Participants: Taj Pacleb
Series Code: 15GYC
Program Code: 15GYC000005A
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00:32 Once to every man and nation
00:39 Comes the moment to decide 00:45 In the strife of truth with falsehood 00:52 For the good or evil side 00:58 Some great cause, God's new Messiah 01:04 Offering each the bloom or blight 01:11 And the choice goes by forever 01:18 'Twixt that darkness and that light 01:25 Then to side with truth is noble 01:32 When we share her wretched crust 01:38 Ere her cause bring fame and profit 01:45 And 'tis prosperous to be just 01:52 Then it is the brave man chooses 01:58 While the coward stands aside 02:05 Till the multitude make virtue 02:12 Of the faith they had denied 02:20 By the light of burning martyrs 02:27 Christ, Thy bleeding feet we track 02:34 Toiling up new Calvaries ever 02:41 With the cross that turns not back 02:48 New occasions teach new duties 02:55 Time makes ancient good uncouth 03:02 They must upward still and onward 03:10 Who would keep abreast of truth 03:21 Though the cause of evil prosper 03:27 Yet 'tis truth alone is strong 03:34 Though her portion be the scaffold 03:41 And upon the throne be wrong 03:48 Yet that scaffold sways the future 03:54 And, behind the dim unknown 04:01 Standeth God within the shadow 04:08 Keeping watch above His own. 04:22 Good morning. 04:23 Good morning, can you hear me? 04:25 Good morning, faithful early morning risers. 04:30 Every day that I'm here, I grow more and more excited 04:33 and thankful for the opportunity to be here 04:35 and I hope you all are too. 04:38 Our speaker this morning is evangelist Taj Pacleb. 04:42 He is the speaker and director 04:44 of Revelation of Hope Ministries. 04:48 At the age of 16, 04:50 he had a very powerful conversion experience. 04:52 Yes, you all may sit down. 04:56 At the age of 16, 04:58 he had a very, very powerful conversion experience 05:00 and he has been committed to ministry ever since. 05:03 Born and raised in the islands of Hawaii. 05:06 He ministered to us yesterday 05:08 about the fruit from the island, 05:10 the mango or man go from Jonah 1 05:15 he challenged us to arise and go 05:19 to taste and see that the Lord is good, 05:21 and it is my prayer for each one of you today 05:24 that we continue to internalize this message 05:27 and we continue to listen with receptive hearts. 05:30 If you all can bow your heads with me for prayer. 05:37 Dear Heavenly Father, 05:38 thank you so much for being a God 05:41 that is so great, so strong and so mighty. 05:45 Thank you that there is nothing that you cannot do. 05:48 Thank you for seeing the insignificance of us 05:52 and loving us anyway. 05:55 I pray that you be with each one of us today 05:58 especially as the New Year is here. 06:02 I pray that you continue 06:03 to soften our hearts to the call. 06:07 Forgive us for resisting the call, 06:09 forgive us for forgetting that we are in fact chosen 06:12 and forgive us for being so often unfaithful. 06:16 I pray that you bless each one of us today 06:18 to continuously remind us of our unworthiness 06:21 in our need for you. 06:23 I pray that you be with the speaker this morning. 06:26 Please fill him with your Holy Spirit 06:29 and please fill each one of us as well, 06:30 in Jesus name I pray. 06:32 Amen. 06:50 Write thy name upon my heart 06:57 Jesus, Savior of mankind 07:05 Teach me charity unfailing 07:12 Teach me compassion, Lord, like thine 07:19 Endow my soul with loving kindness 07:26 Make me even as thou art 07:33 Engrave thine image in my countenance 07:41 Write thy name upon my heart 07:56 Grant me strength to serve thee well 08:04 Light my spirit with thy grace 08:11 Teach me tolerance and meekness 08:17 And faith to bid the tempest cease 08:24 Endow my soul with loving kindness 08:32 Make me even as thou art 08:39 Engrave thine image in my countenance 08:46 Write thy name upon my heart 09:09 Grant me strength to serve thee well 09:16 Light my spirit with thy grace 09:22 'Til all my works reflect thy goodness 09:30 'Til all my labors sing thy praise 09:37 Endow my soul with loving kindness 09:44 Make me even as thou art 09:51 Engrave thine image in my countenance 10:04 Write thy name 10:07 Upon my heart. 10:34 Good morning family, Happy New Year. 10:38 What a better place to begin a brand new year 10:40 than in God's presence, amen. 10:44 It's wonderful thing that GYC is doing this time of year 10:46 we're ending the year 10:48 and beginning a new year in this time 10:51 and it's a wonderful, wonderful blessing. 10:53 This morning we're going to continue our study 10:55 from yesterday. 10:57 Yesterday we began with that passage 11:00 which is the foundation of our theme in Revelation 17, 11:03 where the Bible talks about the war between good and evil 11:06 and how Satan is going to unite the world together 11:10 to fight against the lamb. 11:13 And the truth of God and the people of God 11:14 but we learn that in this controversy 11:16 Jesus is the victory. 11:18 Love wins because Jesus wins, amen. 11:21 And because he wins, we win too. 11:25 They that are with them are called and chosen 11:28 and faithful. 11:29 And then we looked at an example 11:31 of one in the Bible who was truly called, 11:34 surely chosen but was unfaithful. 11:38 And who was that individual? 11:40 That was Jonah, that was Chapter 1. 11:42 It showed that Jonah was called and chosen. 11:45 In Chapter 2, we're going to see 11:47 how Jonah was made faithful by God. 11:50 And so I hope you brought your Bible 11:52 and I hope you brought a spiritual appetite. 11:53 Let us pray as we study the Word of God this morning. 11:56 Thank you so much dear Lord, for giving us a brand new year. 12:00 A brand new day, a year with new experiences, 12:06 new challenges, new struggles, 12:08 new victories and we pray Lord that in this New Year, 12:13 you give us a new experience, a new heart, a new mind, 12:18 and a fresh revelation of Jesus. 12:20 Please speak to us Lord as we open your holy word. 12:23 We thank you for your love and your mercy, 12:25 in Christ name we pray. 12:27 Amen. 12:28 Please take your Bible and open with me 12:30 to the Book of Jonah. 12:33 Jonah, we're going to the first chapter. 12:37 The Bible tells us in Jonah 1:1-3 12:43 that Jonah was called, chosen but he was unfaithful. 12:49 The Bible tells us that God called Jonah to arise, 12:53 to go up, but instead Jonah went down, down, down. 12:59 In fact, notice what happens, 13:01 he is now in the bottom of a ship 13:04 that's heading to Tarshish, a place of ease, 13:07 a place of luxury, 13:08 he is running away from his mission. 13:11 He is ignoring the calling that had God placed upon his life. 13:15 He's neglecting the great work that God called him to do. 13:18 Instead of going to Nineveh, 13:20 he is heading to Tarshish a place of ease and luxury. 13:23 Instead of going up, he goes down. 13:25 Instead of going forward, he is going backward. 13:28 Jonah forgot his name and you remember yesterday, 13:31 we talked about the name of Jonah, 13:32 which means dove, a symbol of the Spirit. 13:34 He is the son of Amittai, which means, my truth. 13:37 Jonah is a true worshipper that has the spirit and truth 13:41 and God called him to give a loud cry message 13:44 against Nineveh, 13:46 which we learned yesterday was a type of Babylon. 13:50 And we also learned that Jonah, 13:52 the specific distinctive message he gave 13:54 was a message calling people to fear God. 13:57 The hour of his judgment is come 13:59 and to worship Him that made, to worship the true Creator. 14:03 The point that we made is that Jonah's message 14:05 and mission is the same as that of ours. 14:08 He is an example of what God is calling us 14:10 and choosing us to be. 14:13 And unfortunately 14:15 he is also an example of the unfaithfulness 14:18 that we have committed against the Lord 14:21 and so he's running from his duty. 14:22 Now the story finds Jonah on the bottom of the boat 14:26 falling asleep in the midst of a storm. 14:31 He is sleeping in the midst of a stupendous crisis. 14:34 You know the story, 14:35 the mariners come to try to wake him up 14:37 and what a tragedy friends, 14:38 that God's messenger is sleeping 14:41 in the midst of the storm 14:43 while those who are in the world 14:45 are on panic mode. 14:47 The world is trying to wake up the messengers. 14:50 They see that there's a crisis taking place 14:52 and indeed, friends, 14:53 we're living in a time of a stupendous crisis. 14:56 All the prophecies of the Revelation 14:58 are being fulfilled before our very eyes 15:01 and it's pointing to the fact that time is almost finished 15:03 that Jesus indeed is coming. 15:05 And, my brothers and my sisters, 15:06 now is not the time for us to sleep 15:08 but to arise and to wake up and to go 15:12 and give that loud cry of message to the world. 15:16 So God sent the storm to wake up his messenger. 15:22 I like what it says in the book Testimony to the Church, 15:24 Volume 5, page 463, it says, 15:27 "The work which the church has failed to do 15:30 in a time of peace and prosperity, 15:32 she will have to do in a terrible crisis, 15:36 under most discouraging, forbidding, circumstances." 15:41 And that's a tragedy. 15:43 Jonah, if you would have listened the first time 15:45 he would have spared himself 15:46 a lot of headache and heartache, 15:48 but thank God that He is a patient God 15:50 and He does not give up on us so easily, amen. 15:54 And so what does Jonah need right now. 15:57 He needs an awakening. 15:58 He needs the same thing that we need today, 16:01 he needs a revival, a spiritual awakening. 16:04 And so God sent the storm to wake him up 16:06 but the storm did not work. 16:08 Jonah even though he is waken up by the mariners, 16:11 in the midst of the storm 16:13 he is still unwilling to go to Nineveh, 16:15 he would rather die than do his duty. 16:18 You see, friends, the storm wasn't enough 16:20 to cause Jonah to be faithful, and in the same way 16:23 the storms and trials and tribulations 16:26 and signs of the last days 16:28 are not a strong enough motivator 16:30 to cause us to be faithful to our mission. 16:33 The fear of hell nor the reward of heaven is strong enough 16:38 to make us faithful to God, and let me tell you, friends, 16:40 if your work for God, if your faithfulness to God 16:44 is because you are afraid of the last days. 16:46 If it's because you're afraid of being lost, 16:48 you're going to turn your back on Jesus eventually. 16:52 Because there's nothing 16:53 that is powerful enough to keep us faithful 16:56 except the love of Christ for us. 17:01 The storm didn't wake up the messenger. 17:05 It wasn't strong enough. What does Jonah need, friends? 17:09 He needs not only to recognize the storm 17:13 but what he really needs is to spend a few days 17:16 and a few nights in the belly of the beast. 17:21 And that's the title of our study this morning, 17:24 "In the Belly of the Beast." 17:27 And so Chapter 1 ends in verse 17, 17:29 notice what it says Jonah 1:17. 17:33 It says, "Now the Lord had prepared a great fish 17:37 to swallow Jonah. 17:39 And Jonah was in the belly of the fish 17:41 three days and three nights." 17:44 So here we find that God prepared a fish 17:48 not for Jonah to eat but rather to eat Jonah. 17:51 God prepared a fish in order to prepare a man, 17:55 Jonah Chapter 1 ends there. 17:57 Jonah was caught and chosen but he was not faithful. 18:01 And now we pick up the narrative in Chapter 2 18:05 to find that what Jonah experience 18:07 in the belly of the fish is what we need to experience 18:12 in order for us to be faithful in the last days. 18:15 And I want us to remember what we said yesterday, 18:18 and that is that Jesus told us clearly 18:20 that whatever Jonah experience three days and three nights 18:23 in the belly of the fish was what he would experience. 18:27 In other words, 18:29 the singular sign of Jesus Messiahship 18:32 was the sign of Jonah 18:34 and that is the same sign of our discipleship to Jesus. 18:38 What Jonah experienced in the belly of the beasts 18:42 is what we need in order to be faithful 18:45 in the last days to be faithful to the Lamb. 18:48 And so now we find Jonah 18:50 in the stinky, smelly, slimy belly of the fish. 18:55 He's without any food or water or rest. 18:59 As this fish, this whale goes up and down, 19:02 it's like a roller coaster, 19:04 Jonah is going up and down and back and forth. 19:06 I can imagine the Jonah began to become nauseous. 19:10 I can imagine the stomach acid 19:12 beginning to eat away at his flesh, 19:14 his eyes are burning and his skin is itching. 19:17 He's surrounded by thick darkness, 19:19 barely any breath, companionless, 19:21 comfortless surrounded by darkness, 19:25 rejected by man and seemingly forgotten even by God 19:29 and there he remained for three days and three nights 19:34 72 hours. 19:37 What an uncomfortable situation. 19:39 And, friends, I can imagine in the belly of the fish, 19:44 Jonah had to be in thinking to himself, 19:46 "God where are you? 19:48 Why have you allowed this to happen to me? 19:52 Lord, why am I in this situation." 19:55 I can imagine the Jonah began to shrug and feel remorse 20:00 and regret over the foolish decisions 20:02 that he had made 20:03 in a running away from his calling and his mission. 20:07 And perhaps we can relate with that this morning. 20:11 Maybe this morning as you're sitting here 20:13 in this auditorium, you're asking God the same questions. 20:16 Maybe you like Jonah 20:17 are consumed by the difficulties of life 20:19 and you can't see your way out of the situation 20:22 you're in today. 20:24 Maybe you've experienced a terrible tragedy 20:26 in your life. 20:27 Maybe your parents are going through a divorce. 20:29 Maybe you've lost a loved one through by cancer 20:31 or maybe someone had in your family 20:34 had experienced a terrible accident 20:35 and your heart is broken. 20:37 Maybe you're overwhelmed by school loans and debt. 20:40 Maybe you have a physical illness, 20:42 cancer, diabetes, or some type of ailment 20:45 that is sucking the life out of you, 20:47 and you're wondering 20:48 why God are you allowing this to happen to me. 20:50 Perhaps you are in the belly of the beast, 20:53 the belly of the fish today 20:55 you're consumed by earthly cares. 20:57 And you can't see your way out and you're angry at God, 21:00 you're questioning God, 21:01 why God have you allowed this fish to swallow me up. 21:05 Friends I want you to know, 21:08 that the reason why God sent the fish 21:10 was not to punish Jonah, but it was to save Jonah. 21:16 The reason why God sent the fish 21:18 was to save Jonah from the fury of the storm 21:22 and that's the same thing for us, friends. 21:25 God sends tragedy in our lives. 21:28 He allows it to take place 21:30 to save us from greater tragedy. 21:32 Now we know that God does not cause suffering, 21:35 an enemy has done it Jesus said. 21:37 But God does allow it, and, friends, 21:38 the reason why He allows trials and difficulties and tragedy 21:42 is to save us from greater tragedy. 21:44 I want you to consider, friends, 21:46 that God is so desperate to save us 21:48 that He will allow us to suffer in order to bring us salvation. 21:53 God allows us to experience momentary pain 21:56 in order to give us permanent peace. 21:59 He will permit us to go through temporary suffering 22:02 if that will secure eternal salvation. 22:05 He will even tolerate physical death, 22:08 if he sees that that is what will awaken spiritual life 22:13 in this great controversy between good and evil. 22:15 God permitted evil to exist for a time, 22:19 a short time in order to destroy it for all eternity 22:23 because we serve a God that sees the big picture 22:26 and he has our best interest in mind 22:28 and so in every difficulty we can trust Him. 22:32 And that's the reason why the Bible says, 22:34 "That all things work together for good 22:37 for those who love God 22:38 and are called according to His purpose. 22:40 All things, the good and the bad 22:42 God brings it around for good." 22:44 God, friends, is a God that can be trusted. 22:47 Bible says, "We can give thanks to God in all things, 22:51 in sunshine and in the rain." 22:54 James says, "Count it all joy 22:55 when you fall into diverse trials 22:57 knowing that the trying of your faith produces patience 23:00 and a character that's fit for heaven." 23:01 And that's the reason why Joseph 23:03 could look into the face of his brothers 23:05 those who betrayed him 23:06 and rejected him and sold him out, 23:08 he could look into their face and say, "I forgive you, 23:11 what you have meant for evil, God has caused to forgive it." 23:16 That's why Job after losing everything could say, 23:20 "Naked I came from my mother's womb 23:23 and naked shall I return to. 23:25 The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away, 23:27 blessed be the name of the Lord." 23:30 You see God allows the fish to come 23:33 to save us from the fury of the storm, 23:35 and so in all things we can trust God. 23:37 Let me tell you, friends, we're in a new year 23:39 and there are new challenges 23:40 and trials and tests that are coming your way 23:43 but in the rain and the sunshine God is good. 23:47 In the darkness and the light, God is good. 23:50 In adversity and prosperity, God is always good. 23:54 In pain and in peace, in sickness and in health, 23:58 in life and in death, God is good all the time, 24:02 and all the time God is good. 24:04 Amen. God is too good to be unkind. 24:08 He's too wise to be mistaken 24:11 and He is too strong to be defeated in all situations. 24:16 We can trust Him and let's never forget 24:18 no matter how hard it gets for us, 24:22 the blessings will always outweigh 24:23 the difficulties of life. 24:25 We are blessed more than we deserve and surely, 24:28 we are blessed more than we recognize 24:30 and I love that verse in 2 Corinthians 4:16 to 18, 24:34 where the Bible says, 24:35 "Therefore we do not lose heart though our outward man perish, 24:39 yet the inward man is being renewed day by day." 24:43 For while we look at the things which are seen, 24:45 they're temporary, 24:47 but the things which are not seen are eternal. 24:50 And so let us pray that God will help us 24:51 to see things through His eyes, amen. 24:55 Oh, my brothers and my sisters, 24:57 I don't know what you're going through this morning. 25:00 But this we do know, God is good all the time, amen. 25:06 Keep trusting and stay with Jesus. 25:10 God sends the fish to save us from the fury of the storm. 25:15 And so as God reaches down to us, 25:18 let us reach up to Him and as we link hands 25:22 with the everlasting hands of Jesus. 25:25 It's only then that we can reach out to others. 25:28 God sent the fish to save Jonah from the storm 25:30 and to save Jonah from himself. 25:34 It is the experience in this fish 25:36 that actually caused Jonah to pray 25:39 and brought Jonah back to his senses. 25:41 I want you to notice Chapter 2:1, 25:43 the nature of Jonah's prayer 25:46 that reveals the experience of his heart. 25:48 Notice Jonah 2:1, the Bible says, 25:51 "Then Jonah prayed to the Lord, his God 25:56 from the fish's belly." 25:58 Now friends this is interesting, 25:59 because this is the first time Jonah prays in the book. 26:03 He should have prayed in Chapter 1, isn't that right? 26:07 If he would have prayed 26:08 when the word of the Lord first came to him, 26:10 he would have spared himself a lot of difficulty. 26:13 But for some reason 26:14 it was after three days and three nights 26:15 that Jonah began to pray, 26:17 and the reason why he did not pray before then 26:20 is because he felt secure. 26:22 You see in the ground that he walked upon 26:24 seem to be solid 26:26 but now in the belly of the beast, 26:28 he has nowhere to stand. 26:29 The rug of complacency has been pulled out 26:32 from under him 26:33 and in this impossible situation 26:36 Bible says, Jonah prayed, 26:38 but what caused Jonah to pray, that's my question. 26:41 What was it that he experienced in the belly of the fish 26:43 that, that compelled him to cry upon the Lord. 26:47 What brought him to repentance and faithfulness to God? 26:52 Well, as we examine the language of his prayer, 26:56 we see the experience of his heart. 26:58 Jonah was oppressed, he was afflicted, 27:02 and he opened his mouth in prayer. 27:03 Notice what his prayer is in verse 2 and he said, 27:07 "I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, 27:11 And He answered me." 27:12 Out of the belly of what, hell or Sheol that means the grave 27:18 I cried and you heard my voice." 27:21 So notice, friends, in the belly of the beast, 27:25 Jonah says, "Out of the belly of a hell, Sheol, 27:28 I cried out of the belly of the grave." 27:31 In other words what Jonah experienced in that belly 27:35 was the type of death. 27:37 What kind of people go to the grave? 27:39 Dead people, is that right? 27:41 So whatever he experienced was a kind of death 27:44 but, friends, listen Jonah did not die physically. 27:47 The death that he experienced in the belly of the fish, 27:50 it was not so much physical 27:52 but rather it was death to self, death to self. 27:58 But notice what kind of death more specifically this was. 28:01 I want us to take note of the symbolic, 28:04 poetic and prophetic language of Jonah's prayer. 28:08 Verse 3, the Bible says, 28:11 "For thou has cast me into the deep, 28:14 into the heart of the seas, 28:18 and the floods surrounded me, 28:21 All your billows and Your waves passed over me. 28:25 Then I said, "I have been cast out of your sight, 28:28 Yet I will look again toward your holy temple." 28:30 verse 5, "The waters surrounded me," 28:33 what surrounded him? 28:35 "The waters surrounding me, even to my, 28:38 what is the next word, my soul, The deep closed around me, 28:43 The weeds were wrapped around my head. 28:46 I went to the bottom of the mountains, 28:49 The earth with its bars about me 28:52 for how long did he say forever." 28:56 Friends, I want you notice the language of Jonah's prayer 29:00 is such of despair and utter hopelessness. 29:06 He is there in the belly of the fish 29:09 overwhelmed by water. 29:10 You notice the words the waves and the billows, 29:14 and the seas and the waters. 29:17 In other words Jonah is you can say drowning. 29:20 No breath, no light, no comfort, no hope, 29:23 the seaweeds wrapped around his head 29:25 in the belly of the fish. 29:27 The earth with their bars about him forever, 29:29 it seemed like the fish's belly was a prison 29:32 and Jonah would never escape from this prison. 29:36 What strange language. What does it mean? 29:40 Well, friends, do you realize 29:43 that Jonah's prayer is actually echoing someone else's prayer. 29:49 In other words his prayer is not so much his own. 29:53 He is actually praying someone else's prayer, 29:55 the psalmist's prayer in Psalms 69. 30:00 So hold your thumb here in the Book of Jonah 30:01 and turn quickly to the Book of Psalms 69, 30:05 Psalms 69 where we'll discover 30:07 that Jonah is actually praying someone else's prayer. 30:11 He's entering into the experience 30:13 of someone else, psalms. 30:15 What division did I say? 30:17 Psalms 69, and notice what it says here 30:22 beginning with verse 1, 30:24 Psalm 69:1 if you're there. 30:26 When you get there, 30:27 would you let me know by saying, amen. 30:29 Psalm 69:1 the Bible says, "Save me, O God, 30:34 for the waters have come into my soul. 30:40 I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing. 30:43 I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. 30:48 I am weary of my crying, my throat is dried, 30:51 my eyes fail while I wait for my God." 30:54 Hear the psalmist is praying 30:56 and describing his circumstance, 30:58 his situation. 30:59 He is in the... 31:00 the waters are flooding his soul. 31:02 He is sinking, he is in the deep waters, 31:04 the flood is overflowing him. 31:06 Now, friends, notice whose prayer is this. 31:09 Jump down to verse 14, it says, 31:12 "Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink. 31:16 Let me be delivered from them that hate me, 31:18 And out of the deep waters, 31:20 let not the water flood overflow me, 31:22 Neither let the deep swallow me up, 31:25 And let not the pit shut her mouth upon me." 31:28 Friends, this prayer in Psalm 69 31:33 is actually a prophecy. 31:36 It is not only the experience of the psalmist, 31:39 but is actually a prophecy pointing to someone else 31:43 that was to come and experience the exact same thing, 31:47 whose prayer is this really. 31:49 The answer is found in verse 20. 31:52 Verse 20 says, "Reproach has broken my heart, 31:57 I'm full of heaviness, 31:59 I look for someone to take pity, 32:01 but there was none, 32:03 And for comforters, but I found none. 32:06 They gave me gall for my meat, 32:09 And in my thirst they gave me what? 32:12 Vinegar to drink." 32:15 Friends, who is this referring to? 32:17 Who is the one that looked for someone to comfort him 32:21 in the Garden of Gethsemane? 32:23 Look for someone to wipe the sweat off his brow. 32:25 Look for someone to, to comfort him 32:28 and to encourage him 32:29 but yet those were sleeping on him. 32:31 Who was that? He was Jesus. 32:35 That was given and offered vinegar 32:36 to drink in his thirst. 32:39 You see the prayer of Psalms 69, 32:41 of which Jonah's prayer is an echo of 32:45 is really, really a prophecy that is pointing 32:48 to the experience of Jesus Christ Himself, 32:50 as he would go to Gethsemane and Calvary for you and me. 32:54 In other words, friends, in the belly of the beast, 32:57 that experienced foreshadows the experience of the cross. 33:03 In other words, what Jonah, when Jonah said 33:07 what he said in the belly of the fish, 33:09 he was actually experiencing something similar 33:14 to what Jesus would experience 33:16 when Jesus would go to the cross. 33:18 As he described the floods overflowing him 33:20 and the waves beating up on him, 33:22 and him being in the deep tell me friends. 33:24 What does water represent in the Bible? 33:28 What is waters a symbol of? 33:31 It's a symbol of humanity. 33:36 And, friends, in the Garden of Gethsemane, 33:40 the floods overflowed the soul of Jesus. 33:45 When Jonah said, "The floods compass me about 33:47 it was similar to what Jesus was experiencing 33:50 as the floods of humanity, 33:52 as the sins of humanity was placed upon Jesus, 33:56 it was overwhelming." 33:58 And as we saw like what Jonah said, 34:00 Jesus felt I'm cast out of your sight 34:02 because as sin comes in, it separates us from God. 34:07 And so now the father has to withdraw his presence 34:11 from his beloved son, 34:13 and Jesus begins to feel this alienation 34:16 that He'd never experienced before. 34:18 Never in eternity past was He ever separated 34:21 from His Father until this moment 34:23 when the floods of humanity overwhelmed Him. 34:28 I'm cast out of your sight. 34:30 Thy billows and thy waves passed over me 34:33 as all of the sins of the world are placed upon Christ, 34:36 the weeds wrapped around my head. 34:37 Jonah said, a symbol of the crown of thorns 34:40 piercing the brow of Christ. 34:42 The earth with her bars about me forever. 34:45 Jesus in that moment, friends, could not see beyond the tomb. 34:52 He was dying a permanent death, a second death. 34:58 And that's why it says in the book, 34:59 Desire of Ages, page 753, 35:04 "The Savior could not see through the portals 35:06 of the tomb. 35:07 Hope did not present to Him 35:10 His coming forth from the grave as a conqueror, 35:12 or tell Him of the Father's acceptance of the sacrifice. 35:16 He feared that sin was so offensive to God 35:19 that Their separation was to be how long, eternal." 35:26 Jesus was paying the full wages of my sin, 35:31 the full wages of yours and then it says, 35:34 "The withdrawal of the divine countenance 35:37 from the Savior in his in this hour of supreme, 35:41 supreme anguish pierced His heart with a sorrow 35:46 that could never fully be understood by man. 35:49 So great was this agony 35:52 that His physical pain was hardly felt." 35:58 It wasn't the pain that caused Jesus to die, 36:02 but it was the pain of being rejected by His children 36:07 and seemingly forsaken by His Father 36:10 that broke the heart of God. 36:12 That's why He died, friends. 36:14 In that moment, He could not see beyond the tomb. 36:18 The earth with their bars was about Him forever, 36:22 it seemed he was drinking the cup in full. 36:26 He was paying our debt in full 36:29 and that's what Jonah is beginning to experience 36:32 in the belly of the beast, 36:33 experiencing what Jesus would go through for him 36:36 on the cross. 36:38 And, friends, it was that experience 36:39 that changed Jonah's attitude. 36:41 It was this experience 36:43 that caused Jonah to want to be faithful 36:45 in fulfilling his calling. 36:47 You see only as Jonah was immersed in water 36:51 was there a change. 36:53 Baptism, immersion is a symbol of the death, 36:59 burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, amen. 37:03 And it's this that Jonah is experiencing. 37:05 The storm wasn't strong enough to motivate him to faithfulness 37:09 but the cross was. 37:11 And that's what Jonah was experiencing. 37:13 The cross brought Jonah to repentance and enabled him 37:16 to fulfill his mission. 37:18 This, my friends, is the same experience 37:20 that we need in order for us to live up to our name, 37:25 our identity, our calling 37:28 and our mission to go to Nineveh. 37:30 To turn away from the comforts 37:32 and luxury of the Tarshishes of the world 37:34 and go to Nineveh and give that loud cry message, 37:38 the call that says, "Fear God, give glory to Him, 37:41 the hour of His judgment is come 37:43 and worship Him that made all things." 37:48 This is the experience that we need 37:51 in order to be faithful. 37:53 We are called, chosen, 37:57 but what does it mean to be faithful. 37:58 You see, if you look at that word faithful. 38:01 It simply means to be full of faith. 38:05 It means that your faith is full. 38:08 Amen. 38:10 And, friends, only as we spend some time 38:13 in the belly of the beast. 38:15 As we enter into the experience of the cross 38:19 will our faith become so full 38:22 that we will overflow in blessings 38:26 to those around us. 38:28 And so Jonah as we go back to Chapter 2, 38:32 he is experiencing exactly that. 38:35 And then notice, he wraps up his prayer in the next verse, 38:39 verse 6 the Bible says in Jonah 2:6. 38:42 I went which direction, what does it say, 38:46 "I went down to the bottom of the mountains, 38:51 The earth with the bars about me forever, 38:55 Yet You have brought, which direction, 38:58 you have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God." 39:03 You see that's when the direction changed. 39:06 Up to this point, Jonah was going down, down, down, 39:10 he, he rose up to go down, he went down to Tarshish, 39:13 he went down to the bottom of the ship. 39:15 And then he was cast off the ship 39:17 and he was swallowed by the fish 39:19 and went down to the bottom of the mountains. 39:21 The bottom of the sea and he went so far down 39:24 that he could not go any farther further down. 39:26 So now his direction, he's going up. 39:30 I went down but now I'm going up. 39:32 "You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God." 39:36 It was as if Jonah was saying, "My God, my God, 39:39 why have you forsaken me." 39:41 But then his, his prayer changes 39:43 into your hands I commit my spirit. 39:47 And what made the change 39:48 is because Jonah finally allowed self 39:54 to be consumed in the belly of the beast. 39:58 Self consumed 40:01 as he entered into the experience of the cross, 40:05 and so as a result what happens in verse 10. 40:08 "So the Lord spoke to the fish, 40:11 and it vomited Jonah on to dry land." 40:15 It's interesting God spoke to Jonah and Jonah disobeyed, 40:19 but when God spoke to the fish, the fish obeyed, 40:21 isn't that right? 40:23 Jonah now, because he experienced death to self, 40:28 he can now experience resurrection in life. 40:32 Jonah is resurrected from the belly of the fish, 40:36 the belly of the grave 40:37 and now God comes to him again in Chapter 3:1, it says, 40:41 "Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, 40:44 saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, 40:50 and preach to it the message that I shall tell you." 40:53 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, 40:56 according to the word of the Lord." 40:59 Here we find that God's word 41:02 and God's mission did not change. 41:05 Did you notice that? 41:06 The same word that spoke to Jonah in Chapter 1 41:10 is the same word that spoke to Jonah in Chapter 3. 41:13 The mission and the message did not change, 41:16 it remained the same. 41:18 What was it that changed? 41:20 Not the message, it was the messenger that changed. 41:25 Oh, my friends, we don't need to change our message. 41:29 We don't need to modify our mission. 41:34 We need to let God change and transform us. 41:39 There is not nothing wrong with our message, friends. 41:42 Our message is called the everlasting gospel. 41:46 It is not bad news, or scary news, 41:48 or doom and gloom, it is good news. 41:52 What needs to change, friends, 41:54 is not the message and the mission 41:55 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 41:57 it is the messengers, 41:59 and the storm is not going to do it. 42:02 The fear of the last days, 42:03 the fear of hell nor the reward of heaven 42:05 is going to truly transform us. 42:07 It is only as we enter into the belly of the beast. 42:10 It's only as we experience the cross that self will die 42:15 so that Jesus can live. 42:17 Oh, I want to experience this more in my life, 42:18 how about you? 42:21 It says, "The word came the second time." 42:23 Oh, my friends, we serve a God of second chances. 42:27 It came the second time. 42:29 You see the story of Jonah 42:31 points to the God of second chances, 42:33 a God that does not give up on us so easily. 42:36 A God that, that chases us when we run from Him, 42:39 a God that still watches over us 42:41 even when we're walking in known disobedience. 42:44 Oh, my brothers and my sisters, 42:47 have you fallen away after knowing truth? 42:53 Are you running from God's call upon your life? 42:58 Are you trying to drown out that convicting voice 43:01 in the pleasures of Tarshish? 43:06 Maybe you've been a pastor, an elder, a Bible worker, 43:10 a canvasser or some type of spiritual leader in school. 43:13 But your faith has grown dim and your love has grown cold, 43:17 you've lost your first love experience 43:19 and you have been weary in the wilderness of the world, 43:24 and from standing on the mountain of victory, 43:27 you have fallen into the valley of defeat 43:32 and immorality. 43:33 Maybe you're one that after knowing truth like Jonah, 43:36 you turn from your calling, you ashamed your family, 43:39 misrepresented your church, disappointed your friends, 43:42 disgrace that calling, you've hurt your Lord 43:45 and you've made a fool out of yourself in the process. 43:47 Well, I'm here to tell you, friends, 43:49 no matter who you are or what you've done, 43:51 we serve a God of second chances. 43:54 A God that gives us brand new beginnings. 43:58 It does not matter where we came from. 44:01 What matters is where we're going from this moment on. 44:04 You know when you jump in your vehicle. 44:06 You'll find that in your car, 44:08 there's a very large windshield in front of you, 44:11 isn't that right? 44:13 And then in comparison to that large windshield, 44:15 you have a very small rear view mirror. 44:19 You know why? 44:21 For the simple reason that what's behind you 44:24 is not as important 44:26 as what's in front of you, amen. 44:28 We may have a dark past, 44:30 we may have disgraced our calling 44:32 and run from our mission like Jonah, 44:34 but we serve a God of second chances. 44:36 But let me tell you, friends, 44:37 the second chance comes as a result of the second death 44:42 is because of what Jesus did at the cross. 44:46 A crucifixion must come before the resurrection. 44:51 Oh, yes, we all want the resurrection, 44:53 we all want to live 44:54 but we don't really want to die, 44:56 but let me tell you, friends, 44:57 the resurrection is only for those 44:58 who experience the crucifixion self 45:01 must die before Jesus can live. 45:04 This is the sign of Jonah. 45:06 It is the sign of Jesus' Messiahship. 45:08 It is also the same sign of our discipleship. 45:14 Because Jesus said, "Whoever will be my disciple 45:17 must take up the cross and follow me." 45:23 Allow me to summarize before we head to our last point. 45:28 God has given us a name that stands for something, 45:31 just like Jonah. 45:33 A name and identity that reflects our message 45:37 and our mission to a dying world, 45:41 but unfortunately like Jonah 45:43 even though we've been called and chosen, 45:44 many of us have been unfaithful. 45:46 Instead of going to Nineveh to give the loud cry message, 45:49 we have turned to Tarshish, seeking ease and luxury. 45:55 Convenience instead of conversion, 45:58 too much of us have been concerned 46:00 with our own comforts, 46:01 too zealous to guard our own reputations 46:04 and many messengers have been lowered to sleep 46:06 by the gentle rocking on the ship of pleasure. 46:09 We're sleeping in the midst of the storm 46:11 and we may be to be able to sleep for a little while, 46:14 but the storm is just going to increase in its intensity 46:17 and it will be relentless in its fury 46:19 and the storm is either going to shake us up 46:22 or it's going to shake us out. 46:25 I don't want to be shaken out. 46:28 I want to be shaken up. But the good news is this. 46:34 God has prepared a fish for each and every one of us, 46:38 amen. 46:40 God has prepared a fish 46:43 to prepare a man and a woman for the mission. 46:47 A test that soon will turn into a testimony, 46:51 a trial that will turn into triumph, 46:54 a mess that will turn into a message, 46:56 a crucifixion that prepares us for the resurrection, 46:59 but unfortunately, friends, 47:01 many will only learn that lesson 47:03 in the belly of the beast. 47:04 But here's the thing, 47:06 we like Jonah could easily avoid that trial. 47:09 We could get easily avoid the belly of the beast 47:12 by coming to the foot of the cross 47:17 and listening to God 47:19 when His word first comes to us. 47:22 By surrendering our will at the foot of the cross, 47:25 it is there that God makes us faithful, 47:28 faithful meaning full of faith. 47:33 And, friends, there is only one whose faith was full. 47:37 There is only one that had a faith 47:38 that endured to the very end, one who had a perfect faith, 47:42 a complete faith and that was Jesus. 47:45 A faith that trusted His Father, 47:49 even though He did not have the answer 47:52 to the question why, as Jesus said, 47:54 "My God, my God why? 47:59 Why? 48:01 Why have you forsaken Me?" 48:06 When He prayed that prayer, heaven was silent. 48:12 You may be asking God why and heaven is silent. 48:18 Heaven may be silent but heaven is not deaf. 48:23 And God is trying to build and place within us a faith 48:29 that is full of faith that endures. 48:33 And God's people in the last days 48:35 will have that faith, it's called the faith of Jesus. 48:39 How many want the faith of Jesus in your experience 48:42 or makes it possible? 48:44 Let's go back and close up with this point. 48:48 When Jesus said to the Pharisees, 48:54 as Jonah was in the belly of the fish 48:57 three days and three nights, 48:59 the Son of Man also will be in the heart of the earth. 49:04 What does that mean? 49:06 There are many people 49:07 who have ignored the context of that passage. 49:11 And have stubbornly insisted 49:13 that when Jesus said three days and three nights, 49:16 that means He had to be dead in the grave for 72 hours, 49:22 three literal days and three literal nights. 49:25 There are people who they make that 49:27 a point of controversy. 49:30 But, friends, it must be noted that of all the times 49:34 Jesus spoke about His, the timing of His resurrection. 49:37 He only said three days and three nights one time. 49:40 Matthew 12:40, 49:42 not only that but majority of the times 49:43 Jesus referred to the timing of his resurrection. 49:46 He referred to it as the third day, 49:49 the which day? 49:51 The third day, and Jesus Himself defined, 49:55 when the third day was 49:57 it simply the day after tomorrow. 49:59 You can find that in Luke 13:32. 50:02 The third day according to Jesus is simply the day 50:07 after tomorrow, so what is today? 50:09 We call today Friday, the day after tomorrow, 50:12 tomorrow is Saturday Sabbath, the day after tomorrow is what? 50:16 Sunday, friends the third day 50:18 is simply the day after tomorrow. 50:20 Not only that but Jewish inclusive reckoning 50:23 considers a part of one day as a full day 50:28 and so we can come to the conclusion by this verse 50:32 that Jesus was dead in the grave for 72 hours, 50:35 three literal days and three little nights 50:37 based upon comparing the Bible with himself. 50:40 Not only that, friends, but Jesus did not say 50:42 that He would be dead in the grave 50:44 for three days and three nights, 50:46 but rather he said, 50:47 "He would experience the heart of the earth." 50:50 His experience parallels Jonah's experience 50:54 but here's the thing. 50:55 Jonah did not physically die. He experienced death. 51:01 But it's far more profound than just physical. 51:03 So the question I want to ask is this. 51:05 What did Jesus mean 51:07 when He referred to three days and three nights? 51:08 Well, let me ask you the question. 51:10 When did Jesus resurrect from the grave? 51:12 When did He resurrect? 51:14 Early Sunday morning, the first day of the week, 51:16 so you count three days and three nights 51:19 before Sunday morning 51:21 and that will land you, do you when, 51:24 Thursday evening. 51:27 Thursday evening, friends, 51:29 is when the heart of the earth experience began for Christ. 51:32 But Jesus did not physically die 51:34 on Thursday evening, He died on Good Friday, 51:37 the day that was called the preparation 51:39 and so the question is what exactly happened 51:42 on Thursday evening? 51:44 What happened Thursday evening? 51:47 Gethsemane, 51:49 that's when Jesus experienced the heart of the earth. 51:53 It was when He went 51:55 to the Garden of the Gethsemane, 51:56 when Jesus began to die, the heart of the earth, 52:00 the heart of humanity. 52:01 The Bible says, "That our hearts 52:03 are desperately wicked and deceitful above all things 52:07 naturally our hearts are cold and callous corrupt and cruel." 52:11 And that's what Jesus began to experience 52:14 on Thursday evening 52:15 as He went in to Gethsemane the heart of humanity 52:19 as the sins of the world are placed upon Him. 52:23 And that's when He began to die. 52:25 And he said, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful 52:28 even unto death." 52:32 But it was far more hurtful than physical. 52:38 It refers to the complete alienation from God and man, 52:42 because it was in that garden that man forsook Christ, 52:46 slapped on Him, betrayed Him with a kiss. 52:49 And it was in that garden 52:51 the Father would show His presence. 52:53 It was in that garden that the floods of humanity 52:56 came unto His soul. 52:57 It was there that the Father turned his face 53:01 and that's when the death began. 53:04 And it continued 53:06 for three whole days and three whole nights. 53:10 Jesus felt alienated eternally 53:14 until He came forth from the tomb 53:15 early Sunday morning. 53:17 And so, friends, here's the point. 53:18 The physical death Jesus experienced on Friday, 53:22 was simply the outward climax of the deeper inward anguish 53:27 of the death that began in Gethsemane, 53:29 the heart of the earth and Jesus did it, friends, 53:33 for you. 53:35 And He did it for me. He paid our debt in full. 53:41 He was cut off that we might be reconciled back to God. 53:44 He was forsaken that we might be forgiven. 53:48 He was bruised, beaten, battered 53:53 so that we could be blessed. 53:55 He walked the way of suffering 53:57 so that we could walk on streets of gold. 54:00 He wore our crown of thorns 54:02 that we might wear His crown of life. 54:05 The only way we can be faithful, friends, 54:07 we are called, yes, we are chosen, yes, 54:09 but the only way we can be faithful 54:11 is when we understand that He was faithful to us. 54:17 He would not stop loving us even though we spit in His face 54:22 and slapped Him and beat Him and forsake Him, 54:25 He was faithful husband, He wouldn't stop loving us. 54:32 Faithful unto death even the death of the cross. 54:39 How many are thankful for your wonderful Savior? 54:43 He is our sweet Savior, He a King of kindness, 54:47 God of grace, Man of mercy, Lord of love, 54:53 but not only He is our Savior, He is also our example. 54:57 You see Jesus in Gethsemane not only that tasted the death 55:00 that comes from sin, 55:02 but He also experienced the death 55:04 that comes from surrender. 55:06 You see in Gethsemane, He was praying, 55:08 "Lord, let this cup pass from me." 55:11 Lord, I don't feel like going to Nineveh. 55:13 Lord, if there is another way maybe if you Tarshish 55:16 that's what Jesus was experiencing. 55:18 He did not feel like dying for you and me 55:20 but yet He concluded that prayer 55:21 by saying, "Not my will, Thy will be done." 55:27 How many of you want to say that prayer with Jesus today, 55:32 Thy will be done. 55:35 Friends, let me tell you victory over the beast 55:40 is found in surrender to the Lamb. 55:45 Victory over the beast is found in surrender to the Lamb. 55:51 In order for us to wrestle with Satan and win, 55:55 we first must wrestle with God and lose 55:59 because victory is found in surrender. 56:04 Oh, my friends, what sin holds you in bondage today? 56:09 What is God calling you to surrender to Him 56:14 as you face your fish today? 56:18 Let it be our prayer 56:20 "Lord, not my will, Thy will be done." 56:24 We're called, we're chosen, 56:28 Lord, may the cross make us faithful unto death. 56:34 How many you want that desire in your life? 56:36 If so would you bow your heads with me 56:39 and let us thank God for His goodness. 56:44 Let us pray. 56:46 Oh, Lord, 56:50 there is so much more that needs to be said. 56:55 We thank you Lord that we have heard your voice. 56:59 You have given us a glimpse 57:01 into your infinite heart of love. 57:05 Lord, we confess and acknowledge 57:09 that we are not faithful. 57:12 We have not lived up to our God given name. 57:16 We have forgotten our identity. 57:18 We have ignored our mission, neglected our calling, 57:24 and we have sought ease and luxury 57:27 and comfort in Tarshish. 57:30 Forgive us Lord, for being more concerned with self 57:36 than the Savior, 57:37 more concerned with our glory than Yours. 57:43 Lord as we look around at our world 57:45 we see that the storm is raging, 57:48 the signs are being fulfilled and we pray Lord, 57:52 that this storm will not shake us out, 57:56 but shake us up. 57:58 Forgive us for sleeping, Lord. 58:02 Wake us up, and I pray dear Lord, 58:08 that we would experience death, 58:12 that we might experience life, that we would be crucified, 58:18 so that You could be resurrected in our lives. 58:23 Make us Your children, make us Your messengers, 58:28 make us full of faith, faithful to the end. 58:33 We thank you, 58:35 that He is faithful who has called us, 58:39 who also would do it. 58:43 We accept you again in our hearts, 58:45 and we thank you for your sacrifice. 58:47 In the wonderful name of Jesus, we pray this prayer 58:50 that all of God's messengers and children say, amen. |
Revised 2016-09-06