Well, good evening. Well, I have to say for Robin and I, it's a special blessing always to be with you. And we know it's been a lot of years since even I was here last time, and longer since Robin was. But I was talking to Mike earlier, and just want to repeat what I said to him, that you've just been such a blessing to Robin and I over the years in so many different ways. Just the encouragement that you've given us, the support financially that you've given to us. But the most important is just the friendship that we have had with you all here for a lot of years. And that genuinely means more to Robin and I than anything else. And it always has. We're just thankful to the Lord for you. And, you know, I just wanted to say that and turn, if you would, let's just get started. Turn, if you would, to Matthew chapter 12. Lord willing, we're going to be looking at Jonah, but before turning to Jonah, I'd like us to consider something in Matthew chapter 12. And why are we looking at Jonah? Well, because it's been a blessing to me, fundamentally. And I think any preacher of the Gospel, that's often the criteria that drives what you preach, especially coming and visiting, you know, I don't know all that's going on here, but I feel if the Lord has blessed me, has spoken to me, then I know that you and I are just alike, and I trust that it'll be a blessing and a help to you also. And the Lord has, I've had cause recently to be looking at the Book of Jonah and studying it. And, you know, as we, Look at Jonah. I have to say, at least to myself, I find it to be a very peculiar and strange book, and in more than one way. And as the Lord, as I've studied it, and as the Lord has been pleased to grant me more light, I find it really to be a remarkable book, actually. And I hope to show some of that to you. I think the question we should always have is, what is God revealing to us in his word? What is he revealing to us in Jonah, in the word that he gave to this prophet and the circumstances in which we find Jonah in this book? Or really, what we should say is, what is the message of Jonah? What is God telling us in all of these things that occur to this prophet at that point in time. And, you know, if any, probably all of us have grown up in some sort of religion, true religion or false religion, in all likelihood you've heard of Jonah and the whale, and that's what most people think of when they hear Jonah. And it does tell us things about God, make no mistake about that, the fact that the Lord sent this whale to swallow Jonah, tells us things about God. It's an important thing, but that's not the message of Jonah. That's not what should immediately come to our minds when we look at Jonah, when we think of Jonah, and look for what God's message is to us. Well, that's why we're in Matthew 12, because let's let the Lord answer that question. What is the message of Jonah? Well, he'll tell us. and look there and I think we'll find it too, and no doubt you know it, but even so, I still, in fact, the more I understand Jonah, the more startling I find this answer that Jesus gives to be. And here in Matthew 12, let me just remind you of the context. The context of this is, As is the case with many instances, the Pharisees have come, they're harassing Jesus with questions, they're seeking to override the truth of the gospel that he's proclaiming, and he'd cast out a demon. And this is what they said, this fellow, this fellow, this fellow, listen to this. disrespect which they use in referring to Christ. This fellow does not cast out demons except by the power of Beelzebub, the ruler of demons. And Christ rebukes them for their wickedness and reminds them that there will an account be required in the day of judgment of whatever is brought forth from the heart of man. Like Jonah, the Lord Jesus reminds these Pharisees of the coming judgment of God. And then some of them respond. Look there in verse 38, Matthew chapter 12 and verse 38. This is what they respond. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered saying, teacher, we want to see a sign from you. but he answered and said to them, an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. Now before continuing, I want to impress upon you a very important truth. A very important truth. God is the Lord of history. God is the Lord of history. God doesn't mold his purpose of redemption around the events of history. He molds history to serve his purpose of redemption. He molds history to serve his purpose of glorifying his name and the redemption of lost sinners. Now, he does this with Jonah. And here he's making reference to these events which occurred with his prophet Jonah. And what does he say? He says, these events, as you consider Jonah, you're to consider that a greater than Jonah is here. That's what we should be thinking about. A greater than Jonah is here. Well, what does this mean? Well, the Lord often does this. He makes reference to an Old Testament text, which is in reference to himself, to his ministry, or to the present circumstances that he's dealing with, like these. And this in turn serves to illuminate those Old Testament scriptures and give us an understanding of what the Lord is telling us in each case. And this is what he's doing with Jonah. The Lord tells the scribes and the Pharisees that Jonah and the events which occurred with Jonah typify Christ in his own death and burial and resurrection. This reluctant prophet, this recalcitrant prophet, this disobedient prophet of all things is a type of Christ. Isn't that amazing? Well, how can that be? And here's that wonderful declaration of Christ, a greater than Jonah is here. And to gain a proper understanding of this statement and to begin to appreciate the rich depth of truth that is found in Jonah, I find that we really need to take the narrative in its entirety. I find it very difficult to preach on portions of Jonah because we need to understand the whole narrative to understand what is the message that God is giving to us through this prophet Jonah. Well, turn there then if you would, turn there to Jonah. And as you're doing that, let me say again, God is the Lord of history. And you and I need to remember that today as well. Everything that is occurring today, yesterday, tomorrow, is all according to the Lord of history. He's directing everything according to his purpose. And you and I believe that. We know that to be true if asked. But typically, if you're like me, you tend to forget that. in your little circumstances, in my little circumstances. And it's very helpful when we step back and look at how the Lord has worked in history, in the events of history, and apply those to our circumstances, realize he's doing the same thing today as he did yesterday. And he'll do the same thing tomorrow. And I find tremendous encouragement in that. Well, here we know He molds history to serve his purpose, and that purpose is to glorify his name. There's great comfort in that, isn't there? That he's going to work things, his name will be glorified. Not that it might be glorified, but it will be glorified. Regardless of who or what he's dealing with, even if he's dealing with a disobedient prophet, even if he's dealing with you and me, he's still going to be glorified. Now God creates and sustains all things. He sets the seasons. He calls for the wind and the rain. He raises up kings. He brings down empires. All peoples, all cultures, in all times are in the realm of his power and his will. And all serve his purpose in the redemption of his people. That's why he created the world, to be glorified in the redemption of his people. Now, again, what is the most important purpose of all that we find here in Jonah? Well, Christ told us. He said, for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, even so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. If only the scribes and the Pharisees had eyes to see and ears to hear, they would have been able to see and understand that Jesus was saying he was the fulfillment of all that Jonah typified. Their eyes would have been opened to the rich treasure of gospel truth about the Son of Man that's found in this book, in this strange little book. And so as we look at it, I'd like for us to consider three things. Three things, although not necessarily in this order. If you're looking for going through point one and then point two, point three, it's not gonna happen. Let me just warn you up front. But these are the things that I think are important for us to see, and we'll see them. One, Jonah foreshadowed and typified Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. were told by Christ again that Jonah was a sign. He was a sign to the people of Nineveh, and so too Christ would be a sign to his and all subsequent generations. And third, God is not like man. If there's anything that tells us this, we see it in the book of Jonah. His ways aren't our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. He does things differently than we would. God is not like man. And especially in this area that we find in this book of Jonah, God is a God of grace and mercy. He's not like you and I. Well, let's begin. Let's begin. In chapter 1, verse 1 of Jonah, we read, Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it, for their wickedness has come up before me. Now isn't that always the beginning of the grace of God? His word. His Word. That's always the beginning. The Word of the Lord. This Word springs forth and originates, as the apostle John writes at the beginning. He says, in the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And, you know, a believer will never get used to the wonder of this next statement, that the word became flesh and dwelt among us. When the Lord purposes to save, he sends a messenger and he sends his word. That's always the case. That's the beginning. That's the beginning of the grace of God. This is what God did to the world. This is what God did for the world. If you could have, you know, I don't know if you've thought about this, but out of all the richness of God's Word, if you could have just one verse, one verse, well, what would it be? Well, that great statement in John 3.16 would be a good one, wouldn't it? Don't let false religion rob us of the glory that's found in this verse. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Now that is a glorious verse, isn't it? That's a glorious message. It's a message worth preaching. It's a message to proclaim to the world. But you know, it's so wonderful, it's such a precious truth that we often overlook the next verse. Now listen, for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. And that's definitely a theme in the book of Jonah. God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world. that the world through him might be saved. Jonah wasn't happy with that. We'll see that in the Lord's goodness. But well, God's purpose is to have mercy upon Nineveh. We know that. You know the story. That's his purpose. His purpose is to have mercy upon Nineveh, that great city, as he says, to show them their sin, to bring them to repentance, to forgive them, and to give them life. and he sends his prophet Jonah. Well, what's Jonah to do? He's to cry out against it. What is he to cry out? He's to cry out for their, why? Because the Lord says, their wickedness has come up before me. And when we read that type of terminology from God, when he speaks about the wickedness coming up before him, it causes us to think of the similar words of God in the days of Noah. When we read, then the Lord saw, as he looks down upon the earth, that he created, when the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually. Now that's quite an indictment, isn't it? But when God looked down upon the earth, this is what he saw. The wickedness had come up before him. And you know, when God looks down upon our country today, this is exactly what he sees. When he looks down upon the world today, this is exactly what he sees. Now if ever a man is to cry out to God, God be merciful to me a sinner, he must know that he's a sinner. And so God sends Jonah. Remember his purpose is a purpose of mercy to Nineveh. What does he do? He sends Jonah He sends Jonah to cry out against the city of Nineveh. Arise! Go to Nineveh and cry out against it. You know, in Romans 1, don't turn there. I know you're all familiar with it, but just think of it. Just consider what we find there in Romans 1. In Romans 1, the word of the Lord gives us a description of who man is. Who man is. That is, if someone were to ask God, well, could you describe man? Well, this is God's description of man. What is man like? Well, God is going to tell us. This is what he's telling us. Here is what God tells us about man. This is who man is. being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder. You know, let me pause there for a minute. I'm going to continue, but let me pause there for a minute just send your mind back to the days when you didn't know the Lord. If you heard these things, in your mind you'd be saying, no, no, that's not me, that's not me, that's not me. Murder, no, murder, no, that's not me. Malicious, no, that's not me. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness. They are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God. No, no, no. Violent, proud. No, no. Boasters, inventors of evil things. No, no. Then you hit one that might make you pause. Disobedient to parents. That's a troubled one, isn't it? Undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving. Unmerciful. Unmerciful. Who is man? Well, God tells us, this is man. This is who we are. And you know, we know that we'll only ever see it if the Lord does a work of grace in our hearts. Otherwise, we'll be saying, no, no, no, that's not me. That's not me. Yes, I might do some things that aren't good. But let me just give you an example. It's not an example. It's a personal experience of when the Lord saved me. In his grace, it was when I was 11 or 12. I was raised in a Christian home. My father, a minister of the gospel, every day we had devotions. I heard the word. Good kid, an obedient son, really. But one night, let me say, how evil can an 11 or 12-year-old In this protected environment of being on the mission field and having Christian parents teaching you the truth every day, how bad can he really be? Well, exactly this bad, this bad. But you won't know that. One night, the Lord and his grace just worked in my heart. And I'm lying in bed just before going to sleep. Start thinking about my sin. Well, why would a 11, 12 year old do that? Well, because the spirit is working. I become very fearful. I'm thinking about God. I'm not even sure I remember all that I was thinking, but I called out to my mom. She was about to go to bed. She came in and I said, well, what do I do to be saved or something like that? I was very distressed. And she went and called my father. And the Lord in his grace brought... Well, this is when you're really thankful to God for his mercy to you and giving you Christian parents. He turned to the word in Isaiah 53 and went through speaking about this savior, just such a marvelous savior. But anyway, to get back to my point, is here I am, 11, 12 year old, not thinking at all in myself about my need, my sin, or anything, until the Lord worked. And then you see your sin in a whole different way. And that's always the case. That's always the case. Then when the Lord works and reveals to you who you are in God's eyes, then you know. Then you know, this is me. This is me in every way. This is who I am, what we just read from Romans. What does God say about these things? Well, he continues, doesn't he? In that passage, he says, here's his righteous judgment. Those who practice such things are worthy of death. That's God's righteous judgment. And when God's word speaks to your heart, you'll know you're guilty in every one of these things. You won't be saying, no, not me. your mouth will be stopped, and you'll be guilty before God, knowing that you're deserving of death. And you know, when you find the Word of God crying out against you, in your soul, in your conscience, Don't close your heart. Don't close your heart. Listen to God as he speaks to you in mercy. That's what he's going to do with the Ninevites, isn't he? He sends Jonah, his prophet, to cry out against them for their wickedness. Why? Because he purposes to have mercy upon them. So if God's word cries out against you in your heart, don't close it. Don't close it. Well, let's continue there in verse 2 and 3. The Lord comes, he says, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it, for their wickedness has come up before me. But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. The Lord commands Jonah, his prophet, to arise, go to Nineveh, cry out against it for their wickedness, for their disobedience to God and to his word. And Jonah, he arises. And what does he do? Disobeys God. He arises to go where? To flee from the presence of the Lord. Now, again, we look at this, how could Juna do that? Very easy, very easily. A Christian in sin, in a state of disobedience to God, in a state of spiritual depression, is not a pretty picture. I've been there. I know. You do foolish things, you don't listen to God's word, you behave as if you're entirely ignorant of the truth. Isn't that true? In different levels, we do this all the time. We do this all the time. Listen, here is the pattern of relentless steps into ever disobedience to God, which occurs with every believer who have who descends into a course of willful sin in his or her life. What did Jonah do? He arose to flee. He went to Joppa. He found a ship. He paid the fare. He went down into it. It's like a drumbeat of death, isn't it? Disobedience to God. Why does he do all of this? What's the purpose? to flee from the presence of God. That's what Jonah's doing, to flee from the presence of God. Well, I wonder where that might be. I don't think it's in Tarshish. Maybe Jonah should have called to mind the words of David given in Psalm 139. Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me." Well, Jonah's... About to learn this. He knows this Word of God. This is one of the well-known Psalms. Jonah knows this Word of God, but like I said, you'd never know it. But he's about to learn. He's about to learn. And he's about to learn in a very profound spiritual sense. He's going to learn in a momentous and unforgettable way. Well, what explains the strange reluctance of Jonah, of this prophet? Well, later in the book, you know, and we'll consider it again, Jonah tells us. He tells us with remarkable forthrightness. He doesn't hide it. He doesn't hide it from God. He says that he knew that God is a gracious and merciful God. And he didn't want the people of Nineveh to share in his mercy and grace. But two, I think we can see a further reason - we'll consider that in more depth later - a further reason is that the call of Jonah was unlike any call of the other prophets of God. There were many prophets called by God at different times, in different places, and in various circumstances. were called to face unique difficulties. We think of Elijah during the reign of that evil king who pursued him, pursued his life. Or Daniel during the captivity of Israel and all that occurred there. We think of Jeremiah who was called, we read, to root out and pull down, to destroy and throw down, to build and to plant. or Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of the city of God, or even Isaiah, who was called to preach this message. I'm glad I'm not called to preach this message. This was the message that he was called to. Go and tell this people. Keep on hearing, but do not understand. Keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull, their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed. This was the message given by God to Isaiah. But each of these prophets, along with every other prophet called of God, were called of God to proclaim his word to the people of Israel. Of all the prophets, the call of Jonah was a singular and extraordinary call. Why? Because Jonah, of all the prophets, was called to preach to a Gentile nation. And this is one of the most important things that sets this book apart. It was God's purpose It was God's providence that for a time, his grace, as we know, would be largely confined to one nation, the people of Israel. And in spite of their smallness, their insignificance, they were blessed above all the nations. But it was God's purpose, and it had always been God's purpose, that he would be salvation not only to Israel, but to the ends of the earth. And this had been forever inscribed in the history of the people of Israel when God had spoken to Abraham saying, in you all the nations of the earth would be blessed. And we find that in times when the people of Israel were experiencing a state of spiritual blessing, gospel promise of salvation to all peoples and all nations was in the consciousness of the people. And it was understood and they viewed it as something to rejoice in and something to glory in. Turn over to Psalm 67, just as one example of this. Psalm 67. And the whole Psalm is about this, but we'll just read a few of those verses. Psalm 67, keep your place here in Jonah. Psalm 67, what do we read here in verse one? God be merciful to us and bless us and cause his face to shine upon us that your way may be known on the earth, your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God. Let all the peoples praise you. O, let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you shall judge the people righteously and govern the nations of the earth. This was always underlying the message of the gospel that God delivered to the people of Israel. and that his purposes wasn't only for them as a nation, but for all peoples in all places. And this was his great promise of the gospel. But during periods of spiritual decline and disobedience of the nation of Israel, this message was obscured. And the spirit of self-righteousness and religious formalism was what prevailed during those times. And this was especially true during the time of Christ, as we saw, that's what he was dealing with. And this is the spirit that prevailed during the time of Jonah in the nation of Israel also. But God would not have this great promise of the gospel forgotten. In this specific place and time with Jonah, he's gonna do a work that is a work that is remarkable. It's marvelous work. It's a glorious work to drive home this truth that the gospel was not to the people of Israel alone, but was to all peoples of all places. He's sending Jonah to a Gentile people, a Gentile nation. We think of the wonderful declarations of this that are given down through the revealed word of God of the prophets. This is how John the Baptist begins his ministry, quoting from Isaiah. Remember, the voice of one, crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low. The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth. For what purpose? That all flesh shall see the salvation of the Lord. And so the word of the Lord comes to Jonah saying, arise, go to Nineveh. Arise and preach repentance for the remission of sins. And we have this great glorious flash of light into the heathen world of the Ninevites. for God's mercy and his grace to be poured out upon this Gentile people, to be a harbinger of good things to come. Think about what God did with that great city. There's been nothing like it. There had been nothing like it before. There has been nothing like it since. The Lord did something with the people of Nineveh, which is just remarkable and astonishing. Look here back in Jonah. Turn back there. Jonah. will tell us that when God purposes to save a people, they will be saved. God's providence in the salvation of his people will fill every valley, level every mountain. It will make straight the ways of the Lord and accomplish their salvation. Jonah arose to flee from the presence of the Lord. Not going to Nineveh. No, not going to happen. Well, whose will is going to prevail? Whose will? In the foolishness of his rebellion, Jonah clearly didn't think about these things. But too, we see the Lord doesn't leave Jonah. He doesn't abandon him. First, as the people in New Guinea say, first Jonah is going to feel pain. Then he's going to go to Nineveh. And that's exactly what we see occur. He'll go to Nineveh as the Lord commanded. We'll look there in verse 4. We need to move along quickly here. But the Lord sent out a great wind. on the sea and there was a mighty tempest on the sea so that the ship was about to be broken up. Then the mariners were afraid and every man cried out to his God and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came to him and said to him, what do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God. Perhaps your God will consider us so that we may not perish. And they said to one another, come, let us cast lots that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us. So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, please tell us for whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation and where do you come from? What is your country and of what people are you? So he said to them, I am a Hebrew and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land. Well, what does the Lord do? He summons the winds and unlike Jonah, the winds obey. The winds remember the voice of their maker. He sent out this great wind on the sea. Why? For what purpose? Because again, God had purpose to save the city of Nineveh. He sends out this great wind. But in doing that too, now consider, in doing that too, God is accomplishing his will in a whole host of different ways. His providential actions are working in mercy and grace to bring his disobedient prophet to a place of repentance and restore him to his calling. His power and his glory are being displayed before these mariners. And two, a part of the historical canon of the Word of God is being written in these unfolding events. Those are just some of the things that God is accomplishing in all of this. A whole host of things, according to his will. And the words that come to my mind with Specter this are the words of Nebuchadnezzar when his mind was brought back and he says, speaking of God, here's what he learned, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. He does according to his will in the army of heaven. and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain his hand or say to him, what have you done? And we see this as the Lord summons this mighty tempest. The ship's about to be broken up. The mariners are in fear for their lives and desperate to save themselves, they just cast everything into the sea. And every man cried out to his God. These men were mariners. They, in all likelihood, spent their lives on the sea. They were experienced. They had suffered, no doubt, many storms, but somehow they knew that this was not any ordinary tempest. Somehow they knew that this storm had a supernatural element to it. And why that is, we don't know. Whether it was the unusual ferocity of this storm or whether the spirit just impressed upon their minds. This is not a normal storm. This is an unusual storm. It has a purpose to it. But what we do know is they knew that this storm had a divine origin to it. and a divine purpose. And so what do they do? They all decide to cast lots to find out for whose cause this trouble had come upon them. Now, think of that just for a moment. They cast lots. Typically, this is men cast lots in gambling. Because it's pure chance, isn't it? But it's so ironic. that when things are desperate, when their lives are at stake, they recognize that the casting of the lot isn't by chance. We'll cast the lot to find out who, for whose cause, this trouble is. They understood that The result of the cast lot was determined by some higher power, whatever that might be. And of course, they cast the lot. The lot falls on Jonah. Why? Because we know the lot is cast into the lot, but every decision is of the Lord. And every man, every man in his heart knows that there is one God who is sovereign and that man is subject to his will. This is the very reason that man creates gods after his own imagination, because he knows that there is one God, one sovereign God, the creator of heaven and earth, but he can't abide that. He just cannot bear the thought that God, here is God, infinite, eternal, unchangeable in his being, full of wisdom and power and holiness and justice. He just can't bear that thought. Why? Because who could stand before a god like that? Who could stand? Who could stand before him? And so he creates gods of his own imagination. He creates false religion. The Roman Catholic worships the god of his own imagination. Most Protestant religions do today. The tribal animist of Papua New Guinea, all for the same reason, because he just can't abide when he knows to be true that there is one God who is sovereign over all the earth. Man's desire and attempt to be his own Lord, do his own will, be subject only to himself is a revolt. The word of God tells us it's a revolt against the deepest convictions of his soul. This knowledge has been implanted in the heart of every man by his creator. And that's, as we go on in Romans 1, we know the Lord speaks of that, doesn't he? For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. And you note how Jonah described his God. See, they cried out, all cried out to their own gods, but here is Jonah's description of his God. He says, the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. And in this statement, Jonah is telling them that his God is not the God of men's imaginations. No, he's the one, the only true God. Look there in verse 10, verse 10. Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, why have you done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord because he had told them. Then they said to him, what shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us? For the sea was growing more tempestuous. And he said to them, pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you for I know that this great tempest is because of me. Nevertheless, the men rode hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. Therefore, they cried out to the Lord and said, we pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not charge us with innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you. So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Now, when Jonah tells him that his God is the Lord God who made the sea and the dry land, we read that these men became even more afraid, even more terrified. They were exceedingly afraid. Why? Because they knew that they were in the grip of a powerful God, whose wrath was bearing down upon them in this mighty tempest. And their reason tells them that God exists, but that can't bring them to a place to know who God is. Jonah tells them he worships the one true God, the God who created the heavens and the earth. They know they're in the grip of this powerful God, but they don't know this God. And here's the dilemma they face. How do you appease the wrath of a God you don't know? They said to Jonah, what shall we do that the sea may be calm for us? And that's a great question, isn't it? What must I do? This is what every man needs to ask. What must I do that the storm of God's wrath may be calm for me? What must I do to be saved? And Jonah, Jonah acknowledges that it's for his guilt alone that the wrath of God is bearing down upon them. They're in this predicament because of what he's done, his disobedience to his God. And for the sake, he says, for my sake, the tempest is upon you. Jonah understands where there's guilt, there must be a punishment. Where there's guilt, there must be a punishment from the hand of a just God. And Jonah says, cast me into the sea. Why? Because he recognizes he's deserving of death in his disobedience against his God. And he understands that when the price is paid, then justice is satisfied. The sea shall be calm for you. But you can sense the growing terror of these men as they face this dilemma. The mariners are exceedingly afraid as they witness the wrath of this god. The wrath of god displayed against the sin of his servant. This god is not like their gods. Here is a god who sits above the roaring floods, he rules the raging of the sea, summons a great tempest, and then Jonah tells him, cast me into the sea and the sea will become calm for you. But who is Jonah? He's a prophet of the god of the storm. What if his wrath is increased against us because we kill his servant? So what did the men do? They rode hard to return to land, but they could not. They could not. What did they row against? They rode against the storm of God's wrath. They rode against the winds of his purpose. And in that we're given a stark metaphor of all the foolish and puny efforts of man to escape the wrath of God. Here's the declaration. You cannot. You cannot. So they prayed to the God they do not know, and pick up Jonah, throw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. And here, of course, we see the type beginning to unfold. And we'll look at this in more depth later. By the death of Jonah, the wrath of God is appeased, and those in the ship are saved. Jonah gives, what's pictured here, Jonah gives his life a ransom for the souls of those in the ship. Here is the sign of Jonah to the people of Nineveh. Christ says Jonah was assigned to the people of Nineveh. He'll speak to them about these events. They understood, they knew what had happened. This is how he was assigned to them. He was assigned to the people of Nineveh of what? Well, one, we can say the wages of sin is death. And it is only in death that the offense is buried and taken out of the sight of a just God. And it's only in this way that his wrath is appeased and peace with God is secured. And then the sea will become calm for you. Jonah was assigned to the people of Nineveh. It was a sign that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men. It's revealed against you. It's revealed against me. Against every son and daughter of Adam born into this world. And I hope that every one of you here from the depths of your soul has at some point asked this question, what must I do that the storm of God's wrath may be calm for me? And the answer is that there is only one person who can calm the storm of God's wrath. Only one person that can bring the peace of God to the sinner, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. We know he alone can finish the transgression. He alone can make an end of sins. He alone can make reconciliation for iniquity and bring in everlasting righteousness. We know that only Christ can calm that storm. And as the prophet Jonah sang, And the waves closed over his head. Think, here, the mariners cast him into the sea in this great, midst of this great storm, this great tempest, as the ship is about to go down, the waves come over his head. It might seem that the purposes of God for the salvation of Nineveh were sinking with Jonah into the depths of the sea. Well, what will it take for the salvation of the Lord to be freely given to the people of Nineveh? Well, what will it take? Here, at this moment, as Jonah is sinking into the depths of the sea, what will it take for God's purpose of salvation to come to these people of Nineveh? Well, it will take the death, the burial, and resurrection of the Lord's prophet. That's what it'll take. And by God's grace, we'll look at that tomorrow.