Participants:
Series Code: DPM
Program Code: DPM000029A
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00:05 Heavenly Father,
00:06 Lord, as we open up the scriptures once again, 00:09 we're asking that Your Holy Spirit would help us 00:11 to see in this passage some of the lessons 00:14 that you have for us today. 00:16 We pray that You would give us understanding, 00:18 Lord, that our minds 00:19 may not be distracted to other things, 00:21 but to know that the reason that this story is in Scripture 00:25 is because You want to speak to our hearts 00:27 and our minds today. 00:29 This we ask in Jesus' name, amen. 00:34 Richard was a young man in his early 20s. 00:36 He lived during the 1950s, 00:39 in fact Richard had just gotten out of the army, 00:42 and he was ready to begin his life in the real world. 00:46 In fact, as soon as he was discharged, 00:48 he met a beautiful young lady 00:50 and they eventually got married. 00:53 Exactly nine months into their marriage, 00:55 they were blessed with a beautiful baby girl. 00:59 Well, as soon as that baby was born, 01:00 Richard realized 01:02 that he needed to get his life together. 01:04 And for him, that meant finding a good job 01:08 with a steady income so he could support his family. 01:11 And you have to understand for Richard 01:14 who quit school in 10th grade in order to join the army, 01:17 he just barely got his GED 01:20 and so jobs were few and far between. 01:23 Fortunately for him, he found employment 01:26 at a paper mill working seven days a week 01:29 on the swing shift. 01:30 And he earned just enough 01:32 to be able to make ends meet and provide for his family. 01:36 But, you know, it wasn't long 01:37 after Richard began working at this job, 01:40 that he realized he needed to have 01:42 some sort of spiritual foundation in his life. 01:45 And so he started going back to church 01:48 like he did when he was a child. 01:51 And as he did, he began to redevelop 01:53 his relationship with Jesus Christ, 01:56 and eventually he was baptized, 01:58 and he was reconverted all over again, 02:00 and his spiritual life just soared. 02:04 But it wasn't long until something happened 02:07 in Richard's life that would challenge him 02:09 to the very core of his being. 02:12 In fact, he faced a crossroads in his life 02:15 when he learned a very important truth 02:17 from Scripture. 02:19 He learned about the Sabbath. 02:21 And you see Richard knew that when it came to the Sabbath, 02:24 and he wanted to honor that day and to keep it holy to rest 02:28 and to set aside secular labors. 02:30 So focus on his relationship with Christ 02:33 and to worship his Creator. 02:35 For him that was a problem. 02:37 Because you see, he worked seven days a week 02:40 on that swing shift, and he needed all seven days 02:43 in order to be able to pay his bills. 02:46 As he thought through this in his mind, 02:48 he wondered how in the world 02:50 could he ever honor God and keep the Sabbath day holy. 02:54 Finally, he garnered up enough courage 02:57 to go talk to his boss about it. 02:59 And he was afraid, because he figured his boss 03:02 would look at this young guy and say, you know, 03:04 Richard, you should be lucky to just have a job 03:07 considering you barely finished high school. 03:10 In fact, as Richard 03:11 had this conversation with his boss, 03:13 it did not go very well. 03:15 His employer basically looked at him in the face 03:18 and said, "Listen, Richard, 03:20 if you don't come in on Saturday, 03:22 then don't bother coming in on Sunday, 03:24 because you won't have a job." 03:26 Richard was visibly shaken. 03:29 He didn't know what to do. 03:31 He wasn't sure how to handle this situation. 03:33 And he wondered within his mind, 03:35 "Does God really expect me to obey when it hurts? 03:40 Does God really expect me to obey Him 03:43 when it's going to cost me something? 03:45 Or do I only obey God 03:48 when it's easy and convenient for me?" 03:52 Monday and Tuesday passed 03:54 and this battle raged within his mind. 03:56 Wednesday and Thursday came 03:58 and Richard wasn't sure what to do, 04:00 should he worship, should he go to work? 04:03 What was the right decision? 04:05 Finally, Saturday morning came and Richard had to decide 04:09 once and for all, would he work or would he worship? 04:14 Well, Richard decided that morning, 04:16 that when he gave his heart to Jesus, 04:18 he gave Jesus all of his heart. 04:20 So that morning found Richard in church worshiping his Savior 04:24 and not at the workplace. 04:27 But the next morning, when Richard went back to work, 04:31 just as was expected, he was fired. 04:35 And he had to go home to tell his family, 04:37 he no longer had a job or an income. 04:41 There was no miracle, 04:43 there was no divine intervention, 04:45 God did not step in and save him at that time. 04:49 In fact, for the next few months, 04:52 Richard and his family struggled 04:54 to be able to put food on the table 04:56 to be able to make ends meet 04:58 because it was quite a while 04:59 before he found another good job. 05:03 This is actually a true story. 05:06 You may ask how do I know? 05:08 Because Richard was my father. 05:11 You see, Richard faced a challenge in his life 05:14 where he had to ask 05:16 and answer a very difficult question. 05:18 And that question is, will I obey God when it hurts? 05:23 Will I obey Him 05:24 when it's really going to cost me something? 05:27 Or do I only follow God 05:29 when it's easy and it's convenient for me? 05:32 And my friends, the truth is, 05:33 every disciple of Jesus Christ 05:36 is going to have to face that question 05:38 at some point in their Christian experience. 05:41 It may come in the area of the Sabbath, 05:43 it may come in the area of honesty, 05:45 or it may have to do with some teaching of Jesus 05:48 or some doctrine in Scripture. 05:50 But what we know for sure is we will come to a point 05:53 when we will be tested. 05:55 And both you and I, every person, 05:57 man, woman or child 05:59 is going to have to answer that question in our minds, 06:02 the most difficult questions, 06:04 will I obey God when it hurts? 06:09 This morning, I want to share with you 06:10 the story of another man 06:12 who faced those very same questions, 06:15 except his story happened about 4,000 years ago. 06:19 It's probably one of the most gut wrenching, 06:22 emotionally taxing stories 06:24 you will find in the entire Old Testament. 06:28 And what I want to invite us to do 06:29 is as we look at this person's story, 06:31 we need to ask ourselves the question, 06:34 is there some area in my life 06:37 where I know I'm not fully obeying God? 06:40 Is there some area in my spiritual experience 06:43 where I know that I'm only following Jesus 06:46 with half of my heart? 06:49 I want to invite you to take your Bibles now 06:50 and turn with me to the Book of Genesis, 06:53 and we're going to begin reading in Chapter 22. 06:56 You want to go to Genesis Chapter 22, 07:00 and we're going to start in verse 1. 07:03 Now, as you look this up, you'll recognize the story. 07:06 It's the story of Abraham and Isaac. 07:09 And the temptation right now is you might be thinking 07:12 that you want to turn me off, 07:14 because we all know the details of this story. 07:17 We learned it in either Sabbath school 07:18 or maybe Sunday school. 07:20 But this morning, we're not going to look at it 07:22 just on a surface level. 07:25 We're going to dig deep 07:26 and try to understand the things 07:28 that were going on in Abraham's heart 07:30 and mind as he faced this particular trial in his life. 07:35 Because if we're honest, 07:37 as we trace through the verses in this story, 07:40 and we begin to see what Abraham is facing, 07:43 we just might see a little bit 07:45 of our own life in the experience of Abraham. 07:50 Genesis Chapter 22, 07:52 we're going to begin reading in verse 1. 07:56 The Bible says, "Now it came to pass 08:00 after these things that God" did what? 08:04 "He tested Abraham, and he said to him, 'Abraham!' 08:09 And Abraham said, 'Here I am, Lord.' 08:12 Then God said, 'Take now your son, 08:15 your only son Isaac, whom you love, 08:18 and go to the land of Moriah, 08:20 and offer him there as a burnt offering 08:23 on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.'" 08:27 Let's pause here for a second. 08:29 Right here in verse 1, at the beginning of this story, 08:32 it says that God tested Abraham. 08:36 Now, how many of you believe that 08:38 God purposely brings tests in our lives at times? 08:42 Can I see your hands? 08:43 I mean, I know that I do. 08:44 In fact, there are times 08:46 when God will purposely allow some trial 08:49 or perhaps some difficulty, 08:51 because He wants to show us 08:52 some area of our life that needs to grow, 08:55 or some part of our spiritual existence 08:58 where we know we haven't given our whole heart to God. 09:02 And so therefore, in order to open our eyes, 09:04 God brings tests into our spiritual experience. 09:09 I know it's happened in my life, 09:11 and chances are that it's happened in yours. 09:15 But here's the question, 09:16 why in the world would God have to test Abraham? 09:21 I mean, isn't Abraham 09:22 known as the father of the faithful in the Bible? 09:25 I mean, Hebrews lists him 09:27 as like the ultimate example of faith. 09:29 So why would God 09:31 have to test Abraham's faithfulness? 09:34 Well, let me ask you something. 09:36 Was Abraham automatically born as a man of faith? 09:40 What do you think? 09:41 Was he born with a heart 09:43 that automatically wanted to follow 09:44 and obey God? 09:46 Certainly not. 09:47 He was born with a sinful human nature 09:49 just like you and I. 09:51 And when you look at Abraham's life experience, 09:54 the truth is, in the beginning, 09:56 he was anything but a faithful man. 09:59 In the first half of his life, you read things like 10:02 when he left the Promised Land, 10:04 because he didn't trust God 10:06 to provide for him in the famine 10:08 and he sojourned down in Egypt. 10:10 And so when Pharaoh came to take his wife, 10:13 he lied and said, 10:14 "Oh, well, she's my sister, you can have her." 10:17 And so Sarah was taken 10:19 to basically join Pharaoh's harem 10:21 and become his play thing. 10:23 And Abraham let it happen. 10:26 He was willing to sell his wife up the river 10:29 in order to save himself. 10:31 And what's shocking is that if God had not intervened, 10:35 he could have lost his wife forever. 10:37 And then 20 years later, he does the very same thing 10:41 with another king by the name of Abimelech. 10:44 Not only that, you read in Chapter 16 10:47 about how Abraham began to mistrust God, 10:50 and he began to take Hagar and to sleep with her 10:53 to provide the child of promise that God had not yet sent. 10:58 So you see in his early life, much like our own, 11:02 Abraham was not always faithful to God. 11:06 But you see, through the years, through the time 11:09 that he understood the Old Testament scriptures, 11:12 through the times that he began to pray 11:14 and grow closer to God, 11:16 he developed a grand spiritual experience. 11:20 And it came to a point now where he was so close to God, 11:23 the scriptures actually described him 11:25 as being the friend of God. 11:27 And so now God brings him a test of epic proportions, 11:31 a test to see if Abraham will truly obey God 11:36 even when it hurts. 11:39 Let's pick it up now beginning in verse 3. 11:43 Verse 3, the Bible says, 11:45 "So Abraham rose early in the morning 11:48 and saddled his donkey, 11:50 and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, 11:55 and he split the wood for the burnt offering, 11:58 and arose and went to the place of which God had told him." 12:03 And let's pause here for a second. 12:05 We're told in the middle of the night, 12:07 God brings a dream or a vision to Abraham. 12:11 And in this dream, 12:13 God commands him to do the unthinkable. 12:16 Something that to Abraham was unbelievable, 12:19 to you and I, it would also be unfathomable. 12:22 He told Abraham to take his son, 12:25 the son that he had waited forth for so long, 12:29 take him to a place called Mount Moriah 12:32 and there sacrifice him to God on the altar. 12:37 Can you just imagine in your mind how Abraham felt 12:40 when he heard this command from God in the dream? 12:44 Abraham couldn't understand it. 12:46 He couldn't comprehend 12:48 why God would have him do such a thing as this. 12:51 I mean, isn't this the same God 12:53 that centuries later would tell the Israelites 12:56 they were not to be involved in child sacrifices? 12:59 I mean, this was the same God 13:01 who specifically told the children of Israel, 13:04 he finds that sort of thing 13:05 to be an abomination in His sight. 13:08 But here he is commanding Abraham to do the same thing. 13:13 How would you have reacted? 13:16 Has God ever brought a conviction to your heart 13:19 that you didn't fully understand? 13:22 You see, in my mind's eye, 13:23 I can imagine Abraham leaving the tent that night, 13:27 going out into the darkness of the nighttime air 13:30 and falling prostrate on the ground, just, you know, 13:32 clutching the dirt with his fingers, 13:34 praying to God, trying to understand why God, 13:37 why are You asking me to do such a thing? 13:40 Lord, is this really Your voice? 13:42 Is this conviction really coming from You 13:45 or is this just one of the tricks 13:46 and deceptions of the devil? 13:49 But it seemed like the more Abraham prayed, 13:52 the more convicted he was that this was a message from God. 13:57 You ever experienced that 13:59 where God convicted you of something? 14:02 He laid a burden on your heart. 14:05 It didn't make sense. 14:07 You couldn't explain it. 14:09 It wasn't even logical, 14:10 but somehow you knew it was from God. 14:12 And the more you prayed, the stronger it became. 14:15 That's what's happening to Abraham on this very night. 14:19 And the sad thing is, 14:21 in reality, Abraham feels all alone. 14:26 He can't share this with anyone. 14:29 I mean, he can't exactly go wake up the mother Sarah, 14:32 and explain what God has said. 14:34 He knew that Sarah would never allow such a thing. 14:37 And it's interesting that 14:38 God did not bring this test upon Sarah. 14:40 Did you notice that? 14:42 Abraham never once in this story tells Sarah 14:45 about this dream, 14:46 because even God realized this kind of a test 14:50 would have been too much for a mother's heart to bear. 14:54 So he didn't tell Sarah and it's not like 14:56 he can go tell any of his neighbors 14:59 because his neighbors 15:01 would have been pagans no doubt, 15:02 worshipping pagan false gods. 15:04 And so he's supposed to tell them, 15:06 hey, my God has told me to sacrifice my only son. 15:09 Because no doubt Abraham 15:11 had told them that he worships the true, 15:13 the Almighty God of heaven, 15:15 that his God Jehovah is different. 15:17 And so, he's gonna go tell his neighbors now 15:20 that his God has said he must sacrifice his son. 15:23 Then his neighbors, 15:25 his pagan friends would say to him, 15:26 "Well, your God doesn't sound much different than our gods. 15:29 Our gods have us do that, too." 15:32 So Abraham truly felt as though he was all alone and abandoned, 15:36 and he wasn't sure what to do. 15:39 But you know what? 15:41 When that night time was over, and the sun began to rise, 15:46 verse 3 says something that really, 15:48 I have a hard time understanding. 15:50 Because it says in verse 3, 15:52 that Abraham rose early in the morning, 15:55 and he's often ready to do God's will. 15:57 He wakes up Isaac, he gets two of his servants, 16:00 he saddles a donkey, and he's ready to begin 16:03 this journey to Mount Moriah to sacrifice his son. 16:08 Now, I have to tell you, 16:10 I'm not sure that I would have been 16:11 able to come to grips with that so soon. 16:14 I mean, it was only just a few hours 16:16 before when Abraham had this dream. 16:19 It was just the night before when God convicted him of this. 16:22 And now, by the end of the night, 16:24 he's up and he's ready to go. 16:27 You see, humanly speaking, I would think of saying, 16:31 "Well, Lord, just let me pray about it some more, 16:34 and just make sure that it's your will." 16:37 That sounds logical, 16:38 but that's not what Abraham did. 16:41 See, there's a lesson in this. 16:43 When we're convicted of God about something, 16:47 when He lays a burden or some truth on our heart, 16:50 we need to obey immediately and don't delay. 16:53 Because you see, when we begin to delay, 16:56 we start making excuses, then the devil brings 16:58 all sorts of obstacles into our mind 17:01 or out in real life, people come out of the woodwork 17:04 to try to talk us out of it. 17:06 And the longer we delay, 17:08 the weaker that conviction becomes. 17:11 And so Abraham realized, 17:13 even if he had waited a few more days, 17:15 do you think it would have been 17:17 any easier for him to start that journey? 17:19 I highly doubt it. 17:21 Abraham knew it was from God, 17:23 and he knew that he needed to obey immediately. 17:28 It actually reminds me of a true story 17:29 that I experienced for myself. 17:32 I remember when we were pastoring 17:33 in the state of Pennsylvania, we were asked to go 17:36 and to hold a series of revival meetings in a place 17:39 called Leechburg. 17:41 I'm sure you never heard of it. 17:42 It's just a small town on the northeast portion 17:45 of the Pittsburgh or metropolitan region. 17:48 And I remember holding a series of meetings there. 17:50 I met this man by the name of Bob. 17:53 And that's not his real name, but we'll just call him Bob. 17:56 And I remember as Bob had been 17:58 coming to church for quite some time, 18:00 and he began to attend these revival meetings. 18:03 And so the people asked me to visit him. 18:06 And I remember sitting right there in Bob's house. 18:09 And I said, "Bob, I understand you've been 18:11 coming to church and that 18:12 you've been wanting to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior. 18:15 And we're going to have some baptisms 18:18 at the end of this meeting. 18:19 Bob, would you like to be a part of them?" 18:22 And I remember, Bob looked at me and said, 18:24 "I'm not ready yet, Pastor. 18:26 There's some things I want to take care of. 18:28 First, I want my family to join me." 18:31 Well, I don't believe in pressuring people. 18:33 And I understood that, you know, 18:35 you want your family to join you. 18:36 So I didn't say anything. 18:39 A year later, I was asked to go back 18:41 to the same church 18:42 and hold another set of revival meetings. 18:44 And partway through, 18:46 I found myself talking to Bob again, 18:48 in the same house, 18:49 sitting in the same chair, having the same conversation. 18:53 And I said, "Bob, it's been a year now. 18:56 I know you love Jesus. 18:57 I know you've been attending the church. 18:59 Are you ready to make your decision for Him now? 19:01 You're ready to be baptized?" 19:03 And Bob's answer was the same. 19:06 Said, "I'm not ready yet, Pastor. 19:08 Some things I got to take care of, 19:10 I want my family to join me." 19:13 Well, I can understand that, 19:15 but when someone delays baptism for a year, 19:17 it starts to worry me a little bit. 19:19 Because when they delay that long, 19:21 in many cases, it never happens. 19:23 So I decided to just, you know, gently challenge Bob, 19:26 and I said, "Bob, I understand that. 19:28 But you realize, if you wait for everything 19:30 to come together in your life, you may never take that step. 19:33 And as far as your family, you want them to join you, 19:36 Bob, it may very well be that 19:38 God is asking you to step out first. 19:40 And as you step out in faith, and your family sees 19:43 what your faith in Christ means to you, 19:46 they will eventually follow, 19:48 but he wants you to be the leader 19:50 and step out first." 19:52 I was disappointed 19:54 when at the end of the meetings, 19:56 Bob wasn't baptized. 19:58 A year later, I was asked to go back to the same church, 20:01 hold the same meetings, 20:03 found myself sitting in the same house, 20:05 the same chair having the same conversation 20:07 for the third time. 20:09 "Bob, are you ready to be baptized 20:11 and follow Jesus?" 20:13 "No, Pastor, I'm not ready." 20:16 It's been over 10 years since 20:18 I've had that conversation with Bob. 20:20 And as far as I know, 20:21 Bob still hasn't chosen to follow Jesus. 20:25 See, when you're convicted of something, 20:27 whatever it is, obey God immediately. 20:31 That's what Abraham did. 20:34 As we move on in this story, then you begin to see that 20:37 it says it took three days journey to get to Mount Moriah. 20:41 Now let me ask you something. 20:43 What do you think that journey was like for Abraham? 20:47 I mean, every mile that he walked with his son 20:50 and his servants, realizing 20:52 what he was going to have to do 20:54 at the end of this journey 20:56 had to be heart wrenching for him. 20:59 I would picture in my mind that at nighttime 21:01 as they lay down to sleep in their tent, 21:04 or whatever they had that, again, 21:06 Abraham must have gone out into the quiet nighttime air 21:09 and continued wrestling with God, 21:12 saying God, again, is this really Your voice? 21:15 Why do You want me to do this, whatever lesson 21:18 You're trying to teach me, please, 21:20 if there's another way to teach it to me, 21:22 please find another way. 21:25 But the more he prayed, 21:28 the more he was convinced 21:30 this is what God was calling him to do. 21:33 He didn't understand, 21:35 but he knew he needed to follow God. 21:39 Now, the book Patriarchs and Prophets tells us 21:42 that on the third day of the journey, 21:44 as they saw Mount Moriah in the distance, 21:46 there was a glorious cloud covering that mountain. 21:49 And that was God's sign to Abraham that this dream, 21:53 this vision was indeed from Him. 21:57 But what really strikes me is what began to happen, 22:02 as Abraham and Isaac and the two servants 22:04 stood at the foot of that mountain 22:07 ready to begin their journey. 22:09 Let's pick up the story now, beginning in verse 5. 22:13 Genesis 22:5. 22:17 The Bible says, 22:19 "And Abraham said to his young men, 22:22 'Stay here with the donkey, 22:24 the lad and I will go yonder and worship, 22:28 and we will come back to you.' 22:31 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering 22:35 and laid it on Isaac his son, 22:37 and he took the fire in his hand, 22:39 and a knife, 22:41 and the two of them went together." 22:43 Now we need to pause here. 22:45 I want you to picture Abraham, Isaac, 22:49 the two servants standing 22:50 right there at the base of the mountain. 22:53 It is time for Abraham 22:54 to take the first step of that journey 22:56 and start to ascend that mountaintop. 22:59 He says to his two servants, 23:02 the lad and I will worship 23:03 and we will come back to you. 23:05 Somehow in Abraham's mind, 23:07 he must have had faith 23:08 that God was going to work something out. 23:10 He didn't know how, 23:12 he just knew he could trust God. 23:15 Now do you think Abraham began that journey 23:17 with joy in his heart and a spring in his step? 23:20 Do you think he quickly began to climb that mountain? 23:24 I doubt it. 23:25 In fact, 23:27 this is a place where Abraham had to learn 23:29 what it meant to walk by faith. 23:32 He didn't feel like going up that mountain. 23:35 There wasn't joy in his heart. 23:37 This wasn't his first choice of what he should do. 23:41 But Abraham walked by faith, 23:43 you say, what does it mean to walk by faith? 23:45 It means we do what is right 23:47 simply because it's the right thing to do. 23:51 Not because we necessarily feel joy, 23:53 or a feeling of ecstasy, 23:55 not because we're waiting 23:56 for something special to happen, 23:58 but we know it's the right thing to do. 24:01 And so you and I faced them in our life. 24:03 There are times in our Christian experience 24:06 where, yes, there are wonderful spiritual feelings of joy, 24:09 and that's a wonderful thing, 24:11 but it doesn't always work that way. 24:13 There are times when we have to follow God 24:16 simply because it's the right thing to do 24:19 even if we don't feel like it, even if our heart isn't in it. 24:24 That's what it means to walk by faith. 24:27 That's what Abraham had to do. 24:30 And then as they begin this journey, 24:32 it says that Isaac turned to his father 24:36 and asked him what had to be the worst possible question 24:40 he could ask his father. 24:42 He looks at Abraham, 24:43 and he says, 'Father, 24:46 here's the wood for the offering. 24:50 Here's the knife and here's the rope, 24:54 but where's the lamb for the sacrifice father? 24:59 Where's the lamb?" 25:01 That question had to tear through 25:03 the very heart of Abraham. 25:06 I mean, how was he to answer that question, 25:09 knowing in his mind that Isaac was the one 25:12 who was supposed to be the sacrifice. 25:15 Hey, you see, 25:16 all Abraham could get out of his mouth was to say, 25:19 "I don't know, son, 25:21 I just know the Lord will provide, 25:24 that the Lord will provide." 25:28 Are there times in your life 25:30 when you know you need to follow God? 25:33 When we know we need to do what Jesus teaches? 25:36 Our friends think we're crazy. 25:38 Our family thinks 25:39 there's something wrong with us. 25:41 People try to talk us out of it 25:42 because we can't even explain why. 25:44 And people ask us, how you're going to make it. 25:47 How are you going to make ends meet? 25:49 Why are you going to do such a thing? 25:50 And the only answer we can give is, 25:52 I don't know, 25:53 I just know that God is going to provide 25:56 and I will trust Him. 25:58 Again, that's what it means to walk by faith. 26:02 But there's one other picture that happens in this passage, 26:05 I do not want us to miss 26:06 because it's the whole crux of the story. 26:09 Notice it says that Abraham takes the wood, 26:14 places it on Isaac, 26:17 and Isaac carries 26:19 the wooden instrument of his sacrifice 26:22 up to the top of that mountain. 26:26 I want you to think about that picture. 26:29 Do you know of any other story in the scriptures 26:33 that talks about another man 26:35 who carried the wooden instrument 26:37 of his sacrifice 26:38 up to the top of a mountain or a hill called Calvary? 26:43 You see right here in Genesis 22, 26:45 it's a picture of what Jesus Christ 26:47 would do for us. 26:49 It's giving us a picture of Golgotha, 26:51 the place of the skull, 26:53 Mount Calvary 26:54 where Jesus would be sacrificed for our sins. 26:57 You see this picture of it all the way back 26:59 in the beginning of Genesis, 27:01 because what God is doing? 27:04 God is allowing Abraham and Isaac 27:06 to have just a small experience 27:09 of what God the Father 27:10 and God the Son would go through. 27:13 What was it like for Abraham 27:15 to watch his son 27:16 carry this wood up to the top of the mountain? 27:20 What was it like for God the Father, 27:23 to have to watch His Son? 27:25 To have to watch His Son be brutally beaten, 27:28 to be nailed to a cross, to have people spit upon Him, 27:32 to have religious leaders wag their fingers at Him? 27:36 What was it like for the Father 27:37 to have to actually distance His presence from His Son, 27:40 because all the sins of the world, 27:42 all the guilt of billions of people 27:44 who would ever live on the face of this earth 27:47 was placed on Jesus? 27:49 And then when Jesus cried out, "My God, 27:51 why have You forsaken Me?" 27:54 That the Father had to be silent, 27:57 because Jesus was bearing the sins of the world. 28:00 See, Abraham is just getting a microscopic picture 28:03 into what the heart of God 28:05 the Father would face to save mankind. 28:08 And let's not forget about Isaac, 28:10 because just as Isaac had to carry that wood 28:13 to the top of the mountain. 28:15 So the Bible says that on that Thursday night, 28:17 when Jesus was crucified, or when Jesus was arrested, 28:20 it says, He went into the Garden of Gethsemane. 28:23 And in the middle of the night, He lay prostrate on the ground, 28:26 sweating drops of blood, 28:27 praying to the Father, 28:29 "Lord, please let this cup pass from Me. 28:32 If there's any other way, we can save mankind, 28:34 please, let's do it. 28:36 I don't want to go to the cross." 28:39 He prayed that prayer three times alone, 28:42 because His disciples were sleeping. 28:45 And when the night was almost over, 28:48 Jesus got up from off the ground praying, 28:50 He said, "Not My will, 28:51 but Thy will be done." 28:53 You see, Jesus was willing to obey the father, 28:56 even though it was gonna hurt. 28:58 Jesus was willing 28:59 to go through the plan of salvation, 29:01 even though it was going to cost Him something, 29:03 it was going to cost Him dearly, 29:05 because He wasn't just going to obey the Father 29:07 when it was easy and convenient. 29:09 He was going to go all the way. 29:12 That's what Jesus asked us to be able to do for Him. 29:16 When He asked us to bear our cross, 29:20 to love Him with all of our heart, 29:22 all of our soul 29:24 and with all of our mind. 29:26 This whole story, 29:27 the reason God had Abraham and Isaac 29:29 go through with this 29:31 was to show them and future generations, 29:33 how much it would cost 29:35 the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, 29:37 God the Holy Spirit, 29:39 how much it would cost heaven 29:40 in order to save mankind 29:42 that they could have eternal life. 29:46 But you see, this story is not over yet. 29:49 Because once you get to the top of the mountain, 29:51 Abraham has to make a decision. 29:55 Let's pick it up in verse 9. 29:59 The Bible says, 30:01 "Then they came to the place of which God had told him. 30:06 And Abraham built an altar there 30:09 and placed the wood in order, 30:11 and he bound Isaac his son 30:13 and laid him on the altar, upon that wood. 30:17 And Abraham stretched out his hand 30:19 and took the knife to slay his son. 30:22 But the Angel of the Lord called to him 30:25 from heaven and said, 30:26 'Abraham, Abraham!' 30:29 And he said, 'Here I am.' 30:30 And He said, 30:32 ''Do not lay your hand on the lad, 30:34 or do anything to harm him, 30:36 for now I know that you fear God, 30:39 since you have not withheld your son, 30:41 your only son, from Me.'" 30:46 Can you see this in your imagination? 30:50 That is Abraham now is at the top of Mount Moriah, 30:52 he can delay no longer. 30:55 He starts building this altar stone by stone. 30:59 Part of me wonders if he did it 31:01 as slow as he possibly could. 31:03 But once this altar was built, 31:06 Abraham had to decide once and for all, 31:10 was he going to obey God when it hurt? 31:13 Was he really going to obey God when it caused him something? 31:17 Or will he only honor God when it's easy and convenient. 31:23 And then Abraham has to do 31:25 what I would think had to be 31:26 one of the most difficult experiences of his life, 31:30 where perhaps he has to kneel down 31:32 and look at his only son and say, 31:34 "Isaac, God has commanded me to sacrifice you. 31:40 You are the sacrifice, Isaac, I must lay you on the altar." 31:47 What would it be like for you 31:48 have to tell your son or your daughter 31:51 that you had to sacrifice them? 31:55 That's the smallest of pictures of the pain 31:59 that went through God the Father's heart 32:02 when He had to give up His Son for you and me. 32:06 How God can have such unutterable, 32:09 unexplainable love? 32:10 I don't know. 32:12 But one thing we can be thankful 32:13 of is the fact that God is love. 32:18 But let's not take away from Isaac here. 32:20 I mean, Isaac was a young lad, 32:22 he could have easily freed himself 32:24 from Abraham's grasp. 32:25 He could have easily run away and saved himself. 32:28 I mean, Abraham is an old man at this point. 32:31 But here is Isaac, 32:33 who also submits himself to God's will. 32:37 Isaac also decides he's going to follow God 32:40 even though it hurts, 32:42 that he's gonna obey God 32:43 even though it would cost him his very life. 32:47 And so picture Isaac not running away. 32:51 But Isaac willingly 32:53 laying himself down upon the altar, 32:57 so that his father can sacrifice him. 33:01 That's the picture of Jesus. 33:04 Jesus didn't have to come to this world. 33:06 Jesus didn't have to leave heaven 33:08 where all worship is centered around Him, 33:11 where He is worshiped and adored by millions of angels 33:14 24 hours a day, 33:17 and come to this rotten earth, 33:19 in the form of human flesh, human nature, 33:23 where he gets tired, where he becomes hungry, 33:26 where He'll be crucified on a cross, 33:28 Jesus didn't have to do that. 33:30 He could have just said, 33:31 "Forget planet earth, 33:33 let's just start all over again." 33:35 Because you're special to Him. 33:38 Because nobody could ever fill the void in God's heart 33:41 if you and I are lost. 33:43 Jesus takes on the form of man, 33:46 and He willingly comes to earth, 33:48 to die on the cross, 33:51 to bear the guilt of all the sins 33:52 that would ever be committed on this planet. 33:56 Just as Isaac lays himself on the altar, 33:59 Jesus lays him to help down on the cross, 34:02 that we might be saved. 34:05 But the story ends in a good way 34:07 for Abraham and Isaac, 34:08 because Abraham raises his hand to strike his son. 34:11 It says the angel of the Lord calls out and says, 34:13 "Abraham, Abraham." 34:15 "Yes, Lord." 34:17 "Don't harm the lad. Do nothing to him. 34:21 Now I know that you love Me with all your heart, 34:24 because you've not withheld your only son for Me." 34:30 Abraham, no doubt, was ecstatic. 34:32 Now he understood the lesson that was taught. 34:36 But you see, for Jesus, the hand of death, 34:39 the hand of crucifixion was not stayed. 34:42 Jesus had to taste death. 34:44 Jesus had to go into the tomb. 34:47 But He did it 34:48 because He loves you and because He loves me. 34:53 This is the picture we get from Genesis Chapter 22. 34:58 So the question is, 35:00 knowing this, how can you and I look at the cross, 35:03 look at what Jesus has done for us and say, 35:06 "Lord, I'll follow you this far, 35:07 but no farther. 35:09 Lord, I'll follow you with part of my heart. 35:12 But, Lord, don't ask me to love you 35:14 with all of my heart. 35:15 I'll follow You when it's easy and convenient. 35:18 But, Lord, don't ask me to honor You 35:19 in the difficult circumstances of life." 35:24 You see, my friends, 35:25 as we apply the end of the story to us, 35:27 this is what we need to do. 35:29 It's not enough just to say, 35:30 oh, I know the details of this story, 35:32 I know it by memory, you know, I understand it. 35:36 What does it mean to you and I? 35:38 What about you? 35:40 Do we honor God with all of our heart? 35:44 Do we obey God when it hurts? 35:46 Do I obey Him 35:48 when it causes me to lose popularity? 35:51 When it causes me to be ridiculed? 35:53 Do I obey God 35:55 when it means I'm going to be in the minority? 35:58 What do I do? 36:00 When paying tithing means 36:01 I don't have enough to pay the bills? 36:03 What do I do 36:05 when the employer asked me to work on the Sabbath? 36:08 What do you do 36:09 when the boyfriend says just one night? 36:13 What do we do in these situations? 36:15 What about when the friend hands me 36:17 that porn magazine? 36:19 What decisions are we going to make 36:21 in the difficult trials of life? 36:24 Tonight I want to ask you, 36:26 are you willing to look 36:28 at the story of Abraham and Isaac? 36:30 Are we willing to look to the cross of Calvary? 36:33 And are we willing to say, 36:35 Lord, help me to love You with all my heart? 36:39 Am I willing to say Lord, give me a heart like Abraham. 36:44 Lord, help me to obey You 36:46 even when it's going to hurt and cost me something. 36:51 Lord, help me to follow You with all of my being. 36:55 My prayer is, that's what we will choose to do today. 36:59 And simply say, Lord, help me to be like Abraham. 37:03 Help me have a heart 37:05 that will obey you even when it hurts. 37:12 Heavenly Father, 37:15 Lord, You know the trials and the circumstances 37:18 all of us are facing right now today. 37:22 Lord, You know, 37:23 we're at different parts in our spiritual experience. 37:26 But no doubt all of us have some choice 37:28 we need to make. 37:30 So we're asking that 37:31 You would send us Your Holy Spirit, 37:33 Lord, that You would just change our hearts 37:34 and transform us 37:36 that we wouldn't be a fair weathered Christian 37:38 but, Lord, that we would choose to honor and obey You, 37:41 not just when it's easy, but even when it's difficult. 37:45 Thank You that You don't leave us 37:46 and forsake us. 37:48 And just now if there's someone here 37:49 during this prayer that wants to say, 37:50 Lord, help me be like Abraham. 37:53 Lord help me to have a heart that obeys you 37:56 even when it's going to hurt. 37:58 I want to invite you 37:59 just to raise your hand right now. 38:01 You're not raising your hand to say, 38:02 "Yes, Lord, I've got it all together. 38:03 I'm a perfect Christian." 38:05 You're raising your hand to say, 38:07 "Lord, help me be like Abraham, 38:10 help me to honor You 38:12 even when it costs me something." 38:14 Father, you see every hand that is raised, 38:17 bless their lives, 38:18 give them the strength to do what is right. 38:22 We ask in Jesus' name. 38:24 Amen. 38:30 Heavenly Father, 38:31 as we come together for this worship 38:33 on Sabbath morning. 38:36 Lord, it is so easy for us 38:37 to be distracted by the cares of this world, 38:41 by the temptations in our life. 38:44 But we right now want to claim Your promise, Lord, 38:48 because there was once disciples on the road 38:50 to Emmaus that You walked with them 38:52 and open the scriptures to them. 38:53 And they said, 38:54 "Did not our hearts burn within us 38:57 while He opened the scriptures along the road." 39:00 And so this morning, 39:01 we pray that our hearts may burn, 39:04 that we might be able to connect with Jesus, 39:07 that His Holy Spirit lives in us. 39:09 And you would enable us to give us ears to hear 39:13 and a mind that can understand the lessons 39:15 that you have for us today. 39:17 Lord, only Your Spirit can do that. 39:20 And so we pray for a miracle this morning 39:22 in our hearts and lives. 39:24 We ask it in Jesus' name. 39:27 Amen. 39:29 It was the summer of 1996. 39:32 And I had been in the workforce for about two years. 39:36 I had recently graduated from college, 39:39 but I wasn't fully satisfied with what I was doing. 39:43 And so as my wife and I prayed about it, 39:45 we sense that maybe God wanted us 39:47 to do something else, 39:49 that perhaps He was calling us in to ministry. 39:53 So being someone that graduated with a business degree, 39:57 I was always taught that if you want to get a job, 39:59 what are you supposed to do? 40:02 Send out resumes. 40:04 And so that's what I did. 40:06 And I sent out resumes 40:08 to every single conference in North America, 40:12 United States, Canada, even parts of the Caribbean, 40:16 because I figured that's how you get a job. 40:18 And I indicated to them my desire to be a pastor. 40:23 Well, a few weeks later, 40:24 I started to get some responses in the mail. 40:27 This was kind of before the days of instant email. 40:29 And about 90% of the letters said, 40:32 thank you for your interest, 40:35 we will keep your resume on file 40:37 for future reference, 40:39 which if you know anything about the business world, 40:41 that's just another way of saying what? 40:44 We're not interested. 40:46 However, there was one conference 40:48 that sent back a somewhat positive response. 40:52 And in their letter, 40:54 it said that 40:55 if we should ever find ourselves in their area, 40:58 just stop by and introduce yourself. 41:01 So Marquita and I took that as a slightly open door. 41:05 Now this conference happened 41:07 to be in the southern part of the United States, 41:09 not too far away from where her family lived. 41:12 So the next time we went to make a trip 41:15 to visit her family, 41:16 we decided to do what the letter said. 41:18 And we stopped by this conference office, 41:20 met the president, 41:22 introduced ourselves 41:23 and shared our desire to be in ministry. 41:27 Now, I didn't really think much would come of it, 41:29 because I didn't expect 41:31 that you walk into a conference office, 41:32 and the next day, they say, 41:34 "Hey, would you come work for us." 41:36 But a few weeks later, 41:38 my telephone rang in Pennsylvania 41:40 where we were living. 41:41 And this conference said, 41:43 "We would like to sponsor you to go to the seminary, 41:47 and we will pay for it." 41:49 Now, I was shocked, 41:51 because I wasn't expecting that. 41:52 And actually, 41:53 what I really wanted is just give me a church, 41:56 and I'll learn while I'm going, 41:57 I really didn't want to have to go back to school again. 42:00 I figured I was done with it. 42:02 But that's not the choice I was given. 42:03 So we asked them 42:05 if we could pray about it for a little while. 42:07 And when the pastor of my home church 42:09 in Pennsylvania 42:11 heard about this, 42:12 I remember that he sat us down. 42:14 And he said, "David, this is a miracle." 42:18 He said, "I know this conference. 42:21 They never hire people outside of their territory. 42:24 And they almost never sponsor someone to the seminary 42:27 who doesn't yet have a theology degree. 42:31 David, this is God's call on your life." 42:35 Well, we took his advice rather seriously. 42:37 So we accepted the call. 42:40 And a few months later, 42:41 we packed all of our belongings 42:43 in a moving truck. 42:44 Marquita quit her job. 42:45 And we made our way up to Berrien Springs, Michigan, 42:48 where I enrolled in the seminary. 42:52 Now I have to tell you, 42:54 that was a big transition for us. 42:57 It was a lot of change at one time. 43:00 For me, it meant going back to school, 43:02 when I thought I was done with it forever. 43:05 Having to get used to sitting in a classroom again. 43:08 It meant Marquita quitting her job 43:10 and having to find one in a totally strange place. 43:14 And on top of that, 43:15 we were hundreds of miles away from both sets of our family, 43:19 and we were still basically newlyweds 43:22 in the first two years of our marriage. 43:24 That is a lot of change at one time. 43:29 After being at the seminary for about four or five months, 43:33 it seemed as though everything started falling apart. 43:38 The devil began to plant seeds of pessimism 43:41 and negativity in my heart. 43:42 And I began to hate my classes, 43:44 I began to not enjoy being at the seminary, 43:47 and I really didn't want to fellowship 43:48 with the people around me. 43:50 In fact, I gradually started skipping my classes. 43:54 In fact, I would come home every day 43:55 from class in the afternoon. 43:57 And I would say things to Marquita like this. 44:00 "I don't know if we should be here. 44:03 I think maybe we made a mistake. 44:04 I don't know if God's really calling us to ministry." 44:08 Every day, over and over again, 44:11 I would plant those seeds in her mind. 44:14 And for a young wife, 44:15 who left everything in order to follow what she thought 44:18 was her husband's call into ministry, 44:21 that was hard to bear. 44:23 And I remember finally, one day, it all broke loose. 44:27 I came home 44:28 spewing the same pessimism and negativity, 44:30 and this time 44:32 she just couldn't take it anymore. 44:33 And I remember she screamed at me 44:35 and ran and she locked herself in the bathroom 44:38 and she cried for two hours 44:40 and won't even come out and speak to me. 44:43 I'm sorry if you thought pastors and wives were perfect, 44:46 just not so. 44:48 I knew that was the beginning of the end. 44:53 Because eventually, I called up the conference, 44:56 and I told the president, 44:58 "I'm sorry. You made a mistake. 45:01 God did not call me to ministry." 45:04 So we packed up our belongings, got into the moving truck, 45:08 went back to Pennsylvania, 45:10 and returned to our old jobs and our old life. 45:16 A few months after I got home from the seminary, 45:19 I can remember sitting in the basement 45:21 of our apartment there in York, Pennsylvania, 45:24 reflecting on everything 45:26 that had happened for the last few months, 45:28 and all of a sudden it hit me like a ton of bricks, 45:31 and I realized that 45:32 I had just made the biggest mistake of my life. 45:37 God had opened the door, and I had closed it. 45:42 He showed me what path to follow, 45:45 and I resisted. 45:46 He guided me what choice to make, 45:48 and I wouldn't do it. 45:51 And I felt like an absolute failure. 45:55 I can't describe to you 45:56 the weight of guilt and the burden 45:58 that crushed upon my heart, 46:00 feeling as though I had failed God, 46:02 I had failed my family 46:04 that I had even failed my local church. 46:08 Have you ever been there? 46:10 Have you ever had times in your life 46:12 when God impressed a decision upon you, 46:15 or God convicted you of doing a certain thing 46:17 or going down a certain path, 46:19 and for whatever reason you resist it, 46:20 and you wouldn't do it 46:22 and you struggled with thoughts of being a spiritual failure, 46:25 and with the guilt 46:27 and sometimes the worthlessness that comes along with it. 46:31 If we're honest, 46:32 everyone has been through those times. 46:35 And it's quite possible, we may be there again. 46:39 But we need to understand this morning, 46:40 how does God deal with people who are spiritual failures? 46:44 How does God deal with people 46:46 who make mistakes in their life? 46:49 And so this morning, 46:51 we're gonna open up the scriptures. 46:52 And we're going to take a look at the life of a man, 46:55 a prophet, nonetheless, 46:57 who many people considered to be a failure. 47:01 God gave him a call, and he refused. 47:04 God showed him what path to follow, 47:07 and he absolutely wouldn't do it. 47:09 And I want us to notice 47:10 how did God deal with this erring, faulty man? 47:15 So I want you to take your Bibles, 47:17 and you're going to turn with me 47:18 to the Book of Jonah Chapter 1. 47:21 You probably figured out 47:22 what book we're going to by the scripture reading. 47:24 You want to go to Jonah, 47:26 and what chapter are we beginning in? 47:28 We're gonna look at Chapter 1. 47:31 Now, as I read this, 47:33 I also want to give you a little bit of the background. 47:35 But let's start with the first three verses. 47:37 Now, I'm not using PowerPoint slides this morning. 47:40 But I want you to use 47:41 your God given gift of imagination. 47:43 You know, imagination is not a bad thing 47:45 if you put it within the parameters of God's Word. 47:48 I want you to try to place yourselves in Jonah's shoes. 47:52 I want you to see what he's seeing. 47:54 I want you to hear what he's hearing. 47:56 I want you to try to understand 47:58 everything that's happening in this passage, 48:01 and just do your best to picture it in your mind, 48:04 and let the Holy Spirit make God's Word come alive. 48:08 Because these are real stories that happened to real people, 48:11 and they're in there 48:13 so that you and I can relate to it today. 48:15 Can you say amen? 48:16 Jonah 1:1. 48:19 The Bible says, 48:22 "Now the word of the Lord 48:23 came to Jonah the son of Amittai, 48:27 saying, 'Arise, go to," where? 48:31 "Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it, 48:35 for their wickedness has come up before Me.' 48:39 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish 48:43 from the presence of the Lord. 48:45 He went down to Joppa, 48:47 and found a ship going to Tarshish, 48:50 so he paid the fare, and went down into it, 48:53 to go with them to Tarshish 48:55 from the presence of the Lord.'" 48:58 Now, we're going to pause here for a second. 49:01 Here in Chapter 1, it's about 800 BC, 49:06 Israel was again living in apostasy to God. 49:11 But at this time, 49:13 God seems to have His eye on a place called Nineveh. 49:17 In fact, the whole Book of Jonah opens up 49:19 with its focus on this city. 49:22 Now, let me tell you a little bit about Nineveh 49:25 because it will help put this story 49:27 and it will help put Jonah's call into context. 49:31 Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire. 49:36 Assyria was one of the super powers of the world 49:40 at that time, 49:41 and they were one of the arch-enemies of Israel. 49:44 Through much of the Old Testament 49:46 Assyrian bands were always leading raids into Israel 49:49 and just making their life very difficult, 49:52 so Israel hated Assyria. 49:55 Nineveh is the capital of that land, 49:58 which means it is not some small village 50:01 out in the middle of nowhere. 50:03 In fact, the last verse in the Book of Jonah says that 50:07 there are about 120,000 people living in that city alone. 50:13 That's probably more than Springfield, isn't it? 50:14 No, it's not, Springfield's more than 120,000, isn't it? 50:17 That is a large city for that time. 50:21 I mean, that is a metropolis. 50:23 So we're not talking about someplace 50:26 no one has ever heard of. 50:27 The world of that time was very aware 50:29 of who and what and where Nineveh is. 50:32 But Nineveh also had a reputation 50:36 for being a very wicked and immoral city. 50:39 And in many senses, 50:40 it was pretty much on the scale of Sodom and Gomorrah. 50:44 Even Nahum described 50:46 Nineveh as being a bloody city full of lies and robbery. 50:52 Can you imagine that? 50:53 That almost sounds like many of the big cities today. 50:57 But for some reason, God had his eyes on Nineveh, 51:02 because God cares about Nineveh 51:05 then as much as He cares about the big cities today. 51:08 Can you say amen to that? 51:10 Because He knew there were people 51:11 even inside this Assyrian city, 51:15 even inside this pagan stronghold, 51:17 who had a heart open and searching for truth, 51:21 a heart that God knew 51:23 was finding no satisfaction in worshiping gods of stone 51:27 and gods of wood, 51:28 they were looking for something better. 51:30 And so God knew 51:32 it was time to send someone on a mission to Nineveh. 51:36 And the Bible says, 51:38 "He chose this man by the name of Jonah." 51:42 Now, I want you to think about something for a second. 51:45 Just using human wisdom, 51:49 does it sound like Jonah would have been the best choice 51:52 to go to a difficult place like Nineveh? 51:54 What do you think? 51:56 Probably not. 51:57 Because when you think about it, 52:01 the only reason we know that Jonah even existed, 52:05 is because of these four chapters in the Bible. 52:08 Otherwise, we would know nothing about him, 52:10 except that Jesus said a few things as well. 52:13 Now, when you look at the way Jonah is described, 52:16 he is not described in any special 52:18 or outstanding way. 52:20 He's not a teacher. He's not a scribe. 52:24 He's not a Pharisee. He's not a religious leader. 52:27 In fact, he doesn't have a higher education. 52:30 And he's not a wealthy man. 52:32 He is an average, ordinary person. 52:35 And for whatever reason, 52:36 God decided to put a call on his life, 52:40 to be His prophet, 52:41 and go and witness to the city of Nineveh. 52:45 And what is Jonah's reaction? 52:49 He doesn't want to do it. 52:51 In fact, I can imagine that in his mind, 52:54 he was probably finding excuses. 52:56 Maybe thinking, 52:57 "Well, God, I don't want to be a prophet. 53:00 I mean, Lord, 53:02 couldn't You pick some of the professionals to go, 53:04 someone like Elijah, or Elisha, or Jeremiah. 53:07 They had powerful ministers, why? 53:09 They did miracles, Lord, why didn't You send them? 53:12 Why are You calling me to go to Nineveh?" 53:17 And you see that should say something to you and I. 53:20 You and I, maybe we're not a pastor, 53:22 maybe we don't have some sort of theology degree. 53:25 But it doesn't change the fact 53:27 that God wants to use you in ministry, 53:31 that God wants to use you 53:33 to make a difference in the lives of other people. 53:36 That's why He called you to follow Him 53:38 and be His disciple. 53:40 We don't have to have a plethora of spiritual gifts. 53:43 God has been using imperfect people 53:47 for a long time. 53:48 Can you saying amen? 53:49 He wants to use people who simply are willing. 53:53 Unfortunately, Jonah was not willing. 53:57 And when you read the scriptures, 53:59 it appears that for a time 54:00 he went on with his normal life, 54:02 trying to push this conviction to the back of his mind, 54:06 hoping that through time, maybe it would go away. 54:10 But you know, if you've had any experience with God, 54:12 when He lays something on your heart, 54:15 does it go away very easily? 54:18 Does ignoring it quiet the voice of the Lord? 54:21 Not too often. 54:23 In fact, many times it gets stronger. 54:24 And even if we're able to forget about it for a while, 54:28 it seems that God always bring something into our life 54:31 to bring it back to the forefront again. 54:34 So when Jonah just couldn't resist any longer, 54:37 when he couldn't stand his conviction 54:39 being on his heart, 54:41 he decided that 54:42 he was going to try 54:43 to physically distance himself from this call, 54:46 and to run away from God. 54:49 Now, I don't know 54:50 what made Jonah think 54:52 he could actually run away from God. 54:53 But you know, when we are resisting His convictions, 54:56 sometimes we can do some strange things 55:00 that don't make sense. 55:02 So the Bible says that 55:03 Jonah goes all the way to Joppa. 55:05 And he decides to board a ship 55:07 that's going to a place called Tarshish. 55:11 Now, if you're not familiar with geography at that time, 55:14 let's just put it this way. 55:15 If Nineveh was over here, 55:18 which way do you think Tarshish was? 55:21 Over there, 55:22 all the way on the other side of the then known world. 55:26 Tarshish was probably 55:27 about as far as you could go on that ship 55:30 in the opposite direction. 55:32 In fact, just to give you an idea, 55:34 take a guess, 55:35 maybe your Bible has some footnotes, 55:37 take a guess how far it was from Nineveh to Tarshish. 55:41 You have any idea? 55:42 Just take a guess in miles? 55:45 How many? 55:47 Great, Sweetie, what is it? 55:49 Oh, little, little, not quite 100,000. 55:51 That would probably be around the world. 55:54 It was about 2200 miles apart. 55:57 And that is a long distance for the ancient world. 56:01 That's about from Pennsylvania to Colorado. 56:05 And as Jonah boards this ship 56:07 trying to forget about the things 56:09 God has laid upon him, a storm enters his life, 56:14 but this time, it's a literal storm. 56:17 And I want us to pick up 56:19 the story beginning in verse 10. 56:21 Because now the crew members of this ship, 56:24 who by the way, are pagan men, 56:26 they don't believe in the true God. 56:27 Somehow they are able to figure out 56:30 that the cause of this great storm 56:32 must be Jonah himself. 56:34 Notice the conversation 56:37 that takes place between Jonah and the sailors. 56:41 Jonah 1:10. 56:45 The Bible says, 56:47 "Then the men were exceedingly afraid, 56:50 and they said to him, 56:52 'Why have you done this?' 56:54 For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, 56:58 because he had told them.'" 57:02 Now I want us to picture this in our minds here. 57:04 These men drew lots. 57:05 I guess that's what, you know, 57:07 believers in false gods sometimes did. 57:10 They drew lots. 57:11 And God in His mercy and kindness 57:13 allowed the lot to point to Jonah. 57:15 And so they come to Jonah and say, 57:17 "You're the stranger on this ship? 57:19 What do you have to do with this great storm?" 57:23 And Jonah spills the beans. 57:24 He says, "I'm running away from my God." 57:27 And do you notice 57:28 what these pagan men say to him? 57:31 Why have you what? 57:34 Why have you done this? 57:36 Hi, this is David Klinedinst. 57:39 I hope you've been blessed by the presentation today. 57:42 If you would like more information 57:44 about our ministry, 57:45 or about our other seminars and presentations, 57:49 visit our websites at davidklinedinst.org 57:54 or discoverbibleprophecy.org. 57:58 If you'd like to make a donation 57:59 to keep these sermons on the air, 58:01 you can contact us 58:03 at Discover Prophecy Ministries, 58:05 PO Box 850, Columbia, Maryland 21044, 58:11 or call toll free at 855-774-HOPE. |
Revised 2020-10-17