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.
‘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;
into the heart of the seas,
and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
passed over me.
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]
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.
·
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
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.
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.
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.
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!’
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.
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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