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Sunday 17 March 2013

'JONAH' (Cont'd.) - Chapter 2

Rev. Juliet Schimpf
By Rev. Juliet Schimpf   

Rev. Juliet Schimpf  is the Minister of 
First Baptist  Church in Perth, Ontario:

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LINK to CFRA broadcast of Sunday, March 17th, 2013)
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Broadcast Notes:
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'Jonah' (Cont'd.) - Chapter 2


(Context:  Ninevah - Assyrians were enemies of Israel)
First 2 chapters (50%) Jonah: 
   
"Before God can do something through us, He must first do something in us."

RECAP: 
        
     Jonah ran from God—to Tarshish; a city in Spain, in opposite direction of Ninevah and about as far away as possible!

o   a. fear of the Ninevites who fuelled the Assyrian war machine
o   b. prejudice; He didn’t want God’s favor to extend to His enemies; He wanted God’s favor to rest solely upon the people of Israel

·         RUNNING:
o   chapter 1:  a disobedient prophet running from God
o   chapter 2:  a praying prophet running back to God
o   chapter 3:  a faithful prophet running with God
o   chapter 4:  an angry prophet running ahead of God
Jonah 2
1Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish
·         did not pray in the bottom of the boat; slept
·         we tend to call out when life is going badly
·         re. prayer:  William Law:  “He who has learned to pray, has learned the greatest secret of a holy and happy life.”
2saying,
‘I called to the Lord out of my distress,
   and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
   and you heard my voice. 
·          “Sheol” is more literally translated grave; metaphor = Jonah’s descent in the ocean is analogous to one’s descent to hell
·         
          MATTHEW 12  THE SIGN OF JONAH:  38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth. 41 The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!

3 You cast me into the deep,
   into the heart of the seas,
   and the flood surrounded me;
   all your waves and your billows
   passed over me. 
* Jonah knows that it was actually God working through the hand of the sailors.
* For all Jonah’s mistakes in chapter 1:  he proves wise in chapter 2

* from rebellion to repentance; from discipline to dedication

*How we respond to discipline determines how much benefit we receive from it.

* Hebrews 12:6 
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son/daughter.”[
a]
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

4 Then I said, “I am driven away
   from your sight;
how
* shall I look again
   upon your holy temple?” 

·          RE. TEMPLE:  Jonah had a somewhat restricted view of God and his presence.  The prevailing opinion in Israel in Jonah’s time was that God was limited to the temple in Jerusalem or, at most, to the soil of Israel.  That’s why Jonah thought he could flee from God.
5 The waters closed in over me;
   the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped around my head 
·         weeds in whale?
6   at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land
   whose bars closed upon me for ever;
yet you brought up my life from the Pit,
   O Lord my God. 
·          Carroll Simcox|:  “To be afraid of God is to run away from Him.  To fear God is to stand in awe of Him.”
·          Before God can do something through us, He must first do something in us.”

7 As my life was ebbing away,
   I remembered the Lord;
and my prayer came to you,
   into your holy temple.
·         “As my life was ebbing away, I remembered the Lord….”
o   We tend to remember the Lord when the going gets tough

8 Those who worship vain idols
   forsake their true loyalty.
·         MESSAGE:  “Those who worship hollow gods, god-frauds, walk away from their only true love.”

9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving
   will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Deliverance [salvation] belongs to the Lord!’ 

·         Jonah’s view of salvation has broadened—salvation belongs to the Lord and he can save the Ninevites if he wants to.
·         Now, Jonah is ready for his task…..
·         Before God can do something through us, He must first do something in us.”

10Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon the dry land. 
·         God commands creation:  storms, shuts mouths of lions, spoke through a donkey to Balaam (Numbers), etc.
WE SERVE A GOD OF SECOND CHANCES!

Let’s pray:

Our Gracious Heavenly Father, We thank you for the life-example of Jonah. And we thank you that when he thought that all was done, that you intervened; That you sent a large fish and that you rescued Jonah, because you were not finished with him yet.
And would that comfort some listener this morning? Would it comfort the listener who thinks their life is finished? And would they hear clearly from the voice of God, that you are the God of second chances; and that you have plans to prosper us and give us hope and a future?
Lord. Thank you that you are not done with us, yet!
And I pray, Lord, for the listener who is in a season of discipline, right now; who has been ‘timed-out’ for whatever reason. And would they max out this season, not run from it, not regret it, but embrace it; and actually say, “God, what do you want to do in me during this season of waiting, so that, later down the road you can do mighty things through me?”
God, we just thank you that you are good, and do good, 24/7.
Bless each listener, here this day, and lead us boldly and faithfully in the days to come.
We ask all this in Jesus’ name, Amen.


Rev. Juliet Schimpf
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To listen to the above broadcast, click on the following link:

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