So I mean, you know, Jews are 166 00:11:11,560 --> 00:11:16,160 typical or not, as you know, not as tall as not a lot of Jewish 167 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:17,600 guys in the NBA. That's what I'm saying. 168 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:19,880 OK. I'm just I'm saying that kindly 169 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:24,120 just anyhow. So this is the scale for me. 170 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:29,640 Now the other thing I would tell you is that the Bible doesn't 171 00:11:29,640 --> 00:11:35,320 say a whale. The Bible says a huge fish and 172 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:41,960 God could have created a one off fish to accomplish this very 173 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:46,760 specific task of saving Jonah's life. 174 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:49,520 And there are going to be times when you are reading the Bible 175 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:52,680 where you're going to bump into something that is hard to 176 00:11:52,680 --> 00:11:57,880 swallow, pun intended. And what I would tell you is 177 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:01,080 when you bump into situations like that, I want you to have 178 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:02,880 the same tool that I have in my tool belt. 179 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:04,520 And here's the tool I have in my tool belt. 180 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:09,120 If you can believe the 1st 5 words of the Bible you can 181 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:13,160 believe all the rest. And the first 5 words of the 182 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:15,800 Bible are in Genesis chapter one verse one. 183 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:23,720 In the beginning, God created, if God made the earth and the 184 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:28,440 seas and the galaxies and the stars and put things in orbit 185 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:31,840 and creates gravity on our behalf and gives us lungs to 186 00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:36,240 handle carbon monoxide and oxygen, He can make anything he 187 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:39,960 needs to make to accomplish anything he wants to accomplish. 188 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:44,320 Reason #4 while I, while I believe in the story of Jonah, 189 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:51,040 is that Jesus mentions the story of Jonah and he draws a parallel 190 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:54,080 to his own life and his own ministry. 191 00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:57,680 And I'm a big fan of Jesus. So if Jesus believed it, I'm 192 00:12:57,680 --> 00:12:59,880 inclined to believe it. And we're actually going to 193 00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:03,160 unpack that a little bit later in the sermon. 194 00:13:03,560 --> 00:13:06,440 So at the end of chapter 1, Jonah is been thrown into the 195 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:08,720 sea and a huge fish has swallowed him. 196 00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:12,040 So let's pick up in Jonah chapter 2. 197 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:16,120 From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 198 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:20,040 He said, in my distress, I called to the Lord, and he 199 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:22,800 answered me from deep in the realm of the dead. 200 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:26,280 I called for help and you listened to my cry. 201 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:29,840 You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the Seas, 202 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:31,960 and the current swirled about me. 203 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:35,600 All your waves and Breakers swept over me. 204 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:39,600 I said, I have been banished from your sight, yet I will look 205 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:43,040 again towards your holy temple. The engulfing waters threatened 206 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:46,120 me, the deep surrounded me. Seaweed was wrapped around my 207 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:49,480 head to the roots of the mountains. 208 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:51,880 I sank down. The earth beneath barred me in 209 00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:54,000 forever. But you, Lord, my God, brought 210 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:59,160 my life up from the pit. When my life was ebbing away, I 211 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:02,880 remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you to your holy 212 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:05,840 temple. Those who cling to worthless 213 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:09,800 idols turn away from God's love for them. 214 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:15,840 But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you 215 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:19,520 what I have vowed. I will make good. 216 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:26,600 I will say salvation comes from the Lord, and the Lord commanded 217 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:32,480 the fish and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. 218 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:38,040 Jonah gets thrown into the sea, and while the sea becomes calm 219 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:42,360 on the surface, it sounds like there's an awful lot going on 220 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:46,440 under the surface. Jonah was born in land. 221 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:48,400 More than likely he couldn't swim. 222 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:51,480 And if you get thrown into the sea and you can't swim, you 223 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:54,800 sink. And that is exactly what 224 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:58,240 happens. Listen to Jonah's collection of 225 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:02,400 the events, he says. In my distress, from deep in the 226 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:05,000 realm of the dead, you hurled me into the depths to the very 227 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:07,440 heart of the sea. The currents swirled about me. 228 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:09,920 All your waves and Breakers swept over me. 229 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:12,680 The engulfing waters threatened me and the deep surrounded me. 230 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:14,520 Seaweed was wrapped around my head. 231 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:18,000 God's apparently making a sushi roll out of Jonah to the roots 232 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:19,920 of the mountains. I sink down to the earth. 233 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:21,640 The earth beneath barred me in forever. 234 00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:24,640 When my life was ebbing away. It appears that Jonah got thrown 235 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:26,160 in, but the whale didn't come right away. 236 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:31,680 Jonah was going down, down, down. 237 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:38,440 And Jonah, he hit rock bottom. Now, the good news is, God is a 238 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:41,040 great God and he's a kind God. So he didn't send a shark to eat 239 00:15:41,040 --> 00:15:44,440 him. He didn't allow him to drown in 240 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:47,440 his goodness. He sends a huge fish to swallow 241 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:52,240 Jonah and gives Jonah three days to turn his life around. 242 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:57,920 What do you do when you've hit rock bottom? 243 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:05,280 What do you do when you've bumped up against rock bottom? 244 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:12,640 I'll tell you what Jonah did. Jonah prayed there might be some 245 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:15,760 of you that you've hit rock bottom and you think that there 246 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:22,080 is no way that God could hear your prayers when He's all the 247 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:25,400 way up in heaven and you are all the way down at rock bottom. 248 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:28,720 There might be some of you today that are thinking there is no 249 00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:33,160 way that God would hear your prayers after all that you have 250 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:36,000 done. There might be some of you today 251 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:38,760 that are going, There's no way that God should listen to you 252 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:42,680 since you have not been listening to him. 253 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:45,480 But can I show you how good your God is? 254 00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:51,480 Jonah chapter 2 From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord 255 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:55,040 his God. He said, In my distress I called 256 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:59,800 to the Lord, and he answered me from deep in the realm of the 257 00:16:59,800 --> 00:17:03,400 dead. I called for help, and you 258 00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:09,079 listened to my cry when my life was ebbing away. 259 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:15,160 I remember you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you to your holy 260 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:20,200 temple. Jonah cried out from the pit, 261 00:17:20,359 --> 00:17:26,119 and God answered. Jonah offered a prayer, and God 262 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:30,040 listened from the depths of the sea. 263 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:35,880 The prayer rose unhindered to God in his holy temple. 264 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:38,680 I have really good news for you today. 265 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:44,760 No matter where you are, no matter what you're doing, no 266 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:48,640 matter what you've done, no matter how much you have been 267 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:55,400 running from God, you have not run so far as to outrun the ears 268 00:17:55,880 --> 00:18:01,560 and the grace of God. Fellas, have you ever said 269 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:06,680 something under your breath in a altercation with your wife and 270 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:10,000 she heard it perfectly clear? Raise your hand if that's your 271 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,560 testimony. You were just talking to God and 272 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:16,400 she overheard it. I want you to know the next time 273 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:21,040 that that happens, God has better hearing than your wife 274 00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:26,440 today. If you cry out, He will answer. 275 00:18:28,120 --> 00:18:35,200 If you call, He will listen. If you offer a prayer from the 276 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:40,280 pit, it will rise unhindered to the heavens. 277 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:44,760 No wonder it says in James chapter 5 verse 13. 278 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:52,960 Is any among you in trouble? Let them pray. 279 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:58,000 We tend to think that in times of crisis that God is distant or 280 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:00,840 removed. Sometimes we even interpret 281 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:06,840 God's silence as indifference. But Jonah reminds us that God's 282 00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:11,880 presence allows us to endure the trials we face, even the ones we 283 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:19,200 created in our own disobedience. The authored Leonard Sweet in 284 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:24,920 his book Soul Salsa describes the story of a young or of a 285 00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:29,760 Native American tribe who on the 13th birthday they have this 286 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:32,560 rite of passage for their young warriors. 287 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:36,360 On the night of their 13th birthday, they were taken into 288 00:19:36,360 --> 00:19:39,920 the middle of the forest to spend the night alone. 289 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:44,320 It would be their very first night away from their family and 290 00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:48,440 the security of their tribe. They were blindfolded and taken 291 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:53,480 miles into the heart of the forest, and they were left there 292 00:19:54,240 --> 00:20:00,560 all night long, every time a twig snapped. 293 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:06,560 They wondered what while the animal was preparing to pounce, 294 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:11,440 Every time an animal howl, they imagined a wolf leaping out of 295 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:14,000 the darkness. Every time the wind blew, they 296 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:17,080 wondered what sinister sound it masked. 297 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:21,120 No doubt it was a terrifying night for those 13 year old 298 00:20:21,120 --> 00:20:23,960 boys. And after what seemed like an 299 00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:27,200 eternity, the first rays of sunlight penetrated into the 300 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:30,920 heart of the forest. And looking around, the boy saw 301 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:34,720 flowers and trees, and he saw a path home. 302 00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:39,600 And then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the 303 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:43,840 figure of a mighty warrior standing a few feet away with 304 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:49,680 bow and arrow and quiver. And it was his father, and he 305 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:56,920 had been there all night long. Hear me, if you are in the pit, 306 00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:02,760 if darkness is creeping in, if sin is taking over, but you are 307 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:10,880 still alive, God is not done with you yet. 308 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:16,920 And don't ever doubt the power of God to turn things around. 309 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:21,520 And don't ever doubt the power of prayer. 310 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:28,320 About six weeks back, maybe a couple more, there was a group 311 00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:31,280 of guys that I do a Discovery Bible study with, and one of the 312 00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:36,040 guys had an encounter with somebody who was hitting rock 313 00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:39,480 bottom. They were suicidal. 314 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:42,240 The text messages started blowing up the thread. 315 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:45,520 The phone call started coming in and I got on the phone with 316 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:49,120 Bobby and Bobby just wasn't seeing a path forward. 317 00:21:49,120 --> 00:21:52,400 He had hit rock bottom and he couldn't see his way out. 318 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:55,240 And we immediately tried to get him connected to Vine Co, our 319 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:57,440 counseling center. And a person on staff 320 00:21:57,440 --> 00:22:00,520 volunteered to go to Regen with him to help him overcome the 321 00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:03,400 hurts, habits and addictions that were impacting him in such 322 00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:06,000 a negative way. And we said, hey, we can't wait 323 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:08,040 to see you at church. And I'll be honest with you, 324 00:22:08,040 --> 00:22:09,920 that first week, almost none of it worked. 325 00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:16,240 But then started seeing Bobby at church and so I had written in 326 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:20,040 my prayer book Bobby Suicide and so I started calling him Bobby 327 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:22,640 Suicide. And every time I saw Bobby 328 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:25,320 Suicide at church, I put a little hash mark. 329 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:27,640 In other words, that first hash mark, because he came the first 330 00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:29,040 time. And then there was a second hash 331 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:30,760 mark and he came the second time. 332 00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:33,280 And then there was the 3rd hash mark, and then the 4th hash 333 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:36,040 mark, and then the 5th hash mark, and then the 6th hash 334 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:38,440 mark. And today was the 7th hash mark. 335 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:42,480 But Bobby went from being Bobby suicide to being Bobby baptized. 336 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:44,920 First service. Hear me. 337 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:55,280 Don't ever doubt the power of prayer to God to pull you out of 338 00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:58,200 the pit. First thing that Jonah did was 339 00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:00,560 he prayed. Second thing he did is he 340 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:05,560 realized that those clinging to anything other than God are 341 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:08,640 doomed. Jonah chapter 2, verse 8. 342 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:16,680 Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God's love 343 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:19,720 for them. To those of you clinging to a 344 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:21,920 political party, it's going to let you down. 345 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:25,480 To those clinging you clinging to possessions you will never 346 00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:27,720 have enough. To those of you holding on to 347 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:30,680 your status, it will not pull you out of the pit. 348 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:34,200 To those of you betting on all of your good works, there are 349 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:37,960 not of good work, enough good works for you to do to undo what 350 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:40,920 you've already done. To those of you hoping that you 351 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:44,200 will just be better than the rest, the rest is not the 352 00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:46,520 standard. Perfection is. 353 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:49,960 To those of you planning on choosing your own path, that 354 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:55,200 path leads to destruction. God, God in his love has made a 355 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:59,400 way through the person and work of his Son Jesus. 356 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:05,080 And Jesus says anyone who wants to come to the Father must come 357 00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:10,720 through me. And God in his love has provided 358 00:24:10,760 --> 00:24:13,920 a way for you. But if you cling to anything 359 00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:19,720 other than Jesus, you are turning away from God's love. 360 00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:25,160 To follow any other path is to walk away from that love. 361 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:31,400 Third thing Jonah does is he worships Jonah chapter 2, verse 362 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:35,080 9. But I, with shouts of grateful 363 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:41,960 praise, will sacrifice to you what I have vowed I will make 364 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:45,800 good. What I said I was going to do, 365 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:51,000 I'm actually going to do. Jonah realizes that the God of 366 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:53,560 the mountain is also the God of the valley that will. 367 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:57,080 God wraps himself in light. He is not immune to coming into 368 00:24:57,080 --> 00:25:00,040 the darkest of seasons and valleys with us. 369 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:03,280 And so Jonah lifts a shout of grateful praise. 370 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:07,840 And how can he not be grateful? He deserves to die for what he 371 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:10,280 has done. But God has sent a great fish 372 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:12,840 and given him time to get things right. 373 00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:15,560 So Jonah makes commitments to God. 374 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:19,000 Worship is not just about singing songs. 375 00:25:19,360 --> 00:25:25,280 It is also about obedience, about doing the things we said 376 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:29,120 we were going to do. Some of us, we might be singing 377 00:25:29,120 --> 00:25:32,520 louder than our obedience. We might be lifting our hands 378 00:25:32,520 --> 00:25:36,440 higher than our commitments for just a second. 379 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:41,440 Moms, imagine that your kids started singing songs about how 380 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:44,880 awesome you are. Mom, you're so awesome. 381 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:46,600 You're the most awesome. Mom. 382 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:48,560 They just started singing that as they were brushing their 383 00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:51,880 teeth in the morning. And then you're like, hey, did 384 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:53,400 you? Did you do that thing that I 385 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:55,200 asked you to do that you said you were going to do? 386 00:25:56,520 --> 00:26:00,560 Mom, you're so awesome. Did you let the dog out? 387 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:03,760 You're so stinking awesome. And you're pretty. 388 00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:06,360 You don't need all that makeup. You look great the way you are. 389 00:26:06,840 --> 00:26:11,040 Have you picked up your room? And you're so awesome, Mom. 390 00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:14,240 You can tell I'm not leading worship for any of our campuses 391 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:19,000 anytime soon. Moms, would you like the songs? 392 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:21,640 Yeah. Would you also like those songs 393 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:24,520 coming from a heart that was doing what it was supposed to do 394 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:27,320 and did that it was that it said it was going to do. 395 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:29,320 God doesn't just love your voice. 396 00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:31,400 He loves your voice. He loves your worship. 397 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:35,480 But worship is not just singing. It's also obedience. 398 00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:40,520 And so Jonah says what I vowed I was going to do. 399 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:49,040 I'm actually going to do #4 Jonah realizes that God is a God 400 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:57,080 who saves Jonah chapter 2, verse 6 and 9 to the roots of the 401 00:26:57,080 --> 00:26:59,280 mountains. I sank down the earth beneath 402 00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:06,400 barred me in forever, but you, Lord, my God, brought my life up 403 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:14,520 from the pit. I will say salvation comes from 404 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:18,680 the Lord. God is a God who lifts people 405 00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:22,880 and lives from the pit. God is a God who brings 406 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:25,480 salvation. There's a lot of people who 407 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:28,760 give, say a lot of things about God, but you better make sure 408 00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:31,480 when they're talking about God to you, you at least remind them 409 00:27:31,680 --> 00:27:35,800 that God, the God that we serve, is a God who's gracious and a 410 00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:38,960 God who saves. If you've ever seen me in the 411 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:42,480 valley, if you've ever been at rock bottom, but you're not 412 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:45,760 there anymore and you're standing on a mountain, it is 413 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:49,240 not because of your wisdom. It is not because of your might, 414 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:52,120 but because we serve a God who saves. 415 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:55,640 We got where we are because God put us there. 416 00:27:55,760 --> 00:28:00,320 We were in the pit needing a rescued and our God rescues. 417 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:03,040 We were in a pit and we needed saved. 418 00:28:03,040 --> 00:28:08,160 And the good thing is we have a God of salvation. 419 00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:11,520 Remember I said that Jesus points to the story of Jonah? 420 00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:18,080 Well, let's Fast forward 700 years to Matthew chapter 12 and 421 00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:21,360 look what Jesus says. Then some Pharisees and teachers 422 00:28:21,360 --> 00:28:26,080 of the law said to him, Teacher, we want to see a sign from you. 423 00:28:27,320 --> 00:28:29,360 Then he answered, This is Jesus talking. 424 00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:34,560 A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but 425 00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:41,640 none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 426 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:46,840 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a 427 00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:53,320 huge fish, so the Son of Man will be 3 days and three nights 428 00:28:53,600 --> 00:28:59,600 in the heart of the earth. You see, both Jonah and Jesus 429 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:02,480 were sent on a rescue mission by God. 430 00:29:03,560 --> 00:29:07,160 Jonah rebelled and ran from his mission. 431 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:10,920 And Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane said not my will be 432 00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:14,920 done, but your will be done. Jonah was disobedient. 433 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:18,280 Jesus was obedient. Jonah went down to death 434 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:22,400 symbolically, but Jesus went down to death on our behalf 435 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:26,400 literally. Jonah escaped death, but Jesus 436 00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:30,760 defeated it. Jesus's Jonah, like returned 437 00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:34,960 from the empty grave, became the hope for all who are in him, 438 00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:41,080 that death is not our end and death is not our destiny. 439 00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:44,360 If you were to go to the catacombs where they bury the 440 00:29:44,360 --> 00:29:48,920 people in Rome, where all the earlier early Christians were to 441 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:53,400 bury their dead, almost half of all the artwork that they carved 442 00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:59,600 into the stones have a reference to Jonah and the whale. 443 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:03,640 It's not hard to grasp the imagery here. 444 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:08,320 The sailors are the mourners, lowering their loved ones and 445 00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:13,960 friends into a watery grave. The fish, which became the early 446 00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:18,640 sign of Christianity, by the way, was there to take hold of 447 00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:24,600 those laid into the watery grave and keep them safe until First 448 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:27,800 Thessalonians. Chapter 4, verse 16 says the 449 00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:34,920 dead in Christ will rise. The empty tomb of Jesus fulfills 450 00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:39,160 the sign of Jonah and shows the ultimate way that Jesus is 451 00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:43,200 greater than Jonah. Jonah was delivered, but Jesus 452 00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:49,360 is deliverance. Jonah was saved, but Jesus is 453 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:54,080 salvation. In fact, Jonah ends his prayer 454 00:30:54,080 --> 00:31:00,200 with these words. Salvation comes from the Lord, 455 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:05,960 and if you were to read it in the Hebrew text, it says Yeshua 456 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:11,800 comes from the Lord, Salvation Yeshua. 457 00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:16,440 If you want to translate that word into Greek or into Latin, 458 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:25,320 I'll give you the word Jesus. Jonah ends his prayer with Jesus 459 00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:27,680 on his lips. Why? 460 00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:31,880 Because Jesus saves. Why? 461 00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:37,400 Because Jesus is salvation crossing family. 462 00:31:37,400 --> 00:31:40,680 Look at me. You might be in a spot today, 463 00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:45,280 you might be hitting rock bottom, you might be in a storm 464 00:31:45,280 --> 00:31:49,880 of your own causing, but it is not over. 465 00:31:50,920 --> 00:31:54,080 There was once a fellow runner from God. 466 00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:57,920 Much like Jonah, he had abandoned his faith. 467 00:31:57,920 --> 00:32:00,280 As a teenager. He'd been given to gambling and 468 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:05,400 drinking and lying. But in 19 or in 1748, aboard the 469 00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:09,440 ship the Greyhound, on his way to England, he found himself, 470 00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:13,120 like Jonah, in a severe storm off the coast. 471 00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:17,640 He cried out to God for deliverance, and God spared his 472 00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:20,160 life. And while it took a while, the 473 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:24,440 events of that night eventually shaped and formed his future. 474 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:28,480 Eventually, he rekindled his faith and his allegiance to God. 475 00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:31,560 Instead of being a slave trader, he became an abolitionist and 476 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:35,680 fought for the rest of his life against the release of slaves. 477 00:32:36,760 --> 00:32:41,880 And then he became a pastor. And as he would pastor, one of 478 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:45,600 the things that he would do is he would write songs for his 479 00:32:45,600 --> 00:32:49,640 congregation to sing. And I'm so glad that he did, 480 00:32:50,720 --> 00:32:53,880 because if he hadn't, we would never have had the words written 481 00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:58,160 by John Newton. Amazing Grace, how sweet the 482 00:32:58,160 --> 00:33:02,480 sound that saved a Wretch like me. 483 00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:07,040 I once was lost, but now I'm found was blind. 484 00:33:07,360 --> 00:33:11,920 But now I see twas grace that taught my heart to fear and 485 00:33:11,920 --> 00:33:15,200 grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace 486 00:33:15,200 --> 00:33:19,720 appear the hour I first believed? 487 00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:24,280 Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come. 488 00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:30,320 Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me 489 00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:33,160 home. The Lord has promised good to 490 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:35,640 me. His word, my hope secures. 491 00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:42,600 He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures. 492 00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:44,720 Yeah. When this flesh and heart shall 493 00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:49,040 fail, and mortal life shall cease, I shall possess within 494 00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:53,880 the veil a life of joy and peace. 495 00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:57,800 The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, the sun for bear to 496 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:00,200 shine. But God, who called me here 497 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:07,400 below, will be forever mine. When we've been there 10,000 498 00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:14,000 years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing 499 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:19,880 God's praise than when we first begun crossing. 500 00:34:19,880 --> 00:34:25,159 Family, hear me, If you are at rock bottom, but there is still 501 00:34:25,159 --> 00:34:28,480 breath in your lungs, God is not done. 502 00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:31,880 You do not have to stay in that pit. 503 00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:37,400 You can be saved because Jesus is salvation. 504 00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:39,320 We're moving to a time of decision. 505 00:34:44,360 --> 00:34:47,320 If you're here today, or you're watching online or the crossing 506 00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:50,000 inside and you don't have an intimate personal relationship 507 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:53,120 with Jesus Christ, if you're in the pit, if you're at rock 508 00:34:53,120 --> 00:34:57,200 bottom, I have a really, really, really, really, really, really, 509 00:34:57,200 --> 00:35:03,240 really good news for you. God will hear your prayers and 510 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:07,240 Jesus saves. And so today, if you cry out to 511 00:35:07,240 --> 00:35:11,120 him, He will answer you. And in just a few moments, the 512 00:35:11,120 --> 00:35:13,520 people around you are going to stand and sing, and some of them 513 00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:15,040 are going to come to the steps and pray. 514 00:35:15,040 --> 00:35:17,600 And what I would encourage you to do is talk to somebody who 515 00:35:17,600 --> 00:35:19,720 brought you. Talk to somebody that you know 516 00:35:19,720 --> 00:35:22,640 that you saw across the room that might have the answers that 517 00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:24,840 you've been looking for. And if neither one of those two 518 00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:27,640 sound awesome to you, you can walk right over there underneath 519 00:35:27,640 --> 00:35:30,520 that screen next to the baptistry and start talking 520 00:35:30,520 --> 00:35:33,840 about the God that we've been talking about, asking the 521 00:35:33,840 --> 00:35:36,600 questions that might be holding you back from believing, from 522 00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:41,200 following, from trusting Him. Do not waste this moment to get 523 00:35:41,200 --> 00:35:44,560 right with God. To the rest of you in the room, 524 00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:47,600 to those of you who are already Jesus followers, I want you to 525 00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:50,160 hear me. Don't you ever doubt that in 526 00:35:50,160 --> 00:35:54,960 times of darkness and hard seasons that God is not 527 00:35:54,960 --> 00:35:59,800 listening to your prayers. So I want to encourage you to 528 00:35:59,800 --> 00:36:07,040 use this time at the steps, calling on God, crying out to 529 00:36:07,040 --> 00:36:12,160 Him, because prayer has the power to change things. 530 00:36:12,720 --> 00:36:15,520 Recently I've been praying two things for a lot of people, 531 00:36:16,560 --> 00:36:23,400 wisdom and courage. Wisdom to know what to do and 532 00:36:23,400 --> 00:36:28,120 the courage to do it. Jonah knew what he was supposed 533 00:36:28,120 --> 00:36:33,520 to do, he just didn't do it. Some of you, you know exactly 534 00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:34,840 what it is you're supposed to do. 535 00:36:35,760 --> 00:36:38,520 You just haven't had the courage that you need to do it. 536 00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:40,920 But you don't have to muster the courage. 537 00:36:40,920 --> 00:36:45,360 He will be your courage. You don't have to come up with 538 00:36:45,360 --> 00:36:47,080 all the strength. He will be your strength. 539 00:36:48,120 --> 00:36:50,360 I know there's some of you are going, man, I have no clue what 540 00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:53,000 I'm supposed to do. Well, I'm praying that God would 541 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:56,120 give you the wisdom to know exactly what that is. 542 00:36:56,360 --> 00:37:02,960 Would you guys stand with me? God, we're entrusting this holy 543 00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:07,840 moment into your hands. You know perfectly what every 544 00:37:07,840 --> 00:37:12,240 person in this room needs. You know what every person in 545 00:37:12,240 --> 00:37:16,520 this room wants. And God, right now we're just 546 00:37:16,520 --> 00:37:20,880 asking you to move in our hearts and our lives, to redirect us, 547 00:37:20,880 --> 00:37:25,960 to shape us, to mold us. Got to pray for all those that 548 00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:30,680 can hear my voice right now that you would make it incredibly 549 00:37:30,680 --> 00:37:35,040 clear what it is that you want us to do, and then through your 550 00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:37,320 Spirit that you would give us the courage to do it. 551 00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:39,280 In your name I pray. Amen.