1 00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:08,640 From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:15,520 He said, In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me 3 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:20,080 from the depths of the grave. I called for help, and you 4 00:00:20,080 --> 00:00:24,800 listened to my cry. You hurled me into the deep, 5 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:29,320 into the very heart of the Seas, and the current swirled about 6 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:32,439 me. All your waves and Breakers 7 00:00:32,439 --> 00:00:35,360 swept over me. I said. 8 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:40,480 I have been banished from your sight, yet I will look again 9 00:00:40,480 --> 00:00:45,640 towards your holy temple. The engulfing waters threatened 10 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:50,400 me, the deep surrounded me. Seaweed was wrapped around my 11 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,640 head to the roots of the mountains. 12 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:59,040 I sank down. The earth beneath barred me in 13 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:04,920 forever, but you brought my life up from the pit, my Lord. 14 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:10,680 When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my 15 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:14,080 prayer rose to You to your holy temple. 16 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:20,600 Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that 17 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:25,400 could be theirs. But I, with a song of 18 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:32,000 Thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You what I have vowed I will 19 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:36,480 make. Good salvation comes from the 20 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:44,240 Lord, And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto 21 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:49,240 dry land. Alrighty. 22 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:54,480 Roman, thank you for reading that passage of Scripture. 23 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:59,760 And if you have your Bible or your iPad or your electronic 24 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:02,000 devices with you turn to Jonah two. 25 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:04,280 We're going to look at that a little bit later on this 26 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:07,240 morning. And if you have a pen, just get 27 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:11,400 a pen because every single one of those verses or most of those 28 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:15,600 verses comes out of the Psalms. And I want to give you the Psalm 29 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:19,400 scriptures that they relate to so that you can go and read it. 30 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:23,480 And when you're downcast and and and hard pressed, you go and 31 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:26,080 read those scriptures and God will revive your spirit. 32 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:29,480 God will revive your spirit. Is that all right? 33 00:02:30,920 --> 00:02:36,680 So we are in the book of Jonah and the the theme for the series 34 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:42,680 is I am Jonah and she's boy, Oh boy, that I discovered that I am 35 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:48,680 Jonah. Oh, you know, hey, even me. 36 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:52,760 Thank you, Steven. I am Jonah. 37 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:58,560 I tell you, it is been the most humbling time this season. 38 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:03,280 Friends, if we rent our hearts, God is going to change the life 39 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:06,880 of your the people in your household, the people at your 40 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:11,480 workplace, the people in your class, the people in your 41 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:13,880 lecture room, and it's going to change this nation. 42 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:17,760 So I'm not going to read recap the whole story. 43 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:20,440 I want to ask you go and read this chapter for yourself three 44 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:22,640 or four times. But I am going to make some 45 00:03:22,640 --> 00:03:26,040 points and I trust that you will be able to follow as we go. 46 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:29,120 But please go and listen to the messages up to now. 47 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:31,760 If you've missed them, it'll it'll do you good. 48 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:36,480 Now the book of Jonah starts like this Jonah one verse one, 49 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:40,920 the word of the Lord came to Jonah, son of Amitai. 50 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:47,320 Some translation says now not yesterday, not tomorrow, now go 51 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:51,760 to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because its 52 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:54,600 wickedness has come up before me. 53 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:59,600 In the first verse we see something of God's heart. 54 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:05,240 God will not send somebody to go and preach against somebody if 55 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:10,600 he doesn't care about that person immediately says go. 56 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:12,520 Why? I want to give you a second 57 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,480 chance. Please turn. 58 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:16,920 I want to give you a second chance. 59 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:20,360 And he comes to Jonah and said, hey Jonah, I've chosen you, my 60 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:23,600 boy, come on, get off your backside and go. 61 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:27,280 And what does Jonah do? We'll get there. 62 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:30,640 That's the beginning of the story. 63 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:34,360 The end of the story is this Jonah 3 verse 10. 64 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:39,280 When God saw what they did and how they turned from the evil 65 00:04:39,280 --> 00:04:44,520 ways, he relented and did not bring them, bring on them the 66 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:50,640 destruction he had threatened. So on the one side we've got go 67 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:54,760 and in the middle we had a little bit of a wobbly, wobbly, 68 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:58,480 wobbly, wobbly, wobbly. And on this side we have 69 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:04,000 repented hearts, friends, the the fate of a nation has been 70 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,160 changed. The fate of a nation has been 71 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:13,880 changed and in the middle friends is Jonah and in the 72 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:18,600 middle is you and I. You know when when God called 73 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:26,800 Jonah, you heard Nineveh and all the memories of the past came up 74 00:05:26,840 --> 00:05:29,920 and his first reaction was I will not go. 75 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:34,520 God looked past the memories of the past and saw the person. 76 00:05:35,280 --> 00:05:39,760 When God says go, it's always got to do with people. 77 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:43,720 Whether you're a mechanic, whether you're a teacher, 78 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:47,240 whether you're a politician, whether you're a preacher or a 79 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:49,640 doctor, it's always got to do with people. 80 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:53,760 When God says go, he doesn't say go for animals, He doesn't say 81 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:56,240 go for cars. He says go for people. 82 00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:00,480 Always, always people. And Jonah missed it. 83 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:05,440 Jonah missed it, friends, right in the middle of this is Jonah 84 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:08,200 and right in the middle of This Is Us. 85 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:12,040 So the question I'm going to try as best as I know how, just to 86 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:16,040 answer one question this morning, what is on the other 87 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:21,000 side or not What, who? He's on the other side of your 88 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:25,320 yes, for Jesus. There's a city that's crying out 89 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:26,880 for God. There's an individual and 90 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:29,440 there's a country that's crying out for God, as Mitch so 91 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:32,640 beautifully said this morning. What is our response? 92 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:35,520 Who's on the other side of our yes for Jesus? 93 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:38,560 The answer to that is not very difficult. 94 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:42,920 It's people. It's my neighbour. 95 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:45,440 It's the person that I'm still to meet. 96 00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:48,360 It's the person that I have met. It's people. 97 00:06:49,280 --> 00:06:55,160 OK, so let's let's start. So God says go and what does 98 00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:56,800 Jonah do? He runs. 99 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:02,160 That's a good way to start. If you don't see the people, 100 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:06,960 you'll run. And he ran, and he came to a 101 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:10,600 place called Joppa. The second thing that happens, 102 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:13,960 there's a vessel there, a ship there destined for Tarsus. 103 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:15,960 And what does he do? He pays. 104 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:21,840 So first he runs, then he pays, then he gets onto the ship. 105 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:24,760 Now he's tired of running, start of paying. 106 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:29,040 Now he's sleeping. Just get me away from all of 107 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:31,080 this. I'm not going to Nineveh. 108 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:34,040 It's too much for me. Friends, let me tell you 109 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:37,720 something. If we hear the voice of God to 110 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:41,360 go and we run, it'll bankrupt you. 111 00:07:44,080 --> 00:07:48,720 You'll pay. And when you paid and when you 112 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:52,360 ran and when you're out of breath, you'll think, oh Lord, 113 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:55,880 let me just sleep. Let me just sleep. 114 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:59,400 Because when my eyes are closed and I don't hear anything and 115 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:02,600 I've put the cushions, yeah, that it all will disappear. 116 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:06,320 It'll all be OK. And we miss what God has for us. 117 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:10,240 But God doesn't give up on Jonah. 118 00:08:10,880 --> 00:08:13,160 The Bible says God sends a storm. 119 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:15,880 Why? Because he's jealous for Jonah. 120 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:18,720 He wants to wake him up. No, no, no, my boy, you're 121 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:21,760 travelling in the wrong direction. 2500 kilometers in 122 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:24,640 the wrong direction. Want to wake you up before it's 123 00:08:24,640 --> 00:08:27,240 too late. But Jonah sleeps. 124 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:31,960 The sailors, they panic the captain, he panics. 125 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:37,000 The sailors cry out to their God lowercase G the sailor says, 126 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:38,760 where's Jonah? He ran downstairs. 127 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:40,640 He found finds him to sleep downstairs. 128 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:42,440 He said, what the heck are you doing? 129 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:47,600 Get up, cry out to your God friends When we're asleep, don't 130 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:51,520 be surprised if whoever is going to come your way to wake you up. 131 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:54,240 We blame the enemy for a lot of things. 132 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:57,400 It's our own fault. Don't give the enemy enough 133 00:08:57,400 --> 00:08:59,880 credit. Credit for for for our mistakes. 134 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:01,760 Cars. Yes, there is a war. 135 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:04,400 It is against flesh and not against flesh and blood. 136 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:06,000 It is about get the principality. 137 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:07,840 I know those things. I know the warfare thing. 138 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:14,920 Like Ross says, please don't send me an e-mail, but God sends 139 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:20,520 things our way to wake us up. The longer we serve, the more 140 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:22,480 excited we need to get about Christ. 141 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:27,320 We shouldn't get get to sleep, shouldn't get to sleep. 142 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:31,120 And he said to him, pray. And I don't know about you if 143 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:33,800 you've ever met the captain of a ship, but you don't argue with 144 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:37,520 the captain of a ship. If he says pray, you get on your 145 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:40,520 knees and you go so loud down and you pray. 146 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:43,840 But we don't see this of Jonah. I don't read that he prayed. 147 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:46,440 I just read that he came up with quick answers. 148 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:48,880 When the guys confronted him, what did he say? 149 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:51,080 Oh, no, it's my fault. I'm so sorry. 150 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:53,840 I so sorry. He doesn't even say sorry I 151 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:57,320 dragged you into this. He's just said it's my fault, 152 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:00,600 throw me overboard because he thinks, OK, now I can't sleep, I 153 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:04,640 might as well die. I just want this to go away. 154 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:11,760 God wakes him up. God wakes him up and at the end 155 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:15,360 of the day, because he's at the wrong place at the wrong time, 156 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:17,720 the sailors and the captain ends up paying. 157 00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:19,400 They throw their provisions overboard. 158 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:20,920 They throw their cargo overboard. 159 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:23,720 They waste energy. They try rowing to the side. 160 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:25,080 It's actually got nothing to do with it. 161 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:28,840 It's actually got everything to do with Jonah. 162 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:32,960 And he doesn't have the decency of apologizing, of repainting, 163 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:38,600 just this throw me overboard. And before they throw him 164 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:43,000 overboard, they realized who His God was, because he told them 165 00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:46,720 and they got a fright. And now they don't pray to their 166 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:51,520 gods. They pray to His God, the God of 167 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:55,200 heaven and earth that created the sea and created the land. 168 00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:59,840 So God don't hold this against us, because they didn't know 169 00:10:59,840 --> 00:11:03,120 what to pray. And they threw him overboard. 170 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:05,880 And God heard their cry, friends. 171 00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:09,680 God heard their cry and he saved them. 172 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:21,210 The sea was calm. And then and then God provided 173 00:11:21,210 --> 00:11:23,090 this fish. So go and listen to Stevens 174 00:11:23,090 --> 00:11:26,450 preach from last week. It's, it's a, it's a, it's a, 175 00:11:26,450 --> 00:11:28,970 it's a significant fish. I think it was last week or the 176 00:11:28,970 --> 00:11:31,920 previous one it it was a significant fish. 177 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:35,040 So the issue is not what kind of fish or whatever the case might 178 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:37,760 be. The issue is the fish was born 179 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:40,400 at the right time. It ate the right food so it 180 00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:43,320 could grow the right length to be at the right place in order 181 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:49,640 to swallow Jonah. God at this tapestry all worked 182 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:50,800 out. Don't try and work out what 183 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:53,520 features was whether it was big or small or whatever. 184 00:11:53,680 --> 00:11:58,600 It was dark and it was ugly, bottom line. 185 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:01,880 And I think it smelt, I think it's smelled. 186 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:05,480 And Jonah is in the belly of this fish. 187 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:08,600 And now you can turn to Jonah too, because I want to show you 188 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:11,320 something. I'm just going to read it. 189 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:13,880 And I'm going to tell you which Psalms to go to. 190 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:16,760 And you're going to go to those Psalms in your own time. 191 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:21,600 But this is the Scripture that brought a turn in Jonah's heart, 192 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:28,120 in Jonah's mind, verse one from the inside, the from inside the 193 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:29,920 fish. Jonah prayed to the Lord. 194 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:33,760 He's God. He said, in my distress, I call 195 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:36,600 to the Lord. That is Psalm 18, verse six. 196 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:40,960 Write that down 18, verse six. And he answered me. 197 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:45,040 Remember Jonah's paraphrasing? Yeah, he doesn't have a Bible to 198 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:47,560 read from. He just quotes it as he as he 199 00:12:47,560 --> 00:12:50,560 remembers it. So some words, you hear what I'm 200 00:12:50,560 --> 00:12:54,640 saying. That's Psalm 120, verse one. 201 00:12:55,680 --> 00:12:59,800 From deep in the realm of the dead, I called for help, and you 202 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:03,560 listen to my cry. You hold me into the depths. 203 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:09,280 That's Psalm 88, verse 6. Into the very heart of the Seas. 204 00:13:09,560 --> 00:13:11,880 And the current swirled about me. 205 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:15,440 All your waves and Breakers swept over me. 206 00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:22,800 That is Psalm 42, verse 7. I said I have been banished from 207 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:27,560 your sight. That is Psalm 31, verse 32. 208 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:34,880 Psalm 31, verse 22. Yet I will look again toward 209 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:38,600 your holy temple. The engulfing waters threaten 210 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:41,080 me. The deep surrounded me. 211 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:43,440 Seaweeds was wrapped around my head. 212 00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:49,240 That is Psalm 69, verse one and two, to the roots of the 213 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:53,200 mountains. I sank down, the earth beneath 214 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:58,720 bought me in forever. But You, O Lord my God, brought 215 00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:03,200 my life up from the pit. When my life was ebbing away, I 216 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:08,120 remembered You, Lord, Psalm 77, verse 11 and 12. 217 00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:13,560 And my prayer rose to you, to Your holy temple. 218 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:18,720 Psalm 11, verse 4. Those who cling to worthless 219 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:22,600 idols turn away from God's love for them. 220 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:29,080 But I with shouts and grateful praise, grateful praise will 221 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:33,800 sacrifice to You. Psalm 50, verse 14 and 23. 222 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:38,080 What I have vowed I will make good. 223 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:41,560 I will say salvation comes from the Lord. 224 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:46,280 Psalm 3, verse eight. And the Lord commanded the fish 225 00:14:46,680 --> 00:14:49,640 and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. 226 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:59,080 Friends, the point is this. In the belly of the fish where 227 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:02,240 Jonah had nobody to turn to, he didn't pray on the vessel 228 00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:05,840 because he didn't face loss, the others face loss. 229 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:10,240 But now in the belly of the fish, he remembered the Psalms. 230 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:14,320 Why did he remember the Psalms? He was familiar with the Psalms. 231 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:18,040 Why does he remember the Psalms? I believe, I believe there's two 232 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:21,240 reasons. The first reason is he couldn't 233 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:23,360 believe he's alive in the belly of a fish. 234 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:30,360 I think throwing over, swimming, going down. 235 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:33,800 He did go down, but he didn't go down dead. 236 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:38,360 He did go down in the belly of a fish and he was alive. 237 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:42,760 So he's, he's saw his prayer that he prays is Thanksgiving 238 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:46,600 just thank you God. There's how many times there's 239 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:50,120 thank you and Thanksgiving. The second thing is he realized 240 00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:53,720 if God could send a fish and get me into a belly of or allow me 241 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:56,480 to go into a belly of a fish, he'll Get Me Out of the belly of 242 00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:59,920 a fish. That's why he says again, I will 243 00:15:59,920 --> 00:16:03,720 see your holy temple. God can't rescue him. 244 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:08,360 God can't take him out. So friends, Psalm 119, verse 245 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:11,880 five says this. Your word is a lamp unto my feet 246 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:16,200 and a light unto my path. When things are heart pressed, 247 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:20,080 get God's word in your heart and He will show you. 248 00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:22,400 Yeah, and he'll show you a little bit further. 249 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:26,000 There will be a lamp on your foot and it'll be a lot on your 250 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:30,040 path. Get the word of God in your 251 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:32,080 heart. Meditate on that word. 252 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:34,720 Pray that word. Write it down. 253 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:37,520 Keep a diary and God will show you what to do. 254 00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:40,000 Don't run like a chicken without a head. 255 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:43,040 Don't run left and right looking for guys to bail you out. 256 00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:45,480 No way. You got yourself into it. 257 00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:48,640 God will get you out of it. You can't get you out of it. 258 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:52,480 People can't get you out of it. God will get you out of it. 259 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:57,880 Get the word in our hearts. That's why I give you the Psalms 260 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:00,320 and you're going to discover a lot more. 261 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:02,040 Just go and look at the cross references. 262 00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:04,760 It's there, it's there. It'll show you what to read. 263 00:17:05,480 --> 00:17:08,599 So the sailors prayed and God rescued them. 264 00:17:09,319 --> 00:17:14,520 Jonah prayed, God rescued him. He ended on dry land and after 265 00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:21,280 he prayed and after God rescued him again, the word Jonah 3 266 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:24,160 verse one through 3. Then the word of the Lord came 267 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:28,600 to Jonah a second time, not before he prayed, after he 268 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:32,960 prayed because now he's hearing God's voice again. 269 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:39,440 Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I 270 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:42,960 give you. Jonah obeyed the word of God and 271 00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:46,640 went. Jonah obeyed the word of God. 272 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:49,840 I don't think he obeyed because he really saw the people. 273 00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:54,840 I think he obeyed because there's somewhere it says what I 274 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:58,040 have vowed I will make good. And he was a prophet. 275 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:01,160 He was destined to proclaim God's word. 276 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:04,600 And I don't know for what reason he went, but but later on we'll 277 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:05,800 see. I don't, I don't think it's 278 00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:07,000 something that lived in his heart. 279 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:09,920 He still saw the issue. He didn't see the people. 280 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:14,080 He still saw his past. God saw past the past and he saw 281 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:17,320 the people. And he's showing Jonah, I will 282 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:20,680 rescue, I will rescue you. I will rescue the sailors. 283 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:24,320 And man, if you just get on the page with me, I will rescue 284 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:26,120 Nineveh and you'll rejoice with me. 285 00:18:27,360 --> 00:18:33,080 But he misses that. He goes to Nineveh and he 286 00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:37,320 preaches an 8 word sermon. He does the bare minimum. 287 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:43,440 The bare minimum. He preach 40 days and Nineveh 288 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:45,120 will be overthrown. Full stop. 289 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:50,280 OK, imagine you came this morning and I stand in front of 290 00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:53,720 you. I say, guys, 40 days and 291 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:56,960 Pretoria will be overthrown. Let's go and have coffee. 292 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:01,520 You will say, what the heck is this? 293 00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:06,280 When Stephen asked me to preach, he says, Eugene, cry of the 294 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:07,560 lost. Those was the word. 295 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:09,400 Those are the words that he gave me. 296 00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:13,640 And I could have come here this morning and say cry of the lost. 297 00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:20,280 That's what Jonah did. But I went and I meditated on it 298 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:22,080 and God brought things alive in me. 299 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:28,600 Imagine if Jonah went and he did bring that word and they did 300 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:33,360 repent and he went and sat on a hillside the Bible says, and he 301 00:19:33,360 --> 00:19:35,040 watched to see what happened to the city. 302 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:37,840 Imagine if he started rejoicing with God instead of being a 303 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:42,120 grumpy old man. Stay God. 304 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:46,400 Can't we start a church there? Hey God, why don't you want to 305 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:48,720 send me again for a prophetic word for Otter? 306 00:19:49,640 --> 00:19:52,280 Lord, don't you want to send me again so I can go and put 307 00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:54,960 courage in Robbie's heart? Can't. 308 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:57,200 Can't you send me again? Please, Lord, I want to be part 309 00:19:57,200 --> 00:19:59,720 of what you're doing. Sure. 310 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:03,680 Instead, he left them up to their own demise. 311 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:08,080 God saw their cry, and the Bible says this. 312 00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:11,960 Jonah Thieverstein. When God saw what they did and 313 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:16,640 how they turned from the evil ways, he relented and did not 314 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:19,680 bring on them the destruction he had threatened. 315 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:24,080 Why? Because Jonah 4 verse 10, I knew 316 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:28,600 that you are gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger 317 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:33,560 and abounding in love. A God who relents from calamity. 318 00:20:34,360 --> 00:20:37,880 The sailors prayed for themselves friends, Jonah prayed 319 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:39,680 for himself. I don't know if you picked it up 320 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:43,160 in that Jonah two that we read 25 times. 321 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:49,440 It's me, my, and I in 10 verses, not Jonah or not Nineveh, not 322 00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:51,800 sailors, nobody else, just Mima and I. 323 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:55,440 There is a place for Mima and I, but the problem is that's where 324 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:59,000 Jonah stopped. That's where he stopped. 325 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:02,400 And then we see Nineveh. When they prayed, it was just 326 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:07,400 all about their destruction. Let's bring this whole passage a 327 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:15,720 little bit closer to home. There's a God in heaven and sent 328 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:22,360 his one and only son and the cry of his wrath was Father forgive 329 00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:28,840 them for they don't know what they do for you and me and that 330 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:34,720 Savior Jesus Christ. Save the young man by the name 331 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:44,400 of Ashley Bell and Ashley read the scripture in Joel 2 verse 332 00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:47,360 13. Joel is a prophet for our time, 333 00:21:47,360 --> 00:21:50,600 eh? He's speaking into our days says 334 00:21:50,600 --> 00:21:53,800 rend your heart and not your garments. 335 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:58,360 Return to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and 336 00:21:58,360 --> 00:22:02,840 compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love and relent 337 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:05,960 from sending and relent from sending calamity. 338 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:10,840 Exactly the same words, but he added rent your heart. 339 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:15,880 What does rent your heart mean? It means recognize that you are 340 00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:19,200 in need of a Savior. My heart is broken, my heart is 341 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:23,760 torn, it needs repair, it needs to be mended, and there's only 342 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:26,560 one person that they can do that and that's Jesus Christ. 343 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:32,040 So it does start with rendering, with rending. 344 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:35,120 There you go. Rent our hearts. 345 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:39,600 Rendering is something else. Rent our hearts. 346 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:44,800 So, so I'm going to encourage you rent your heart. 347 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:50,960 Rent your heart because who's on the other side of your yes for 348 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:53,360 Jesus. If you just say yes and your 349 00:22:53,360 --> 00:22:57,680 hearts and you didn't rent your heart, you're not going to see 350 00:22:57,680 --> 00:23:01,160 the people. You're going to see everything 351 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:05,040 else, but you'll stop short. You'll stop short. 352 00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:08,240 Rend your heart for yourself and rend your heart. 353 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:11,000 Let your heart start breaking for the people of Pretoria. 354 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:14,080 Let your heart start breaking for the family member that's not 355 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:17,040 saved, for your colleague, for our country. 356 00:23:17,760 --> 00:23:20,520 Rend your heart. There's a young man that read 357 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:25,560 that scripture and his name is Ashley Bell and Ashley Bell and 358 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:29,920 his wife Nadine. He was almost 40 years old at 359 00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:34,120 that stage. And 29 years ago, God laid in 360 00:23:34,120 --> 00:23:38,040 his heart to plant the church and he got in his combi. 361 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:42,200 Most of you know the story, but he's got his in his combi in in 362 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:45,440 Durban. And his steering wheel broke and 363 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:49,200 he had a wrench and he took a wrench as a steering wheel and 364 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:52,720 he drove all the way to Pretoria to come and plant the church. 365 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:56,320 English man in Afrikaans community. 366 00:23:56,520 --> 00:23:59,760 People were laughing at him. So what the heck are you 367 00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:01,720 thinking? But he did it. 368 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:03,960 Friends. I had the privilege of speaking 369 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:09,080 to Ashley this week, Sure. And his voice almost filled with 370 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:10,680 tears. I could hear the tears in his 371 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:13,600 voice when he recalled those days. 372 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:19,200 What stirred me most was Ashley never aspired to be a pastor or 373 00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:22,160 leading a church or being leadership of any kind. 374 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:26,040 And his heart was a heart that was rendered. 375 00:24:27,360 --> 00:24:29,080 It's just a heart to serve people. 376 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:33,040 He said, Lord, I want to serve people. 377 00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:37,760 And in that I want to serve people. 378 00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:42,560 God started stirring his heart, But S what if I want to send you 379 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:47,200 to people? And he said, oh, sheesh, Lord, 380 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:52,400 not a bad idea. I'm a surfer, by the way. 381 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:57,880 He was he wasn't just a surfer. He was the of the top of the top 382 00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:01,840 in South Africa. He served professionally, he 383 00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:07,000 surfed alongside Springbok surfers, he took the President 384 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:08,920 President Cup twice. I don't know. 385 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:13,760 I know it might not mean much to us, but but that's some of his 386 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:18,120 credentials. The Gunston 500 was one of the 387 00:25:18,120 --> 00:25:19,920 biggest surfing events in the world. 388 00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:22,640 Steve and he made the quarterfinals. 389 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:27,640 He had a surfing school. He coached surfing the the the 390 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:31,200 Natal University surfing team. So. 391 00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:35,080 So he's not a novice. And and like, like any good 392 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:37,240 surfer, God sent me. Yeah. 393 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:42,600 To the islands of Fiji, to Hawaii, to the Golden Coast, to 394 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:47,040 East London, to Jeffrey's Bay. The surf is good. 395 00:25:47,360 --> 00:25:49,960 Not to Cape Town waters to cold surf is small. 396 00:25:51,520 --> 00:25:53,520 And he started thinking about these things. 397 00:25:55,120 --> 00:26:02,560 And then one day God sparked to him clearly and God didn't tell 398 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:08,160 him Pretoria, as she said during that time, the only thing you 399 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:12,480 could do is pray and ask God again because his own feelings 400 00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:15,480 got in the way of what God was doing. 401 00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:19,680 His nature is the beach and he realized God. 402 00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:21,360 But I said I want to serve people. 403 00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:26,200 And as she prayed this pray this is his pray word for word. 404 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:33,240 Lord, forgive me for being reluctant to respond to the call 405 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:39,080 of God on my life together with their knee with their Dean, they 406 00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:42,040 they bent on their knees crowded. 407 00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:49,920 Lord, here am I send me that comes from Isaiah 6 verse 8. 408 00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:56,840 Lord, here am I send me. That sounds to me like a rent 409 00:26:56,840 --> 00:27:01,600 heart. That sounds to me like a rained 410 00:27:01,600 --> 00:27:06,120 out friends. And Ashley considered all these 411 00:27:06,120 --> 00:27:09,480 towns and somebody asked him, said Ash, don't you want to 412 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:12,040 think of planting? He said no actually I did think 413 00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:14,320 of planting. He said, well where you going to 414 00:27:14,320 --> 00:27:16,640 plant? And before he could think the 415 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:21,560 word Pretoria came out of his mouth and the guy looked at him 416 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:27,680 and said what Pretoria? Why he says the only word that 417 00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:31,920 came, the only words that came up in his heart was because 418 00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:35,240 there's people and they need Jesus. 419 00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:40,200 And he said from that moment, he was going to give up everything, 420 00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:43,280 whatever it takes, He gave it up. 421 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:45,880 He didn't even have money to replace his steering wheel. 422 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:50,480 He used the wrench to drive you because you and I needed to hear 423 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:55,160 the gospel of Jesus. Sure. 424 00:27:56,400 --> 00:27:58,720 They had their first meeting on the 24th of December. 425 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:01,120 I'm closing. They had their first meeting on 426 00:28:01,120 --> 00:28:05,200 the 24th of December 1995 in their home in Pretoria. 427 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:09,040 And Ashley went to his daughters and say on the 23rd went to 428 00:28:09,040 --> 00:28:11,400 these daughters and said, listen, we're going to have a 429 00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:14,680 meeting tomorrow. And they said, dad, how are we 430 00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:19,520 going to have church? He said, well, mom, mom's pretty 431 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:22,280 good, which is Nadine. She's pretty good with music. 432 00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:24,960 She's a monster musician. She'll lead worship. 433 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:29,240 I know a little bit about preaching and you guys will get 434 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:33,920 saved so that's what they've done. 435 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:38,520 Next morning, 9:00 sat in the lounge and Ash said as he was 436 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:41,080 about to begin preaching there was a knock on the door. 437 00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:48,000 His first two visitors arrived and he welcomed him. 438 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:50,040 And he said that meeting took a turn. 439 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:54,720 And from there on, week after week, he went into the town of 440 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:57,440 Pretoria. Wherever he went, he told them 441 00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:00,520 about what he's doing here, that he's about to start a church. 442 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:03,960 He told them about Jesus, and if they showed a little bit of 443 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:06,200 interest, he said, ah, yes, are you interested? 444 00:29:06,480 --> 00:29:10,440 Come from that day, friends. They never stopped receiving 445 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:12,840 visitors. They went to two meetings in 446 00:29:12,840 --> 00:29:14,920 their home. They went to school halls, all 447 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:17,480 those things. Today, we don't stop getting 448 00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:21,200 visitors because of Ashley and Nadine Bell that heard the call 449 00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:22,760 of God. Jesus save them. 450 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:25,440 They came to Pretoria because they want to serve people. 451 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:27,880 They didn't dictate to God where they need to go. 452 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:40,200 Yeah, yeah. Who and who is on the other side 453 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:43,680 of your yes. Whenever you go to Banjo's 454 00:29:43,680 --> 00:29:45,880 coffee station, may you remember this story. 455 00:29:45,880 --> 00:29:49,640 It is written on the board in that coffee station. 456 00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:51,280 Go and read it. Take a moment. 457 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:56,440 Every time you take a cup of coffee, may it be a reminder who 458 00:29:56,440 --> 00:29:59,040 is on the other side of your yes for Jesus. 459 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:02,920 Banjo's coffee is in honor of the Bell family. 460 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:09,880 Bianca is the B Ashley is the A, N is 19. 461 00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:13,200 Jay is Jordan, who wasn't born at that time. 462 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:17,000 He was born in Pretoria. OS is the bunch of OS that 463 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:18,720 joined through the years. That's us. 464 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:23,360 We just, we just got thrown in there and it's a Starla. 465 00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:26,360 So it's not just the name that we came up with. 466 00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:28,560 It's actually in honor of somebody. 467 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:32,560 So when you get a cup of coffee, it's not because the barista 468 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:35,640 made it. Well, yes, it is, but it's 469 00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:39,280 because there's a family that paid a price because they hear 470 00:30:39,280 --> 00:30:43,960 heard the cry of people's hearts and they responded, they rent 471 00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:46,520 their hearts and they came to Pretoria. 472 00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:50,360 So that you and I can get the word inside of us so that when 473 00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:53,560 we in the fish like Jonah, we can recite the word and God can 474 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:56,600 bring us back to life. Jesus name Amen.