1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:04,480 Morning. All right, so our Scripture 2 00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:08,920 reading this morning will be Jonah 3 and 4. 3 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:21,680 All right, bear with me. We're going to be in pages 727, 4 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:26,800 or depending on the version you have, it might be 10 pages 5 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:34,520 forward or ahead. OK, let's read together Jonah 3. 6 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:38,400 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, 7 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:42,840 saying, arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and call out 8 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:44,720 against it the message that I tell you. 9 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:49,400 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of 10 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:52,120 the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly 11 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:54,520 great city, 3 days journey and breath. 12 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:59,000 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey, and he 13 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:03,360 called out yet 40 days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. 14 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:06,040 And the people of Nineveh believed God. 15 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:08,560 They called for a fast and put on sackcloth. 16 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:10,720 From the greatest of them to the least of them. 17 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:14,640 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his 18 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:18,880 throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth 19 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:23,040 and satin ashes, and he issued A proclamation and published 20 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:26,760 through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles. 21 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:31,240 Let neither man nor beast heard, nor flock taste anything. 22 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:35,600 Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be 23 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:39,440 covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. 24 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:43,480 Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that 25 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:47,480 is in his hands. Who knows, God may turn and 26 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:51,680 relent and turn from His fierce anger so that we may not perish. 27 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,800 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, 28 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:59,920 God relented of the disaster that He had said He would do to 29 00:01:59,920 --> 00:02:02,960 them. And He did not do it, but it 30 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,200 displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 31 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:10,039 And he prayed to the Lord and said, O Lord, is this not what I 32 00:02:10,039 --> 00:02:12,400 said when I was yet in my country? 33 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:17,280 This is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish, for I knew that you 34 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:21,080 are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding and 35 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:23,720 steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 36 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:27,600 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life for me, for it is 37 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:29,640 better for me to die than to live. 38 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:35,840 And the Lord and the Lord said, Do you do well to be angry? 39 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:40,240 Jonah went out to the city and sat east of the city and made a 40 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:44,440 booth for himself there. He sat under in the shade till 41 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:48,280 he till he should see what would become the city. 42 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,440 Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over 43 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,880 Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head to save him from 44 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:58,920 his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad 45 00:02:58,920 --> 00:03:02,400 because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next 46 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:05,880 day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant so that it 47 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:10,280 withered when the sun arose. God appointed A scorching E 48 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:12,160 wind. And the sun beat down on the 49 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:14,520 head of Jonah so that he was faint. 50 00:03:14,640 --> 00:03:18,480 And he asked that he might die, and said, It is better for me to 51 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:22,840 die than to live. But God said to Jonah, Do you do 52 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:27,040 well to be angry for the plant? And he said, Yes, I do well to 53 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:31,600 be angry, angry enough to die. And the Lord said, You pity the 54 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:35,640 plant for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, 55 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:39,120 for which into being in a night, and perished in a night. 56 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:43,320 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city in which there 57 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:47,880 are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand 58 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:50,480 from their left, and also much cattle? 59 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:57,400 This is the word of the Lord. What's going on, Port City 60 00:03:57,400 --> 00:03:58,720 family and friends, How we doing? 61 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:00,600 Good. My name is Tanner. 62 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:03,560 Happy Easter to you. And I don't know about you, but 63 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:07,600 I grew up thinking that Easter was like a national holiday on 64 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:09,520 the calendar. You know, like, let's remember 65 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:11,520 it like a banking holiday or something. 66 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:14,000 Let's eat something and then let's get on with our lives. 67 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:17,560 But what the church has traditionally thought of with 68 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:21,600 the Easter season is that it's more like a, a play that you're 69 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:25,520 attending where you are watching something reenacted through your 70 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:28,600 reading of the scriptures, your prayer and remembering what 71 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:30,840 Christ did. And the goal by the end of the 72 00:04:30,840 --> 00:04:34,560 season is that you, the hearer, listener, reader, would actually 73 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:37,120 get in the play. Like the the goal of like 74 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:40,320 reading the word through the eyes of faith and coming to know 75 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:43,400 the Lord relationally is that he actually brings you into it. 76 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:45,760 You're not a spectator, but a participant. 77 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:49,120 So the goal of Easter isn't just that we would throw a party and 78 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:50,360 then leave. It's that we would actually 79 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:53,920 become a part of the Easter story itself because every day 80 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:55,800 is Easter because Christ is always risen. 81 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:58,040 Amen. So hopefully this year is the 82 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:01,720 year that it goes from a day like a calendar on the holiday 83 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:04,160 that you remind yourself, oh, that's coming up and it becomes 84 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:08,000 a season that you find yourself participating in and a God you 85 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:09,920 actually know. Amen. 86 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:13,360 So what I want to do is pray for our time and that that today God 87 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:15,400 will make the book of Jonah pot for us. 88 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:19,680 OK, let's pray. Our Father, we're so grateful 89 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:22,320 for this time. God, it is true that that Jesus 90 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:24,480 has risen, that he reigns right now. 91 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:29,080 And Lord God, if we're honest, the world is still broken, it's 92 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:30,800 still busted, we're still sinful. 93 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:34,360 And God, we see in Jonah this mess, we see a semblance of 94 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:35,960 resurrection. We see things here. 95 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:37,680 God, would you connect the dots for us? 96 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:41,320 God, would this be the year that that Christianity goes from 97 00:05:41,840 --> 00:05:44,000 something that doesn't make sense to something that does 98 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,200 that it goes from tradition to real living faith for people in 99 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:49,160 this room. God, clarify things. 100 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:52,040 And may we walk out of here truly resurrected because you 101 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:54,440 are. And we pray this God believing 102 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:56,560 that you're going to come. God, would you make this a fresh 103 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:58,960 word? God, I've prepared, it's your 104 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:00,680 word. But God, would you do something 105 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:03,160 new, something fresh? So God, what we know not right 106 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:05,160 now would you teach us? Well, we have not. 107 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:06,960 Would you give us who we are not Would you make us? 108 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:09,280 And let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart 109 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:11,400 be acceptable in your sight? And everybody who agree with 110 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:16,000 that said, Amen y'all. One of my favorite movies is Men 111 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:18,320 in Black, OK. And one of my favorite actors is 112 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,040 Will Smith. There's this scene early on in 113 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:25,320 the movie where the the potential alien cop candidates 114 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:27,600 are doing some target practice. OK. 115 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:29,920 It's like a dark room and all the candidates are running 116 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:32,480 around shooting pretend cardboard aliens. 117 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:35,200 OK Now Will took a different strategy. 118 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:38,240 Will just stands there the whole time like this, just looking 119 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:40,480 around. He's like analyzing and 120 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:43,640 assessing the situation. And at the last second, he 121 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:45,560 raises his gun and shoots one bullet. 122 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:47,600 They stopped the training exercise. 123 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:50,760 And the guy goes, uh, Edwards, what made you think little 124 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:53,240 Tiffany had to die? He had shot the one human and 125 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:55,240 the whole thing, it was a little girl with pigtails. 126 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:57,120 OK, again, cardboard cut out people. 127 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:01,160 And he goes on to say, well, I realize these monsters are 128 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:03,080 misunderstood. Like my man right here is 129 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:04,760 working out. And that one over there, he's 130 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:08,280 not snarling, he's sneezing. And and then I looked at this 131 00:07:08,280 --> 00:07:11,560 girl and those books are way too old for you and it is midnight. 132 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:14,120 You are up to no good. And that's why he chose the 133 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:17,000 shooter. Now will get selected as the 134 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:18,440 candidate, not all the other people. 135 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:21,440 And ultimately the reason he selects will is because he saw 136 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:23,840 what nobody else could see. He had a unique perspective. 137 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:28,680 You know what I want you to have today is unique perspective on 138 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:33,600 Jesus, OK, on the Bible. It's not unique in world or 139 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:35,720 global history. People all over the world have 140 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:38,000 this perspective. I will tell you it's unique in 141 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:40,680 the modern Western secular environment we're in. 142 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:43,880 Y'all in a world that celebrates your truth is your truth. 143 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:49,040 It is possible to have capital T truth to have conviction and 144 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:52,000 still be kind. You can have that and not be a 145 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:55,080 jerk. We've been told you get one or 146 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:57,840 the other. You're either nice and it's 147 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:01,280 relativism, or you believe in something strongly and you're a 148 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:02,840 jerk. It is possible to have 149 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:06,320 conviction and clarity on capital T truth and not be a 150 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:08,520 jerk. To be compassionate and kind in 151 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:13,000 a world that believes that people are basically inherently 152 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:15,920 good and they just need a little therapy, a little coaching, and 153 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:18,840 a little help. What we're going to see is that 154 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:22,800 we need radical mercy. We need mercy because we need 155 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:25,240 more than anything we can provide for ourselves. 156 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:29,480 We need intervention and even in a church culture that can 157 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:32,200 celebrate through things like video and testimony, which are 158 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:34,880 great. And I have a testimony that once 159 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:38,440 you know God and you have trusted in Jesus, life is easy. 160 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:42,159 We can look at Jonah's story and say y'all, we will never have 161 00:08:42,159 --> 00:08:44,880 this God figured out. We know him. 162 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:48,440 We see dimly as First Corinthians 13 tells us we have 163 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:50,240 plenty of. Not like we don't need more 164 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:53,600 knowledge, but you will never be in control of him. 165 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:55,920 He is untamable. He is the God. 166 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:59,760 He is the God who dispenses mercy as he pleases, and 167 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:03,600 sometimes even to our enemies. Your life is falling apart and 168 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:05,160 God's enemies are getting the gospel. 169 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:08,520 That's that's the God of the Bible. 170 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:10,280 He's good, but he ain't safe. Amen. 171 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:12,440 So y'all, what we need is the book of Jonah. 172 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:15,480 What we need is the God of Jonah, a God who gives us 173 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:19,240 clarity and keeps us kind, a God who calls us out and affirms us. 174 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:24,200 A God who is merciful even to the worst of sinners like me and 175 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:25,640 like you. And what I hope you walk out of 176 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:29,200 here believing is that you need mercy. 177 00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:33,040 You need it really bad. And in Jesus you have it. 178 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:36,480 And then once you are resurrected and in life with 179 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:39,600 Christ, you join some other Jonas called the church. 180 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:42,160 And then you love on your Nineveh, which is the great city 181 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:42,960 of Norfolk. OK. 182 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:47,120 Every city is in a baby, OK. And we've got the opportunity to 183 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:49,320 do it together. All right, So to get there, 184 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:52,280 we're going to have two points, the mercy that seeks you out and 185 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:55,160 the mercy that won't let you go. If you are ready, let me hear 186 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:58,560 you say I'm ready. All right, point #1 the mercy 187 00:09:58,560 --> 00:10:01,880 that seeks you out. Does anybody remember last time 188 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:04,080 you lost a pair of keys? Anybody in your house? 189 00:10:04,080 --> 00:10:05,360 You were searching your house for him. 190 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:09,520 OK, on the count of three, everybody say the person in your 191 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:12,720 family that is most likely to lose that, kids included. 192 00:10:12,720 --> 00:10:17,320 OK on three, say who it is 123 me. 193 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:19,960 OK, it is me. My kids just said that. 194 00:10:21,560 --> 00:10:23,400 Shout out to my wife who's very patient. 195 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:26,160 Y'all what the Bible teaches. This is crazy. 196 00:10:26,560 --> 00:10:28,320 This is not our natural view of God. 197 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:32,680 OK, the Bible teaches that God is seeking people more 198 00:10:32,680 --> 00:10:35,520 passionately than you. Search for those keys when you 199 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:37,640 lose them. Did you know that that God is 200 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:41,440 seeking people? He is seeking you, OK? 201 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:44,840 And in this text it's clear he's seeking Jonah, but he's also 202 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:48,920 seeking 2 kind of profiles of just totally lost, not looking 203 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:50,760 for the Lord at all. Gone people. 204 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:52,960 OK, we got the sailors, we got the Ninevites. 205 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:55,560 Two different profiles of lostness. 206 00:10:55,720 --> 00:10:57,200 So let's look at the sailors and the Ninevites. 207 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:00,240 Let's start with the sailors. I call them spiritual but not 208 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:02,880 religious. Has anybody heard that phrase 209 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:04,800 before? Are you going to hear that one 210 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:07,280 more and more and more especially on the great 211 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:09,200 Instagram? OK, let me show you. 212 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:11,200 The sailors are spiritual but not religious. 213 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:15,280 And verses 6 and seven, once they find out that Jonah is on 214 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:18,240 their boat and they know that he's running away from the shout 215 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:20,320 out to all the kids doing their hands up and down. 216 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:22,080 Isn't it crazy how often that happens? 217 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:24,200 I promise you I did not mean for it to be. 218 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:28,800 Verses 6:00 and 7:00 But they find out that Jonah's on the 219 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:31,760 boat, and this is what this is what they this is what the 220 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:34,160 captain says. So the captain came and said to 221 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:37,600 him, what do you mean? You sleep or arise, call out to 222 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:41,200 your God. Perhaps the God will give a 223 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:42,960 thought to us that we may not perish. 224 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:46,720 And they said to one another, Come, let us cast lots that we 225 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:49,080 may know on whose account this evil has come upon us. 226 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:52,600 So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 227 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:55,960 You know, spiritual but not religious is filled with two 228 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:57,360 things. There's relativism and 229 00:11:57,360 --> 00:11:58,560 pluralism. OK. 230 00:11:58,560 --> 00:12:01,320 It's this idea that nobody can really know. 231 00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:03,720 Truth is not certain. It's relative. 232 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:06,080 It's your truth is your truth. You got a God. 233 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:08,240 Everybody's got a God. And much of the world still 234 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:11,000 operates this way. In a pluralism headspace. 235 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:13,080 There's thousands of gods, maybe millions. 236 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:15,960 And in relativism, it's whatever you say. 237 00:12:16,040 --> 00:12:19,400 Who can know, right? And this is alive and well in 238 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:22,560 our culture here today. And So what happens in this 239 00:12:22,560 --> 00:12:26,480 story is that this spiritual but not religious headspace gets hit 240 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:27,920 with reality a little bit, right? 241 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:30,480 Like God is seeking out these sailors. 242 00:12:30,760 --> 00:12:33,480 And let's think for a second about how that happened. 243 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:36,760 How did they, how did God seek these sailors out? 244 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:39,800 He sought them out by providing them clarity. 245 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:43,240 Mercy to ignorance looks like clarity. 246 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:46,960 OK, Mercy towards the ignorant looks like clarity. 247 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:50,880 They just didn't know. I remember one time I was at a 248 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:52,360 basketball camp. I was 10 years old. 249 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:55,720 And I remember there was this drill early on in the camp where 250 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:59,080 you're you're facing forward, you're chopping your feet. 251 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:00,960 The the coach will blow the whistle and you're supposed to 252 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:04,040 turn your hips. Beep, turn, beep, turn. 253 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:05,600 I was behind a kid who would do this. 254 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:08,400 Beep, look right. Beep, look left. 255 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:10,600 And so guess what 10 year old Tanner did? 256 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:12,480 I was, I was behind that guy. I didn't know. 257 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:13,320 I was ignorant. Beep. 258 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:16,080 And I'm doing this. A coach comes up to me and he 259 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:18,640 goes, hey my man, that guy's been doing that all week. 260 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:20,520 Watch him over there. Turn your hips, not your head. 261 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:22,880 And I was good. I started turning my hips. 262 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:25,040 I just didn't know. You know what I mean? 263 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:28,320 Sometimes we just need clarity. OK? 264 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:31,880 In one of the first sermons ever recorded in the city of Athens, 265 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:35,440 Greece, the apostle Paul, he's providing some clarity to some 266 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:38,000 religious, spiritual, but not religious thinkers, OK? 267 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:40,760 And this is what he says. Check this out Acts chapter 17. 268 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:50,400 He says the times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he 269 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:55,400 commands all people everywhere to repent because he has fixed a 270 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:58,560 day on which he will judge the world of righteousness by a man 271 00:13:58,560 --> 00:14:01,200 whom He has appointed. And of this he has given 272 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:04,360 assurance to all by raising him from the dead. 273 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:09,360 So what Paul says is is he says, look, the times of ignorance are 274 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:11,120 over. And I don't get the sense that 275 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:13,080 Paul is mad. He's just spitting facts. 276 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:16,520 The fact that Jesus is risen is the ultimate clarity. 277 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:18,560 Are you with me? He's saying the times have 278 00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:21,440 changed what you thought you could know and it was blurry. 279 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:25,920 Now it's super clear. Y'all in 2026 we need some super 280 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:27,280 clear stuff. Here's a few. 281 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:32,120 Karma is not real. Energy does not govern the 282 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:34,720 universe. The universe is not a living 283 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:35,920 being. OK. 284 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:39,920 The questions every human being is subconsciously asking are 285 00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:43,640 where did I come from? You came from a God who made you 286 00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:45,520 in his image. He is Father, He is Son, He is 287 00:14:45,520 --> 00:14:47,240 Holy Spirit. He made you. 288 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:51,560 What is wrong with us? We are fallen and sinful. 289 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:54,920 We are broken. There's images of that God still 290 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:57,360 in us. That's why we're capable of such 291 00:14:57,360 --> 00:15:01,360 great beauty, but it is also the fallenness speaks to why there's 292 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:06,160 such pain. There's such evil still a large 293 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:09,880 and at work in our world. How do we get made right? 294 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:14,680 We get made right through the person and work of Jesus Christ. 295 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:18,360 God sent himself into the story. He was eternally the Son and he 296 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:20,240 took on flesh. Jesus has a birth date. 297 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:24,960 The Son of God does not, OK, He entered his own story to redeem 298 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:27,800 us. Where are all things going? 299 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:31,240 All things are going to a new heavens and a new earth under 300 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:33,840 his reign for those who trust in him. 301 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:36,200 And one of the questions we're always asking ourselves too is 302 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:39,000 like, who has it made? Like who's living a really good 303 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:40,920 life? The Bible's answer to that is 304 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:45,760 anybody who knows Jesus to truly flourish isn't about your 305 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:49,320 circumstances. It's about if you know Jesus, 306 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:53,280 that is the clarity we need. And I pray for some people that 307 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:56,160 this Easter might just be the time that a lot of this 308 00:15:56,160 --> 00:15:58,960 relativism because there's kind of two types of the ignorance. 309 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:00,880 Like sometimes we think ignorance is bliss. 310 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:03,080 Have you ever thought that? I don't want to know, You know 311 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:04,760 what I mean? Don't tell me how the hot dog 312 00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:07,080 gets made. Just let me eat it, OK? 313 00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:11,880 Just let me eat it. Ignorance ain't bliss though. 314 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:15,120 Y'all one of my favorite artists who used to say if ignorance is 315 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:16,760 bliss, it's because he never heard of this. 316 00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:20,000 OK, it's not bliss. But then there's like a hard 317 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:22,560 hearted ignorance where we can hide behind and find enough 318 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:26,720 short YouTube clips of somebody saying some stuff that we like. 319 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:28,320 We're like, Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. That's why I'm not going to 320 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:29,120 listen. You know what I mean? 321 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:31,760 Some of us just need the clarity that a lot of that stuff out 322 00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:36,240 there is trash. Jesus is risen and God is to 323 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:39,640 give us that clarity. OK, but the second profile of 324 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:42,760 lostness that God is seeking out in our text is the Ninevites, 325 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:45,520 right? If the sailors are spiritual but 326 00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:48,240 not religious, the Ninevites are lost and loving it. 327 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:51,360 OK, They are lost and loving it in chapter 1. 328 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:53,600 This is the the premise of the whole book is this. 329 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:56,560 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amitai, saying 330 00:16:56,560 --> 00:17:00,800 arise, go to Nineveh, that great city and call out against it for 331 00:17:00,800 --> 00:17:03,320 their evil has come up before me. 332 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:07,480 Let's be clear, they were not looking for the Lord did not 333 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:10,440 care. They were lost and loving it. 334 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:15,119 OK, history tells us that the Ninevites were so cruel, 335 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:22,040 torturous, violent, they flaunted their dominance over 336 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:25,200 the nations that they took over. They were tried like a world 337 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:28,440 domination type thing. And it makes sense of why Jonah 338 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:31,720 did not want to go. This is ethnic, racial hatred, 339 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:34,440 fear. He does not want any part of 340 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:36,800 going there. And we learn from chapter 4, 341 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:39,040 Jonah says, I know you were going to be I knew you were 342 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:40,960 going to be good to him, you know, and that's why I didn't 343 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:42,320 want to go. He hates them so much. 344 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:45,000 He doesn't want God's goodness getting within miles of them. 345 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:47,320 So he runs. So God's goodness can't get near 346 00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:50,440 them. So let's be clear. 347 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:53,680 The Ninevites show they they aren't looking for the Lord, 348 00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:56,960 right? So how does God's mercy find 349 00:17:56,960 --> 00:18:00,760 them? In the text, the mercy comes 350 00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:04,520 through confrontation. Mercy to the arrogant looks like 351 00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:09,160 confrontation. In the story, it's a message. 352 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:13,280 It's a harsh message of judgment and notice to our modern ears. 353 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:15,320 And y'all, I don't want to be harsh for no reason. 354 00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:18,520 Nobody likes harshness for harshness sake, right? 355 00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:22,200 We tend to think that that a hard message is not kind. 356 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:24,880 But y'all, the Ninevites hear that they're going to be 357 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:28,520 overthrown in 40 days and they view it as God's kindness to 358 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:31,440 them. Do you see that sometimes, 359 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:33,800 y'all, confrontation is the most kind of thing you can do. 360 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:39,680 If right now my car is heading off a Cliff, I hope somebody 361 00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:42,240 loves me enough to throw a basketball at my window. 362 00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:46,360 Do what you got to do, OK? Get in front of the car and 363 00:18:46,360 --> 00:18:49,880 scream and wave your arms to keep me from going off that 364 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:51,720 Cliff. Y'all, There are times where 365 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:56,160 confrontation isn't just kind, it is the expression of 366 00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:58,760 kindness, right? So I would say that our culture 367 00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:02,520 has told us that love is only affirmation. 368 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:07,280 OK, y'all biblical. It's a true sense of love. 369 00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:09,160 Not just biblical because what we do is we think things are 370 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:11,320 religious. It's just truth is that love is 371 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:15,520 affirmation and confrontation. It's the perfect blend of it. 372 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:18,040 You don't just need to be affirmed, you need to be 373 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:20,640 affirmed and confronted. But we also don't want to only 374 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:23,880 put forward confrontation in the gospel, in the person of Jesus. 375 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:30,000 We get both, y'all, they needed confrontation. 376 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:32,440 They needed to be told the truth. 377 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:36,200 It's a harsh message. And sometimes y'all, we just 378 00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:38,520 don't listen until we're confronted anybody. 379 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:43,120 I know that's true of me. And Jonah is God's vessel of 380 00:19:43,120 --> 00:19:46,000 confronting them. So for some of us this Easter, 381 00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:49,240 the way God is going to be merciful to you is to confront 382 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:52,560 you. The Easter message is a victory, 383 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:56,440 but it's victory over something that currently holds you down. 384 00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:00,680 You see that So somewhat we're like, why are Christians 385 00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:03,480 celebrating? The reason should be some of 386 00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:05,840 them are doing it out of duty because they Mama did hey. 387 00:20:05,960 --> 00:20:09,440 But if we actually know why, it's because we've been gifted a 388 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:13,920 victory that prior to that something had a hold on us. 389 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:17,400 So what Jesus defeated, if he hasn't defeated it for you still 390 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:18,760 holds you. You see how that works? 391 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:20,600 It's called sin, Satan and death. 392 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,360 That's the idea is that you will die. 393 00:20:23,360 --> 00:20:27,880 You are a Sinner. And you will stand before God 394 00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:31,000 who made you. That's that's the truth. 395 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:33,760 And Jesus offers victory over that. 396 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:36,880 But before it's good news, it's confronting news. 397 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:40,520 Every confrontation has an invitation telling you to stop. 398 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:42,280 The car is inviting you not to die. 399 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:45,240 Are you with me? So for some of you, I hope this 400 00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:48,360 Easter, you hear God's confronting news that you're a 401 00:20:48,360 --> 00:20:51,640 Sinner. Behind that is a God saying, I 402 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:59,040 want to live with you, but he has to confront you before he 403 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:01,120 can invite you. The confrontation is an 404 00:21:01,120 --> 00:21:05,080 invitation, OK? But the good news in this story 405 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:07,880 is it's not just a mercy that that finds you, seeks you out. 406 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:09,800 There's also a mercy that won't let you go. 407 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:12,480 Let's talk about Jonah. Oh, Jonah. 408 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:15,520 Oh, Jonah. Jonah. 409 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:16,160 Jonah. Jonah. 410 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:17,440 Y'all. I am Jonah. 411 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:19,280 Hopefully you realize you are Jonah too. 412 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:23,160 OK, Jonah is kind of two people in this story. 413 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:25,600 You got the Jonah who runs away and then you got the Jonah who's 414 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:27,560 mad. I call him Joe and JoJo. 415 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:32,440 OK, so Joe runs away and then JoJo is angry even though he 416 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:35,080 doesn't physically leave. He says I'd rather die than be 417 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:37,120 here. OK, So what I want to do is look 418 00:21:37,120 --> 00:21:39,800 at the ways that God has mercy on both Joe and JoJo. 419 00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:43,800 OK, let's start with Joe. Jonah the the, the runaway, the 420 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:48,120 rebel. OK, so Jonah is the despondent 421 00:21:48,120 --> 00:21:50,880 runaway. It says in chapter 1 verses one 422 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:52,800 through 3, some straight comedy here. 423 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:55,560 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amitai, saying 424 00:21:55,560 --> 00:21:58,960 arise, go to Nineveh, that great city and call out against it, 425 00:21:59,120 --> 00:22:00,920 for their evil has come up before me. 426 00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:06,000 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish, away from the presence 427 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:08,280 of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found 428 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:11,000 a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went 429 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:14,000 down into it to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence 430 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:17,840 of the Lord. Y'all, Jonah is running away 431 00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:20,880 from the omnipresent God. That means God is always present 432 00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:23,560 everywhere and he thinks getting on a boat is going to get him 433 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:26,480 away from the Lord. And I remember Jonah was one of 434 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:29,520 the first sermon series I was really paying attention to once 435 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:31,840 I loved the word and was was following the Lord. 436 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:34,440 Isn't it interesting y'all? Just a little nugget that when 437 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:36,440 you're looking to get away from the Lord, there's always a boat 438 00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:38,120 available. You know what I mean? 439 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:40,840 When you ready to run, you will find ways to run. 440 00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:44,000 Amen. So he runs. 441 00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:46,160 He runs from the omnipresent God. 442 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:48,200 Greta alluded to this earlier. We want to show you just 443 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:49,600 geographically what he was doing. 444 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:51,440 Check this map out. OK? 445 00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:53,040 So he says, hey, Jonah, I love you, buddy. 446 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:54,920 So I'm going to use you as a messenger to go after my 447 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:56,360 enemies. A little bit to the right. 448 00:22:56,640 --> 00:22:59,840 Jonah's like, OK, hangs up the phone and takes the hardest left 449 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:03,920 known to mankind on a map that is as far as the maps went. 450 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:09,400 That's as left as you can go. Just a little right. 451 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:14,960 OK, hard left just appreciate how far that arrow is like just 452 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:19,160 look at it y'all like just take like an inch and 1/2 that way 453 00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:22,720 I'm going to take 3 feet left. That's that's Jonah's response 454 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:26,200 OK and he's like I'm out. I want no part of that. 455 00:23:26,520 --> 00:23:30,280 Y'all a runaway What what at the heart of a rebel at the heart of 456 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:35,520 a runaway is to think you are in the way of my joy right? 457 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:37,280 It's it's Kevin and home alone, right? 458 00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:39,360 It's the the worst. I wish you were dead. 459 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:43,080 That's the runaway. The rebel thinks I'm better off 460 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:46,440 in your world without you in it. Kevin says I want the house, I 461 00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:48,080 want the ice cream, I want my brothers stuff. 462 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:51,480 I just want them gone right. And that y'all, that's what sin 463 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:56,080 is, what sin is. Because naturally, particularly 464 00:23:56,080 --> 00:23:58,600 if you, you, you just think of the concept of religion, you 465 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:01,760 might think of sin as rule breaking, which it is. 466 00:24:01,760 --> 00:24:04,800 It is breaking rules. But even bigger than sin being 467 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:08,760 breaking of rules, it's the heart posture behind it that 468 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:12,800 says the path to my joy does not involve God. 469 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:15,360 The path to my joy involves me at the center. 470 00:24:15,360 --> 00:24:18,960 Do you see that before? Sin is a moral infraction. 471 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:21,800 It's relational, like abandonment of God. 472 00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:24,600 Does that make sense? It's like I am the key to 473 00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:27,320 happiness. Everybody else, everything else, 474 00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:30,040 it can stay in the picture as long as they Orient around me. 475 00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:34,680 You see how that works? So I just want you to hear. 476 00:24:34,680 --> 00:24:39,280 You all that that heart is in all of us that Kevin from home 477 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:43,360 alone, like I just I just I just you are in the way. 478 00:24:43,360 --> 00:24:47,560 Like I, I, I can do this better. I, I can live this out better. 479 00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:50,360 I know the way and it doesn't involve you. 480 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:54,120 Y'all, that heart is alive and. Well, the way that the Bible 481 00:24:54,120 --> 00:24:58,360 thinks about it in Luke 15 is that when you have that heart 482 00:24:58,360 --> 00:25:00,800 and you're a runaway, you got to come to your senses. 483 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:04,480 Somebody say come to your senses, come to your senses. 484 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:07,160 Let's think about what it took for Jonah to come to his senses, 485 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:09,600 shall we? God had to send a storm. 486 00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:11,400 Did that make Jonah come to his senses? 487 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:13,400 It did not. Y'all are paying attention 488 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:15,760 because he gets on the boat and is so done with God. 489 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:18,880 He was asleep on the Titanic. He was like, I'm good, I'm just 490 00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:20,320 going to sleep. He's despondent. 491 00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:21,640 He's out of it. I'm gone. 492 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:26,000 God then. Puts him in the belly of the 493 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:28,640 fish for three days and then Jonah gets the message. 494 00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:32,480 OK so the way God sought him was through a storm and a fish. 495 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:35,600 Y'all sometimes God does seek you through rock bottom. 496 00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:37,880 OK? Let's not glorify the bottom. 497 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:41,640 The way my brain thinks about it is rock bottom ain't holy, but 498 00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:42,960 it is a hole. OK? 499 00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:46,560 It's not holy. Like it's not inherently better 500 00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:48,280 to be at the worst moment of your life. 501 00:25:48,280 --> 00:25:51,000 Let's not make that holy. What we like to do is on 502 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:53,320 Instagram, we post starting from the bottom. 503 00:25:53,360 --> 00:25:55,920 You know, like we like to make a journey out of the grind. 504 00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:57,920 I'm at the bottom. That ain't going to help you. 505 00:25:57,920 --> 00:25:59,560 One, one author said it like this. 506 00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:03,160 What what God is doing is he'll bring you to the hole. 507 00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:05,440 What you do in the hole is what matters. 508 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:09,680 And what Jonah did is he prayed, he repented, he saw the sign. 509 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:11,560 Are you with me? He paid attention. 510 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:13,720 So some of y'all have hit rock bottom. 511 00:26:15,360 --> 00:26:17,200 Or are hitting rock. Bottom you're like, maybe 512 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:18,360 there's a couple more steps to go. 513 00:26:19,360 --> 00:26:21,800 Maybe you're still on the boat. Let me just tell you this. 514 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:24,640 God is seeking you through rock bottom. 515 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:27,800 And and the scriptures teach that like God is not punitive. 516 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:30,880 God is not petty. God is not like laughing at your 517 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,120 pain. God is not wishing evil upon 518 00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:34,840 you. God is not evil. 519 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:38,000 He's incapable of evil. He is good. 520 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:40,760 He's the fountain from whom all blessings flow. 521 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:44,800 But God is so kind and redemptively Like if God wanted 522 00:26:44,800 --> 00:26:47,160 a new world with no sin, he would just take us there. 523 00:26:47,160 --> 00:26:51,520 Now the God of the Bible is able to bring beauty out of chaos, 524 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:55,040 and he does it in such a way that he's seeking you through 525 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:59,360 pain that he doesn't want you to experience in using it somehow 526 00:26:59,840 --> 00:27:03,600 for his glory and your good. And he's not the author of any 527 00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:04,880 of the evil that's happening to you. 528 00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:07,600 So you end up in rock bottom. And if you're thinking, whose 529 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:09,720 fault is it? God has allowed it and gotten 530 00:27:09,720 --> 00:27:11,400 you there. And the question is, what are 531 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:15,120 you going to do now? So for some of you this. 532 00:27:15,120 --> 00:27:18,360 Easter, it's time to just wake up and smell the fish, you know 533 00:27:18,360 --> 00:27:21,560 what I mean? It took a lot to get Jonah. 534 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:24,760 There, I'm praying for some of you don't glorify the bottom, 535 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:27,400 seek the Lord at the bottom, pray, repent, and a lot of 536 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:30,000 people in this room have hit the bottom and done that and would 537 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:34,920 love to talk to you about that. OK, But Joe is not done because 538 00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:38,400 he becomes Joe Joe. Let's talk about Jonah the. 539 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:44,120 Resentful relapser, he relapses. Chapter 3. 540 00:27:44,120 --> 00:27:46,600 Verse 10. Says this when? 541 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:49,240 God saw what? They did the Ninevites. 542 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:53,160 How they turn from their evil. Way God relented of the disaster 543 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:55,440 that He had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. 544 00:27:56,480 --> 00:28:01,640 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was angry and 545 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:05,120 he prayed to the Lord and said, Oh Lord, is this not what I said 546 00:28:05,120 --> 00:28:09,320 when I was yet in my country? That's why I made haste to flee 547 00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:10,760 to Tarsus. You know you mad when you're 548 00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:12,400 telling the Lord. That's why I made haste to get 549 00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:15,600 away from you, Lord. I made haste, for I knew that 550 00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:18,000 you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and 551 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:20,320 abounding of steadfast love and relenting from disaster. 552 00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:23,320 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life away from me, for 553 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:25,160 it is better for me to die than to live. 554 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:27,760 God is so smooth. This is what he says. 555 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:29,880 And the Lord said, Do you do well to be angry? 556 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:35,000 Y'all, Jonah is so. Mad he wants to die. 557 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:37,560 He's thrown a fit. One interesting thing is you go 558 00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:39,280 back and read Jonah. Isn't it interesting that the 559 00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:41,640 sailors say, perhaps God will give thought to us? 560 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:44,400 Ninevites say, let's repent, perhaps God will have mercy. 561 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:46,800 Jonah says, I knew you would give it, and he resents it. 562 00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:50,280 Do you see that sometimes the most resentful people are the 563 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:51,920 ones who know the most about the Lord? 564 00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:56,040 Hey, and the longer you walk with the Lord, sometimes you 565 00:28:56,040 --> 00:28:59,640 think your information is the means by which God owes you 566 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:01,240 something. You see how that works? 567 00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:05,200 Resentment is the evidence that you don't want God out the 568 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:06,960 picture. You want him serving you. 569 00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:11,040 You have become convinced that this is some sort of 570 00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:13,000 partnership. This is AI. 571 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:14,480 Do me. You do you. 572 00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:16,160 And I did me. But you didn't do you. 573 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:18,240 So what's the problem? Are you with me? 574 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:20,800 Resentment says you're getting it wrong. 575 00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:24,760 Something's off. I don't like it. 576 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:29,320 Y'all and the story of Jonah. Teaches us that you can go from 577 00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:31,960 the rescued runaway who is praising the Lord to the 578 00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:37,520 resentful relapser really quick. And let's think about how God 579 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:40,640 seeks him out this time. Last time he did it through 580 00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:42,800 circumstances. This time all he did was to do 581 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:46,200 what he asked him a question. Why? 582 00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:49,000 Why you mad bro? That's what he asked him. 583 00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:52,600 He asked Cain that in Genesis 4, and now he's asking Jonah that. 584 00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:56,560 When I teach at summer camps, I start night one every time with 585 00:29:56,560 --> 00:29:57,720 students. I start them with the why 586 00:29:57,720 --> 00:29:58,960 challenge. Somebody say why? 587 00:29:59,880 --> 00:30:01,640 I think that question could change your life. 588 00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:04,040 Why are you mad? Why are you anxious? 589 00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:06,400 Why are you afraid? Why are you this? 590 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:08,920 Why are you bitter? Why are you despondent? 591 00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:12,600 Just start asking why. And if you get honest about 592 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:15,240 what's really going on, it could be the path to freedom. 593 00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:17,160 If you're honest, well, we tend to do those. 594 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:19,560 Coffee didn't work. I didn't like that. 595 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:22,480 This wasn't it. And it's like if we would, if we 596 00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:25,200 would get honest about what's really going on, so things could 597 00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:26,360 change. Does that make sense? 598 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:30,720 We like to play dumb, though. So in the text, what we see is 599 00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:35,200 the power of emotions. In the 1st chapter, he's 600 00:30:35,200 --> 00:30:38,320 despondent, depressed. And in the 4th chapter, he's 601 00:30:38,320 --> 00:30:39,960 angry, ready to fight. You see that? 602 00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:44,920 You see how your emotions can be helpful as to what's really 603 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:46,440 going on. The way I've heard it said is 604 00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:49,560 where there's smoke, there is a, let's say it again, where 605 00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:53,920 there's smoke, there is a OK, if right now the scope arena next 606 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:58,080 door was on fire, people coming running out of the building 607 00:30:58,080 --> 00:31:00,440 yelling smoke, we would think are weird, right? 608 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:03,480 If people come out yelling smoke, there's smoke everywhere. 609 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:05,840 That would be weird. You've never seen that. 610 00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:07,840 What are they yelling? Fire. 611 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:11,560 Because smoke exists to tell you there's a fire. 612 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:15,520 So y'all our. Emotions don't control us. 613 00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:18,120 They can lead us to where there's a fire. 614 00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:20,920 The emotions are the smoke. Are you with me? 615 00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:25,080 So what is the fire? The fire is your heart's 616 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:30,080 propensity, your heart's tendency to find safety and 617 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:32,960 satisfaction in anybody or anything other than the Lord. 618 00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:37,560 And when your heart does that, the circumstances of life 619 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:41,560 disappoint you and then your emotions become the evidence 620 00:31:41,560 --> 00:31:44,200 that you feel betrayed. Does that make sense? 621 00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:47,600 It's like our hearts. And just to be clear, you all, 622 00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:49,600 we love to say this a poor city. You are a human. 623 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:51,840 So the things we're talking about, humans do not just like 624 00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:54,360 people who read religious texts of some kind, OK? 625 00:31:54,600 --> 00:31:57,680 Your heart trusts things to make you safe and make you happy. 626 00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:02,040 And what you go to is like in your heart factory, your soul, 627 00:32:02,760 --> 00:32:05,400 it's it's operating in there. And then what happens through 628 00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:08,920 life, your emotions become like the signal of is that thing 629 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:11,440 holding up its word or not? Does that make sense? 630 00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:13,280 Is it is it keeping its end of the deal? 631 00:32:13,560 --> 00:32:15,440 OK. And what the Bible teaches that 632 00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:19,440 if what you're seeking to satisfy you and keep you safe is 633 00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:23,560 not God himself a person, not a set of circumstances, that it 634 00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:26,120 will always betray you. And your emotions become a 635 00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:28,480 source of helping you see what's really going on. 636 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:31,360 Let me show you the theological way Jonah figures this out in 637 00:32:31,360 --> 00:32:33,920 the fish. Jonah chapter 2, verse eight, 638 00:32:34,840 --> 00:32:37,120 one of the the cooler verses in the Bible says this. 639 00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:42,920 Those who pay. Regard to vain idols forsake 640 00:32:42,920 --> 00:32:44,880 their hope of steadfast love. Some of you are like. 641 00:32:44,880 --> 00:32:47,920 What does that mean? Here's a good I was reading. 642 00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:50,360 This with somebody in this room the other day who hit rock 643 00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:53,680 bottom about 3 years ago and now came to faith. 644 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:56,000 And by the way, he didn't come to faith at rock bottom. 645 00:32:56,000 --> 00:32:58,920 He came to faith, I don't know, 12-18 months later. 646 00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:02,040 But once he connected the dots and saw he read Jonah for the 647 00:33:02,040 --> 00:33:05,000 first time the other day, got to chapter 2 verse 8 and said wow. 648 00:33:06,640 --> 00:33:08,840 I hadn't told him anything. I've told you yet about Jonah 649 00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:11,640 and I said, why you saying wow? He said, well that's me. 650 00:33:11,760 --> 00:33:13,880 And I said, what do you mean? He said, I did that. 651 00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:16,480 Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of 652 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:18,400 steadfast love. I thought this would keep me. 653 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:20,120 I thought this would make me happy. 654 00:33:20,120 --> 00:33:23,680 For me, at 18, it was friendships. 655 00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:26,880 It was people thinking I'm good at a sport, people respecting 656 00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:31,360 me, my ability to get relationships through girls and 657 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:33,400 things like that. I thought that that would make 658 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:36,880 me happy, but when I started coming to faith, when I realized 659 00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:39,680 who Jesus was. This verse describes your 660 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:42,440 testimony. You look back and say those who 661 00:33:42,440 --> 00:33:46,640 chase vain idols in their heart, they forsake, they give up their 662 00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:50,120 hope of true love. You are letting go of that which 663 00:33:50,120 --> 00:33:54,080 God wants to give you. So for some of you this Easter, 664 00:33:55,120 --> 00:33:57,640 maybe this is going to happen for the first time or maybe 665 00:33:57,640 --> 00:33:59,920 you're a believer in this room who needs to let go of another 666 00:33:59,920 --> 00:34:01,800 idol. One of my favorite artists used 667 00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:04,800 to say this. My idols are mimicking Jesus. 668 00:34:05,720 --> 00:34:07,800 I bury them in three days, they're back up again. 669 00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:11,880 OK, My idols mimic Jesus. They tend to they tend to leave 670 00:34:11,880 --> 00:34:13,520 and then they come back at opportune moments. 671 00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:15,920 OK. Your heart will continue to be 672 00:34:15,920 --> 00:34:18,000 an idol making factory because you're a Sinner. 673 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:20,960 Indwelling sin means you're going to continue to be duped, 674 00:34:20,960 --> 00:34:23,199 that something other than the Lord will make you happy. 675 00:34:23,199 --> 00:34:26,639 You're going to continue to be duped that God is blocking your 676 00:34:26,639 --> 00:34:30,400 joy, not the path to your joy. And so we kill idols, but to 677 00:34:30,400 --> 00:34:33,120 come to Christ is for the first time to recognize that's what 678 00:34:33,120 --> 00:34:34,639 you've been doing. Does that make sense? 679 00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:37,840 And you've got to agree with God that that you need that. 680 00:34:38,159 --> 00:34:40,920 So for some of us, maybe it's your emotional life is just all 681 00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:43,600 over the place all the time. And what you don't need is 682 00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:46,320 strategies to manage that. Like if the Norfolk Fire 683 00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:49,120 Department came out the scope that is on fire, where there's 684 00:34:49,120 --> 00:34:51,639 smoke, there's a fire and they just got out a ton of fans. 685 00:34:52,199 --> 00:34:55,800 We got this guys and they just start blowing all the smoke 686 00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:56,480 away. You'd be like. 687 00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:02,360 These jokers are crazy. But y'all, that's what we do. 688 00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:06,640 Some of us, that's what I mean, all that we listen to every 689 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:09,040 podcast of the world looking for peace, read every book, talk to 690 00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:12,680 every friend, call this person or we do the religious version. 691 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:14,960 I'll start going to church more. That'll put the fire out. 692 00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:17,280 I'll do this, I'll give some money, I'll do this, I'll do 693 00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:18,480 that. They're asking me to this. 694 00:35:18,840 --> 00:35:20,920 And none of that is going to solve the fire. 695 00:35:21,160 --> 00:35:23,960 The way the fire gets put out is through transformation. 696 00:35:25,640 --> 00:35:28,040 And where does Jonah's? Transformation happen in this 697 00:35:28,040 --> 00:35:31,760 story, it happens in the fish. OK, so let's talk about this 698 00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:34,440 transformation because for Jonah it was a short lived 699 00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:37,440 transformation, wasn't it? He looked different for about 5 700 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:40,320 minutes and then he was angry. He wasn't running away no more, 701 00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:42,720 but he was still running away just physically staying. 702 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:46,880 We need a transformation like Jonah had in that fish, but we 703 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:50,720 need one that's permanent. We need a, a we need this store. 704 00:35:50,720 --> 00:35:54,360 We need somebody who doesn't resent God's goodness. 705 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:56,640 We need somebody who doesn't run from the Lord. 706 00:35:56,640 --> 00:35:59,360 We need somebody who loves their enemies, doesn't hate them. 707 00:35:59,360 --> 00:36:03,440 We need somebody to kind of be pure and loving. 708 00:36:03,440 --> 00:36:06,880 And it's almost like we need somebody to step into the story 709 00:36:06,880 --> 00:36:08,800 and do it. Y'all, What we need is a truer 710 00:36:08,800 --> 00:36:13,240 and greater Jonah. Y'all, what the Bible teaches is 711 00:36:13,240 --> 00:36:17,560 that Jesus Christ is the one who does this story right. 712 00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:20,760 Y'all? In chapter 1 Jonah is asleep on 713 00:36:20,760 --> 00:36:22,760 a boat trying to get away from God. 714 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:25,520 Later in the book of Matthew you may know your Bibles. 715 00:36:25,520 --> 00:36:28,120 Jesus is asleep in a storm because he trusts God. 716 00:36:28,120 --> 00:36:31,600 His sleep is evidence of his faith, not of his fear. 717 00:36:32,120 --> 00:36:35,800 Later in the story we see that the sailors ask how can we? 718 00:36:35,800 --> 00:36:37,320 How can we be done with the storm? 719 00:36:37,440 --> 00:36:41,360 The storm happened because of Jonah's sin, but the path to 720 00:36:41,560 --> 00:36:43,560 stop the storm was to throw Jonah in. 721 00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:47,280 Y'all the the New Testament shows us that Jesus is the one. 722 00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:50,240 The storms came not because he was sinful, but the sailors are 723 00:36:50,240 --> 00:36:51,880 sinful. And then he gets thrown in not 724 00:36:51,880 --> 00:36:53,920 because he was sinful, but the sailors were sinful. 725 00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:57,160 The sinless 1 gets thrown in and the storm stops. 726 00:36:57,840 --> 00:37:01,600 Y'all the The Bible teaches that Jesus is not reluctantly taking 727 00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:03,720 the gospel to his enemies. He's eager to. 728 00:37:04,480 --> 00:37:08,840 We see in Jesus a reenactment of this story with purity at every 729 00:37:08,840 --> 00:37:10,600 step. He's the Jonah Jonah should have 730 00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:13,400 been, but wasn't. He is who we should be but 731 00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:15,720 aren't. He's pure, He's faithful, He 732 00:37:15,720 --> 00:37:18,360 moves towards his enemies. He loves God's kindness. 733 00:37:18,800 --> 00:37:23,680 But the Bible teaches that the reward Jesus took for living it 734 00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:27,520 perfectly was to die as if he blew it. 735 00:37:27,520 --> 00:37:30,840 Do you see that? That's the Easter story is that 736 00:37:31,240 --> 00:37:35,040 Jesus lived this out perfectly the way Jonah, you and I failed 737 00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:37,960 to. And then he gifts the victory 738 00:37:38,320 --> 00:37:41,360 that he earned through his sinless life to the spiritual 739 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:45,920 but not religious to the lost and loving it to the runaways, 740 00:37:45,920 --> 00:37:48,880 to the relapsers. The point of the Bible isn't 741 00:37:48,880 --> 00:37:51,680 here's how all four of those groups get it together. 742 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:54,320 The point is all four of y'all blew it. 743 00:37:54,720 --> 00:37:58,160 Jesus didn't, and he gives you his victory. 744 00:37:59,160 --> 00:38:02,080 That's the gospel. It's a gift. 745 00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:06,680 Easter is not your Easter is not a season for you to turn over a 746 00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:07,320 new leaf. It's. 747 00:38:08,840 --> 00:38:11,240 Not new year, new you. The the Christian version. 748 00:38:11,240 --> 00:38:13,640 OK, this isn't the start of our calendar, right? 749 00:38:13,960 --> 00:38:19,680 That what the Easter story is, is a celebration of a victorious 750 00:38:19,680 --> 00:38:23,680 life that Jesus lived. We failed to, and He gives it to 751 00:38:23,680 --> 00:38:25,880 us if we will trust Him by faith. 752 00:38:26,760 --> 00:38:29,320 It's Amazing Grace. It's mercy. 753 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:33,840 You need it. You know, I've been thinking. 754 00:38:33,840 --> 00:38:36,360 About why is grace just not amazing? 755 00:38:36,360 --> 00:38:39,720 It can become a concept. You get like I know I'm not 756 00:38:39,720 --> 00:38:42,000 perfect. So many people live their whole 757 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:46,000 lives knowing the truths that were just stated, but grace 758 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:49,600 never pops. I think there are three 759 00:38:49,600 --> 00:38:50,920 ingredients. To Grace Poppin. 760 00:38:51,040 --> 00:38:53,200 So if Grace ain't poppin, here are the three ingredients. 761 00:38:53,640 --> 00:38:58,760 Number one, you dead. OK, What hit Jonah in that fish 762 00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:02,520 was that he couldn't get out. You realize that when you're in 763 00:39:02,520 --> 00:39:07,320 a fish. I just got swallowed by a. 764 00:39:07,320 --> 00:39:09,600 Fish, by the way. Do I think that's historical? 765 00:39:09,600 --> 00:39:11,120 I do. We could talk about that some 766 00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:15,240 other time. Jesus said it was historical and 767 00:39:15,240 --> 00:39:19,040 it pointed to what he would do. Three days not in a fish, but in 768 00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:23,080 a grave. OK but y'all being in that fish 769 00:39:23,080 --> 00:39:25,840 made him realize I'm helpless like I'm dead. 770 00:39:26,080 --> 00:39:28,960 You have to to be a recipient of mercy. 771 00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:34,360 You have to realize you need it. Mercy is you deserve wrath. 772 00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:37,440 That's what your default state is. 773 00:39:38,600 --> 00:39:40,760 You're not just full of. Potential and need some help. 774 00:39:41,040 --> 00:39:45,480 You have to agree that your situation is utterly lifeless, 775 00:39:45,680 --> 00:39:48,160 as good as dead. You're a dead person dying. 776 00:39:48,680 --> 00:39:54,360 That is so difficult to believe, but you can, and many do. 777 00:39:55,400 --> 00:39:58,880 The second ingredient to grace Poppin is that there's nothing 778 00:39:58,880 --> 00:40:00,840 you can do about it. It flows naturally from the 779 00:40:00,840 --> 00:40:03,240 first one. There's literally nothing Jonah 780 00:40:03,240 --> 00:40:05,640 could do. If God did not have him spit 781 00:40:05,640 --> 00:40:08,920 out, guess where he'd still be in that fish, you know? 782 00:40:10,400 --> 00:40:13,080 That's, I mean, y'all there's. Nothing you can do about it. 783 00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:16,160 You need mercy and there's nothing you can do to secure it. 784 00:40:16,720 --> 00:40:25,120 That's that is huge y'all even your understanding of what Jesus 785 00:40:25,120 --> 00:40:30,760 did isn't your you don't get to like that. 786 00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:34,000 Oh look, I earned I it's not about you. 787 00:40:34,080 --> 00:40:36,680 Does that make sense Like it's not what you commit to. 788 00:40:36,680 --> 00:40:39,520 It's not what you say you're going to stop doing nothing. 789 00:40:39,520 --> 00:40:42,960 Jonah did gifted him getting spit out of that fish that make 790 00:40:42,960 --> 00:40:45,880 sense. You are dead and you're helpless 791 00:40:45,880 --> 00:40:48,760 and lifeless. You can't do anything about it. 792 00:40:48,760 --> 00:40:51,640 You need a gift. There's nothing you can earn 793 00:40:52,680 --> 00:40:55,440 which leads to the third one. The third ingredient to make it 794 00:40:55,440 --> 00:40:58,200 pop is you have to realize what it costs to be given to you. 795 00:40:58,200 --> 00:41:02,400 And when you put those together, when you realize that the cross 796 00:41:02,560 --> 00:41:06,440 is as violent as it is because it's how much mercy you needed 797 00:41:06,960 --> 00:41:12,080 that the Son of God himself was stripped of his clothes and and 798 00:41:12,240 --> 00:41:16,160 mercilessly just killed and mocked naked. 799 00:41:18,640 --> 00:41:21,960 Y'all the reason is that. Violent and that graphic is 800 00:41:21,960 --> 00:41:24,240 because it's what we need and it's a gift. 801 00:41:25,120 --> 00:41:28,040 And when you put those three ingredients together, grace can 802 00:41:28,040 --> 00:41:30,440 pop. You can't do anything about it. 803 00:41:30,440 --> 00:41:32,200 You need total resurrection and help. 804 00:41:34,240 --> 00:41:36,400 There's no way to secure. Mercy for yourself. 805 00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:39,240 Jesus is the truer and greater Jonah who took our sinful deaths 806 00:41:40,040 --> 00:41:42,320 and gives us his sinless life. Y'all. 807 00:41:42,360 --> 00:41:44,800 I pray that grace would be amazing for you all this year. 808 00:41:44,800 --> 00:41:48,120 I think the longer I've walked with Jesus, the more I realize 809 00:41:48,160 --> 00:41:51,840 it's tempting to graduate from grace being amazing. 810 00:41:51,840 --> 00:41:55,200 And it can become a story in your chat, a chapter in your 811 00:41:55,200 --> 00:41:58,640 story and not the ongoing song you're singing. 812 00:41:58,640 --> 00:42:02,760 You with me? I'm embarrassed at my sin these 813 00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:03,840 days. I mean, me and Isaac were 814 00:42:03,840 --> 00:42:06,160 hanging out this week. This him and the elders and my 815 00:42:06,160 --> 00:42:08,480 wife are the closest to me. And they see me when I'm 816 00:42:08,480 --> 00:42:10,880 despondent. Jonah, OK, They see Joe and 817 00:42:10,880 --> 00:42:11,880 JoJo. That is Tanner. 818 00:42:12,120 --> 00:42:14,480 And there's something about us. The longer that you walk with 819 00:42:14,480 --> 00:42:18,360 God, you want your brand to be your godliness and you want to 820 00:42:18,360 --> 00:42:22,280 show people and showcase how far you've come and what you get and 821 00:42:22,280 --> 00:42:25,440 what you've learned. But that is antithetical to 822 00:42:25,440 --> 00:42:27,000 grace being amazing. Do you see that? 823 00:42:27,440 --> 00:42:30,080 Because the ingredients we just talked about are the opposite of 824 00:42:30,080 --> 00:42:32,040 that. There's this song by Kirk 825 00:42:32,040 --> 00:42:33,760 Franklin. They go at the very end. 826 00:42:33,760 --> 00:42:37,520 He says, I'm a mess. I make mistakes. 827 00:42:38,040 --> 00:42:40,600 I get mad and say things I shouldn't say. 828 00:42:41,160 --> 00:42:43,800 But your love reminds me every day. 829 00:42:44,480 --> 00:42:47,200 I'm the reason why God made grace. 830 00:42:47,200 --> 00:42:50,800 And then he goes, I'm singing great ace. 831 00:42:50,960 --> 00:42:54,720 Yeah, I'm the reason why God made grace. 832 00:42:55,880 --> 00:42:59,320 Hallelujah. I'm singing great. 833 00:42:59,680 --> 00:43:03,080 Yeah, I'm the reason why God made grace. 834 00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:06,520 Y'all, some of y'all just need to hear that you like grace is 835 00:43:06,520 --> 00:43:08,760 what it's about. It's always going to be what 836 00:43:08,760 --> 00:43:10,520 it's about. It's not about you. 837 00:43:10,520 --> 00:43:13,560 It's about Jesus. And he wants to gift you grace. 838 00:43:13,960 --> 00:43:16,080 For some of y'all, I'll just pray that for the first time 839 00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:20,640 you'll just receive grace. Just receive it. 840 00:43:21,680 --> 00:43:27,400 It is infuriatingly almost humiliating to admit you need 841 00:43:27,400 --> 00:43:32,000 it, but once you receive it, it's the most refreshing release 842 00:43:32,080 --> 00:43:35,640 of all time. Once you actually receive it, 843 00:43:35,640 --> 00:43:37,600 you're like, what was I waiting for man? 844 00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:41,520 Why was I so stubborn and proud for so long? 845 00:43:41,520 --> 00:43:44,200 You just feel relief, like release into your body. 846 00:43:44,360 --> 00:43:47,080 Like I finally received grace. I knew I needed it, but I 847 00:43:47,080 --> 00:43:49,480 resented that I needed it. You need grace man. 848 00:43:49,760 --> 00:43:52,480 You need it bad. So I pray you get some grace. 849 00:43:52,720 --> 00:43:57,880 And then once you do y'all, all the church is is a bunch of it's 850 00:43:57,880 --> 00:44:01,080 just rehab for all. I mean, church is really rehab, 851 00:44:01,080 --> 00:44:03,520 man. It's just a glorified, just 852 00:44:03,520 --> 00:44:07,160 built. It's a programmatic organic 853 00:44:07,960 --> 00:44:11,280 rehab for a bunch of Joes and Jo Joes who all lived together. 854 00:44:11,280 --> 00:44:13,800 We're supposed to be multi generational, multi ethnic, 855 00:44:13,800 --> 00:44:17,240 multi, all the things to showcase to the world. 856 00:44:17,400 --> 00:44:21,520 We are not the stuff. We are all recipients of ongoing 857 00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:24,080 grace. And then we just go tell the 858 00:44:24,080 --> 00:44:27,120 Nineveh that they need grace. And when they look at us and go, 859 00:44:27,120 --> 00:44:28,720 well, who are you to tell me I need grace? 860 00:44:28,720 --> 00:44:29,720 Look at you. We go. 861 00:44:29,720 --> 00:44:32,760 I know. Isn't it crazy? 862 00:44:33,200 --> 00:44:36,200 But we get it mixed up when we think what we offer to the world 863 00:44:36,200 --> 00:44:40,680 is a program to your purity. You'll get more pure. 864 00:44:40,920 --> 00:44:43,560 But we offer not ourselves but Christ crucified. 865 00:44:43,840 --> 00:44:45,880 We what? The message you have to tell 866 00:44:45,880 --> 00:44:49,160 people is that you are a recipient of grace. 867 00:44:49,160 --> 00:44:50,840 OK. And yeah, you got to confront 868 00:44:50,840 --> 00:44:53,280 some people. Jonah is the worst preacher of 869 00:44:53,280 --> 00:44:55,280 all time. I took confidence this week. 870 00:44:55,280 --> 00:44:57,120 No, this is the worst sermon in history. 871 00:44:57,280 --> 00:45:01,080 He said like 7 words and they all repented. 120,000 people. 872 00:45:01,840 --> 00:45:04,280 Y'all. Norfolk is double Nineveh, OK? 873 00:45:04,280 --> 00:45:06,520 And we don't even have any cattle, he says. 874 00:45:06,520 --> 00:45:09,400 And much cattle, he ends the book with. 875 00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:13,600 And also much cattle. No cattle in Norfolk is. 876 00:45:13,600 --> 00:45:16,360 There ain't a lot of HOA, though. 877 00:45:16,360 --> 00:45:18,360 When there's no HOA, you can do whatever you want in your 878 00:45:18,360 --> 00:45:20,160 neighborhood. You got chickens, goats. 879 00:45:20,160 --> 00:45:22,440 It's crazy. Every once in a while I hear 880 00:45:22,440 --> 00:45:27,120 something. So yeah, I pray that this year 881 00:45:27,480 --> 00:45:29,200 you would you would realize you need grace. 882 00:45:29,200 --> 00:45:31,480 And if you're not a part of a local church with some other 883 00:45:31,480 --> 00:45:34,320 Joes and Jonos, I do think you're robbing God of some glory 884 00:45:34,320 --> 00:45:36,640 for your story. And I do think God wants to use 885 00:45:36,640 --> 00:45:38,760 you for some other ninevehs in your life. 886 00:45:38,760 --> 00:45:42,160 OK, maybe this is a year that we we we joined Jesus in this 887 00:45:42,160 --> 00:45:44,360 Easter Easter mission. Let's pray together. 888 00:45:45,280 --> 00:45:48,200 Our Father, we love you. Thank you so much for this true 889 00:45:48,200 --> 00:45:50,920 story. Thank you for truth God, thank 890 00:45:50,920 --> 00:45:52,960 you Lord. We don't have to wonder where we 891 00:45:52,960 --> 00:45:54,560 come from, where we're going, how it gets made right. 892 00:45:54,560 --> 00:45:56,840 You have made yourself known. You've confronted, you've made 893 00:45:56,840 --> 00:45:59,280 clear God, thank you for this story. 894 00:45:59,280 --> 00:46:02,400 Thank you that it's our lives in so many ways and it almost feels 895 00:46:02,400 --> 00:46:05,120 cyclical God that we're never going to just perfectly trust 896 00:46:05,120 --> 00:46:07,400 you every second. Sometimes it seems like we're 897 00:46:07,400 --> 00:46:08,960 running a resentful every moment. 898 00:46:08,960 --> 00:46:10,880 God, I pray first for your church right now. 899 00:46:10,880 --> 00:46:14,240 Got to pray for anybody who thinks you're a blockade to joy. 900 00:46:14,240 --> 00:46:17,200 I pray you would just, God, please have mercy on them and 901 00:46:17,200 --> 00:46:19,960 just bring them once again to realize you're good. 902 00:46:19,960 --> 00:46:22,800 Got to pray for anybody who's resenting and bitter right now. 903 00:46:22,800 --> 00:46:27,880 God, would you just God gift them just as you the book ends 904 00:46:27,880 --> 00:46:29,040 with the question you're just asking. 905 00:46:29,040 --> 00:46:31,040 Will you come join the party? Will you come be with us? 906 00:46:31,040 --> 00:46:33,040 And I just pray God that they would be refreshed today. 907 00:46:33,040 --> 00:46:36,440 And I got I pray for anybody who's been fighting repentance 908 00:46:36,440 --> 00:46:38,920 for months, fighting, turning to you, fighting, giving up their 909 00:46:38,920 --> 00:46:40,720 idols. I pray for anybody who knows 910 00:46:40,720 --> 00:46:42,960 they're not a believer and wants to become one God, that today 911 00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:45,720 would be the day that grace becomes amazing and pops for the 912 00:46:45,720 --> 00:46:47,000 first time. We love you. 913 00:46:47,000 --> 00:46:48,640 We pray these things in Jesus name, Amen.