Turn with me to the book of Jonah,
Jonah chapter 1. Let me read this passage of scripture
out of Matthew, and then we'll look at Jonah. In Matthew chapter 12, Verse 48, it says, certain of
the scribes and the Pharisees answered, saying,
Master, we would see a sign from thee. And he answered and said unto
them, Now, you know, we need to really listen to this right
here. There is so much today. People are, you know, they are
They won't see signs and wonders and miracles and this, that,
and the other. He says, An evil and adulterous
generation seeketh after a sign. And there shall no sign be given
to it but the sign of the prophet Jonas, or as Jonas was three
days and three nights in the whale's belly. And so shall the
Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of
the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this
generation and shall condemn it, because they repented at
the preaching of Jonas. And behold, a greater than Jonas
is here." that no sign is going to be given
but that sign of the prophet Jonas. It's not going to be another
sign. It's going to be it. Whatever
took place, whatever happened, whatever the Spirit of God put
upon that prophet, that man, whatever happened, we ought to
take a look at it. or the sign is going to be given.
It's going to be it right here. Well, let's look at the book
of Jonah. Jonah chapter 1, verse 1. It says, Now the word of the
Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai. The word of God, Scripture says
of itself, that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. Whatever this man wrote down
as every man that the Spirit of God moved upon, that Word
from the very heart of Almighty God is God's Word, the Word of
the Lord. God breathed, and it is profitable. for doctrine and for reproof
and for correction and for instruction in righteousness, that the man
of God may be perfect and throughly furnished unto all good work."
Whatever God had to say through this man is for every person. It is to be heard. It is to be
adhered to. Now, man by nature is not going
to hear it. He refuses to hear it. That does
not make it not so. The word of this prophecy, penned
by a man, a man just like any man, any woman here this morning,
like passion. But this man is a picture of
all those that Almighty God is going to show mercy to. The Word of the Lord came to
Jonah. Sovereign Word. And it was clear. It wasn't foggy. The Word of the Lord came to
Jonah. And this is what he said. I want you to rise and go to
Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness
has come up before me. Jonah knew just exactly what
God said. It was an urgent word, and delay
increases the difficulty. Arise, I want you to go to Nineveh,
preach to them. The Lord said in Matthew, the
scripture we just read, He said in that day, the men of Nineveh
were going to rise up in judgment against an evil and adulterous
generation. They heard it, they repented
of it. There was at least an outward repentance of it. He
said they're going to rise up in judgment. Blessed are they
that hear the word of God and keep it. I'm going to tell you,
those of you this morning that truly in heart have heard God's
word, heard it, you know it, you hear it, you love it, you're
blessed. Blessed people who have heard
it and loved it, look forward to it. long after. Blessed are they that hear that
word, the word of the Lord. All of this stuff that we're
looking at is going to burn up. The word of the Lord endureth
forever. The word of God, blessed by the Spirit of God and the
power of God, quickens a man's heart. Brother Scott just said,
men are willing in the day of God's power. Folks that hear
the gospel of God's free grace, they say, you think that God
just makes people robots. They just, you know, they have
no free will. Well, what it is, man dead. Almighty
God gives a man a heart, a woman a heart, willing. Men, women
come to Christ because they want to. They want to. Let me ask
you this, you that know Him, do you want to? You long after
him, or are you doing something that you just don't care to do?
No. Willingly. Almighty God sent His Word, sent
this Word. And I'm going to tell you right
now, there's about four or five absolutely clear pictures in
this first chapter. I don't really know how far I'll
get this morning, because I'd like to preach through Jonah.
But I'm going to tell you something, there's four or five in completely
clear pictures, and I'm sure there's much that I don't see.
But I can tell you the first thing that I see. Jonah is a
picture of every man and woman by nature born in Adam. The Scripture says that Almighty
God's Word came to Jonah the son of Amittai, and he said,
Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it, for
their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish
from the presence of the Lord." No matter what you say, I can
tell you this for a fact, at this point right here, Jonah
is an is a clear picture of man by nature. Man by nature is going
to flee against God, away from God. He will not. I will not
have that man rule over me. I'm just not going to do it.
This word came to this man. Now, I know that Jonah is a prophet. Why he fled? I read all kinds
of explanations, all kinds of commentaries on why he did this,
why he did that. He didn't go because of this.
I'll tell you why he did what he did. Because this man is a
sinner. And man by nature resists God. That's just his nature. Man by
nature is not going to bow to Almighty God. Just not going
to do it. This Word came to this man. This Word came to him distinctly
this morning, distinctly, without question. All men are commanded
to repent. Unless you repent, let me tell
you this, you will perish. Unless a man is brought by God's
grace to behold the Lord Jesus Christ and bow to Him as Lord,
you will perish. You will perish. Why do you flee? Why does a man, why does a woman
flee from God? I'll tell you what, because he
wants to. I don't want to come to Him. I don't want to. Man
by nature says this, I will perish before I'll bow to Him. He rolls
up to flee from the Lord. This Word, as I said a moment
ago, came with specific instructions. Arise. Move. Come. The Lord said, even of
Jerusalem, old Jerusalem, I'd have taken you to myself. You
wouldn't come. You wouldn't come. I want you to go, the Lord said,
go to Nineveh and cry against them. Their wickedness has come
up before me this morning. The wickedness of all men is
before Almighty God. Jonah reveals the nature of every
man. Born in Adam. Go to that city? Jonah said, I will not. He rose
up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and
went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish. So
he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it to go with
them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord." Here is man. Here he is. He's fleeing from
God by nature. Scripture says that he decided
that he'd go down and buy him a ticket. God told him, I want
you to go to Nineveh. Jonah, by nature, says, I'm not
going to Nineveh. Almighty God commands men, come
to Christ. All come to Christ. Let me ask
you this. Is anyone excluded? That's another.
You know, that's another word that men say. They say, you believe
the gospel of free grace. They say, you just want to just
exclude people. Let me ask you something. Is
anyone excluded? Who's excluded? Why? Man excludes
himself. Man by nature. Is a man going
to blame God? Is he going to blame God and
say, you're fault? The reason I wouldn't come is because you
didn't cause me to come. Man doesn't come because he doesn't
want to come. Don't blame God. You resist the Lord, you resist
Him because you want to. You're doing just exactly what
you want to do. Go to Nineveh. No, I'm not going
to Nineveh. He rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence
of the Lord. And he went down to Joppa, found a ship. Man's going to find him a ship.
Here's man's nature. I'm going to find me a ship.
I'm going to find me a ship of religion. I'm going to find me
a ship of morality. I'm going to find me a ship of
good works, and I'm going to flee from God." That's what he's
doing by nature. And he found this ship, paid
the fare thereof. That's what man says. I'll pay
my own way, thank you. No, God doesn't have to do anything
for me. I have a free will. I can do whatever I want to do.
Jonah paid the fare thereof. The Scripture says he went down
into it to go with them. He went with them as always of
them. And he went with them under Tarsus.
But this is the bottom line. It was from the presence of the
Lord. Almighty God is by nature resisted. Found him a ship. This looks good to me. How much
does it cost? I can pay that. I can pay my
own way. I can provide for myself. Thank
you. I'm in agreement with Dad. Hell, I'm in agreement. I've
done what I need to do. I've settled this thing, made
my profession of faith. Nine years old, twelve years
old, fourteen. I was baptized. Once saved, always
saved. I'm fine. I'm okay. Don't worry
about it. Man can pay his own way, he thinks.
Boy would look at the progress of disobedience. Rose up to flee. Went down to
Joppa, found a ship going to Tarsus in opposition to Almighty
God, paid his own fare, and went with them. There's man by nature. That's what he is. And that's
all you are and I am by nature, resistors against God. I want
you to look secondly, and here's the second thing I saw. Here's
a picture. of sovereign, almighty God, who
will not leave those that he has everlastingly loved to themselves. What is Jonah doing? By nature,
what is he doing? He is resisting God, fleeing
from God. But verse 4 says, But the Lord. Oh, but God. But God. God who is rich in mercy, almighty,
powerful. God's people are going to have
to be willing in the day of His power. Jonah fled from the presence
of the Lord, but the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea,
and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship
was like the Scripture says, to be broken. God is merciful
to send His Word. The Lord sent out a great wind. You know, the Spirit of God,
the Scripture says, is like a mighty wind. That's what the Lord told
Nicodemus. He said, Nicodemus, you must
be born again. The Spirit of God is like the
wind. It blows sovereignly, whether
soever He will. This man was going to flee. but
God, God Almighty, merciful to preserve His elect, God who is
rich in mercy. Though Jonah had disobeyed God,
the Lord sent out this great wind into the sea, a picture
of His Holy Spirit, not by chance. God had purposed He was not going
to leave Jonah to himself. God's Spirit, sovereign, glows. Here is the hope of this sinner,
this man fleeing from God. And this is exactly what happened
to every one of God's elect. When it pleased God, you had
bought your own ticket, too. You were doing just fine. You
were probably in church. I'm okay. I'm fine. I've already made my profession,
I'm doing well, I'm on my way to heaven, and I'm just as sure
as I'm already there. I'm there. I'm there. But God,
who purposed to not leave you to yourself, when it pleased
God, God sent a mighty wind. God sent a preacher, a preacher
of the gospel of God's free grace, one that set forth the Lord Jesus
Christ and preached to you. In this mighty wind, God caused
it to blow, and He created life, a new creature, born again, a
new man, a new mind, a new heart. And Almighty God blew the Lord's
scent, a great wind, not just a wind, a great wind, into the
very place where Jonah was. The Lord says, I change not.
If God Almighty had purposed to be merciful to this man right
here, I change not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob,
you cheaters, you supplanters, you liars, I change not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob
are not consumed. That's the only reason. Here's
the hope. Could Jonah forever flee from
the presence of the Lord if God had purposed to call him to himself? Who hath resisted His will? We set forth, as the Scripture
sets forth, irresistible grace. When Almighty God is purposed
to save one of His own, He shall, my sheep, shall hear my voice,
and they will, they will come to me. They will come to me.
Aren't you glad? Men and women that hear that
message by nature, they say, I don't like that. You're putting
me down in the dirt. A believer says, Thank you that
you brought me down. Thank you that you didn't leave
me to myself. Thank you, Lord, that you wouldn't
allow me to go in rebellion and think myself to be something
when I was nothing. Oh, the ship of Jonah's rebellion,
that ship of disobedience, that vessel of his self-confidence,
Almighty God was not going to allow him to stay there. The
Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty
tempest into the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. If you look where that says up
there, the ship was like to be broken, right there in the middle,
if you happen to have a Cambridge Bible, I can tell you that it
says, where it says, "...like to be broken." In Hebrew, this
is the way that Scripture is interpreted, where it says, "...the
ship was like to be broken." The ship itself thought to be
broken. You know, the Lord, remember
when He spoke to the wind? It was tempestuous, and He said,
Be still. You be still. Settle down. And the apostle says, who is
this that even the winds, the elements obey Him? Everything in creation, Almighty
God created, and it is obedient. The heart of man, that's desperately
weak. It's deceitful above all things. The Scripture says that the winds
obey, the stars obey, everything. his ship, like to be broken. God would in mercy reveal his
everlasting counsel to do good to the object of his mercy. One would say, doesn't Jonah
deserve to perish in himself? Yes. Let me ask you this. In yourself, do you? Do I? In myself, was this man doing
anything that you haven't done or I haven't done? Has he? Almighty God is going to show
mercy, but why would God preserve that man right there? Why would
God preserve him? One reason, for the sake of his
son. That man right there was an object
of his mercy. And God said, I'm not going to
leave you, dear son. The honor of the Lord Jesus Christ, the
honor of Almighty God, I will not allow you to perish. If God sets His affection on
this man, if Almighty God has everlastingly loved him, if the
Lord Jesus Christ shed His blood, shed His blood, do you think
that God is going to let one sinner perish for whom Christ
shed His blood? Absolutely not. No way. The blood, the precious
blood that He shed, Christ will not have one drop of that blood
shed in vain. Men say, well, He died to make
salvation possible for all men. That's what Brother Scott just
dealt with. Did God make salvation possible, or did He actually
procure? Did He actually redeem His people? All that the Father has given
Him, Christ is going to redeem. He shall save His people. That's
why God's not going to leave Jonah and all like him to themselves. God Almighty viewed Jonah in
the Lord Jesus Christ, and He sent out this mighty wind picture
of his spirit, redeeming grace, irresistible grace, Jonah in
himself, a spiritual criminal against God. The Lord Jesus Christ
was made to be sin, paid his debt, suffered in his place.
In the Mariners, verse 5, we are afraid. He cried, cried every man unto
his God and cast his wares that were in the ship into the sea
to lighten it. But Jonah was gone down in the sides of the
ship. He was laying. He was fast asleep. This mighty wind came up. One of the accounts that I read
said that at this mighty wind it was just exactly where that
ship was. Other ships in the area were
just Sailing, you know, uninhibited. I don't know. But I can tell
you this, wherever that ship was, that's where it was. That's
where the problems were. That's where the sea was tempestuous. And these mariners began to cry
unto their gods. And after they cried unto their
gods, they started throwing stuff overboard, you know, to lighten
the load. I'm going to have to keep this
ship afloat. You know, this ship of religion,
this ship of rebellion, whatever it's going to take for me to
keep this ship up, that's what I'm going to have to do. I'm
going to have to reform a little bit. The man starts seeing, you
see, gets in a little trouble. Well, I know what I'll do. I'll
get this thing fixed up. I'm having some problems right
here. The man's going to find a God to pray to when he's in
trouble. And if that don't work, he'll
reform. He'll quit drinking and smoking
and cussing and dancing. Oh, here's a picture. That's
man. That's the way man does it. I'll straighten up. But Jonah
shows again. This is man's actual nature.
Jonah was going down into the sides of the ship. He was fast
asleep. There we see man. That's the
way he really is. He's asleep. Just completely
oblivious. Last night, I was kind of tired
last night. We've had the last couple of
days. We've had family in and had a
wonderful time. Boy, by the time last night was
over, I was tired. I went to bed and I don't remember
anything. I was dead to the world. Slept
like a log. He didn't hear anything, see
anything, know anything. Jonah's down the side of that
ship. That's man. That's man. Jonah's a picture
of man by nature. Almighty God has purposed he's
not going to leave his own to themselves. Here, here's the
next picture. Here's the Lord Jesus Christ
being revealed to his own. So the shipmaster, verse 6, came
to him and said to him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God, if
so be that God will think upon us that we perish not." When
God is pleased to call His own to Himself, He is going to come
to that man. It says the shipmaster. came
to him, shipmaster, a picture of God's Spirit. The shipmaster
came to Jonah, and he revealed Jonah's condition. What meanest
thou, O sleeper? You're asleep. You're oblivious. You know not what's going on.
And here's what he says to him. call upon thy God." The Scripture
says, All that call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Arise, O sleeper, call upon thy
God. If so be that God will think
upon us, and that we perish not. And they said, verse 7, Everyone
to his fellow, Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose
cause this evil is come upon us. So they cast lots. And the
lot fell upon Jonah. Then said they unto him, Tell
us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us. What is thine occupation? And
whence comest thou? And what is thy country? And
of what people art thou? They cast lots. We've got a problem
here. Let's find out what's going on
here. They cast lots. Proverbs 16, 33 says, The lot
is cast into lap, but the whole disposing thereof is the Lord."
The Lord is going to reveal. He's going to reveal sin. That's
the first thing He's going to do. Let's find out what's happening
here. And He's going to cause His people
to confess Him. Here's Jonah. Boy, I tell you,
when I read that scripture in Matthew, it says, And I began
to read this first chapter. Boy, I thought, there's no sign
that's greater. I mean, this is the whole man's
condition, effectual call, irresistible grace. Here's a picture of irresistible
grace right here. Here's it. Tell us, verse 8,
we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us. What is
thine occupation? Whence comest thou? What's thy
country? What people art thou? And he said unto them, I am a
Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath
made the sea and the dry land God's people. They're going to
confess him. He said, I'm a Hebrew, one of
God's elect, one of God's promised. I fear the Lord. I reverence
the God of eternal covenant. I fear the Lord. You know, the
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It's a revelation.
Almighty God, I'm guilty. I've sinned against God. I've
sinned against Him. That's what God's people will
say. I've sinned against Him. I need
mercy from Him. The men were exceedingly afraid,
and they said unto Him, Why hast thou done this? You know, I read over that question
time and time and time again. Why have you done this? Why have
you done this? Why would a man rebel against
God? Why would he? Why would he? Why hast thou done this? For
the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord. because
he told them. Well, I can tell you this for
a fact. A man might justify saying this before he revealed himself
to me. I didn't know him. I was a rebel. I was ignorant. But let me ask you a question
right now. Why do we resist him even now?
You say, well, I'm a sinner. That's so. That's so. But you
think of the light that we have right now. There's no way I can
justify it. I'm not trying to justify it. I ask myself that. Those things I know now. Why
do you do that? Why? All I can do is hang my
head. I'm guilty. I'm guilty. Why do
you resist it? Oh, wretched man that I am! Who
should deliver me from the body of this death? What's your occupation?
What do you do? I tell you, that would be the
most—well, not would be, that is. Somebody asked me, you know,
what do you do, Marvin? What do you do for a living?
Well, not for a living, you know what I mean. What do you do? Oh, my! What's your occupation? Oh, the question of every act
of disobedience. Why have you done this? Does
a believer not hate to disobey? He does. He does. Is this world better, the service
of this world, is it better than the service of Christ? Why have
you done this? I'm going to tell you this right
here as I finish up. What a beautiful picture, starting
in verse 11. We've seen a picture of man by
nature. We see man resisting Almighty
God. We see a picture of Almighty
God purposed, and not going to leave a man to himself if God's
chosen him, loved him. He's going to call him. sent
the Spirit of God. Picture that shipmaster comes
down right there, an old sleeper. Rise, call upon thy God. What happened? Jonah got up and
he was honest. That was the first time he was honest about it.
I'm a Hebrew. I fear the Lord. There's a picture. God called
him out of darkness into this marvelous light. Man gets honest
with God. Why have you done this? What
does he need? What does man by nature What's
the need of every man? Verse 11, They said unto him,
What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? For the sea was rough and tempestuous. And he said unto them, Take me
up, and cast me forth into the sea, and so shall the sea be
calm unto you. For I know that for my sake this
great tempest is upon you. What shall we do? What's the
required sacrifice? That sea was raging, tempestuous. That ship was like to be broken.
That ship was just about gone, going down, just appeared as
though that any minute it was sunk. That raging sea was a picture,
a testimony of God's anger The sailors, they knew something. They knew that God is going to
have to be satisfied. That man, by nature, has got
a conscience. He knows something. He doesn't
know God's salvation, but he knows something. Just like I
was talking about those Mayan priests down there in Mexico
sacrificing the maidens, you know. The gods are angry. We're
going to have to throw somebody in the volcano. Somebody is going
to have to be sacrificed. What shall we do to you? A lot fell on you, Jonah. Obviously,
you're guilty. What shall we do to you? You
said, you just told us, you told us that all this was going on
because of you. What are we going to do? Here we see a picture of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Our substitute. Jonah, here is
a picture of Christ, the propitiation. That means the satisfaction.
The sea is a picture of God's wrath. The sea was wroth and
tempestuous. Jonah is a picture here of the
Lord Jesus Christ. What shall we do that the sea
may be calm unto us? Jonah said, take me up. And cast me forth into the sea. So shall the sea be calm unto
you. Cast me in. The sea is rough,
impestuous, raw. What shall we do? Cast me in. The Lord Jesus Christ in Isaiah
chapter 53, let me read this to you. Verse 5, He was wounded
for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon Him, and with His stripes were healed. What shall we do?
The seas were going down. What's it going to take? What's
it going to take that the sea would be calm toward us? Jonah says only one way. You're
going to have to throw me in. Jonah gave himself up to still
that sea. The Lord Jesus Christ gave himself
to still the storm of God's wrath against the sin of his elect.
The way of safety for the elect sinner is found in the sacrifice
of Christ for him. Man needs a substitute. This seed is too mighty for me. The wrath of God is too much
for me. I can't satisfy him. What's it
going to take? The storm was because of Jonah's
own disobedience. Jonah had disobeyed God. Why
is God angry with every man? Born in Adam, He's angry with
the wicked every day. Why? It's because man is disobedient. He's a sinner and a rebel against
God. But the Lord Jesus Christ, though
He was personally innocent, was made to be sin that we might
be made the righteousness of God in Him. Christ Himself took
upon Himself the guilt of all his people. It was charged to
him, ìWhat are we going to do, Jonah, that the storm may be
calm to us?î He said, ìCast me in.î Whatís he going to take
that the storm of Godís wrath be calm against Godís elect,
Godís people? What Christ would have to be
made sin? Heíd have to take upon himself
their guilt. and stand before Almighty God
on that cross, hang on that cross as their substitute. Their sin would be on Him. He
would take their place. He would die for them. Nevertheless,
verse 13, the men rode hard to bring it to land, but they could
not, for the sea was wroth and was tempestuous against them. Though God Almighty has revealed
Christ to be the only way of salvation, still man by nature
attempts to merit safety from God's wrath by his own effort,
but to no avail. What's it going to take? Jonah,
what are we going to have to do? Throw me in. Oh, let's roll
harder. Maybe we can do it. Maybe there's
another way. Maybe we can bypass it. Maybe we don't have to throw
you in. Maybe we can get this boat to shore on our own effort.
They rode harder, but to no avail. Christ said, I am the way. I
am the way. I am the way. I am the truth. No man comes to the Father but
by me. They rode harder. No avail. By the deeds of the
law, by the deeds of a man's own efforts, no man is going
to be justified before God. Now, look at this. Now, before, the scripture says
that these men, you know, look back in verse 5. It says, When
the mariners were afraid and cried every man unto his-you
see that word, God, there? Little g. Cried unto the God
of their imagination. Now, look at this in verse 14. They cried unto the Lord, and
this is what they said. They said, ìWe beseech thee,
O Lord, let us not perish with this manís life. Lay not upon
us innocent blood, for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased
thee.î Jonah had told them, he said, ìThis is who I am, a Hebrew.
I fear the Lord. This is who He is. This is the
God that I serve. This is who He is. He's God.
He's God. You see right here? He sent this. I've been disobedient. This is
the Lord. And it said those mariners cried unto the Lord. Now they
cried unto the Lord. Now we see the effect of one
made to behold his own inability. They tried as hard as they could. What's it going to take? Throw
me in. Let's roll. They couldn't do
it. They found out that God Almighty brought them to their own end,
brought them to see something of themselves and to realize
we can't. They cried unto the Lord. They
cried unto the one that Jonah had set forth back in verse 9
when he said, I'm a Hebrew. I fear the Lord, the God of heaven,
who made the sea and the dry land. Jonah preached to them,
and they heard the gospel. Paul said, I'm not ashamed of
the gospel. power of God unto salvation. Who knows? God Almighty
might be pleased today to call one of His own out of darkness
unto Himself. These men, they had been praying
to the God of their imagination. Now they called unto the Lord.
Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. And
they prayed to the Lord, and they said, We beseech you, let
us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent
blood. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute guilt." He won't charge us. Have mercy
on us. Lord, have mercy on us. By nature,
we know what we are. They confessed Him to be the
Almighty. O Lord, that last part of verse
14, Thou hast done as it pleased Thee. Lord, You're God. That's
what Nebuchadnezzar said. He doeth as he will in the army
of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. Who stays his hand? Who could stay his hand? Who
says to him, What doest thou? You've done what pleased you.
They confessed him to be God Almighty. They traced all these
things to God's sovereign will. That's what Romans 8, 28 says.
work together for good. I mean, that was probably a pretty
rough storm. I don't doubt it. Maybe you're going through some
rough storms. I don't know. I don't know. But I can tell
you this, that God Almighty would send that storm. Picture of His
wrath. But I tell you, that storm was
the means because Jonah preached to them, said, this is why this
happened. Preached to them, and God called these men out of darkness.
revealed himself to them, for you are who you say you are.
They cried unto the Lord. It was a plea of sincerity. Jeremiah
29, 13 says, You shall seek me and find me when you search me.
Search for me with all thine heart. Man's got to have a heart
given to him to search for the Lord with all of his heart. By
nature, man's not going to do that. Leave these men to themselves? You think they'd have done that?
Verse 15, So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea,
and the sea ceased from raging. This was a sacrifice, a picture
of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sin was the problem. Rebellion was a problem. Jonah,
a picture of the propitiation. I don't know of a better, clearer
picture. The propitiation means the satisfaction. Paul says Christ is our propitiation. He is our satisfaction. He satisfied
God, obeyed His law, satisfied God's wrath against sin. The
soul that sinneth is going to die. Christ was made to be sinned,
paid our debt. Our satisfaction before God may
cast him forth. The Lord Jesus Christ laid down
his own life. I lay down my life for the sheep,
and the sea of God's wrath was ceased. There is therefore now
no condemnation to them that be in Christ Jesus. That sacrifice
was offered for the safety of others, a ransom for many. And after that sacrifice, the
sea ceased. God Almighty, sure, He is sovereign
over the elements. But when Christ Himself, a picture
of who Jonah is right here, a picture of Christ, when Christ Himself
said, It is finished, they threw Jonah in, it was over. The sea
was calm. When Christ said, It is finished,
God's wrath toward his elect. Satisfied. Then the men feared
the Lord exceedingly and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord and
made vows. What type of sacrifice they made,
I don't really know. But I can tell you, I know that
here we see the evidence of new life. God had crossed their path
with the gospel. A storm was sent, and truly it
did work together for good to them that loved God, to them
who are the called according to His purpose. These men forsook
their former idolatry before they prayed unto their God, little
g-o-d, and now they called upon the Lord in sincerity. He feared the Lord exceedingly,
the scripture says. No record is found here of returning
to their former ways after the sea was over. Normally, you let
a man or woman go through, you know, some tough times and make
all these promises to God, you know, I'll do this and I'll do
that and I promise I'll do this. Well, here, the sea ceased and
no record is found of that. They sacrificed unto the Lord.
Probably the sacrifice of praise, for sure. I don't know what kind
of sacrifice. But I'll tell you this, God's
people offer a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for his marvelous
deliverance. They think upon him, and in their
heart, they say, Lord, in myself, I know what I deserve. Lord,
if you'd have left me to myself, I'd have paid my own fare, I
thought. I'd have found me a ship that
probably looked pretty good. I'd have been going right on
in rebellion, just fleeing from God. Oh, Lord, in your mercy,
like a mighty wind, you sent the Spirit of God to me as shipmaster. He came and said, Arise, O sleeper,
call upon God. And he did. There is going to have to be
a substitute. There is going to have to be an offering for sin. The
Lord revealed that. Christ made an offering. Satisfaction. The sea of God's
wrath. Men, women that see him, that
hold him, they sacrifice unto him with the sacrifice of their
lips. What are we going to give him?
Oh, to say, Lord, thank you. Thank you for who you are. Thank
you for what you've done for me. Thank you that you didn't
leave me to myself. Thank you that you didn't allow
me to continue fleeing in rebellion. I was going to hell just as fast
as I could. And he said, stop him. Stop him
from going down to the pit. Why? I found a ranch. I found
sacrifice. Christ. Christ, our sacrifice. Christ, our hope. Christ our
propitiation, Christ our satisfaction. Our Father, thank you for this
time that you've given us to come together and consider. Lord, as you said, there'd be
no sign given but the sign of the prophet Jonah. Lord, how
we behold, oh, the wonder of your marvelous grace. substitute. Oh, the Lord Jesus Christ, personally
innocent, who was made to be sinned, die in our stead to honor
you, to bring honor to you in the redemption of those that
you'd given Him. Forgive us where we failed you,
for Christ's sake. Amen.