Pray through Ramadan

Ramadan is the holiest time of year for Muslims. Sadly, it is also a time when persecution against Christians in Islamic countries increases. This year Ramadan is July 9 through August 8. Click here or on the picture above to sign up to receive the Open Doors 30 Day Ramadan Prayer Guide. During this season of Ramadan, let’s join together and pray for Muslims to know the peace of God and for Christians who live in Muslim countries to be strengthened and protected.

For a printer friendly version of the prayer calendar with no graphics, click here.

A Time for Reflection

Check out the podcast for this message.

Last week Jonah expressed great joy over the provision of a castor oil plant that provided him some shade in the hot Assyrian sun. That joy turned to despair as God appointed a worm that destroyed the plant. That was followed by a scorching east wind carrying small particles of sand that blew with such force that Jonah begged God to let him die. Quite the range of mood swings. There is one final conversation that God initiates with Jonah. Let’s see what God says.

Jonah 4:9-11 tells us, “Then God said to Jonah, “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.” Then the LORD said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?”

The first thing you notice is God’s incredible patience. Hey Jonah, just one last question to think about. “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?” God is affording Jonah another opportunity to look at things from a kingdom mindset. I don’t think God is using His mighty voice. I think He’s asking in a very soft, tender sounding voice because He still wants Jonah to get it. Pro. 15:1 tells us that, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” You want to diffuse a difficult situation quickly?    Speak softly and tenderly. It really works. Try it with your spouse, your family, friends, and co-workers.

“Do you have good reason to be angry?” Jonah said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.” How angry is that? No doubt the heat and scorching wind played a part in Jonah speaking before thinking. If only Jonah would have thought about the question for just a second. There’s got to be something more here than tremendous grief and sorrow over the death of a plant. Is that really the issue here or is there more going on? What kind of man are you that you would despair to the point of death over a plant? In Jonah’s mind, he was absolutely justified regardless of what anyone says, regardless of what the Word says, regardless of what God says. His mind was made up and no amount of reasonable dialogue could change what he thought.

God provides a very solid argument for agreeing with Him even though He doesn’t need to. The gentleness of God’s voice diminishes in v. 10 when He says, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight.” Jonah has some misplaced emotion. He has compassion for a plant that he had nothing to do with. He didn’t put a seed in the ground and lovingly care for the plant. He didn’t water it; he didn’t do anything for it. The plant is an inanimate object and when it dies, Jonah wants to die. He still doesn’t get it. The real issue isn’t the plant; the real issue is that Jonah is still wallowing in his great anger thinking of Nineveh’s turning from wickedness. God’s doing what He can to make Jonah realize that his priorities are whacked. Jonah had no compassion on Nineveh. His rationale? Nineveh was wicked and we judge him for his lack of love. Yet, don’t we do the same thing? All compassion goes out the door when we mention names like: Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Moammar Khadafy, and Adolf Hitler. We have no compassion when we think of the unknown person that killed Jon Benet Ramsay, or what we believe is the unjust not guilty verdict for Casey Anthony. None when we think of the unsolved disappearance of Natalee Holloway we get angry and demand justice. When we hear of death row inmates repenting we are skeptical. We feel like Jonah and we justify our feelings by concluding they deserve death, not life. When this is our attitude, we don’t fully grasp God’s grace. If God’s grace is sufficient for you and for me, then why isn’t it sufficient for someone as despicable as Bin Laden, or Hitler? When we look at humanity from God’s perspective, from a Kingdom perspective, our attitude should change. We are the receiver’s of God’s grace – unmerited favor: we are granted what we do not deserve. We are also recipients of God’s mercy – we don’t get what we do deserve.

God does have justification for what He does. God’s last recorded question goes unanswered when He asks, “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?” It’s a very thought provoking question. If God exercises His grace and mercy on one person, why not on another? On one nation, why not another? Jonah had compassion on a plant. He cared for that plant deeply enough that when it died, he wanted to die. Jonah had an opportunity to express compassion on God’s highest creation and would not. Nineveh repented and Jonah still concluded they did not deserve God’s mercy, they deserved God’s judgment. God’s question captures the whole purpose for this book. It’s never too late to repent. No matter what a city or country has done, it’s never too late. The issue is God’s grace and mercy. It’s seen throughout the book. Jonah disobeyed the call to go to Nineveh. God’s grace resulted in a second call. Jonah deserved to die in the sea. God’s mercy resulted in a fish. Jonah deserved to bake in the sun. God’s mercy resulted in a plant. Nineveh deserved judgment for their wickedness. God’s grace sent them a prophet.

God’s desire for humanity is salvation, not destruction. He’ll do what He can to provide that salvation as long as His creation does its part. We have the responsibility to carry the message of hope – the message of salvation to people that deserve death yet God loves the world so much that He willingly gave His only begotten Son. Each person must respond to that message of hope – that’s our part of the equation. God wants Jonah to feel how He feels for Nineveh. Jonah has the capacity for compassion. He showed it to the sailors on the ship. He showed it for the plant. God loves the people in Nineveh, just like He loves the people of Jerusalem and Galilee. He also loves the people Pyongyang, Kabul, Riyadh, Mogadishu, Tehran, Malé, Tashkent, Sanaá, Bagdad, and Islamabad. What is significant about these cities? They are the capital cities of the top ten countries on Open Doors world watch list where it is most difficult to be a Christ follower. In 8 of these top 10 countries, Islam is the predominant faith.

God has compassion on these places and wants those people to hear and respond to the life changing message of Jesus Christ. God tells Jonah that, “There are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right hand and left hand.” The number is probably the entire population of the city. The exact meaning of the phrase “do not know the difference between their right hand and left hand” is not definitively known. It might refer to the Ninevite’s inability to distinguish between various religions. During this time period, there was monotheism, polytheism, atheism, idolatry, and the Assyrians were known for worshiping the constellations. It might refer to the helplessness of the people or their pitifulness. The best understanding would be that God is referring to a morally and ethically naïve group of people. The people are not innocent, but it conveys the idea that they just don’t know any better. When told the truth, they responded so they at least recognized their evil ways and did something about it. At best, this group of people is in the infancy of their Christian walk of faith. “As well as many animals” likely indicates that even God’s creatures that walk, fly, and crawl about the earth as well as the fish of the seas have a higher place than plants do. God is still the Teacher. It seems that this book ends suddenly and somewhat strangely. We don’t know what Jonah’s response was, if any. Did Jonah hear? Did Jonah care?

We leave Jonah to wallow in his self pity for being the instrument God used to accomplish the greatest mission trip ever recorded. Salvation comes to every person in Nineveh. No one can ever resent the grace of God that is shown to another person. We are all undeserving of it. Today we are left to wonder if we, God’s people, will have any compassion for a lost world. The choice is ours. What becomes of Nineveh? Do they live happily ever after? Next week, we’ll look at the rest of the story.

The Message

You can listen to the podcast for this message here.

Last week we learned that God gave Jonah a second chance. When the word of God came to Jonah the first time, he responded in disobedience. God is not obligated to exercise grace upon us, but many times He does just that. Salvation came to Jonah in the form of a fish and God spoke to him again telling Jonah the same thing – go. God would tell him what to say when he got there. What did Jonah do with this second chance? Let’s find out.

Grab your Bible and read Jonah 3:3-9.

First things first. The word comes to Jonah and instead of fleeing, he goes to Nineveh. As we mentioned last week, it was probably a 20 day walk, less if he rode a donkey. The important thing is that given a second chance, Jonah went. There are people that God gives chance after chance, choice after choice, blessing after blessing and all is squandered in the pursuit of self satisfaction. You know them. Maybe they’re lost, maybe they’re saved – sometimes it’s hard to tell. Circumstances dictate their lives. You wonder when they’ll turn to God and get real; get authentic, live for God and quit playing around. How many people thought that about you? It’s really easy to look at everyone else and ignore yourself. Probably each of us has been given a second chance at one time or another.

“So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord.” I wonder what Jonah must have felt during his trip to get there. I wonder what he was thinking about. He must have had an idea of what God was going to tell him to say. All he had to do was preach the truth. That was the problem for Jonah and that remains the problem for us, but the rationale is different. Jonah didn’t want to tell the Assyrians the truth because he knew how they would respond. Sometimes we don’t want to tell the truth because we don’t want to get involved, we might offend someone; we might be labeled fundamental or fanatical, maybe judgmental or old-fashioned. We don’t want anyone to unfriend us on Facebook or quit following us on Twitter. Sometimes we’re very short sighted. “Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three day’s walk.” This refers to their size and importance, not their godliness or morality as a city. Remember their wickedness had come before God, that’s why he commissioned Jonah to go there. “A three day’s walk” indicates the distance to get across the city. Nineveh’s circumference was 55-60 miles. The average day’s walk was 20 miles – 3 day’s walk to get around it.

Jonah delivers God’s message. On the first day of the mission in v. 4, “Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk.” Jonah got right to it – such a complete transformation from the first call of God. It’s unlikely that no one noticed his arrival. Jonah looked different than the people of Nineveh, dressed differently, talked differently, and I am certain he smelled differently. Have you ever travelled outside of the country? It’s easy to spot an American. What was God’s message that Jonah cried out? It was simple. To the point. Profound. “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Overthrown means to overturn or forcibly remove from power. Back in 1:3, Jonah was to cry out against their wickedness – their sin. Now the message is Nineveh has 40 days. The city does not know God. Not a single man, woman, boy, or girl. Without God’s message and messenger, how would they hear? Today, without you, how will people hear? Do we really believe the message we have is the only one that matters? If we really believe this to be true, wouldn’t we do whatever was necessary to reach someone who does not know Jesus Christ?

Our parallel to Jonah’s mission is our mission to the Muslim community. The message we must cry out is that God loves you, He cares for you, He gave His only Son for you. That message is hard for us to deliver to Muslims because we think only in terms of terror. We’re afraid of what might happen.

• We remember the TWA flight and the cruise ship Achille Lauro that were hijacked in 1985.
• In 1986, it was a bomb that exploded on another TWA flight and the bombing of a West Berlin disco frequented by American servicemen.
• In 1988, it was Pan-Am 747 exploding over Lockerbie, Scotland.
• In 1993, it was a bomb in a basement garage of the World Trade Center.
• In 1995, it was a car bomb exploding outside military headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• In 1996, it was a truck bomb exploding outside Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia.
• In 1998, it was simultaneous truck bombs outside our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
• In 2000, it was the small boat attack of the USS Cole in Yemen.
• In 2001, it was the systematic attacks against the WTC, the Pentagon, and likely the White House.
• In 2002, it was a bomb at the American Embassy in Pakistan.
• In 2003, it was suicide bombers in a housing complex in Riyadh.
• In 2004, it was the three attacks against Americans and westerners in Saudi Arabia.
• In 2005, it was the suicide bombers at three American hotels in Jordan.
• In 2006, it was an attempted attack by four gunmen against our Embassy in Syria.
• In 2007, it was an anti-tank missile is fired at our Embassy in Greece.
• In 2008, it was suicide and roadside bombings in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, and India targeting Americans.
• In 2009, it was three suicide bombings in Iraq, the Ft. Hood shootings, and the underwear bomber.
• In 2010, it was a bomb discovered in Times Square, and bombs were found on two cargo planes coming from Yemen bound for the U.S.

You see it’s easy for us to remember those events and forget our responsibility – our privilege. Brother Andrew says what we do is based on what we believe. It’s true with every criminal act, every act of immorality, every terrorist act. Suicide bombers are deeply committed to their beliefs. To do nothing reveals a lot about us, too. Terrorism is a successful tool because it invokes fear. We have the truth of God, the truth that can change the world and when the truth is not at the forefront of our minds, evil in the world progresses. That’s why terrorist activities always seem to be directed against the U.S. The United States has the resources and the people to affect change in the world. As Christians, we have the resources and people to change eternity. It is names like Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, Taliban, and the PLO that evoke hatred in us yet their sin doesn’t separate them from God anymore than our sin separates us from God. When it’s crisis time, crunch time, the church must not entertain. We must warn of impending destruction with the good news of God’s love. Our job is to be obedient, the results are God’s.

So let’s see God’s results. Ultimately in everything we do, the results of following God are left to Him. For people that are results oriented, it’s hard. We want to help God. He provides the plan and we want to revise it, make our own model, tell people this is the way it must be done. Then we write books and create conferences and seminars to share our ultra cool ideas with the “with it” crowd to show everyone how it’s supposed to work. In the end we’re left discouraged and disillusioned because the latest gimmick is just that. For Jonah, the message of hope was concise. “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Does it mean that in 40 days Nineveh would be destroyed no matter what? That hardly seems to be a fitting judgment given God’s love for humanity.

As we look at Jonah’s phrase, we need to recognize what is happening here. When considering the seriousness of sin, we must understand that God will judge it. In our introduction message, we learned of the wickedness Assyria’s leaders. There wasn’t anyone in that country that we would consider good. This didn’t catch God by surprise. God will always condemn what is unholy and unjust. The end result is not God’s condemnation of sin. He cares enough to use people to tell His story of redemption. In the O.T., Israel was to be that light of hope for humanity. Is. 49:6 says, “He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant  To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;  I will also make You a light of the nations  So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” In the N.T., the new covenant, we have been tasked to carry the light of that hope. God cannot let the wickedness of Nineveh go without judgment. That’s why God commissioned Jonah to tell them! Nineveh was given 40 days to hear His message and respond. “If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.” (Jer. 18:7-8) God doesn’t dangle a carrot in front of someone then yank it away.

Verse 5 tells us the incredible response to the message. Jonah walked and he talked. Wherever and whenever he had the opportunity, he spoke the truth of God. He had no program, just God’s Word. “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” “Yet thirty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” “Yet twenty days . . . .” The people of Nineveh talked to one another, “Did you hear what that prophet said?” There must have been urgency with Jonah’s message, a sense of impending doom. I also believe God had to have prepared them to hear the truth. I believe that still happens today. Maybe the Ninevites had dreams about a coming prophet. Based on their response, God had to have prepared them in some way. Vs. 6-8 tell us the rest of the story. As a country’s leadership goes, so does the rest of the country. The king understood Jonah’s message and believed it to be true. He directed his nation to fast, to pray, and to repent of their wicked ways. In v. 9 though, the king concludes, “Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.” The king did it because it was the right, godly, and holy thing to do regardless of how God might respond.

Do we really believe God can work that way today? We live in a very troubled world. War. Hunger. Persecution. Racism. Crime. Islamic fundamentalism. Suicide bombers. The root of the problem we have today is the same problem that Nineveh had. It’s a sin problem and God provided the solution. If we turn from our wickedness to God, if we believe God’s message, we could see the miracle of Nineveh repeated today. The Apostle Paul wrote: “God was well pleased through the foolishness of the message to save those who believe.” (1 Cor. 1:21b) When people hear the Word of God, the completely hopeless find hope. The spiritually dead find life. The unrighteous become righteous. The imperfect find perfection through a holy, righteous, and perfect Savior. We who believe that Jesus is the Christ are the most effective weapon in fighting terrorism. Authentic followers of God don’t blow each other up.

“Blow a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; surely it is near . . . “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.” (Joel 2:1, 12-13)

The Realization

You can listen to the podcast for this message here.

Last week the sailors found out the whole reason for the storm was because of Jonah. They found out Jonah was running from God. They needed relief from the storm so they reluctantly obeyed Jonah and threw him into the sea to face certain drowning. That’s where we left Jonah, so let’s see what happens next.

Look at Jonah’s prayer in Jonah 1:17-2:9.

Now we come to the misplaced focus of the story. Too often in our telling of the story of Jonah, the emphasis is placed on the fish. Call it a whale, a fish, a sea monster – it doesn’t matter. Some argue that if this verse and 2:10 were removed from the book, the story would be more realistic. The fish is not the star of the story, but the God that appointed the fish. People over the years have attempted to prove this is possible by telling us that a whale is air breathing so Jonah could really live inside. There is no need to explain the fish in any other way except that it is a miracle of God.  A miracle is defined as an act of God beyond human explanation or replication. We don’t need to waste time trying to explain how this is possible – it’s a miracle. Just like the parting of the Red Sea. Just like the children of Israel wandering in the desert for 40 years with neither their shoes nor clothing wearing out. Just like Elijah raising the boy from the dead and Elisha raising the Shulamite’s son. Just like the cruse of oil never running out. Like the talking donkey. Like Joshua and the sun standing still. Just like Jesus turning water into wine, feeding the 5000, and most incredible of all? Jesus defying death!

Don’t worry about how implausible the fish may be – it’s a miracle and it really happened. The fish is definitely miraculous, but so is the fact that God sent the fish to save Jonah. Even with Jonah’s disobedience, his running, his turning his back on God’s call, his refusal to preach Christ to a lost and dying Nineveh, God did not turn His back on Jonah. Jonah had another opportunity. The word appointed in v. 17 means designated, it means equipped or furnished in a special way. Was this fish set aside in eternities past just for this reason? Did God have this fish in mind, or did He come up with the plan based on Jonah’s actions? Does it matter? What we know is God did not allow Jonah to die, but instead provided him with some alone time to reflect. It wasn’t a pleasant place to be. Jonah finds himself flying through the air and hits the water. As he floats down in the water, I think the fish came along immediately and swallowed him up. I don’t think Jonah’s head ever came up out of the water. Did he even try to swim or tread water? I believe in Jonah’s mind, he was dead as soon as the sailors picked him up. God’s mission for Jonah was so contrary to what Jonah wanted to do, he’d rather be dead than obey. The fish was designated to swallow Jonah. The fish knew its purpose and obeyed. Jonah knew his purpose and disobeyed. The vehicle for Jonah’s salvation was the fish. The vehicle for Nineveh’s salvation was Jonah.

Jonah uses his time effectively. Verse 17 tells us that Jonah, “Was in the stomach of the fish for three days and three nights.” Jonah had no reference point so the passing of time would only become apparent after he got out of the fish. What I’m sure was surprising for Jonah was that he was alive. Death did not come to him as he hoped for. We don’t know how much time passed between Jonah realizing he wasn’t dead until he began his prayer in 2:1. I wonder if he was disappointed? I’m sure he expected to wake up in heaven and he wakes up in hell. Remember the captain of the ship waking up Jonah encouraging him to pray? There is no account of Jonah’s willingness to pray earlier. To this point in the book, Jonah is a man of few words speaking only two sentences so far.

Now Jonah prays and it’s interesting to note that Jonah, “prays to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish.” Not just to the Lord as the sailors did earlier. Jonah is acknowledging that God is his Lord. Jonah was desperate. He cried out in his distress. Distress means extreme anxiety. Jesus was so distressed in the garden at His impending death that His sweat became drops of blood. Jonah’s desperation turned to prayer. Too often we’re just like Jonah. We run from God and get ourselves into situations and we wonder why is God allowing this? If only Jonah had prayed for a godly attitude, had prayed for strength, for commitment. If only Jonah had prayed for God’s love to fully encompass him to the point that he would love his enemies and tell them how they could know Jesus. If only had prayed these things when God gave him the mission to preach to Nineveh. Jonah prayed, “from the depth of Sheol.” Jonah was not dead, although he probably felt like it. You’ve heard the expression, “hell on earth?” That’s what Jonah was feeling like. He is overwhelmed by his circumstances.

Jonah ran from God and discovered you can run, but you can’t hide. Ps. 139:7-10 remind us, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me.” No matter where you go, God is there. Jonah ran from God, and God ran after Jonah. Even though Jonah is in complete and utter despair, God heard and answered him and that is extraordinarily significant. Don’t ever think there is a time when God turns His back on you. If you cry out to Him, He’ll hear and answer you.

Jonah knows what is going on. He recognizes God’s sovereignty in v. 3. It was God that prepared the ship. It was God that prepared the storm and the waves. It was God that prepared the fish. It was God that prepared deliverance for Jonah and for Nineveh. Jonah makes what looks like a really disheartening conclusion. He says, “I have been expelled from Your sight.” We know that God is everywhere so what Jonah is saying is, “I have fallen out of favor with God.” That’s how it is with us. Our own actions cause us to fall out of favor with God, but our relationship does not change. Sin does that. God cannot and will not look favorably on sin nor will He ignore it. In many cases, we don’t see any immediate consequences for our sin, so we wrongly conclude that it doesn’t matter. In Jonah’s case, he could have avoided the consequences for sin if he’d simply obeyed. But all hope is not lost. Even though he is in the belly of the fish, Jonah says, “Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.”  It’s never too late to turn from our sin to God.

Even though it looks pretty bleak for Jonah, he continues to pray knowing that his God will hear him. It was bad. Imagine yourself in this situation. Swirling around in the stomach juices of the fish, it’s slimy, smelly, disgusting, and dark. The fish is still swimming, taking turns, changing depths. Jonah is probably seasick. You can hear the despair in his voice as he continues to cry out to God, “Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me, weeds were wrapped around my head. I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever.” And now the big turning point for Jonah. The big but. Look at Jonah’s prayer in 6b-9. You cannot acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord of your life and not do what He tells you. In Acts 10, Peter was given a vision to kill and eat all kinds of animals and birds that were unclean. Peter protested so God told him again. Peter got the message – God speaks, we obey. “Salvation is from the Lord.” That is the unchanging message of hope. That is the message our friends, family, co-workers, and Muslims need to hear.

Jonah struggles to surrender to the Lordship of God. I struggle with that too. Are we going to run away? Or are we going to submit? With our mouths we pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Are we serious when we pray those words? Are we willing to be part of God’s answer to that prayer? I can’t help but notice that it if it ever occurred to Jonah to pray for Nineveh, he didn’t do it. Jonah looked to the Temple. Today as part of the new covenant, our bodies are the dwelling place of God. Our bodies are the temple of Christ. Do we see Muslims as potential temples of the Holy Spirit?

The Shocking Instruction

You can listen to the podcast here.

Last week the sailors found out who they were dealing with and why they were in this calamity. The consequences of our actions often affect those around us and they likely have no idea what we’ve done or what we might be involved in. Sometimes people won’t listen to us because our poor testimony gets in the way. Jonah is the cause for the sailor’s predicament and they are terribly afraid so they ask Jonah a question.

Jonah 1:11-16 gives us some insight into the heart of the sailors and the responsibility they had for the crew, its passengers, and the ship. I hope you’ll read it.

The sailors know the truth about Jonah, but that doesn’t do anything about the sea. The seas were getting rougher and rougher. Many years ago, I served aboard the USS Rhode Island (SSBN 740)(Gold). At the end of a patrol in 1996, we encountered some extraordinary rough seas on a surface transit to return to port. I’ve never been in rougher seas. The majority of the crew was sick. It was too rough to prepare and serve meals. Walking was difficult. All anyone wanted to do was dive the ship so everything would calm down. That’s what the sailors wanted here too. Jonah is the reason for the storm. “So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?” for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy.” They know Jonah’s God controls the seas and it’s his fault they are about to break up, so it’s a logical question. What can we do to make the sea calm? You can hear the desperation in their voices. Jonah’s answer will likely come as a shock to you. “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.” Jonah takes responsibility for the storm. Something has to happen, someone has to die. I’m certain Jonah thought he was better off dead. Jonah knows enough about God’s character that since he was to blame, God would calm the seas if he would remove himself from the situation. No reason for the ship to be destroyed along with the crew when he could simply sacrifice himself. Interestingly enough, Jonah was willing to sacrifice himself for the sailors. He had compassion on them, yet had no compassion on Nineveh. He wanted the sailors to live, but notice he didn’t tell them how they could know God, just how they could escape. We see that a lot, don’t we? Just get me out of this mess I created. Just tell me what to do. I don’t care about the truth, I just want this to be fixed. I just want this to be over. We’re presented with incredible opportunities not just to help in a particular situation, but to give the life changing answer that is found in Christ.

Someone has to die in order that others might live. There does comes a time when God’s patience is exhausted. A time when grace ends and judgment begins. If there is no judgment, then the God of the universe becomes like the parent in Wal-Mart that tells his child, “If you do that one more time.” One more time never comes. Grace becomes license. That’s not how God rolls. You cannot separate God’s grace from His judgment. Rev. 3:19 says, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.” Ps. 94:12, “Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O Lord.”  In order to save the lives of the sailors, Jonah must die. These sailors are innocent, but they are suffering the consequences of someone else’s disobedience. Sin rarely affects the sinner alone. Its like a ripple in the water that as it spreads outs, it consumes all in its path.

Jonah is very clear that he must be thrown into the sea in order for the sailors to live, so the obvious question is, “Why doesn’t he just jump over board?” If he did, he’d definitely be taking responsibility for his actions. He’d alleviate the guilt of the sailors for causing his death. Maybe he wasn’t really willing to die. John 12:24 tells us that, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” If Jonah gets tossed into the sea which would mean certain death, there would be no salvation for the sailors, or for Nineveh.  Jonah knows he has to die, but he can’t take his own life, he must offer himself as a sacrifice to save the sailors.  Here’s a fundamental difference between Christianity and Islam – committing suicide is NEVER our call. In Matt. 16:25 Jesus said, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”  Jesus is not necessarily talking about dying. He’s talking more about giving up your rights so others can hear the good news. Rom. 12:1 says, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Jonah is still a prophet. He knows what’s required to calm the sea. He knows the truth. All that is needed is for Jonah to die.

The big but. Jonah tells the sailors, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea.” Such clear instructions. Save the ship and her crew by tossing one wayward prophet into the sea. After all, it’s what he wanted; it’s what he told them to do. So what do the sailors do with such clear instructions? They come up with their own plan, just like we often do when presented with clear instructions. Verse 13 says, “However, the men rowed desperately to return to land, but they could not for the sea was becoming even stormier against them.” They ignored God’s prophet and their plan failed, just like our plans fail when we ignore God’s instructions. Parenting. Relationships. Missionary dating. Sexual immorality. Finances. Daily living. At this point, the sailors didn’t consider following Jonah’s advice. Even though the sea was getting stormier, it wasn’t stormy enough. It’s just like that for us. Our lives are stormy, but they’re not stormy enough to submit to God. The sailors were so desperate to get to the safety of land that they rowed. Literally dug their oars into the water. They worked hard to get to land so they could dispose of Jonah. The harder they rowed, the more the sea battled them, the harder the wind blew. Jonah told them what to do and they didn’t do it. God told Jonah what would make the sea calm. Jonah’s God controls the sea and He was not happy with what they sailors did and that’s why the sea grew stormier. That’s why our lives get stormier when we walk in disobedience.

The sailor’s efforts were futile. So what did they do? When all else failed, after they had done all they could, “Then they called on the Lord.” This is so significant. They had no hope. Remember these were pagan sailors. They did not know Jonah’s God, but they saw what He could do. There are many good non-Christians. There are many Muslims who are very good people. We don’t do any favors for Jesus by demonizing Muslims or by making them our enemies. How many Muslims really want to know what Jesus has done for them? In throwing Jonah overboard, did the sailors wonder if they may be throwing away their only chance of knowing more about the God that controls nature? However, the sea grew wilder. Finally, to save themselves, they had to throw Jonah overboard. They did what they could to save their ship, themselves, and even Jonah. It was to no avail as the sea continued its raging. They concluded that they would follow through with Jonah’s command and they prayed, “We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased.” This is a three part prayer and I don’t want to miss one thing. First they prayed that they wouldn’t die because of Jonah. No matter the culture, taking another’s life without cause is a serious offense. Jonah admitted to being disobedient and they saw that his God commanded the seas and the wind. They wanted to avoid any consequences that might come their way. Jonah was not just a guy, he was a prophet of God, a servant of God. Second, they prayed, “Do not put innocent blood on us.” This could indicate that the sailors were not convinced the storm was because of Jonah. It could also indicate that they didn’t have a right to inflict punishment on Jonah because he hadn’t been convicted by a court. They didn’t see Jonah commit any transgression; they were going off of what Jonah told them. They didn’t want to be held liable for what would surely happen when they toss Jonah overboard. Finally, they prayed, “You, O Lord, have done as you pleased.” This is a polite way to say, “This storm is your fault God,” but they were also acknowledging God’s supreme power in controlling nature. These sailors were innocent bystanders to Jonah’s disobedience. Ps.115:3, “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.” Pro. 21:1, “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.”

Look what happens in v. 15: “So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.” It should come as no surprise to us that the sea did exactly as Jonah said it would. We don’t know how much time if any passed between vs. 14 and 15, but here’s what we do know. God can always be trusted. God’s Word can always be trusted. If God is telling you to do something – do it! If God is telling you to don’t do something – don’t! If God is telling you to stop something – stop! Because God did exactly as He said He would, “Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.”  We’re just like the sailors. We want a sign that God is working, we want some tangible evidence that God is right there. What sacrifice the sailors offered to the Lord is not known. They had no cargo; remember in v. 5 they threw everything overboard. There is no evidence in the text to suggest the sailors converted to the one and only true God. They, “made vows.” I think of the vows we carelessly make if God would get us out of some troubling situation. I don’t think these vows were any different. We leave the sailors on the ship not knowing any more information about them and now focus on what it’s going to take for God to get a hold of Jonah.

The sobering reality is that some people can witness the power of God first hand and yet still not receive the free gift He offers. Some can receive the blessings of answered prayers and still do not accept Him as Savior and Lord. How much more is God going to do in your life before you acknowledge Him? It’s a question we all must answer.

The Need for Repentance

You can listen to the podcast for this message here.

There have been many events in my lifetime that I remember vividly. I remember July 1969 when Apollo 11 landed on the moon and Neil Armstrong climbed down the ladder and said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” I remember the Berlin wall coming down in 1989. I remember the space shuttle Challenger exploding 73 seconds into flight back in 1986 and the less remembered Columbia in 2003. We all remember hurricane Katrina in 2005. The earthquake, tsunami, and reactor meltdowns in Japan last March. The devastating tornadoes in Alabama last April. There is one that stands out in my memory more vividly than these. 10 years ago today, there was an event unlike any other. No other event since the attack on Pearl Harbor has caused such national outrage. Unlike Pearl Harbor, the enemy that attacked us on 9/11 had no defined boarders. It was a war that hit us where we least expected it – on our home soil utilizing not fighter aircraft, not military, or bombs, but our own commercial airplanes. We watched in horror at the live television coverage. The investigation that followed left us with more questions than answers with many people asking the question, “How could a loving God let this happen?” Maybe this morning we can approach this 10 year anniversary of 9/11 from a different perspective

Luke 13:1-9 gives a great parallel and I encourage you to grab your Bible and read it.

Here’s the background. Jesus once again was in front of the crowds. He had been teaching, answering questions, speaking in parables. We don’t know how many people there were, but I’m sure his disciples were there and of course the Pharisees that continually tested Him. This event is recorded only by Luke. It was on this occasion that, “Some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.” (Luke 13:1)  Jesus heard that statement and also mentions the falling of the Tower of Siloam. This is very interesting as we consider the events of 10 years ago. Jesus does not ignore the statement concerning the mixing of blood. He doesn’t ignore the human suffering that had occurred. Likewise, the church does not need to get overly spiritual and give pat answers for events like 9/11.

Do you remember where you were when you heard the news of 9/11? I was waiting for a 9:00 a.m. meeting to start when I was stationed onboard the USS Maine. I watched as the second plane hit the south tower and all doubt was removed as to what was happening. I was sitting on the most powerful war machine ever created. I went home to gather some last minute items I would need for deployment. I had trained for 18 years for this moment. I had the same emotions everyone else did. How could this happen in America? Why? Sorrow at the loss of life. Having a desire to help, but being helpless to do anything. Watching as the cameras zoomed in on those people at the windows pleading for help. How will this affect us? These emotions are present not only in national tragedy but also in personal suffering. These events bring up the question of the causes of human suffering. Some concluded that the tragedy of 9/11 was due to America’s sin. But what sin did the people killed on 9/11 commit? 9/11 was not due to some specific sins that the victims committed and Jesus tells His listeners the same thing.

Human moral evil does exists. Pilate was notorious for his brutal acts. Josephus records a number of Pilates’ atrocities but not this particular one. This was particularly heinous. The Galileans Luke writes about were killed while offering sacrifices. Who would ever expect to be destroyed in the temple? How can people be so evil? Jer. 17:9, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?”  I really like the KJV translations that says it a bit differently, “The heart is evil and desperately wicked.” Why would we be shocked at this act of terrorism? Human depravity runs very deep. Jesus went beyond commenting on what Pilate did. Jesus mentions the Tower of Siloam falling. The tower was built to protect a principle water supply of Jerusalem. When it fell, 18 people were killed. That’s a far cry from the 2977 victims of 9/11. Is the suffering and grief less when one of the people that dies is your spouse, or parent, or child? Jesus was never one for political correctness. He had a very conservative nature.  For Jesus, truth is truth. I’m sure the media of the day would have blasted His remarks. Always teaching, Jesus took the opportunity to remind His listeners of the frailty of life. Followers of Christ are often put on the spot in events such as 9/11 or in natural disasters. When tragedy strikes, people demand answers. Perhaps we’ll retreat with cliché sayings like, “It’s time for all of us to come together.” “God is still in control.” We don’t see Jesus doing that though. He says, “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Wow, no I’m sorry for your loss. He didn’t say, “Well I’m sure they’re all in a better place.” When faced with tragedy, we must be truthful. Not everyone who died on 9/11 went to heaven and that is something we don’t like to verbalize. Only those who had an authentic relationship with Christ went to heaven. We live in a world where there are no guarantees for tomorrow. Paul understood this urgency when he said, “Now is the day of salvation” in 2 Cor. 6:2.

Even in the midst of all this, Jesus still cares. Whether natural or man-made tragedy, Jesus is compassionate. If you read this passage quickly, you might miss it. Jesus’ words may be to the point, but they aren’t lacking compassion. Had we been in the group listening to Jesus, we would see it written all over His face. I believe it was very difficult for Him to say, “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” It wasn’t a flippant, they had a chance and they blew it type of response. The whole purpose of His life was stepping out of a perfect place to make a way for mankind to have a relationship with the Father. There is a hope in the face of great personal and national tragedy. Jesus cares, that’s why He gave the warning to repent – twice in this passage. In the wake of 9/11, Christians around the nation eagerly anticipated a turning to God. Everyone was quoting 2 Chr. 7:14, “And My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” And almost shockingly we ask ourselves, where is God? Yet we ignored the instructions to humble ourselves, pray, seek and turn from our wicked ways. The people of Jerusalem never expected the tower of Siloam to fall. The World Trade Center and the Pentagon are symbols of America’s economic and military strength. The attacks of 9/11 reminded the world that a nation cannot rely on economic or military power. America trusted in herself rather than God. It is a startling contrast to the Psalmist’s words, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” (Ps. 33:12) As a church have we been faithful to preach the good news of Jesus Christ? Have we demonstrated the love of Christ in our lives?

There is a seemingly strange conclusion to the passage in Luke. In this passage Jesus asked a couple of questions. In v. 2 He said, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners that all the other Galileans because they suffered this fate?” In v. 4 the question is, “Do you suppose that those eighteen . . . were worse culprits than all the men that lived in Jerusalem?” In other words, did these people allowed to die because they were worse than anyone else around? There is comfort in Jesus’ response.  Look at v. 6-7. A fig tree’s job is to produce figs. For three years, the tree failed to do its job and the man that owned the vineyard had had enough. He told the vineyard keeper to cut down the worthless tree. But the vineyard keeper asked for another chance. He said he’d dig around it, give it some fertilizer. If the tree didn’t do what it was supposed to do, then he’d cut it down. The fig tree was given another chance, but the time was limited. God is a God of compassion and mercy, but He is also a God of justice. Many people cheered and applauded the report that Osama Bin Laden had been eliminated. While this news brought huge relief to some, I assure you, others will rise up to take his place. America represents self-government, independence, and freedom.

Rom. 13:3-4 says, “For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.” God has given temporary justice to rulers – to Presidents and governing bodies and that justice is sometimes less than perfect. Final justice belongs to God, and it will be perfect justice. Job 34:12, “Surely, God will not act wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice.”  There is comfort because God is still in control. Pro. 21:1 reminds us that, “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.”

Were the people killed in the attacks heroes? Although there are many stories of heroic action during and after the vents, most were regular people like you and me. No one woke up on 9/11 and thought that it was the day their life would end. There is still time, but it is running out. When tragedy strikes, we have the opportunity, obligation, and privilege to gently and lovingly declare that there is a hope. There’s still time for you to choose to live the life that God wants for you. There’s still time for you to live a life of authenticity.