Jonah part 3 Jonah fesses up

Jonah 1:5-5-10

Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.6  So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.7  And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.8  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? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?9  And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.10  Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

Jonah relaxed in his sin

I Timothy 1:18-20 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; 19  Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck;20  Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

At salvation, our conscience is renewed

Hebrews 10:20-25   By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21  And having an high priest over the house of God; 22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

• We have been washed by His Holy word
• We are not to compromise -waver
• Have we become shipwrecked? – no effect?

Paul actually delivered some saints over to the Devil to be destroyed –

I Corinthians 5:3-7  For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, 4  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5  To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 6  Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7   Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

1. There comes a time when God uses drastic measures to get one to obey– some storms are avoidable
2. NOTE: they were still saved, but their physical life was destroyed to bring about repentance and obedience – nothing can separated us from His love –

Romans 8:35-37   Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

• We are instructed to purge out – to cleanse thoroughly
• Delivering one is not giving up, but faithfully trusting God to work

Challenged by the world to WAKE UP

1. The world is frightened by what they see today
2. We need to be accountable to “not run” but to stand and share
3. We can not hide our face in the middle of the storm – we must wake up to what is happening around us

When faced with the truth, he finally owned up

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

1. Is it possible that an unholy church has brought God’s judgment upon this nation?
2. Is it possible that the church has forsaken her first love?

Revelation 2:1-5 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 2  I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them  which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3  And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. 4  Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5  Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

• Works apart from obedience is useless
• We are admonished to follow our first love – Jesus
• God will remove the light of His church if it continues to run from her responsibility
• Do people still need to hear the uncompromising gospel of Jesus Christ?
• Will we arise and go or stay asleep

Romans 13:11-14   And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13  Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

I Corinthians 15:34  Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

Ephesians 5:13-16   But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.14  Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.15  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as  fools, but as wise,16  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

1. sleeping church is a dead church

2. The evil today is just as evil as it was in the day of                                                                    Jonah

3.WE ARE THE LIGHT!!!!!

NOTE THE QUESTION: Why hast thou done this?