Let us pray.
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Loving Father in heaven,
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this morning as the
Shepherd of our hearts...
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Lord, we invite You
to come and to lead us...
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To speak to our
hearts, and to strengthen us.
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In Jesus' name, I pray, amen.
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Do you have your
Bibles with you this morning?
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I did not.
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It's been such a while, I
forgot the scripture reading,
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but I know you have
your Bibles with you,
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and you would
like to turn with me
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to the Book of Jonah,
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to the Book of Jonah.
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What book did I say?
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Jonah. The Book of Jonah.
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There are very
few books in the Bible
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that have only four chapters,
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Philippians is one
and Jonah is another.
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Jonah is an interesting
character to say the least.
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Jonah 3:1
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is where our Scripture reading
is taken from this morning.
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"Now the Word of
the Lord came to Jonah
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the second time."
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That's all I want.
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"The Word of the
Lord came to Jonah
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the second time."
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It was a wicked city.
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Shortly after the separation
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that took place
at the Tower of Babel
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along the Tigris River a
city named Nineveh was built.
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Nineveh, influenced heavily
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by those who distrusted
God at the Tower of Babel,
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Nineveh, among the
cities of the ancient world
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in the days of divided Israel,
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one of the
greatest cities was Nineveh.
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When you begin to
study what the theologians
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and the archaeologists
say about Nineveh,
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and the historians,
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it is concluded that Nineveh
was one of the wickedest cities
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along the Tigris River.
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Nineveh was the center
of crime and wickedness.
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The Bible characterizes it
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as the city of
blood full of lies,
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full of plunder,
never without victims.
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Nineveh.
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In other words, if
you dare to visit Nineveh,
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chances were high
that you would get robbed.
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Nineveh was
never without victims.
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Nineveh.
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I know what that's like,
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I was held up at gunpoint twice,
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not in Nineveh but in New York.
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Cities like New York,
and Los Angeles, and Detroit,
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Michigan, and Chicago
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are very much like
an ancient Nineveh,
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full of blood, full
of lies, full of plunder.
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And when the Bible
says, "Never without victims,"
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it meant that if you
dared visit that city,
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you increased your
chances of being robbed,
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your home being broken
into full of plunderment
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that the thieves on the
streets in the city of Nineveh
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were often selling something
that didn't belong to them,
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something they stole from
maybe someone visiting Nineveh
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or a car was broken into
that was rented in Nineveh
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or someone's home
was plundered in Nineveh.
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It takes me back
to a story of mine.
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A very good friend
of mine, Peter Gibbs,
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Pastor CA knows him very well.
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I don't forget the story,
but I remember the details,
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I don't remember exactly when,
but I remember the details,
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he was at a gas
station in New York City
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and a guy came up to
him with a large heavy box,
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and he said,
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in the box it was the
27-inch Sony television.
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This is before they came
out with the flat screens,
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it was a heavy box.
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And the guy
said, "Hundred bucks,
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I said I'll give
you for hundred bucks."
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And he knew that, you
know, a Sony television,
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27-inch color television,
$100 bucks is a steal.
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Well, it was a steal
before it was a steal
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because he stole it.
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And so he said $100 bucks.
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So he whipped out, you know,
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bought the television
for $100 bucks, got excited.
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You know, Christians should
not be buying stolen material.
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Can I get an amen?
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So he bought the television,
went home, and opened the box,
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he was so excited.
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He walked in, and
he said to his wife,
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"I got a 27-inch
color television $100 bucks,
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hot off the streets."
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Opened the box, it was filled
with bricks and newspaper.
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That's the city of Nineveh.
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I remember in New York City,
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I was going to the
Madison Square Garden.
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I'm not down on New York City,
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that's just the
city of my experiences.
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I was walking on 34th
Street around 8th Avenue
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by the Garden, by the
Madison Square Garden,
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and the Knicks were
playing to Chicago Bulls.
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And I'm a diehard
New York Knicks fan.
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And there were guys on
the street selling tickets,
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you know, they
often will buy tickets
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and increase the price
for the last minute purchases
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when the tickets were sold
out and the garden was filled.
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And so I decided, my
wife and I were together,
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you know, let's go
and buy some tickets.
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They're hot but, you
know, the price is...
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I'm going to at
least get in the game.
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And I just said, "Christian
shouldn't buy hot tickets,
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but I bought some hot tickets."
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And they look legit,
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and I went in, and
they scanned my ticket,
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and there was
anything but legit.
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They said, "Sir, where
did you buy these tickets?"
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And I said, "I got
them at a discount price
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on the street."
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He said, "Sir,
these are great replicas
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but these are not tickets."
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So I went outside
with every intention
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to find the guy
that I gave my $200 to,
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but he was nowhere to be found.
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That's Nineveh.
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If you want to
Nineveh, somebody had a game,
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somebody was running a scam.
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I remember working in
the Wall Street area...
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I'm not going to
tell you all my stories,
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but I remember working
on the Wall Street area
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and a guy came up
to me on my lunch hour,
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and he was trying
to sell me something.
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He didn't look at me
directly, but he walked up to me
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kind of like as
you can't do it openly,
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and he looked in
another direction,
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he was telling me
what he was selling.
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And I turned around
and said, "Get out of here.
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I don't want to buy that."
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You've got to be wise
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when you go to
cities like Nineveh.
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When you go to Chicago,
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if it's too good
to be true, it's not.
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But that's how Nineveh
was, never without victims,
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full of plunders,
burglaries were common,
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being held up at gunpoint
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was the thing to expect.
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Another church
member of ours at Bethel,
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I remember very well
standing at a bus stop
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on Utica Avenue
in New York City,
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a guy ran up to her
with a bag of money,
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he said, "I got money in here,
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but I need money to go get this
money broken down at the bank."
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And she gave him
like a $100 bucks,
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and he gave her a bag of money.
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When she found
that it was a $20 bill
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and behind that
were just newspaper.
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Nineveh.
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That's what they do in Nineveh.
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And so some of you people that
were born in small town in USA
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don't go to cities like Chicago
with a big smile on your face,
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you will be an instant
hit in the city of Nineveh.
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That's kind of city it
was, always had a game.
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And Nineveh is not
just in North America,
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but there is Nineveh in Brazil,
Nineveh in South America,
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Nineveh in
places around the world,
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don't go to Kenya,
Africa, Nairobi, Kenya.
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I was in Kenya,
they told me that
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most of the scams in the
world in Kenya they're born.
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People wake up in the
morning, the guy said,
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they think of
the next great scam.
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You ever get those emails?
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"You know, my cousin
died and left me $50 million,
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but I need help
to get the money."
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You ever got that email?
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Nairobi, Kenya.
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The reason why they put
those chips in the cards now,
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in your credit cards
because in Nairobi, Kenya
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credit cards were easy to steal.
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So in America now
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most of the security measures,
they said, came into place
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because the cities like Nineveh.
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It was a dark city.
00:08:44.65\00:08:46.49
It was a city full of
plunder, never without victims.
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And Nineveh was such a dark city
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that when people return to home,
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I should more specifically say,
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when people escape the
vicinity of visiting Nineveh,
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they got home, and they rejoiced
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when the news reported that
some calamity had hit Nineveh.
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As Nahum, the
prophet says in Nahum 3:19,
00:09:05.54\00:09:08.34
turn there to that
very familiar book of Nahum
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as if you know where it is.
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Nahum 3:19 in the New
International Version,
00:09:17.62\00:09:20.56
the Bible says,
speaking of Nineveh,
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the prophet says,
"Nothing can heal your wound,
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nothing can heal your
wound, your injury is fatal."
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In other words,
you're such a bad city.
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"Everyone who
hears the news about you
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claps his hands at your fall,
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for who has not felt
your endless cruelty?"
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That's Nineveh, a
city of endless cruelty,
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never without
victims, full of plunder.
00:09:49.85\00:09:55.29
But I've got a back up some
because even in the worst city,
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there are people
that still need Jesus.
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Can you say amen to that?
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Amen.
00:10:00.90\00:10:02.23
Nineveh was a city that
even though it was evil,
00:10:02.26\00:10:04.63
even though it suffered
from terminal immorality,
00:10:04.67\00:10:09.84
and it had not yet been
entirely consumed with evil,
00:10:09.87\00:10:12.97
there was still
people in Nineveh
00:10:13.01\00:10:16.01
that were good
apples in the orchard.
00:10:16.04\00:10:19.21
In Nineveh, there were people
00:10:19.25\00:10:20.58
still reaching out
for something better,
00:10:20.62\00:10:22.28
for something
higher, for something good.
00:10:22.32\00:10:24.79
They were looking for
some better way of life
00:10:24.82\00:10:26.72
in the city of Nineveh.
00:10:26.76\00:10:29.99
And if granted the opportunity,
00:10:30.03\00:10:31.36
they would be eager to
learn about the living God,
00:10:31.39\00:10:33.09
they were longing to be
rescued from their evil deeds,
00:10:33.13\00:10:37.33
they heard about
the God of Israel,
00:10:37.37\00:10:39.47
but they heard
about Him at a distance
00:10:39.50\00:10:43.61
because in Nineveh
evangelism was dead,
00:10:43.64\00:10:47.04
couldn't do
evangelism in Nineveh.
00:10:47.08\00:10:48.44
Nobody wanted to
hear the message,
00:10:48.48\00:10:50.15
it was a wicked city
00:10:50.18\00:10:51.51
that was repulsed by
anything that was Godly,
00:10:51.55\00:10:54.38
but it was in that city
that God still had people
00:10:54.42\00:10:58.05
that He was longing to rescue.
00:10:58.09\00:11:00.52
Every time my wife
and I go to New York City,
00:11:00.56\00:11:02.29
and we walking in Manhattan
00:11:02.32\00:11:04.09
whether it's 11 o'clock at night
00:11:04.13\00:11:05.46
or 1 o'clock in the noonday,
00:11:05.49\00:11:07.60
we sometimes get
to the intersection
00:11:07.63\00:11:09.33
of 34th Street
and around 8th Avenue
00:11:09.36\00:11:11.57
or we get to where
all the six corners
00:11:11.60\00:11:13.40
get together on 6th
Avenue right in front of Macy's,
00:11:13.44\00:11:16.10
the largest store in
the world, and we look up...
00:11:16.14\00:11:19.74
And Yvonne knows
what I'm talking about.
00:11:19.77\00:11:21.11
we look up at
this mass of humanity,
00:11:21.14\00:11:23.85
and I look at my
wife, and I whisper,
00:11:23.88\00:11:25.88
"How is God going
to reach this city?"
00:11:25.91\00:11:31.19
New York, Chicago, Los
Angeles, Detroit, Nineveh,
00:11:34.36\00:11:38.69
that's the kind of city
it was, evangelism was dead,
00:11:38.73\00:11:41.16
nobody wanted to hear about it.
00:11:41.20\00:11:43.13
Every now and then you
hear a spurt of religiosity,
00:11:43.16\00:11:48.10
but it was in
that kind of a city
00:11:48.14\00:11:49.47
that God still had
people that needed to be saved.
00:11:49.50\00:11:52.31
You see, no
matter how bad a city is,
00:11:52.34\00:11:54.94
God can bring hope to the
darkest of places in the world.
00:11:54.98\00:12:00.35
Where there is God,
there is still hope,
00:12:00.38\00:12:03.72
even in cities like Nineveh.
00:12:03.75\00:12:05.65
And it is true
that whosoever calls
00:12:05.69\00:12:07.99
on the name of the
Lord shall be saved.
00:12:08.02\00:12:10.09
But the agile question
this morning that I like to pose
00:12:10.13\00:12:13.70
before I go any
further in the sermon,
00:12:13.73\00:12:16.30
and this is about
Nineveh, Romans 10:14,
00:12:16.33\00:12:20.87
"How shall they hear,
how shall they call on Him
00:12:20.90\00:12:25.01
in whom they have not believed?
00:12:25.04\00:12:27.91
And how shall
they believe in Him
00:12:27.94\00:12:29.54
of whom they have not heard?
00:12:29.58\00:12:32.05
And how shall they
hear without a preacher?"
00:12:32.08\00:12:36.52
Nineveh looked hopeless.
00:12:36.55\00:12:39.29
It appeared as if
it was beyond repair
00:12:39.32\00:12:43.66
but God, but God.
00:12:43.69\00:12:48.76
Come on, somebody say amen.
00:12:48.80\00:12:50.43
You see, but God is
the reversal of everything
00:12:50.47\00:12:53.23
that came before it.
00:12:53.27\00:12:55.20
I sat in an
office with a young lady
00:12:55.24\00:12:57.04
who just turned 21 years old.
00:12:57.07\00:12:58.67
She said,
"Pastor, what do I do?"
00:12:58.71\00:13:00.04
I said, "What do you mean?"
00:13:00.08\00:13:01.41
She said, "Last year,
00:13:01.44\00:13:03.45
I wanted to be
baptized but my family told me
00:13:03.48\00:13:05.81
I could never be baptized
as a Seventh-day Adventist.
00:13:05.85\00:13:08.78
If I were, they
would disown me."
00:13:08.82\00:13:11.85
I said, "How old
are you, young lady?"
00:13:11.89\00:13:13.22
She said, "Twenty-one."
00:13:13.25\00:13:14.59
I said, "The day is coming,
00:13:14.62\00:13:15.96
when you've got to
stand before God yourself,
00:13:15.99\00:13:18.69
and your mother
can't, and your father can't,
00:13:18.73\00:13:20.46
and your sisters
cannot answer for you,
00:13:20.50\00:13:22.46
you got to make your own
decision to follow Jesus."
00:13:22.50\00:13:25.93
She said, "If I do
that, when I go home,
00:13:25.97\00:13:27.47
my family is going to reject me,
00:13:27.50\00:13:28.84
they may put me out."
00:13:28.87\00:13:30.64
And how ironic it was.
00:13:30.67\00:13:32.07
She said, "However, I'm
going to make my mind up
00:13:32.11\00:13:34.04
to give my own
life to the Lord."
00:13:34.08\00:13:36.04
And on that Sabbath,
00:13:36.08\00:13:37.41
she went down on the watery
grave giving her life to Jesus.
00:13:37.45\00:13:40.72
And I'd never forget
what the pastor said,
00:13:40.75\00:13:42.45
how ironic he said what he
did at the time that he did,
00:13:42.48\00:13:45.49
she's going into
the baptismal pool,
00:13:45.52\00:13:48.86
the pastor raises
his hand, and he says,
00:13:48.89\00:13:50.69
"I know that
your family is at home
00:13:50.73\00:13:53.43
rejoicing about your decision."
00:13:53.46\00:13:56.10
And we made eye contact
00:13:56.13\00:13:57.47
because we knew her
family was doing anything
00:13:57.50\00:13:59.37
but rejoicing.
00:13:59.40\00:14:00.94
When she got out of
that pool, she said,
00:14:00.97\00:14:02.30
"I don't even know
how to tell my family
00:14:02.34\00:14:04.21
because I know what kind
of reaction I'm going to get."
00:14:04.24\00:14:05.87
I said, "But when Jesus comes,
00:14:05.91\00:14:07.64
don't worry
about their reaction,
00:14:07.68\00:14:09.04
worry about His reaction."
00:14:09.08\00:14:11.78
And she made her mind up
to give her life to Jesus.
00:14:11.81\00:14:14.58
Real problems, real people,
00:14:14.62\00:14:18.15
struggling with everything that
00:14:18.19\00:14:20.36
you may struggle with,
00:14:20.39\00:14:23.06
they struggle
with it in New Guinea,
00:14:23.09\00:14:25.23
different
location, different time,
00:14:25.26\00:14:27.23
different place, but
the battles are all so real.
00:14:27.26\00:14:30.37
I sat down talking to students
00:14:30.40\00:14:32.53
that are preparing for
theology and saying to me,
00:14:32.57\00:14:34.74
"Pastor, how do I get
delivered from pornography?
00:14:34.77\00:14:37.84
I'm here to take the ministry,
00:14:37.87\00:14:39.71
but I'm fighting
with the pornography.
00:14:39.74\00:14:42.78
Tell me what to do?"
00:14:42.81\00:14:44.15
What do you tell a young man
who is learning to be a pastor,
00:14:44.18\00:14:47.08
but he's
struggling with pornography?
00:14:47.12\00:14:49.42
I met another
young man, who said,
00:14:49.45\00:14:50.79
"I'm in my last
year of the ministry,
00:14:50.82\00:14:52.85
I'm learning...
00:14:52.89\00:14:54.22
I'm going to graduate next year
to go and be a pastor somewhere
00:14:54.26\00:14:56.66
but this week when
you were preaching,
00:14:56.69\00:14:58.53
I went to my room
and broke my phone
00:14:58.56\00:15:00.70
because that was my
connection to the internet,
00:15:00.73\00:15:02.93
and pornography was my alcohol,
00:15:02.96\00:15:05.80
pray for me that
I get delivered."
00:15:05.83\00:15:07.90
And the stories are all so real,
00:15:07.94\00:15:09.50
but sometimes in our
own comfortable place
00:15:09.54\00:15:12.01
when we are inoculated
from the cures of this life,
00:15:12.04\00:15:15.51
we forget that there
are real battles out there.
00:15:15.54\00:15:20.35
That's why they said of Nineveh,
00:15:20.38\00:15:21.72
"Nothing can heal your
wound, you are beyond repair,
00:15:21.75\00:15:24.99
your injury is fatal,
00:15:25.02\00:15:26.49
there is no hope for
the city of Nineveh."
00:15:26.52\00:15:30.13
However,
00:15:30.16\00:15:31.96
this was the city
that needed Jesus,
00:15:31.99\00:15:36.40
and the Lord was
sending somebody to Nineveh.
00:15:36.43\00:15:39.90
It looked hopeless,
00:15:39.93\00:15:41.27
it looked
beyond repair, but God.
00:15:41.30\00:15:43.77
You see, when you
institute the word, but God,
00:15:43.81\00:15:46.51
it is a reversal of everything
that came before that.
00:15:46.54\00:15:49.01
Think about it for a
moment, the Bible says,
00:15:49.04\00:15:50.75
"Joseph was sold in
Egypt, but God was with him."
00:15:50.78\00:15:54.45
Come on, say amen.
00:15:54.48\00:15:55.88
Sold into slavery
but God was with him.
00:15:55.92\00:15:58.99
Jesus was crucified,
00:15:59.02\00:16:00.92
but in the Book of
Acts, the Bible says,
00:16:00.96\00:16:02.69
"But God raised
him from the dead."
00:16:02.72\00:16:05.73
If it had not been
for but God in our lives,
00:16:05.76\00:16:09.33
where would we be today?
00:16:09.36\00:16:11.83
But God, He
reverses our circumstances,
00:16:11.87\00:16:14.54
He looks at our hopelessness
00:16:14.57\00:16:15.90
and takes it and brings
it from darkness to light.
00:16:15.94\00:16:20.58
In a racially divided
church, Peter proclaimed,
00:16:20.61\00:16:23.91
"But God has told me
00:16:23.95\00:16:26.25
I should never call
any man common or unclean."
00:16:26.28\00:16:30.82
Oh, the Jews are
so filled with bias
00:16:30.85\00:16:33.76
toward those that
didn't have the same beliefs
00:16:33.79\00:16:36.32
that they embraced
00:16:36.36\00:16:37.69
or worship the same
way that they worshiped.
00:16:37.73\00:16:40.76
And they even followed
Peter to Cornelius' house to see
00:16:40.80\00:16:43.23
whether or not he had
the right to be there,
00:16:43.26\00:16:45.20
and he turned to the Jews
and said, "But God told me,
00:16:45.23\00:16:48.47
I should never call any man
00:16:48.50\00:16:51.47
common or unclean."
00:16:51.51\00:16:55.14
You know, friends, I believe
if we would preach but God
00:16:55.18\00:16:58.65
and let people see that
00:16:58.68\00:17:00.02
in spite of their circumstances,
00:17:00.05\00:17:01.72
there is a God that reverses
00:17:01.75\00:17:04.29
every situation
that we can encounter,
00:17:04.32\00:17:06.29
come on, somebody say amen,
00:17:06.32\00:17:08.26
no matter what it is.
00:17:08.29\00:17:11.09
As Paul, the apostle says,
00:17:11.13\00:17:12.46
"For scarcely, a
righteous man will die,
00:17:12.49\00:17:15.03
yet perhaps for
a good man someone
00:17:15.06\00:17:17.03
would even dare to die.
00:17:17.07\00:17:20.17
But God demonstrated
His love towards us,
00:17:20.20\00:17:23.77
in that while we
were yet sinners,
00:17:23.81\00:17:25.87
Christ died for us."
00:17:25.91\00:17:28.61
But God, all the difference
00:17:28.64\00:17:30.55
in the direction
of your life and mine,
00:17:30.58\00:17:33.38
God steps in, but God.
00:17:33.42\00:17:37.09
As long as there
is God, there is hope.
00:17:37.12\00:17:40.96
You see, that's
the city of Nineveh.
00:17:40.99\00:17:43.09
But God had an evangelistic
series planned for Nineveh
00:17:43.12\00:17:48.16
and God needed a preacher,
00:17:48.20\00:17:51.73
God was looking
for a man willing
00:17:51.77\00:17:56.00
to preach about the
transforming power of God,
00:17:56.04\00:17:58.87
and He chose a man
00:17:58.91\00:18:02.11
by the name of Jonah.
00:18:02.14\00:18:05.75
Go with me to Jonah 1.
00:18:05.78\00:18:08.42
Jonah was the man that He chose.
00:18:08.45\00:18:12.32
Allow me to
introduce you to a man
00:18:12.35\00:18:15.26
that unsuccessfully
disagreed with God,
00:18:15.29\00:18:19.86
unsuccessfully
disagreed with God.
00:18:19.89\00:18:22.10
Jonah is the story
of a reluctant servant
00:18:22.13\00:18:25.93
and a relentless savior.
00:18:25.97\00:18:28.94
Jonah's story reveals
the determination of man,
00:18:28.97\00:18:32.54
and the dedication of God.
00:18:32.57\00:18:35.21
The story of Jonah
unfolds the struggle
00:18:35.24\00:18:37.48
between man's
preference and God's purpose.
00:18:37.51\00:18:41.92
In the end, God's plan
is always going to win.
00:18:41.95\00:18:46.62
Amen.
00:18:46.65\00:18:47.99
When God calls us,
00:18:48.02\00:18:49.36
there's nothing we can do
00:18:49.39\00:18:51.33
to run from a relentless God.
00:18:51.36\00:18:55.50
The Bible tells us in Jonah 1.
00:18:55.53\00:18:59.23
"Now the Word of
the Lord came to Jonah,
00:18:59.27\00:19:03.14
the son of Amittai, saying..."
00:19:03.17\00:19:05.67
What did He say to Jonah 1:2?
00:19:05.71\00:19:11.18
What did He say?
00:19:11.21\00:19:12.55
"Arise."
00:19:12.58\00:19:13.92
Whenever God calls us,
00:19:13.95\00:19:15.28
whenever the Word
of God comes to us,
00:19:15.32\00:19:17.12
it doesn't come to us
to keep us where we were,
00:19:17.15\00:19:19.45
it comes to us to
change our position
00:19:19.49\00:19:21.76
to bring us up a level higher.
00:19:21.79\00:19:23.76
Whenever God's Word comes,
we rise, we don't sink down.
00:19:23.79\00:19:29.46
And you'll notice that
all throughout the Bible
00:19:29.50\00:19:31.80
when the Word of the Lord came
to Peter when he was in prison,
00:19:31.83\00:19:35.10
and the angel touched
him as he was resting.
00:19:35.14\00:19:36.94
The angel said, "Arise."
00:19:36.97\00:19:39.31
Anytime God's Word comes to
us, it requires an action arise.
00:19:39.34\00:19:44.95
The Bible says, "Go to Nineveh,
00:19:44.98\00:19:47.95
that great city,
and cry out against it.
00:19:47.98\00:19:52.59
For their wickedness
has come up before Me."
00:19:52.62\00:19:57.53
Jonah,
00:19:57.56\00:20:00.20
let's talk about
Jonah for short time.
00:20:00.23\00:20:03.03
Jonah, a reluctant servant
00:20:03.06\00:20:07.20
who now comes face to
face with a relentless savior,
00:20:07.24\00:20:10.94
a man whose determination
was not to do God's will.
00:20:10.97\00:20:14.91
You see, I learned
through the story of Jonah
00:20:14.94\00:20:16.91
that who we are
is not as relevant
00:20:16.95\00:20:19.51
as who we are becoming,
00:20:19.55\00:20:22.32
who we are is not as
relevant as who we are becoming.
00:20:22.35\00:20:26.35
What we have done
00:20:26.39\00:20:29.52
is not as significant
as what God wants us to do.
00:20:29.56\00:20:34.26
Where we have been
00:20:34.30\00:20:36.67
is not as pertinent as
where God is leading us.
00:20:36.70\00:20:40.97
What we wish is not as
vital as what God's will.
00:20:41.00\00:20:46.01
And what we think
is not as relevant
00:20:46.04\00:20:47.54
as what God knows.
00:20:47.58\00:20:49.51
Jonah was probably
the most reluctant servant
00:20:49.54\00:20:54.25
the Bible refers to.
00:20:54.28\00:20:56.62
Jonah did more
to escape from God
00:20:56.65\00:21:00.56
than any other preacher.
00:21:00.59\00:21:03.32
And when you think about it,
00:21:03.36\00:21:04.69
you want to do an
evangelistic series,
00:21:04.73\00:21:06.06
you think of Philip.
00:21:06.09\00:21:07.66
In the New Testament,
00:21:07.70\00:21:09.03
Philip means a lover of horses.
00:21:09.06\00:21:10.40
He wants to be
an evangelist too.
00:21:10.43\00:21:12.07
And the Lord sends him
out into the wilderness,
00:21:12.10\00:21:14.14
and he preaches to just
one man an Ethiopian eunuch.
00:21:14.17\00:21:18.14
And because of that one
sermon to the Ethiopian eunuch,
00:21:18.17\00:21:20.78
the message of
God goes to Ethiopia.
00:21:20.81\00:21:23.04
And Ethiopia becomes
the second nation on earth.
00:21:23.08\00:21:25.85
What nation did I say?
00:21:25.88\00:21:27.62
The second nation on earth
00:21:27.65\00:21:28.98
that honors the
Sabbath of God, the longest.
00:21:29.02\00:21:30.95
Why?
00:21:30.99\00:21:32.32
Because Philip
had a willing heart.
00:21:32.35\00:21:33.96
God sent Philip,
00:21:33.99\00:21:35.32
he didn't care about how
many people he was preaching,
00:21:35.36\00:21:37.56
he preached to one
man an Ethiopian eunuch,
00:21:37.59\00:21:41.33
and that Ethiopian eunuch
took the message of Christ
00:21:41.36\00:21:43.57
back to the country of Ethiopia,
00:21:43.60\00:21:46.07
and Ethiopia has been the
longest Sabbath keeping country
00:21:46.10\00:21:50.21
in Africa
00:21:50.24\00:21:52.17
because of that one
encounter with one man.
00:21:52.21\00:21:54.54
You see whether God sent
you to a large crowd or to one,
00:21:54.58\00:21:58.08
you've got to preach
00:21:58.11\00:21:59.45
the same
transforming grace of Christ.
00:21:59.48\00:22:02.22
And so often we
don't want to go.
00:22:02.25\00:22:03.99
I was so touched by that,
when we went to New Guinea,
00:22:04.02\00:22:06.35
so often, we don't want to go.
00:22:06.39\00:22:07.72
And when we went there...
00:22:07.76\00:22:09.09
and I looked at
the accommodations
00:22:11.63\00:22:13.09
they put us in, I
thought to myself,
00:22:13.13\00:22:15.20
and actually my
wife and I said this,
00:22:15.23\00:22:18.23
we said, "How many
people would come here?
00:22:18.27\00:22:20.97
How many people
00:22:21.00\00:22:23.10
will leave the secure comforts
00:22:23.14\00:22:26.01
of where we came
from and come here?"
00:22:26.04\00:22:30.48
It wasn't until we got there
00:22:30.51\00:22:33.25
that they said to us,
00:22:33.28\00:22:34.65
"Now we just want to
give you a few points
00:22:34.68\00:22:37.62
that we want you
to be careful of."
00:22:37.65\00:22:40.06
They said, "Don't forget
to close the windows at night
00:22:40.09\00:22:43.19
because the rats will come
in and nibble at your toes."
00:22:43.22\00:22:48.80
I thought he was kidding.
00:22:48.83\00:22:50.93
I said, "You're
joking, aren't you?"
00:22:50.97\00:22:52.30
He said, "No, I'm serious."
00:22:52.33\00:22:54.57
And he took me to the
screens, you see all...
00:22:54.60\00:22:57.97
They didn't have
central air conditioning,
00:22:58.01\00:22:59.57
all throughout the
place they put us in,
00:22:59.61\00:23:03.11
they had those windows level...
00:23:03.14\00:23:04.58
You roll them up and
window the air passes through
00:23:04.61\00:23:07.52
and then at night you close
and air stays in the house.
00:23:07.55\00:23:11.09
But he showed me at
the base of the screens
00:23:11.12\00:23:13.25
where the rats
00:23:13.29\00:23:15.82
would cut their way through
00:23:15.86\00:23:17.19
and come into
the house at night,
00:23:17.23\00:23:18.56
he said, "Don't ever forget
00:23:18.59\00:23:21.40
to close all
the windows at night
00:23:21.43\00:23:25.10
if you don't want the
rats to nibble at your feet
00:23:25.13\00:23:27.07
while you're sleeping."
00:23:27.10\00:23:28.97
And, you know what?
00:23:29.00\00:23:30.34
I never forgot to
close the windows.
00:23:30.37\00:23:34.61
That was not anything
he had to tell me twice.
00:23:34.64\00:23:38.15
And then he says,
"If you want to shower,
00:23:38.18\00:23:39.81
you either get
up before 5 o'clock
00:23:39.85\00:23:41.75
or water would not be
available until afternoon."
00:23:41.78\00:23:46.76
And there were some days
water wasn't available afternoon
00:23:46.79\00:23:49.42
or even before 5 o'clock.
00:23:49.46\00:23:52.16
And I was so glad my
wife took with her those wipes
00:23:52.19\00:23:57.53
because some days
that's all the shower I got.
00:23:57.57\00:23:59.57
Come on, help me out somebody.
00:23:59.60\00:24:01.30
When I got home
and that shower hit me,
00:24:01.34\00:24:03.14
I thought, "Now
that's a shower."
00:24:03.17\00:24:06.81
Because you had to stand in it,
00:24:06.84\00:24:08.28
and you had to lean
it at a certain angle
00:24:08.31\00:24:10.01
to even increase the pressure.
00:24:10.05\00:24:12.41
And you'd turn the pipe...
00:24:12.45\00:24:13.78
And then I said to the
guy, "Well, there was no water."
00:24:13.82\00:24:15.42
He said, "Did you
turn the auxiliary pipe."
00:24:15.45\00:24:18.19
I said, "There was no
water in that either."
00:24:18.22\00:24:21.09
He said, "Well, that's
how it is here sometimes."
00:24:21.12\00:24:23.76
And here we are sitting down,
00:24:23.79\00:24:25.29
and I'm about to
send an email to Jill,
00:24:25.33\00:24:27.66
and I just finished
my email because you see,
00:24:27.70\00:24:30.10
if you don't get the email sent
00:24:30.13\00:24:31.80
and there's a 15-hour difference
00:24:31.83\00:24:33.64
between there and here,
00:24:33.67\00:24:35.04
that means I got to
wait until the next day,
00:24:35.07\00:24:36.64
and she's not going to get
the email until two days later.
00:24:36.67\00:24:39.41
And I'm finishing
the syntax of my email
00:24:39.44\00:24:41.94
and all of a sudden,
00:24:41.98\00:24:44.51
all the power is out.
00:24:44.55\00:24:48.05
And I close my laptop
one evening in frustration,
00:24:48.08\00:24:50.42
Jill, because that
email wasn't going out
00:24:50.45\00:24:52.42
until the next afternoon,
00:24:52.45\00:24:54.56
which was you're
15 hours behind me,
00:24:54.59\00:24:57.09
which would have
been during the night
00:24:57.13\00:24:58.46
and by the time you get it,
00:24:58.49\00:24:59.83
it's coming to me two days later
00:24:59.86\00:25:01.20
that's how it was in New Guinea.
00:25:01.23\00:25:03.43
But I want to
tell you something,
00:25:03.47\00:25:05.53
it was in that setting
00:25:05.57\00:25:07.54
that all the encroachments
of life lost their value,
00:25:07.57\00:25:12.01
it was in that setting
00:25:12.04\00:25:13.38
that television no
longer appealed to me,
00:25:13.41\00:25:16.48
it was in those settings,
00:25:16.51\00:25:17.85
I didn't care about
what happened in Washington,
00:25:17.88\00:25:19.71
I didn't care about what
the president did or didn't do,
00:25:19.75\00:25:22.55
I didn't care about
CNN, ABC, NBC or Fox
00:25:22.58\00:25:26.52
because I was in my Bible.
00:25:26.55\00:25:28.99
I began my day talking to God,
I ended my day speaking to God,
00:25:29.02\00:25:32.83
I got in the
morning in my Bible,
00:25:32.86\00:25:35.06
and the Spirit
of God was so on us
00:25:35.10\00:25:39.90
that the
testament that they gave us
00:25:39.93\00:25:41.27
at the end of
this time, they said,
00:25:41.30\00:25:42.77
"Every time somebody comes here,
00:25:42.80\00:25:44.91
they are demon manifestations,
00:25:44.94\00:25:46.54
but this was the first time
00:25:46.57\00:25:48.74
that there was no
demon manifestation."
00:25:48.78\00:25:51.68
And I never forget what
the pastor in Australia told me
00:25:51.71\00:25:53.65
who had his own
demonic experience,
00:25:53.68\00:25:55.95
where the demons
tried to choke him to death,
00:25:55.98\00:25:57.45
and he said his father
saw the marks on his neck
00:25:57.49\00:25:59.79
a month later still there.
00:25:59.82\00:26:01.92
He said, the demons,
00:26:01.96\00:26:03.29
the only help he
had was he called on God
00:26:03.32\00:26:05.43
out of his heart, he
couldn't even speak audibly,
00:26:05.46\00:26:07.50
and he said,
00:26:07.53\00:26:08.86
he felt the
demon jump off of him,
00:26:08.90\00:26:10.23
and he saw him
standing in the corner.
00:26:10.27\00:26:11.70
He said, "I know the
reason I had that manifestation
00:26:11.73\00:26:14.24
is I went to New Guinea
unprepared spiritually."
00:26:14.27\00:26:19.24
And I said to my
wife, "Praise the Lord."
00:26:19.27\00:26:21.28
We prayed before we
left, we prayed on the plane,
00:26:21.31\00:26:24.61
we prayed when we landed,
00:26:24.65\00:26:26.08
when we got into our room
and saw the accommodations,
00:26:26.11\00:26:28.45
we prayed, we
prayed in the morning,
00:26:28.48\00:26:30.62
we studied our Bibles,
00:26:30.65\00:26:31.99
we prayed before we
went out of that room,
00:26:32.02\00:26:33.56
we stood at the door,
"Don't open the door, honey.
00:26:33.59\00:26:35.62
Father, as we leave
this room, go with us."
00:26:35.66\00:26:40.46
Pray before the message,
made an altar call every night.
00:26:40.50\00:26:44.57
And precious souls
in that country where...
00:26:44.60\00:26:47.64
You see, we don't see demons
in America manifest themselves
00:26:47.67\00:26:50.57
the way they do in New
Guinea, but they're here.
00:26:50.61\00:26:54.28
Demons will put on a new outfit.
00:26:54.31\00:26:57.01
If it takes a new outfit
to get access to your life,
00:26:57.05\00:26:59.55
demons will come in another way.
00:26:59.58\00:27:00.92
But they're just as real
here as they are in New Guinea,
00:27:00.95\00:27:03.49
they just act out differently.
00:27:03.52\00:27:05.99
They hang out in our attitudes,
in our likes and dislikes,
00:27:06.02\00:27:10.19
in our
separations, in our preferences,
00:27:10.23\00:27:11.99
that's where
the demons hang out.
00:27:12.03\00:27:14.26
They manifest
themselves in different ways,
00:27:14.30\00:27:15.76
but they're just as
real here in Thompsonville
00:27:15.80\00:27:17.43
as they are in New Guinea.
00:27:17.47\00:27:20.00
So that'll make you feel like
00:27:20.04\00:27:21.37
you're in some
kind of safe haven.
00:27:21.40\00:27:24.07
But God sent Jonah to
this demon-infested city,
00:27:24.11\00:27:27.78
He said, "Arise
and go to Nineveh."
00:27:27.81\00:27:30.38
But Jonah 1:3, but
Jonah arose, he got up,
00:27:30.41\00:27:35.95
but to flee to Tarshish.
00:27:35.98\00:27:38.52
You see, Nineveh was one
way, Tarshish was the other.
00:27:38.55\00:27:43.79
The Lord said, "Go this way."
00:27:43.83\00:27:45.63
Jonah said, "I am getting
up, but I'm going that way."
00:27:45.66\00:27:49.10
When you study
the life of Jonah,
00:27:49.13\00:27:51.93
he arose to fleet of Tarshish
00:27:51.97\00:27:54.74
and he arose to flee
from the presence of the Lord
00:27:54.77\00:27:59.07
as if there is
some place you can go
00:27:59.11\00:28:01.11
that you can hide from God.
00:28:01.14\00:28:02.48
But I want you to notice
the direction of his life,
00:28:09.28\00:28:11.52
when you run from God,
00:28:11.55\00:28:12.89
there's only one
direction your life will go.
00:28:12.92\00:28:16.12
The verse continues,
"He went down to Joppa,
00:28:16.16\00:28:20.13
and found a ship
going to Tarshish."
00:28:20.16\00:28:23.00
I call it the
ship of disobedience.
00:28:23.03\00:28:26.13
"And he paid the
fare," the wages of sin,
00:28:26.17\00:28:29.97
"and went down..."
00:28:30.01\00:28:31.34
Notice the
direction of his life.
00:28:31.37\00:28:32.71
Whenever you run from God,
there is only one direction
00:28:32.74\00:28:36.11
your life will go,
00:28:36.14\00:28:37.48
and that is what
direction, friends?
00:28:37.51\00:28:38.91
Down. Down to Joppa.
00:28:38.95\00:28:43.18
Down into the ship.
00:28:43.22\00:28:44.79
And when the Bible
says to go with them,
00:28:49.42\00:28:52.33
that means he want
to go with the ungodly,
00:28:52.36\00:28:54.26
the men that worship
strange and unusual gods.
00:28:54.30\00:28:57.57
The men that were on
that boat going to Tarshish
00:28:57.60\00:29:00.40
were not people that
worship the true God.
00:29:00.44\00:29:02.97
But what I learned from that,
and this is the amazing thing
00:29:03.00\00:29:06.34
about God, you ready for it?
00:29:06.37\00:29:08.58
Jonah doesn't want to
go to Nineveh to preach,
00:29:08.61\00:29:10.95
he wants to go to Tarshish.
00:29:10.98\00:29:12.38
The Lord said, "You
don't want to go to Nineveh
00:29:12.41\00:29:13.75
because you don't
want to go there to preach,
00:29:13.78\00:29:15.25
but I'm going to make
you preach wherever you go."
00:29:15.28\00:29:17.02
Amen, somebody?
00:29:17.05\00:29:18.39
So he's on the
ship of disobedience
00:29:18.42\00:29:20.59
with men that worship
unusual gods, and God said,
00:29:20.62\00:29:23.79
"You don't want to preach there,
00:29:23.83\00:29:25.16
you're going to preach
no matter where you go."
00:29:25.19\00:29:27.40
So Jonah is on
the ship trying to run
00:29:27.43\00:29:29.96
from the presence of the Lord.
00:29:30.00\00:29:31.60
You see, Jonah reasoned
00:29:31.63\00:29:34.80
that if he ignored God,
00:29:34.84\00:29:36.47
God would ignore him.
00:29:36.50\00:29:38.01
Nothing is
further from the truth.
00:29:38.04\00:29:40.51
Jonah thought to himself
that he could outrun God.
00:29:40.54\00:29:44.48
Jonah concluded
that there is a place
00:29:44.51\00:29:47.45
that he could hide from God.
00:29:47.48\00:29:50.95
And I have
learned in so many ways
00:29:50.99\00:29:52.59
that there is no place
that we can hide from God
00:29:52.62\00:29:56.22
because when God wants
you, God's going to get you.
00:29:56.26\00:29:59.39
Amen.
00:29:59.43\00:30:00.76
When God wants you,
God's going to get you.
00:30:00.80\00:30:02.26
David, the Psalmist
had the same attitude,
00:30:02.30\00:30:03.97
but he said in Psalm 139,
00:30:04.00\00:30:06.03
"If I ascended to
heaven, you are there.
00:30:06.07\00:30:08.84
If I make my bed in
hell, you are there.
00:30:08.87\00:30:11.84
If I take the
wings of the morning
00:30:11.87\00:30:13.31
and dwell in the
uttermost parts of the sea,
00:30:13.34\00:30:15.58
even there your
hand shall lead me
00:30:15.61\00:30:18.61
and your right
hand shall hold me."
00:30:18.65\00:30:21.82
Everywhere we
go, God can be found.
00:30:21.85\00:30:25.59
But the direction of your life
00:30:30.03\00:30:32.59
will reveal your
commitment to God.
00:30:32.63\00:30:36.20
If your life is going down,
00:30:36.23\00:30:39.00
your commitment
to God is going down.
00:30:39.03\00:30:42.37
What also
amazed me as we travel,
00:30:42.40\00:30:45.21
we see God's hand work
in so many beautiful ways.
00:30:45.24\00:30:49.04
You see, I want to point out
something to you this morning
00:30:49.08\00:30:51.25
that whenever you
are on God's journey,
00:30:51.28\00:30:55.98
whenever you are
on a mission for God,
00:30:56.02\00:30:59.25
God takes care
00:30:59.29\00:31:00.72
of the finer
details of your journey
00:31:00.76\00:31:03.29
before you even
think you have a need.
00:31:03.32\00:31:07.26
Let me give you an
example, a true story.
00:31:07.30\00:31:09.70
We are on our way...
00:31:09.73\00:31:11.07
to New Guinea, but we stop
over in Brisbane, Australia
00:31:13.34\00:31:16.14
after a 14-hour flight
from Los Angeles to Brisbane.
00:31:16.17\00:31:19.97
Fourteen hours over the ocean.
00:31:20.01\00:31:23.88
I mean, you go to
work, you come home,
00:31:23.91\00:31:25.95
you go back to work,
you're still on the same plane.
00:31:25.98\00:31:30.09
We landed in Brisbane.
00:31:30.12\00:31:32.29
And as we're in the
airport in Brisbane...
00:31:32.32\00:31:36.49
You know, sometimes
on the road, you know,
00:31:36.52\00:31:38.83
you get so sick and
tired of the airplane food
00:31:38.86\00:31:40.63
that you really don't like
00:31:40.66\00:31:42.60
so in the airport in
Brisbane and I saw a Kit Kat.
00:31:42.63\00:31:45.80
I knew some of you
formerly sugarholics know
00:31:48.07\00:31:50.67
what I'm talking about.
00:31:50.71\00:31:53.17
A Kit Kat, nice
old chocolate Kit Kat,
00:31:53.21\00:31:55.74
something I could identify with.
00:31:55.78\00:31:57.71
Didn't like...
00:31:57.75\00:31:59.08
You know, we chose vegetarian,
00:31:59.11\00:32:00.45
but they don't know
about vegetarian meals
00:32:00.48\00:32:02.05
on these planes,
00:32:02.08\00:32:03.42
they put together stuff
that I can't even identify.
00:32:03.45\00:32:04.79
You know, what
I'm talking about,
00:32:04.82\00:32:06.15
Pastor CA.
00:32:06.19\00:32:07.52
I said, "Honey,
it looks like rice."
00:32:07.56\00:32:08.89
She said, "No, it's quinoa."
00:32:08.92\00:32:12.16
"Quinoa?"
00:32:12.19\00:32:14.10
"No, quinoa."
00:32:14.13\00:32:15.53
"Quinoa?"
00:32:15.56\00:32:17.07
"Quinoa."
00:32:17.10\00:32:18.43
I don't eat quinoa at home,
00:32:18.47\00:32:20.17
and I ain't
eating it on this plane.
00:32:20.20\00:32:21.97
Who made it?
00:32:22.00\00:32:23.34
Some guy that does not even know
00:32:23.37\00:32:24.71
what vegetarians eat made it.
00:32:24.74\00:32:26.78
Quinoa.
00:32:26.81\00:32:28.14
Didn't like it, but I
can't even anything else
00:32:28.18\00:32:29.81
because I'm on a plane.
00:32:29.84\00:32:31.18
You can't get out, and go
to the store, and come back.
00:32:31.21\00:32:33.48
So here I'm in the
office, I got a Kit Kat,
00:32:33.52\00:32:34.88
and I finished the Kit
Kat, and it tasted ever so good,
00:32:34.92\00:32:36.92
it reminded me of being home.
00:32:36.95\00:32:39.19
And I'm walking
across the airport
00:32:39.22\00:32:40.56
to put it in the
garbage can and just then
00:32:40.59\00:32:42.02
God made a connection
that proved in 14 more days
00:32:42.06\00:32:45.29
to be exactly what we needed.
00:32:45.33\00:32:47.70
We met the Ambassador
Bien Tejano's daughter
00:32:47.73\00:32:51.93
recognized us in
the airport in Brisbane.
00:32:51.97\00:32:56.60
And she came over, she said,
00:32:56.64\00:32:57.97
"I saw you walking
over to the trash can,
00:32:58.01\00:32:59.61
I didn't know what you're doing,
00:32:59.64\00:33:00.98
but I recognize you."
00:33:01.01\00:33:02.34
And she came and
she said, "Hey, I am..."
00:33:02.38\00:33:03.71
And she told me her name,
00:33:03.75\00:33:05.08
"I am the
daughter of Bien Tejano,
00:33:05.11\00:33:06.45
the ambassador.
00:33:06.48\00:33:07.82
And I'm going to call him now."
00:33:07.85\00:33:09.18
And she calls him on the
phone and says, "Hey," I said.
00:33:09.22\00:33:10.55
He said, "Hey, John, welcome."
00:33:10.59\00:33:11.92
He said, "Hey, if you
stop over in Port Moresby,
00:33:11.95\00:33:15.32
be a guest at our home.
00:33:15.36\00:33:16.96
You can stay at our
official residence."
00:33:16.99\00:33:19.19
Didn't know how
handy that would come in
00:33:19.23\00:33:21.60
because, you know, after
being in New Guinea for 13 days,
00:33:21.63\00:33:25.40
there's only one desire
you have and that's a shower.
00:33:25.43\00:33:31.17
So we had everything
done, all our work was finished.
00:33:31.21\00:33:34.64
And I said,
"Honey, when do we leave?
00:33:34.68\00:33:38.08
And I said, "This Sunday?"
00:33:38.11\00:33:39.75
She said, "Well, we're
here all the way to Wednesday."
00:33:39.78\00:33:41.85
I said, "What do we
do until Wednesday?"
00:33:41.88\00:33:43.52
"Nothing, just hanging out."
00:33:43.55\00:33:45.82
I said, "Is it
possible we could leave sooner?"
00:33:45.85\00:33:49.82
The Lord worked it out
00:33:49.86\00:33:51.19
that we got on
a plane on Monday,
00:33:51.23\00:33:53.33
did not know where
we were staying at all
00:33:53.36\00:33:55.76
in Port Moresby, but
God made a connection
00:33:55.80\00:33:59.73
before we thought
about it 13 days earlier,
00:33:59.77\00:34:03.20
He got us in connection
with Bien Tejano's daughter
00:34:03.24\00:34:06.41
in the airport
and that proved to be
00:34:06.44\00:34:08.31
a blessing of
insurmountable proportions
00:34:08.34\00:34:13.38
through
Facebook, through WhatsApp,
00:34:13.42\00:34:16.28
my wife
communicated with her, she said,
00:34:16.32\00:34:17.99
"I will go ahead and set it up,
00:34:18.02\00:34:19.75
you'll stay at the
official residence,
00:34:19.79\00:34:21.56
we'll cover your
food, your lodging,
00:34:21.59\00:34:24.33
and we'll drive you
wherever you want to go."
00:34:24.36\00:34:26.46
Amen, somebody?
00:34:26.49\00:34:28.23
Thirteen days
earlier, we didn't even know
00:34:28.26\00:34:30.47
we had that need.
00:34:30.50\00:34:32.90
And we got there and was blessed
00:34:32.93\00:34:36.10
as they met us at the airport
with the official embassy van,
00:34:36.14\00:34:39.61
took us around to the
mall, put us up in his home,
00:34:39.64\00:34:42.84
the lady cooked
for us every day.
00:34:42.88\00:34:44.85
God...
00:34:44.88\00:34:46.21
Let me tell you
something, when you put...
00:34:46.25\00:34:49.32
Let me rephrase.
00:34:49.35\00:34:50.69
You don't ever
risk following God,
00:34:50.72\00:34:53.96
it's not a
risk, it's a blessing.
00:34:53.99\00:34:56.02
But you've got
to be in a situation
00:34:56.06\00:34:57.39
where God can do
things that are extraordinary,
00:34:57.43\00:35:00.20
and you'll never know
the needs can be provided
00:35:00.23\00:35:02.80
until you are in those
extraordinary circumstances.
00:35:02.83\00:35:07.37
And there we were
00:35:07.40\00:35:10.04
and all the needs
we had were provided
00:35:10.07\00:35:12.17
right there in that home.
00:35:12.21\00:35:14.14
And they also wanted us to meet
00:35:14.18\00:35:15.51
the president
of the Philippines,
00:35:15.54\00:35:17.48
and they said,
00:35:17.51\00:35:18.85
"Why don't you come
with us to the Philippines?"
00:35:18.88\00:35:21.12
I said, "When?"
00:35:21.15\00:35:22.95
They said, "When
you come to New Guinea."
00:35:22.98\00:35:24.95
I said, "And when?"
00:35:24.99\00:35:26.32
They said, "Well,
just go with us on Monday,
00:35:26.35\00:35:28.16
you get back on Friday,
and then you go to Brisbane
00:35:28.19\00:35:30.63
on Friday."
00:35:30.66\00:35:32.59
And I thought, "I'll
get stuck in the Philippines
00:35:32.63\00:35:36.33
and won't make my...
00:35:36.36\00:35:38.20
How am I going to get there?
00:35:38.23\00:35:39.57
And I said, "Well, no,
maybe next time around."
00:35:39.60\00:35:41.30
They wanted us to meet
00:35:41.34\00:35:42.67
the president
of the Philippines.
00:35:42.70\00:35:44.04
And they said,
00:35:44.07\00:35:45.41
"We'll arrange it, you'll be
at the palace, you'll met him."
00:35:45.44\00:35:46.78
I said, "Not this time around."
00:35:46.81\00:35:48.38
So but every need we
had, the Lord provided,
00:35:48.41\00:35:51.21
and sometimes He goes
above and beyond measure
00:35:51.25\00:35:53.92
just to let you know He is God.
00:35:53.95\00:35:56.58
That's how God works.
00:35:56.62\00:35:58.75
So when God calls
you to follow Him,
00:35:58.79\00:36:02.12
whether He calls you
to join His remnant church
00:36:02.16\00:36:05.23
or whether He called
you to be an evangelist,
00:36:05.26\00:36:07.66
whether He calls
you to be a leader
00:36:07.70\00:36:09.36
in whatever
capacity God calls you,
00:36:09.40\00:36:11.60
don't ever make the
foolish mistake of thinking
00:36:11.63\00:36:14.97
that you can run in
the opposite direction
00:36:15.00\00:36:17.21
and ignore God and that means
00:36:17.24\00:36:19.04
God is going to ignore you.
00:36:19.07\00:36:20.48
Let me tell you something.
00:36:20.51\00:36:21.84
God will wreck your life.
00:36:21.88\00:36:23.88
He will turn
your life inside out
00:36:26.21\00:36:28.92
if that's what it takes
to get you to serve Him.
00:36:28.95\00:36:31.15
Anybody know what
I'm talking about?
00:36:31.19\00:36:33.15
Look at Jonah 1:4.
00:36:33.19\00:36:34.52
Hiding from God,
from the presence of God,
00:36:36.99\00:36:40.86
some of you have
storms in your life
00:36:40.90\00:36:42.30
because you won't listen to God,
00:36:42.33\00:36:44.70
but the Lord had sent
out a great wind on the sea.
00:36:44.73\00:36:47.80
There are storms in life.
00:36:47.84\00:36:49.50
Normally, when you get
a storm, you call on God
00:36:49.54\00:36:52.04
to help you get delivered.
00:36:52.07\00:36:53.41
Am I right?
00:36:53.44\00:36:54.78
But when God send the
storm, and you call on God,
00:36:54.81\00:36:56.51
there ain't no deliverance
because God is the one
00:36:56.54\00:36:59.31
sending the storm.
00:36:59.35\00:37:01.88
"The Lord sent out a
great wind on the sea,
00:37:01.92\00:37:04.32
and there was a
mighty tempest on the sea
00:37:04.35\00:37:07.56
so that the ship was
about to be broken up."
00:37:07.59\00:37:09.99
God was in charge of that storm,
00:37:10.03\00:37:12.76
so the question
you got to ask yourself
00:37:12.79\00:37:14.33
when storms come in
your life, are those storms
00:37:14.36\00:37:17.20
because of faithfulness
or because of disobedience?
00:37:17.23\00:37:22.57
Because you'll be one
category or the other,
00:37:22.60\00:37:24.64
you've got to pause
and examine your life,
00:37:24.67\00:37:26.91
"How am I living,
00:37:26.94\00:37:28.28
is this storm the
result of my disobedience,
00:37:28.31\00:37:31.91
or is it result
of my faithfulness?"
00:37:31.95\00:37:34.02
Because storms are going to come
00:37:34.05\00:37:35.38
one way or the other.
00:37:35.42\00:37:36.75
This disobedient
servant of God got the captain,
00:37:40.32\00:37:43.39
got the people on board afraid.
00:37:43.43\00:37:44.93
Verse 5 says, "Then the mariners
00:37:44.96\00:37:47.06
that's the sailors were afraid
00:37:47.10\00:37:49.00
and every man
cried out to his god."
00:37:49.03\00:37:52.43
When you cry
out to the false god
00:37:52.47\00:37:54.24
or the wrong god,
there are no answers.
00:37:54.27\00:37:57.34
But notice what happened.
00:37:57.37\00:37:59.41
"And threw the
cargo that was in the ship
00:37:59.44\00:38:01.21
into the sea, to
lighten the load.
00:38:01.24\00:38:03.68
But Jonah had gone down
00:38:03.71\00:38:06.51
into the lowest
parts of the ship,
00:38:06.55\00:38:09.82
and lain down,
and was fast asleep."
00:38:09.85\00:38:13.52
My wife and I were
studying in the book,
00:38:19.03\00:38:21.20
Prophets and Kings,
00:38:21.23\00:38:23.23
and the servant
of the Lord says,
00:38:23.26\00:38:26.17
"The complacency
in a time of crisis
00:38:26.20\00:38:29.00
is an insult to God."
00:38:29.04\00:38:31.97
God cannot use men
who in times of crisis
00:38:32.01\00:38:37.61
choose not to
respond to the call of God.
00:38:37.65\00:38:41.48
That's the reason why
she said in the closing work
00:38:41.52\00:38:43.95
very few great
men would be used.
00:38:43.99\00:38:47.16
That's why she says, many
bright lights would go out
00:38:47.19\00:38:49.79
because in these
moments of crisis,
00:38:49.82\00:38:52.09
the light is bright just
for the glory of the preacher,
00:38:52.13\00:38:55.23
not for the glory of God.
00:38:55.26\00:38:56.87
I have learned in
a very humbling way
00:38:56.90\00:38:58.90
that my light is not
to shine to glorify me,
00:38:58.93\00:39:01.50
Oswald Chambers said to
me in one very direct tone,
00:39:01.54\00:39:04.07
he said, "Never use God's gifts
to bring glory to yourself."
00:39:04.11\00:39:08.78
Amen.
00:39:08.81\00:39:11.75
And I thought about that.
00:39:11.78\00:39:14.28
And I thought about that,
and I said, "You know what,
00:39:14.32\00:39:15.88
I think part of
the reasons why...
00:39:15.92\00:39:18.19
I think one of the reasons
God works in strange ways
00:39:18.22\00:39:21.42
and sometimes along the
way, He will reveal to you
00:39:21.46\00:39:24.36
why you go through
what you go through.
00:39:24.39\00:39:26.29
And I remember sitting
00:39:26.33\00:39:27.66
on the edge of my bed one day,
00:39:27.70\00:39:29.03
and I don't know if God did this
00:39:29.06\00:39:30.40
to save me or not,
00:39:30.43\00:39:31.77
but I'll understand
it better by and by.
00:39:31.80\00:39:33.67
But I was sitting on
the edge of my bed one day,
00:39:33.70\00:39:35.44
watching the Grammys,
00:39:35.47\00:39:36.81
shouldn't have been
watching them anyhow.
00:39:36.84\00:39:39.01
But I'm a musician, so I
like to watch the Grammys
00:39:39.04\00:39:41.44
because it's all about
music, and there are some people
00:39:41.48\00:39:43.31
that are singing in mike.
00:39:43.35\00:39:44.68
You know, people nowadays
that are in the music industry,
00:39:44.71\00:39:46.31
they don't know a thing
about singing 99% of them.
00:39:46.35\00:39:49.12
It's all about
a beat and lights.
00:39:49.15\00:39:51.65
You take away all that
stuff, they're nothing but a cow
00:39:51.69\00:39:54.46
with three legs
00:39:54.49\00:39:57.33
mooing in the wrong direction.
00:39:57.36\00:40:00.10
So I sat on the
edge of this bed one day,
00:40:00.13\00:40:02.30
and I'm listening to this person
00:40:02.33\00:40:04.37
screaming through the
song with just a beat.
00:40:04.40\00:40:06.57
I'm thinking,
"What on earth is that?"
00:40:09.07\00:40:11.14
And I said to myself, "I
can sing better than that."
00:40:11.17\00:40:13.48
And this little...
00:40:16.88\00:40:18.21
You know, how the devil that...
00:40:18.25\00:40:19.58
He just drops this little
seed in your head, and he say,
00:40:19.61\00:40:22.48
"Do you want to sing out there
00:40:22.52\00:40:24.75
because you can
make a lot of money?"
00:40:24.79\00:40:27.19
Like a young lady
came to my wife and I,
00:40:27.22\00:40:28.62
one day she got a
call, she got invited
00:40:28.66\00:40:30.99
to be the singer on
The Preacher's Wife,
00:40:31.03\00:40:32.79
she was going to be the singer
00:40:32.83\00:40:34.16
before they call Whitney Houston
00:40:34.20\00:40:36.00
to sing on The Preacher's
Wife, they called her.
00:40:36.03\00:40:39.17
And she calls
00:40:39.20\00:40:40.54
"John, me and my
husband are coming over.
00:40:40.57\00:40:42.24
We got to talk
to you and Angie."
00:40:42.27\00:40:43.61
She came over, she said,
"You would not believe it,
00:40:43.64\00:40:45.97
we got invited, they
invited me to be the one
00:40:46.01\00:40:48.31
to sing on the new
movie, The Preacher's Wife.
00:40:48.34\00:40:50.45
They want me to be in the
movie and to be the singer."
00:40:50.48\00:40:52.95
I said, "Have you
ever been out there?"
00:40:55.08\00:40:57.29
She said, "No."
00:40:57.32\00:40:58.82
And the reasoning comes
into your mind, she said,
00:40:58.85\00:41:00.56
"Now I can go out there,
00:41:00.59\00:41:01.92
I can make a whole lot of money,
00:41:01.96\00:41:03.29
and I could help
the cause of God."
00:41:03.32\00:41:04.89
I said, "That's your plan,
00:41:04.93\00:41:06.26
but that's not
the devil's plan."
00:41:06.29\00:41:09.20
I said, "I'd
rather be unknown in earth
00:41:09.23\00:41:11.07
and known in the kingdom of God,
00:41:11.10\00:41:12.57
than be known in
earth and not known
00:41:12.60\00:41:14.04
in the kingdom of God."
00:41:14.07\00:41:15.74
And that movie came out,
and Whitney Houston sang it,
00:41:15.77\00:41:17.77
and you probably saw it
before, The Preacher's Wife,
00:41:17.81\00:41:21.94
and that song,
"I'll always love you."
00:41:21.98\00:41:23.55
Yeah, she sang it.
00:41:23.58\00:41:24.91
But they had
called this other girl,
00:41:24.95\00:41:26.28
who could sing your socks off,
and it was in our living room
00:41:26.31\00:41:29.08
in Antioch, California.
00:41:29.12\00:41:30.45
I said, "Young lady, you
ain't never been out there,
00:41:30.49\00:41:32.89
and it's too late
to go out there now."
00:41:32.92\00:41:34.66
And I remember that
thought came into my mind,
00:41:37.16\00:41:39.09
"I can sing
better than that guy."
00:41:39.13\00:41:41.10
It wasn't too long
after that I had an accident
00:41:41.13\00:41:43.06
in the gym right over there,
got hit on my vocal cords.
00:41:43.10\00:41:45.73
God said, "If it means
taking your voice away from you
00:41:45.77\00:41:47.94
to save you, I'll do that."
00:41:47.97\00:41:51.31
And it's been a
nine-year journey,
00:41:51.34\00:41:52.84
it's coming back
slowly but surely, He said,
00:41:52.87\00:41:54.74
"I'll give you just enough voice
00:41:54.78\00:41:57.11
to keep you humble
00:41:57.15\00:41:58.55
so that you can sing in heaven."
00:41:58.58\00:41:59.91
Amen, somebody?
00:41:59.95\00:42:01.52
God knows how to save
us. God knows what to do.
00:42:01.55\00:42:06.25
And so here is Jonah down
in the lowest parts of the ship
00:42:06.29\00:42:08.86
sleeping at a time
00:42:08.89\00:42:10.23
when he should be taken a stand.
00:42:10.26\00:42:11.93
If ever there's a
time that the people of God
00:42:11.96\00:42:13.60
need to be awake, is
in the time of crisis
00:42:13.63\00:42:16.40
in these closing moments,
00:42:16.43\00:42:18.10
the heathens are
lightning their load,
00:42:18.13\00:42:20.47
they're
throwing things overboard
00:42:20.50\00:42:21.84
but here is Jonah,
00:42:21.87\00:42:23.20
he's not throwing
anything overboard,
00:42:23.24\00:42:24.97
he's hiding in
the belly of a ship
00:42:25.01\00:42:27.01
sleeping in times of crisis
when he should be preaching
00:42:27.04\00:42:29.61
the Word of God
00:42:29.64\00:42:30.98
talking about
redemption and deliverance,
00:42:31.01\00:42:33.18
refusing to
proclaim the message of God.
00:42:33.21\00:42:36.95
But what he would
learn in a short time
00:42:36.99\00:42:38.55
is the plans of
God are unalterable.
00:42:38.59\00:42:40.89
When God wants us, there
is nothing that we can do
00:42:40.92\00:42:42.79
to prevent Him from
accomplishing His plan.
00:42:42.82\00:42:45.73
So what happens to Jonah?
00:42:45.76\00:42:47.56
He also discovers that
the requirements of God
00:42:47.60\00:42:50.20
are non-negotiable.
00:42:50.23\00:42:51.60
When God sets the requirements,
there is nothing that we can do
00:42:51.63\00:42:55.30
to change God's requirements.
00:42:55.34\00:42:57.21
God said,
"Jonah, go to Nineveh."
00:42:57.24\00:42:59.91
And Jonah said, "I ain't going."
00:42:59.94\00:43:03.58
So in the midst of the journey,
in the midst of the storm,
00:43:03.61\00:43:06.25
verse 6 happens.
00:43:06.28\00:43:08.85
God was about
to smoke Jonah out.
00:43:08.88\00:43:11.72
So the captain came to him
00:43:11.75\00:43:13.86
after they went
throughout the entire ship
00:43:13.89\00:43:16.49
looking for all hands on deck,
00:43:16.52\00:43:18.46
they found Jonah snoring
in the belly of the ship.
00:43:18.49\00:43:23.73
And he said to him,
"What do you mean O sleeper?"
00:43:23.77\00:43:25.83
I like the King
James Version in this.
00:43:25.87\00:43:27.64
"What meanest thou, O sleeper?
00:43:27.67\00:43:31.61
Arise, call on your God."
00:43:31.64\00:43:34.38
Understand what that meant.
00:43:34.41\00:43:36.01
They were calling on
their god getting no answer
00:43:36.04\00:43:39.81
and there was something
about Jonah that let them know
00:43:39.85\00:43:43.49
that there was
something different
00:43:43.52\00:43:44.92
about this man.
00:43:44.95\00:43:46.29
He didn't dress like us.
00:43:46.32\00:43:47.99
When he came on board, he
had a dignity of a preacher,
00:43:48.02\00:43:51.36
but the only
problem he was a preacher
00:43:51.39\00:43:53.36
running from God,
00:43:53.40\00:43:54.73
he may have had on
his preaching outfit,
00:43:54.76\00:43:56.10
but he's now sleeping
in the belly of a ship.
00:43:56.13\00:43:58.40
So they looked around
the ship, and he said,
00:43:58.43\00:43:59.83
"Who can we identify
00:43:59.87\00:44:01.20
that might have
a better connection
00:44:01.24\00:44:02.57
than we do?"
00:44:02.60\00:44:03.94
And they found
Jonah, and they said,
00:44:03.97\00:44:05.31
"Why don't you get
up and call on your God
00:44:05.34\00:44:07.58
because our god ain't
doing anything for us?
00:44:07.61\00:44:11.31
Perhaps, your
God will consider us
00:44:11.35\00:44:14.68
so that we may not perish.
00:44:14.72\00:44:16.82
And they said to one another,
'Come, let us cast lots,
00:44:16.85\00:44:19.35
so may know for whose cause
this trouble has come upon us.'
00:44:19.39\00:44:22.26
So they cast lots and
the lot fell on Jonah."
00:44:22.29\00:44:26.63
Now the reason
why they cast lots,
00:44:26.66\00:44:28.70
they didn't try to
figure out who was the reason
00:44:28.73\00:44:30.80
for the problem,
they knew who it was
00:44:30.83\00:44:32.90
because they already
asked him to call on his God,
00:44:32.93\00:44:35.94
but they were
going to confirm it,
00:44:35.97\00:44:37.71
and God allowed the
lot to point to Jonah
00:44:37.74\00:44:41.14
as like playing spin the bottle.
00:44:41.18\00:44:43.31
Which one of you
guys is the problem?
00:44:43.35\00:44:46.88
It's you, Mitch.
00:44:46.92\00:44:49.75
Come on, he picking on Mitch
00:44:49.78\00:44:51.12
because I know
he is not a problem.
00:44:51.15\00:44:53.76
"What meanest thou, O sleeper?"
00:44:53.79\00:44:56.73
You see, Jonah's
problem was not his vocation,
00:44:56.76\00:44:59.53
his problem was his location,
00:44:59.56\00:45:03.57
not vocation, but location.
00:45:03.60\00:45:05.93
And the other problem
was not Joseph's condition...
00:45:05.97\00:45:09.20
but his apprehension.
00:45:13.64\00:45:15.88
You see, God wanted this man
to stand, Jonah was lying down,
00:45:15.91\00:45:21.72
and I learned something,
00:45:21.75\00:45:23.15
Jonah was in a
reclining position,
00:45:23.18\00:45:25.62
and what we
don't know is recline
00:45:25.65\00:45:28.36
happens before decline.
00:45:28.39\00:45:32.06
When you're
reclining at a moment,
00:45:32.09\00:45:33.60
you should be standing up.
00:45:33.63\00:45:35.00
Recline is followed by decline.
00:45:35.03\00:45:37.73
When we should be
standing up if we are reclining,
00:45:37.77\00:45:40.70
the next thing that
will happen in our lives
00:45:40.74\00:45:43.20
is will be declining.
00:45:43.24\00:45:45.37
God doesn't want us to recline,
he wants us to stand firm
00:45:45.41\00:45:48.74
for something.
00:45:48.78\00:45:50.11
Amen, somebody? Amen.
00:45:50.15\00:45:51.98
So God says to Jonah,
00:45:52.01\00:45:53.92
"This is the time
for you to get up..."
00:45:53.95\00:45:55.58
Jonah 1:8.
00:45:55.62\00:45:58.02
And by the way just
for your information,
00:45:58.05\00:45:59.75
I'm not going
through all four chapters
00:45:59.79\00:46:01.36
just so you can breathe.
00:46:01.39\00:46:02.72
"Then they said to
him, 'Please tell us!
00:46:05.56\00:46:08.66
For whose cause is
this trouble upon us?"
00:46:08.70\00:46:11.13
They're looking at a
preacher in his face.
00:46:11.17\00:46:13.17
And then they begin
to ask him questions,
00:46:13.20\00:46:14.87
seven questions in all.
00:46:14.90\00:46:16.24
"What is your occupation?
00:46:16.27\00:46:17.61
Where do you come
from? What is your country?
00:46:17.64\00:46:19.11
And what people are you?"
00:46:19.14\00:46:20.48
I don't have time to
answer all the questions.
00:46:20.51\00:46:21.91
I have another sermon called
the Seven Questions of God,
00:46:21.94\00:46:24.81
which each of these
questions are addressed.
00:46:24.85\00:46:26.85
So here he is dressed
in his Sabbath outfit,
00:46:26.88\00:46:30.05
he says, "I am a Hebrew,
and I fear the God of heaven."
00:46:30.09\00:46:34.29
"Well, what good
is that doing us?
00:46:34.32\00:46:37.23
In a moment, when you
should be working for God,
00:46:37.26\00:46:39.63
you're running from
God, and your testimony
00:46:39.66\00:46:41.96
is a controversy
to your position.
00:46:42.00\00:46:44.27
In other words,
your disobedience
00:46:44.30\00:46:45.87
caused your
testimony to be confusing.
00:46:45.90\00:46:48.87
I know who you say you
are but why are you here
00:46:48.90\00:46:51.14
if you are
really God's servant?"
00:46:51.17\00:46:52.77
"'I'm a Hebrew, I fear the Lord,
00:46:55.34\00:46:56.78
the God of heaven,
00:46:56.81\00:46:58.15
who made the sea
and the dry land.'
00:46:58.18\00:46:59.71
And then the men
were exceedingly afraid
00:46:59.75\00:47:02.48
and said to one another...
00:47:02.52\00:47:03.85
and said to him,
00:47:06.62\00:47:09.56
'Why have you done this?'"
00:47:09.59\00:47:10.93
That's a powerful question.
00:47:14.76\00:47:16.33
Not going to tell you
how many minutes I have,
00:47:21.20\00:47:23.54
but I'm going to spend
little time on this question,
00:47:23.57\00:47:26.11
"Why have you done this?"
00:47:26.14\00:47:27.71
What we don't realize sometimes
is our disobedience to God
00:47:27.74\00:47:33.92
can put someone
else's life in jeopardy.
00:47:33.95\00:47:37.22
When we refuse to
be obedient to God,
00:47:40.69\00:47:45.03
our very actions could
put someone else's life
00:47:45.06\00:47:48.26
in jeopardy.
00:47:48.30\00:47:49.63
There are these
unsaved men, who don't know
00:47:49.66\00:47:53.34
the God of heaven, look
Jonah square in his face,
00:47:53.37\00:47:57.17
and they say to him,
"Why have you done this?"
00:47:57.21\00:48:01.11
"For the men knew that he fled
00:48:01.14\00:48:04.81
from the presence of the Lord
00:48:04.85\00:48:08.48
because he had told
them, 'I'm coming on board,
00:48:08.52\00:48:12.32
I'm on my way to
Tarshish, I'm on board,
00:48:12.35\00:48:15.22
I am going in the
opposite direction.'
00:48:15.26\00:48:18.09
And they
remembered, 'He told us.
00:48:18.13\00:48:21.50
Why have you done this?'
00:48:21.53\00:48:23.60
Our lives wouldn't be in
the condition that it is in,
00:48:23.63\00:48:25.47
we wouldn't be at risk of
losing our very salvation,
00:48:25.50\00:48:28.70
we wouldn't be at the
risk of losing our lives,
00:48:28.74\00:48:30.91
our livelihood
would not be on the line
00:48:30.94\00:48:32.84
if you had not
been disobedient to God.
00:48:32.87\00:48:35.68
Why have you done this?"
00:48:35.71\00:48:39.48
And as I said
reality that disobedience
00:48:39.51\00:48:41.38
can put somebody's life at risk.
00:48:41.42\00:48:43.92
And they follow up at verse
11, "Then they said to him,
00:48:43.95\00:48:46.45
'What shall we do
to you, so that the sea
00:48:46.49\00:48:47.86
maybe calmed for us?'
00:48:47.89\00:48:49.82
For the sea was
growing more tempestuous.
00:48:49.86\00:48:52.13
And he said to them,
00:48:52.16\00:48:53.50
'Pick me up and
throw me into the sea,
00:48:53.53\00:48:55.43
then the sea will
become calm for you.
00:48:55.46\00:48:58.13
For I know that
this great tempest
00:48:58.17\00:49:01.40
is because of me.' "
00:49:01.44\00:49:03.00
I like that. I like that.
00:49:03.04\00:49:05.27
"Throw me overboard."
00:49:05.31\00:49:08.21
Really?
00:49:08.24\00:49:10.61
When I was
finishing this last night
00:49:10.65\00:49:12.31
with my numb finger,
00:49:12.35\00:49:15.78
you try to type with a
finger that was broken.
00:49:15.82\00:49:17.82
I leaned back in
my chair, and I said,
00:49:20.09\00:49:22.19
"Throw him overboard."
00:49:22.22\00:49:25.33
I thought to myself,
00:49:25.36\00:49:26.70
"Sometimes, there
are people in our lives
00:49:26.73\00:49:29.26
that we need to
throw overboard."
00:49:29.30\00:49:31.03
There's some things in your life
00:49:37.01\00:49:39.34
you need to throw overboard...
00:49:39.37\00:49:41.34
because Jonah
being in that ship...
00:49:47.28\00:49:49.45
risk the peace and safety
of those who did not know God,
00:49:53.22\00:49:57.26
and the only peace
that they were going to get
00:49:57.29\00:50:00.53
was if they threw him overboard.
00:50:00.56\00:50:04.40
But they're
looking at the ocean now,
00:50:04.43\00:50:05.97
and they decide,
00:50:06.00\00:50:07.34
"Now wait a minute,
throw him overboard..."
00:50:07.37\00:50:08.70
The Bible says in verse
13, "Nevertheless the men
00:50:08.74\00:50:11.27
rowed harder to return
to land, but they could not
00:50:11.31\00:50:14.11
for the sea continued to grow
more tempestuous against them."
00:50:14.14\00:50:16.81
You see the
point of the matter is
00:50:16.85\00:50:18.35
you can't calm
storms that God send.
00:50:18.38\00:50:21.22
Amen.
00:50:21.25\00:50:22.58
You cannot slow a storm
down when God is the one
00:50:22.62\00:50:25.02
whipping the winds up.
00:50:25.05\00:50:26.39
And here is the
point that's made,
00:50:26.42\00:50:27.76
if you are living a
life of disobedience
00:50:27.79\00:50:30.03
and you are
ignoring the call of God
00:50:30.06\00:50:31.89
to straighten that thing out,
00:50:31.93\00:50:33.29
God is going to
increase the storms in your life
00:50:33.33\00:50:35.76
until you have no other
option but to dive overboard
00:50:35.80\00:50:41.47
and put your life
in the hand of a God
00:50:41.50\00:50:44.27
and pray that His grace
will be extended to you.
00:50:44.31\00:50:46.78
Amen.
00:50:46.81\00:50:48.91
They try to row
harder, they became soft.
00:50:48.94\00:50:53.28
They said, "We want peace,
but we don't want to kill him."
00:50:53.31\00:50:55.82
Therefore, they cried
out to the Lord and said,
00:50:55.85\00:50:58.12
"We pray, O Lord,
00:50:58.15\00:50:59.49
please do not let us
perish for this man's life,
00:50:59.52\00:51:02.02
and do not charge
us with innocent blood,
00:51:02.06\00:51:04.06
for You, O Lord, have
done as it pleases You."
00:51:04.09\00:51:08.66
And so they decided to relent
00:51:08.70\00:51:10.60
because God was
in the relenting.
00:51:10.63\00:51:12.20
So they picked up Jonah,
and threw him into the sea,
00:51:12.23\00:51:14.84
and the sea
ceased from its raging.
00:51:14.87\00:51:18.44
"And then the men
fear the Lord exceeding
00:51:18.47\00:51:20.14
and offered a sacrifice
to the Lord and took vows."
00:51:20.18\00:51:23.11
Well, I want to tell you
today, some of you need to throw
00:51:23.14\00:51:25.51
some things out of
your life overboard,
00:51:25.55\00:51:28.95
overboard where they need to be.
00:51:28.98\00:51:32.72
And until they are
things that are in your life
00:51:32.75\00:51:34.62
that don't need to be
there are thrown overboard,
00:51:34.66\00:51:36.49
you will not have peace
because God was sent the storm.
00:51:36.52\00:51:40.46
I read about
storms in the scripture,
00:51:40.50\00:51:41.93
the storms on the
ocean that Jesus calm,
00:51:41.96\00:51:44.23
the storm that
Peter was in there
00:51:44.27\00:51:45.60
Jesus had him walk on the water,
00:51:45.63\00:51:47.14
the storm that Jesus was in
the boat with the disciples,
00:51:47.17\00:51:49.60
but it's something
all together different
00:51:49.64\00:51:51.77
when God is the
one sending the storm,
00:51:51.81\00:51:54.58
and the storm is not
00:51:54.61\00:51:55.94
for the purpose
of our destruction
00:51:55.98\00:51:58.01
but for the
purpose of our salvation.
00:51:58.05\00:52:01.18
What a storm? I learned.
00:52:01.22\00:52:04.42
I had some
storms in my own life.
00:52:04.45\00:52:06.35
Every now and then, God
knows when we need a storm.
00:52:11.63\00:52:16.33
I had some storms in my life
that reconnect me to my Bible.
00:52:16.36\00:52:20.10
I had some storms in my life
00:52:20.14\00:52:21.77
that made me look
for my Bible, again,
00:52:21.80\00:52:24.01
not just to put
a sermon together,
00:52:24.04\00:52:26.04
but to talk to God for myself.
00:52:26.07\00:52:29.81
I had some storms...
00:52:29.84\00:52:31.31
that made me bow
my knees before God,
00:52:34.78\00:52:39.22
and He said to me,
"Until you relinquish
00:52:39.25\00:52:41.02
all the control in your life
to God, you will never get it,
00:52:41.06\00:52:44.66
you will never
reach the destination
00:52:44.69\00:52:48.83
that God had
preselected for you.
00:52:48.86\00:52:53.70
He didn't want to go to Nineveh
and there's some people in here
00:52:53.74\00:52:56.30
that don't want to go
00:52:56.34\00:52:57.67
where God is
trying to send them.
00:52:57.71\00:52:59.14
And so they're
trying to run from God,
00:52:59.17\00:53:00.78
and I want to tell you,
00:53:00.81\00:53:02.14
the more you
try to run from God,
00:53:02.18\00:53:03.51
the more intense the
storms are going to get
00:53:03.55\00:53:05.21
until you decide,
00:53:05.25\00:53:06.58
"If it's Nineveh,
He wants me to go to,
00:53:06.61\00:53:08.32
I'm going to Nineveh."
00:53:08.35\00:53:10.15
So Jonah gets
thrown overboard and Jonah,
00:53:10.19\00:53:14.79
the Bible says in verse 17,
00:53:14.82\00:53:16.29
"Now the Lord had prepared
a great fish to swallow Jonah.
00:53:16.32\00:53:20.96
And Jonah was in
the belly of the fish
00:53:21.00\00:53:23.77
three days and three nights."
00:53:23.80\00:53:27.90
He's the only evangelist, Karen,
00:53:27.94\00:53:31.04
that knows what it's like to get
00:53:31.07\00:53:33.58
to an evangelistic
series smelling like sushi.
00:53:33.61\00:53:39.28
"And who are
you?" "I'm the preacher.
00:53:39.31\00:53:42.52
I'm the preacher.
00:53:45.25\00:53:46.82
Where is the pulpit?
00:53:46.86\00:53:49.19
Ignore the scent.
00:53:49.22\00:53:50.96
I'm the preacher.
00:53:50.99\00:53:52.56
My car broke down, I swam here.
00:53:52.59\00:53:56.67
I'm the preacher."
00:53:56.70\00:53:58.33
"Why do you look that way?"
00:53:58.37\00:53:59.87
"I don't know,
but I got a message."
00:53:59.90\00:54:02.04
So he starts
running around Nineveh
00:54:02.07\00:54:03.74
in three days,
the judgments of God
00:54:03.77\00:54:05.84
are going to fall on the city.
00:54:05.87\00:54:07.51
He runs to another
Interstate, in three days,
00:54:07.54\00:54:10.15
the judgments of God are
going to fall on the city.
00:54:10.18\00:54:13.11
And inspiration the Lord...
00:54:13.15\00:54:15.68
Servant says, that he
proclaimed that message
00:54:15.72\00:54:18.62
in every quarter of
the city of Nineveh,
00:54:18.65\00:54:21.69
and people saw the sincerity
in Jonah's proclamation,
00:54:21.72\00:54:25.33
and the wickedest
city known in that day,
00:54:25.36\00:54:28.20
they began to
straighten up, and they said,
00:54:28.23\00:54:29.86
"Surely, this
message must be from God."
00:54:29.90\00:54:32.50
And everybody in that city
began to think about the fact
00:54:32.53\00:54:37.34
that God was really
going to bring destruction,
00:54:37.37\00:54:40.08
that's why 3:1
is so significant.
00:54:40.11\00:54:44.48
The verse we began with is
the verse we're ending with.
00:54:44.51\00:54:49.78
Now the word of the Lord
00:54:49.82\00:54:53.59
came to Jonah the second time.
00:54:53.62\00:54:56.96
What time, my friends?
00:54:56.99\00:54:58.46
The second time.
00:54:58.49\00:54:59.83
When God in His mercy
give you a second chance,
00:54:59.86\00:55:03.83
you don't spurn
that second chance.
00:55:03.87\00:55:05.93
Can I get an amen?
00:55:05.97\00:55:07.30
When God in His long
suffering says to you,
00:55:07.34\00:55:10.77
"You got away the first
time, but you ain't getting away
00:55:10.81\00:55:13.38
this time."
00:55:13.41\00:55:14.74
When God said,
00:55:14.78\00:55:16.11
"I overlooked your
first level of disobedience,
00:55:16.14\00:55:18.28
but I ain't giving you
no room the second time,
00:55:18.31\00:55:21.18
you better go to
Nineveh, and you better preach."
00:55:21.22\00:55:23.79
And He said to Jonah,
"Arise, go to Nineveh,
00:55:23.82\00:55:25.95
that great city."
00:55:25.99\00:55:27.32
And there Jonah is, he
arrives not in a Cadillac,
00:55:27.36\00:55:30.93
not in a 747, not in
a taxi, not in an Uber,
00:55:30.96\00:55:35.20
he gets vomited on the
shores of Nineveh by a fish,
00:55:35.23\00:55:38.53
who didn't have a
care in life about Jonah.
00:55:38.57\00:55:41.70
Jonah's here.
00:55:45.04\00:55:46.37
Jonah just arrived.
00:55:51.35\00:55:53.95
Who?
00:55:53.98\00:55:55.88
So some fisherman
sees a slimy preacher.
00:55:55.92\00:55:58.95
That's what some of us
says, dump of slimy preachers
00:55:58.99\00:56:01.56
that God is using.
00:56:01.59\00:56:04.59
We think we're all there.
00:56:04.63\00:56:06.90
God spit up just so that
God can proclaim the message
00:56:06.93\00:56:09.90
to a dying world.
00:56:09.93\00:56:12.67
Slimy preacher, look at him.
00:56:12.70\00:56:16.20
Sad excuse, he
could have arrived
00:56:16.24\00:56:18.44
in a nice dry clean
suit, but he chose to arrive
00:56:18.47\00:56:25.11
covered by the grace of God.
00:56:25.15\00:56:28.28
You know what, I love this
part of the story as I end.
00:56:28.32\00:56:32.75
I'm not going to go
into how many were converted.
00:56:32.79\00:56:35.02
Okay, you want the statistics?
00:56:35.06\00:56:36.39
The whole city.
00:56:36.42\00:56:37.76
Amen?
00:56:37.79\00:56:39.13
The whole city,
everybody got Jesus.
00:56:39.16\00:56:43.33
And I don't want to
go on the other part,
00:56:46.80\00:56:48.14
Jonah got mad
00:56:48.17\00:56:51.14
that everybody got converted
00:56:51.17\00:56:53.11
because Jonah went
to preach the message
00:56:53.14\00:56:55.18
reluctantly, hesitantly,
00:56:55.21\00:56:57.61
but he wanted to see
some fire fall from heaven
00:56:57.65\00:56:59.81
and burn that city up.
00:56:59.85\00:57:02.28
And God said, "No, if
you had pity on those go,
00:57:02.32\00:57:06.79
this plant, can I not
have pity on this city."
00:57:06.82\00:57:11.59
You see, in our Sabbath
School class this morning,
00:57:11.63\00:57:14.93
we were studying
about the sanctuary.
00:57:14.96\00:57:18.43
In the Holy of
Holies is the mercy seat.
00:57:18.47\00:57:23.41
And on the inside of
the Ark of the Covenant
00:57:23.44\00:57:25.74
is the Ten Commandments of God
00:57:25.77\00:57:27.61
and above the commandments
of God is the mercy seat,
00:57:27.64\00:57:31.28
and the Lord said to me,
00:57:31.31\00:57:32.65
"There's only one thing
more important than My law,
00:57:32.68\00:57:36.08
it's My mercy."
00:57:36.12\00:57:38.12
Amen. Amen, church?
00:57:38.15\00:57:39.89
You guys are too tame for me.
00:57:39.92\00:57:41.26
I need to go back to New
Guinea where they say amen
00:57:41.29\00:57:44.89
in 15 different languages.
00:57:44.93\00:57:48.50
"Oh, you see, we get
so much sermonizing here,
00:57:48.53\00:57:51.50
we listen to all day long us
on 3ABN Radio, 3ABN television,
00:57:51.53\00:57:55.10
there sometimes it's
just another message, "
00:57:55.14\00:57:57.31
and I know that's not the case.
00:57:57.34\00:58:00.01
But I want to say
to you this morning,
00:58:00.04\00:58:02.64
God
00:58:02.68\00:58:04.75
is an exceedingly gracious God,
00:58:04.78\00:58:09.28
whose great desire
00:58:09.32\00:58:11.72
is to get us to
proclaim the final message,
00:58:11.75\00:58:14.86
to a final generation.
00:58:14.89\00:58:16.99
And, my brothers and my sisters,
00:58:17.03\00:58:18.79
when the Word of the Lord
comes to you the first time,
00:58:18.83\00:58:21.36
you made the first mistake,
00:58:21.40\00:58:23.60
but don't make
the second mistake
00:58:23.63\00:58:25.73
because one day you
will look for the Word of God
00:58:25.77\00:58:27.97
from the north to the
south, to the east, to the west,
00:58:28.00\00:58:31.57
and you won't be able to find it
00:58:31.61\00:58:33.17
because the Word of
God will be no more.
00:58:33.21\00:58:35.44
You look from the north
to the south, to the east,
00:58:35.48\00:58:37.68
to the west be a
hunger in the lamb,
00:58:37.71\00:58:40.15
not for bread in the water
00:58:40.18\00:58:41.62
but for the
hearing of the Word of God
00:58:41.65\00:58:43.55
if the Word of God
has come to you today.
00:58:43.59\00:58:47.09