God's Unrelenting Grace: 3 C’s of Alignment with His Grace

God’s Unrelenting Grace Series

3 C’s of Alignment with His Grace

February 18, 2018

Introduction: Don’t you just love it hearing the stories of God’s Word through the hearts and minds of children? Their faith is refreshing and inspiring to us. Jesus said that we need to have the heart & faith of children to enter into His Kingdom. Go with me to our text this morning as we study part 3 of God’s Unrelenting Grace based on the book of Jonah.

Jonah 2:1-10
From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. 2 He said:
"In my distress, I called to the LORD, and he answered me.
From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.
3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. 4 I said, 'I have been banished from your sight, yet I will look again toward your holy temple.'
5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.  7 "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. 8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. 9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD." 10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. NIV

Pray with me this morning – Thank you for your Word and what you will say to all of us today who are here and those who will view this message by streaming. Thank you that you know where we are, and you are at work in and through every, every circumstance of our life.

Often in times of crisis, we wonder where God is and might even feel as if he has abandoned us. The story of Jonah reveals Gods Unrelenting Grace. It serves to reminds us that through all our hardships even those of our own making He is at work.

The story of Jonah of God’s unrelenting Grace tells me that …
I.    God Works in my Confinement (Jonah 2:1,10) From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. 10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. NIV

Too often, or perhaps I should say that the usual understanding of Jonah’s whale experience is all about God’s punishment. BUT that isn’t the full story. There are other facets of Jonah’s confinement that are powerfully important in our understanding of God’s grace.

When I view all that transpires in my life through grace I see that God works in the confining circumstances of my life. Look at this with me, yes, the whale was God’s chastisement, BUT it was also …

a.    A shelter/haven in the storm
•    God would have you to see that Jonah’s confinement in the whale was God’s protection

We often don’t see that our confining circumstances are God Shelter and provision to protect us from something greater.

The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation, the friend remarked as usual,

"This is good!" To which the king replied, "No, this is not good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail. About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake.

As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend.

"You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. "And so, I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this."

"No," his friend replied, "This is good!" "What do you mean, ’This is good’? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"
"If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you."

You may not see or understand your confinement (hardship) but trust that God’s unrelenting grace is at work in your confinement. God is at work in to make it…

b.    A private encounter
•     Notice what transpires in confinement in the “fish.”
1.    He realizes there is nowhere else to turn but God
2.    He Cries out to God "In my distress, I called to the LORD, and he answered me.
3.    He recognizes God is with him - I called for help, and you listened to my cry.
The story of Jonah of God’s unrelenting Grace tells me that God works in my confinement and then that …
II.    God Works during my Communion (Jonah 2:3-5, 7-9)
3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. 4 I said, 'I have been banished from your sight, yet I will look again toward your holy temple.'
5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.

7 "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. 8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. 9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD."

We have just seen that Jonah’s confinement lead to an encounter with God. This encounter leads to Communion with God! There is something that I had never seen before until studying for this message. Someone points out that verses (3-5,7-9) are all references to the Book of Psalms!

Here is the point when I’m in some kind of confining circumstances it is because of my relationship with God and his unrelenting grace …

a.    His Word speaks to me
•    Did Jonah have the Torah on him?
•    No! It was because he knew what God had said! He read and re-read God’s word. It was in him.
•    This is the value of hiding, knowing, remember God’s Word
•    God’s Word was Jonah’s life support in the whale
•    God’s Word is your life support in trouble and overwhelming darkness and difficulty
•    But don’t miss that God’s word not only spoke to him… when I’m in some kind of confining circumstances it is because of my relationship with God and his unrelenting grace …

b.    His Word guides me
Before the days of the GPS, a traveler made the Atlantic crossing in a boat equipped with two compasses. One was fixed to the deck where the man at the wheel could see it. The other compass was fastened up on one of the masts, and often a sailor would be seen climbing up to inspect it. The passenger asked the captain, "Why do you have two compasses?"

"This is an iron vessel," replied the captain, "and the compass on the deck is often affected by its surroundings. Such is not the case with the compass at the masthead; that one is above the influence. We steer by the compass above. (Tan, P.L. "Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations", 1924)

•    Too often we are influenced by our circumstance, surroundings
•    Disaster often is waiting if we steer, direct our life sole by circumstances.
•    Jonah says, 7 "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, 9 …. Salvation comes from the LORD."
•    The Word of God guided him to acknowledge as well as understand God’s thoughts about him
Finally, the story of Jonah of God’s unrelenting Grace tells me that…
III.    God Works through my Confession (Jonah 2:3-4,6) You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. 4 I said, 'I have been banished from your sight, yet I will look again toward your holy temple.' 6 … But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.

a.    As I recognize His hand at work
•    Notice the usage of “you, your” these clearly are Jonah’s referring to at this is God’s hand at work!
•    Make no mistake Jonah had faith and declared that God was at work and up to something good – working through his confinement bring about good for him
•    Not only did he state that God’s hand was at work, he confessed 6 … But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.

b.    As I recognize His compassion
•    Don’t miss that although he had not yet experienced the deliverance from the belly of the whale he has recognition of God’s compassion he makes a faith declaration…
•    He believes and states God will bring deliverance from the pit he finds himself in.
Conclusion:
Leonard Sweet tells of an unusual tribal custom that pictures God's unrelenting grace during our darkest hours. "One tribe of native Americans had a unique practice for training young braves. On the night of a boy's thirteenth birthday, he was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then he had never been away from the security of his family and tribe. But on this night he was blindfolded and taken miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of thick woods. By himself. All night long.
"Every time a twig snapped, he probably visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. Every time an animal howled, he imagined a wolf leaping out of the darkness. Every time the wind blew, he wondered what more sinister sound it masked. No doubt it was a terrifying night for many.
"After what seemed like an eternity, the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was the boy's father. He had been there all night long." [Leonard Sweet, "Soul Salsa," 23-24]
•    God gave me this word today to open the eyes and hearts of those who feel he has abandoned them.
•    He sent this word today to remind and reveal through all hardships, dark times even those of our own making He is at work.
•    Will make a confession like Jonah today that he is hand is at work and his compassion with bringing about your deliverance?
•    If so come forward putting legs to that declaration