I adore this line right here. When this world ceases to be,
eternal blood will speak for me. Don't you love that? Man. How merciful. Go with me, if you would, back
to Jonah chapter one. Jonah 1, we looked at the whole
story of Jonah a couple of weeks ago. And in order to get through the
whole story in one message, we had to move very quickly. It
was a very fast-paced message. But there was something that
stood out to me whenever we studied it and went through that, and
I didn't have time to focus on it. But it honestly was such
a blessing to my heart. It was so, so helpful, so helpful. And I want us to look at it tonight.
And I sincerely pray, I sincerely beg that the Lord will make it
as much of a blessing and as much of a help to you as it has
been to me. This has been so, so helpful
to me. Now, we know that Jonah is a picture of both us and Christ. He's a picture of man, the sinner,
us, and he's a picture of the justifier of the sinner, the
substitute for the sinner, Christ. And that's why when we got to
verse 12, I only read the first half of that verse in the scripture
reading. The second half of that verse
is a sinful man speaking. It says at the end of verse 12,
I know that for my sake, this great tempest is upon you. You know, in Genesis chapter
five, it tells us that Adam lived to be 930 years old. That's a long time. We are so
distraught over 70 years. We're so just torn all to pieces
over 3 score and 10. Adam lived 930 years. 930 years.
Adam saw what a sinless earth looks like. Right? Adam saw, Adam witnessed, Adam
named the animals, he named the lions. He saw exactly what a
sinless earth looks like. Can you imagine the guilt that
he carried with him for 900 and something years, however long
it was after the fall, however long it took for him to fall. Can you imagine the guilt he
carried with him for 900 years, 900 and something years? Everything that he saw, everything
that happened, he said in his own mind, I know that for my
sake, this great tempest is upon you. I know it is. We can say the exact same thing. We say the exact same thing.
I do not blame Adam for the fact that my children have been visited
with iniquity. I don't blame Adam for that.
By one man, sin entered the world, yes. But I do not blame Adam. I know that for my sake, this
great tempest is upon them. It's my fault. It is my father's
fault. And it is my grandfather's fault.
Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and
upon the children's children unto the third and fourth generation. That's what makes this picture
of Jonah so beautiful. So beautiful. Jonah revealing
the words of our Savior. And I am begging the Lord to
let us enter into this. Jonah revealing the words of
our Savior. at the beginning of this verse,
and listen to the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to
Him speak right here. Verse 12, He said unto them,
Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea, so shall the sea
be calm unto you. The sea is sin. The sea is the
wrath of God against the sin. He said, throw me down into the
heart of the sin. You throw me right down into
the middle of the sin. Cast me forth into the ocean
of God's wrath. So shall the sin and so shall
the wrath be calm unto you. When I see the blood, I'll pass
over you. Now, we are about to and I wrote
down these three words in my notes, we are about to actively. Fervently, and I pray passionately. Read some scripture. All right,
actively. Let's not passively read this,
okay? Let's actively, fervently, passionately
read some scripture. And every word we read, every
single word we read, let's listen to the voice of the Lord Jesus
Christ, crying it out of the depths of the sin and the wrath
and the punishment that he was thrown into, while he was in
the bottom of it, for our sakes, so that all these things would
be calm to us. The depths, the sin, the wrath,
the punishment, so it all be calm to us. Now here he is thrown
into the bottom of it. And this is what he Christ. He
was in the garden of Gethsemane. Isn't that where it started?
He went into the garden of Gethsemane and as he entered into this great
fish of sin and death and hell and the grave, this is what he
said. My soul is exceeding sorrowful
even unto death. Isn't that what God Almighty
said? He begged His Father to let that
cup of suffering pass from Him, didn't He? He cried, Why have you forsaken
Me? Verse 17 right here in Jonah
1 says, Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah,
And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three
nights. Our Lord was in the garden of
Gethsemane on a Thursday night. He began sweating, as it were,
great drops of blood on a Thursday night. He was engulfed by And
he fell down on his face under the weight of sin on a Thursday
night. Thursday night, Friday night,
Saturday night. Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Three days, three nights. Now
let's read some scripture and let's listen to the very words. These are recorded by God Almighty. These are the very words our
Lord cried out to God His Father for three whole days and three
whole nights. This is what He cried. Alright,
let's read every bit of this as the words of the Lord Himself.
Chapter 2, verse 1 says, Then the substitute. prayed unto Jehovah,
his God, out of the fish's belly, and said, I cried by reason of
mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me. Out of the belly
of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice." Now, hold your place
right there. and turn with me to Psalm 40. Psalm 40 verse 7 says, Then said I, Lo, I come, in the
volume of the book it is written of me. This is our Lord speaking. This is our Lord speaking. Verse
11, he said, withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O
Lord. Let thy loving kindness and thy
truth continually preserve me. For innumerable evils have compassed
me about. Did our Lord not die for a number
no man can number? How many sins did each one of
those commit? He said in verse 12, innumerable
evils have compassed me about. Mine iniquities have taken hold
upon me so that I am not able to look up. They are more than
the hairs of mine head. Therefore, my heart faileth me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver
me. O Lord, make haste to help me. Verse 17, he said, But I am poor
and needy. Yet the Lord thinketh upon me. Thou art my help and my deliverer. Make no tearing. Oh, my God,
please, please don't. Don't wait. Please come quickly. Hold your place. And go back
to the text. Jonah, chapter two, verse three,
says. For thou hast cast me into the
deep, in the midst of the seas, and the floods compassed me about. All thy billows and thy waves
passed over me. Hold your place and go to Psalm
42. Now this is our Lord speaking.
This is our Lord speaking. Psalm 42 verse 1 says, As the heart panteth after the
water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth
for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear
before God? My tears have been my meat, day
and night, while they continually say unto me, where is thy God? Verse 7 says, Deep calleth unto
deep at the noise of thy waterspouts, all thy waves and thy billows
are gone over me. Hold your place and go back to
the text. Chapter 2 verse 4 says, Then
I said, I am cast out of thy sight. Yet I will look again
toward thy holy temple. Hold your place and go to Psalm
31. Psalm 31 verse 1 says, In Thee, O Lord, do I put my
trust. Let me never be ashamed. Deliver
me in Thy righteousness. Bow down Thine ear to me. Deliver me speedily. Be Thou
my strong rock for in house of defense to save me. For Thou
art my rock and my fortress. Therefore, for thy name's sake,
lead me and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they
have laid privately for me, for thou art my strength. Into thine
hand I commend my spirit. Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord
God of truth. Is this not our Lord? Into thy
hand I commend my spirit. Look what he says in verse nine.
Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I'm in trouble. Mine eye is consumed
with grief, yea, my soul and my belly. For my life is spent
with grief and my years with sighing. My strength faileth
because of mine iniquity. Did he not take that for his
own? Mine iniquity and my bones are consumed. I was a reproach
among all my enemies, but especially among my neighbors, in a fear
to mine acquaintance. They that did see me without
fled from me. I am forgotten as a dead man
out of mind. I am like a broken vessel, for
I have heard the slander of many." Can you imagine? Him listening
to the slander? Fear was on every side while
they took counsel together against me. They devised to take away
my life. But I trusted in Thee, O Lord. I said, Thou art my God. My times
are in Thy hand. Deliver me from the hand of mine
enemies and from them that persecute me. Make thy face to shine upon
thy servant. Save me for thy mercy's sake. Hold your place and go back to
the text. Chapter 2, verse 5 says, The
waters compassed me about, even to the soul. The depth closed
me round about. The weeds were wrapped about
my head. Hold your place and go to Psalm
69. Verse 1 says, Save me, O God,
for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire
where there is no standing. I am come into deep waters where
the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying. My throat is dried. Mine eyes
fail while I wait for my God. Look at verse 14. Deliver me
out of the mire and let me not sink. Let me be delivered from
them that hate me and out of the deep waters. Let not the
water flood overflow me. Neither let the deep swallow
me up and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me. Hear me, O
Lord, for thy loving kindness is good. Turn unto me according
to the multitude of thy tender mercies, and hide not thy face
from thy servant, for I am in trouble. Hear me speedily. Verse 20, he said, Reproach hath
broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness. And I looked for
some to take pity, but there was none, and for comforters,
but I found none. They gave me also gall for my
meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." Is this
not our Savior? Look at verse 29. but I am poor and sorrowful. Let thy salvation, O God, set
me up on high. I will praise the name of God
with a song. Now listen to this turn right
here. I will praise the name of God with a song and will magnify
Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord
better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hooves."
What he's saying is, it is not possible for the blood of bulls
and goats to accomplish these things. Verse 31, this also shall
please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns
and hooves. And watch verse 32, the humble
shall see this And be glad. That's what he said to God while
he laid in that grave. This is going to accomplish what
the blood of bulls and goats could never accomplish. And the
humble is going to see this. They're going to look back on
this the rest of their lives. And they're going to be so glad.
I'll endure it. They're going to be so glad.
And we are, aren't we? Hold your place and go back to
the text. Chapter 2, verse 6, I went down
to the bottoms of the mountains. The earth with her bars was about
me forever. Yet hast thou brought up my life
from corruption. Oh, Lord, my God. Turn with me,
if you would, to Psalm 16. Psalm 16 verse 8 says, I have set the Lord always before
me, because He is at my right hand. I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and
my glory rejoiceth. My flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul
in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of
life. In thy presence is fullness of
joy. At thy right hand there are pleasures
forevermore. Go back to the text. Chapter 2, verse 7 says, when
my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord. And my prayer came
in unto thee into thy holy temple. They that observe lying vanities
forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee
with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that that I have vowed
Salvation is of the Lord. It's of the Lord. One more place
to turn. Go with me to Lamentations chapter
3. After Isaiah, after Jeremiah. Lamentations chapter 3. Now I have always read Lamentations
chapter 3 as our Lord speaking it. Verse 1 says, I am the man
that has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath. That's Christ.
I have always, all of these horrible things that He endures, I've
always read this as our Lord speaking it, but for some reason,
every time I get to verse 21, I have always changed it and
read that as us speaking it. I read it as Christ speaking
it up to verse 20, and then I've always changed it and read verse
21 on as us speaking it. This is the first time I've ever
read these verses as being the words of the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself. And they're glorious. They are
glorious. Listen to His union with us. This is just glorious. Listen
to Him speaking on our behalf. Him speaking from the grave,
completely united with our condition. Not only speaking for us, but
speaking with us. Did we not die with Him? Were
we not buried with Him? Were we not there with Him? Listen
to Him speaking for us, with us. Lamentations 3 verse 21 says, This I recall to my mind, this
is Christ speaking. This I recall to my mind, therefore
have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that
we are not concerned. Because His compassions fail
not. They are new every morning. Great
is Thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith
my soul. Therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that
wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that
a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the
Lord. Salvation is of the Lord. Now
with that glorious deliverance being declared, Because of the
suffering of Christ for us, and the glory, and the salvation,
and the life that we now have in Him. Because of what He did. And because God said in Jonah
4 verse 11, should not I spare? Isn't that how He closed the
whole book? Should not I spare? Because of
that, there's a word of comfort that every spared sinner can
apply to his daily walk in this life, and this ought to really help
us when we need it most, okay? This is what I wanted to tell
you, and I'm closing with this, but this is what I wanted to
tell you. For a child of God, the ocean of sin and wrath is
gone. The ocean of sin and wrath is
gone for a child of God, for a soul that God laid in that
grave and cried all these things for. It's gone. There is no more
sea. And now what Revelation says,
there's no more sea. This great ocean of sin, this
great ocean of wrath, that Jonah being the picture, was dropped
down into, God said there's no more sea. Gone. But our Lord
said, in the world, you are still going to have tribulation. You
are still going to suffer a while. You're still going to. The trials,
and the pain, and the heartache, they are still going to come.
And for our help, for our comfort, for the difficult times in life
that come so often, they come so, so often, listen to the voice
of our Savior. This is a practical application.
Listen to the voice of our Savior. Listen to the one who saved us. Listen to His words of comfort
and help and apply this as often as you can, okay? Go back to
our text one more time. This time Jonah 1. Jonah chapter 1 verse 12. And He said unto them, Take Me
up and cast Me forth into the sea, so shall the sea be calm
unto you. Every time something comes up,
Every time something comes up that is overwhelming to you. Every single time. Knowing what
Christ endured for us. Knowing that He controls it all. knowing that he has ordered every
piece of it for our good and for his glory. Why is this happening?
Our good in his glory, whatever is overwhelming you to the point
that you think is going to drag you down to the bottom, down
to the depths. Our Lord says to every single
one of his children, take me up and cast me forth into the
midst of that sea. And that ocean, that overwhelming
flood will be calm unto you. Whatever it is, take me up and
cast me into the middle of it and it'll be calm unto you. Whatever
it is. Whatever it is. You know, Christ
secured me eternally. What difference does it make
what I have to suffer in this life? If eternity is settled,
that's all I need to know. Christ has secured me a place
with him. Christ is in control of every
bit of this. How often do we say, oh no, didn't
I just say this in a message last week or this morning? I'm always saying this because
it's always true. We get so much faith, go back
out into the world and then we're so crushed. Our Lord said, you
take me up and you cast me into the middle of it. And when you
do that, you will realize Christ is in control of this. Christ
is ordering this. This is for my good and his glory. Let's see what I would have changed
this. Would I want it to be for my bad and his disgrace? No. He said, you take me up,
whatever it is, you cast me into the middle of it. It'll be calm
to you. It'll be absolutely calm to you. All I have to do is trust
him. He's in control. He ordered this. My good is coming from it. His
glory is going to take place. And all I have to do is trust
him. Sit, wait and trust. He said, you cast me into the
heart of it. It'll be calm to you. That's
all we have to do. Doesn't it work every time? You
know what? He is in control of this. He
did order this. That's right. A sparrow can't
fall to the ground unless he gets permission. He's in control. He said, come unto me, all ye
that labor and are heavy laden. You cast your burden on me. Cast
your burden on me, whatever your burden down with. You bring that
burden to me and I will dive head first right into the heart
of it. And I'll make that burden calm
to you. And I will say to that sea of
trouble, peace, be still. I will. You come to me. You come
to me and I'll give you rest. I will give you rest. And it's
the truth. It is so true. This is a practical, practical
application in five minutes when you need it. Take him up and
cast him right into the middle of it at his command. Whatever
it is. Take me up, cast me into the
middle of it, and it'll be calm unto you. Calm, calm. Don't you
love how every time they were with him, it was a great calm?
David said, he leads me beside still water. Great calm. I pray the Lord will teach us
to do that. Don't let it go in this ear and out this ear. Lord,
teach me to do that. Teach me to do that. We're about
to sing a song. What a friend we have in Jesus.
all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything
to God in prayer. Oh, what peace we often forfeit. Oh, what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything
to God in prayer. He said, you take me up. you
cast me into the middle of it, it'll be calm to you. It'll be
calm. Let's all stand together.