(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.) Amen. Right, so Jonah, the book of Jonah is our new Bible study on a Sunday evening. Obviously we're starting in Jonah chapter 1. Who was Jonah? Who was Jonah? Jonah was a prophet who was alive in or before the reign of Jeroboam II. So he's also mentioned in, you don't have to turn there, it's a quick mention, I'll just read it out, in 2 Kings 14, 25, which talk of the second Jeroboam, son of Joash, king of Israel, says he restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hephir. Now this is approximately 820 years BC, so before the Lord came and it is pretty clear obviously that Jonah was a prophet, a servant of the Lord it says here, okay, so of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet. Now we see in Jonah chapter 1 and verse 1, it says the word of the Lord came unto him, it says now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah, the son of Amittai, so it's the same one, saying arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness is come up before me. I'd like to also go to the Lord in a quick word of prayer. Father, I thank you for this great book of the Bible, I thank you for the book of Jonah, I thank you for the truths we can learn from it, please help me to preach accurately and clearly now, help me to preach boldly, help people to just be attentive now, to stay awake, please keep the distractions to a minimum and help those here just to have open ears and open hearts to what your word's got to say to them, help me to be fully a spirit, Lord, and in Jesus' name I pray all of this, Amen. So God tells his prophet, this preacher Jonah here, to go to a place called Nineveh and basically shout or yell against it, that's what he means by crying here, he's not saying go and have a little sob and a little boo-hoo, he's saying go and shout against it. Where is Nineveh? So just to give you an idea of this, well, now it's Northern Iraq, it's the area we now know of as Northern Iraq, then it was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, and it was a huge city, okay, it was a big huge city, it had a population of more than 120,000 we see according to Jonah chapter 4 and verse 11, which without high-rise flats is pretty big, right, yeah, 120,000 single-story hard imagined dwellings is big, yeah, very big. The books of the minor prophets Nahum and Zephaniah predict its eventual total destruction as well, and by the way, no one seemed to find any trace of it, so it was actually a bit of a kind of, people were even trying to suggest it was possibly a myth and everything else and were questioning the validity of the Bible account of this place Nineveh, but in recent history there have actually been loads of archaeological findings of Nineveh and loads of things which have just completely backed up the biblical account, and I'm not going to go into all that because no one really needs that here, okay, we know the word of God is true by faith in the word of God, don't we, and we know that every word is true, but it's just been quite interesting that more recently having had a lot of doubt and debate about this, there's been a lot found recently and it's basically this huge powerful great city, and it's by no means a city with God's people in it, okay, I don't know if there was any, maybe there were some people saved there, but it was very few if any, this is the capital of the Assyrian Empire, and the prophet Jonah is told to go and preach against it, now notice he's not told to go and preach there and cosy up and cuddle up with everyone and try and be a shining light and everything else and hopefully he's going to blend in and people, no he's told to preach against the city, preach against this huge, this powerful city because of their wickedness, that's why he's being told to preach against it because of their wickedness, doesn't sound like an easy job does it? That does not sound like an easy job, he's got to go to this place, to this going to be a very hostile environment and preach against it and lift up his voice and shout and yell and scream about how wicked a place this is, how wicked the people are, the wicked sins that they're involved in, the wickedness that's going on there, that's not an easy job is it? Yeah, that's not a job for the faint hearted, and you can kind of understand why maybe Jonah here maybe isn't so keen on this job, yeah because we can kind of look at it, oh God told him to do something, he's just running away, well I would like to see how many people here would be willing to do similar and just go there and start screaming and shouting in the streets of some city somewhere where there's probably full of heathens and everything else, but it's not an easy job because being a servant of God, preaching and look, again I'm not talking about myself here, you guys who do men's preaching nights yeah, you ladies that go out preaching the gospel, you men that go out preaching the gospel, visiting preaching in the future, just preaching the Word of God, preaching the truth in what is a sinful and adulterous generation, it's not an easy job is it? It's not an easy job at all, it's not all handshakes and five-star reviews okay if anyone's honouring and I think some people maybe, maybe when they first got saved, maybe people kind of looked at some of these preachers and thought I want to be there, I want to be the next Pastor Anderson, you know and people are going to be just you know telling me how great I am and it's going to be likes and wow and the fame and everything else and there are people out there like that yeah and many Pastors talked about people like that out there, but it's not like that is it okay because it's not, it's not a popular job but it's not popular just going out and preaching the gospel anyway and praise God that people here go and preach the gospel but I mean we had it today, we're preaching the gospel, a guy was parked across what interestingly this kind of semi driveway-ish side of a house was covered in rubble as well so no one could even park in it and the guy that we're trying to preach through the car window wants to listen who's kind of jacked up half on the curb you know it's a bit of a weird position he's in, wants to listen, we preach to him suddenly the window opens, this guy starts effing and blinding you know shouting at us I don't want to hear you're effing this and that and etcetera I mean just just unreal and you know and you're in the middle of preaching the gospel and I said to him you know you don't have to eff and blah blah blah I think I said to him well why do you hate the Bible or why do you hate God or something along those lines and then then it starts winding you up you know and I'm with brother Lucky here and brother Lucky's thinking oh wow you know because it's just it's unreal isn't it but that's one guy and we find that hard sometimes don't we and we're thinking you know and you start to get tempted to get in the flesh there when someone's shouting abuse at you for daring to be near his house preaching from the word of God let alone going to a city and crying against it and that's not it's not easy is it and none of us have had to do that and look you know I know you get these idiots that think they're so bold because they get soapbox out and you know stand in the street and talk a load of nonsense but when you're really preaching the truth that's when you come up against the the obstacles don't you yeah the repent of your sins preacher generally gets laughed at but when you're up there and you're preaching the truth you're preaching the gospel you're preaching what the word of God says and when you are a child of God then you're going to come up against opposition aren't you and Jonah obviously is that looking forward to this it's not always popular with God's people let alone with the heathen let alone with the heathen look it's not always but look when I stand here and I'm preaching on sins that affect people in the church I'm not expecting it to be popular that's not necessarily fun when a man stands up on men's preaching I preach something that maybe he feels that that's going to convict some people maybe he's felt drawn to preach that look maybe he knows I'm not going to be that popular after this but that's not why we're up here is it it's not a popularity contest I've said this many times before if you're standing behind a pulpit trying to be popular trying to be everyone's best friend that you're in the wrong job yeah you go and stand somewhere else yeah because when you preach the truth the word of God firstly it's not going to be popular with God's people let alone with the world let alone with the world so Jonah's been asked to go and do that Jonah hasn't just been asked Jonah's been told to go and do that so how did Jonah respond to God's command he legged it he legged it Jonah went literally the other direction says in verse three but Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord and went down to Joppa and he 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 now it seems that Tarshish is a port in the south of Spain and look if you if you know your geography at all he's basically been told to go kind of northeast ish and he's gone kind of as far as he can southwest yeah he's just gone look he's just gone as far as he can all the way over to a port sort of in the south of Spain and look it's kind of a bit of a fleeing that's not just like oh God give me a bit of time I'm waiting he's just legged it yeah he's done the complete opposite now what was Jonah called here Jonah the servant of the Lord yeah I just I just showed you didn't I the prophet yeah the prophet Jonah he's directly commanded to go and preach in Nineveh and he basically says I quit yeah he says no I quit now according to our unsaved think they're saved Christians out there many of these what would be their initial response to Jonah must be unsaved must be unsaved he's gone the other direction he's not even in church I mean in church he's literally legged it yeah he's gone the other I must be unsaved how could he be saved isn't that the sort of nonsense you hear well if he's not if he's not in the things of God was he saved in the first was he saved he's a prophet of the Lord but he's one in the other direction isn't he must be in some wicked sin how about that backslidden wickedness Jonah must be but but again we don't see any any example that he's okay you could say it is a wicked sin just completely rejecting the commandment of God but it's not that he's in some sort of debauchery or something else how about this one well if you're saved you would follow God's commandments yeah that one a lot haven't you well if you were saved you wouldn't do that what is it you wouldn't do that well they are but would you don't you know when you ask someone a question what if you did that well if you were saved you wouldn't do that so sorry what's the line what is it that you would have wouldn't do if you're saved and not safe and again you hear all this stuff out there don't you and and it's just so far removed from the Word of God if I was saved well I wouldn't go and do this Jonah went to the other side of the world he was a prophet and he was told what to do and he went to the other side of the world but but again it's lost on people that want to somehow justify themselves and not just put their faith in the Lord for salvation now God's prophet on the high from God he said I'm done I'm not doing it yeah okay we've seen that he said I'm not doing it I'm not going there I'm not going to Nineveh no and we can all have times and we feel like that can't we yeah everyone here has had times and they feel like just saying I'm not doing it I'm not going soul winning how about that yeah I'm not going so winning now Jonah we've just been saying you can understand it with Jonah but other people you go to you go to especially you know some of the false churches especially the very liberal and weak sort of types and they'd be like what on earth you know you know is that is that really do you really need to go out and preach the gospel or the Bible says preach the gospel doesn't it but many people turn around and go I'm not doing it I'm not doing it no I'm not going what about what about preaching the gospel and it might look for some for some going out and preaching gospel to a stranger is petrifying yeah going out and approaching someone knocking on their door going up to someone and trying to talk to them about the things that God is is terrifying but for other people it's it's okay but you know for some people you know what else is terrifying is maybe to family or friends maybe to that thinks they're clever evolutionist type you know family member maybe that one's a bit more scary maybe the one who seems to be very well-read or just is just awkward maybe one of those awkward people want maybe one of those mockers one of those mocking scorn again but God tells preach the gospel to every creature doesn't he yeah doesn't he so sometimes they're sometimes you're the only person look we can't knock every door how many churches in this nation are knocking on the door with the correct gospel anyone know of any others knock going out knocking on the door with the correct gospel not there's a couple that I know of a cup I know of a couple of saved people that are at churches going out and doing that okay and and look there are I'm not trying to be we're the only one and I look this nation by the way is different to the US of when you do and I remind people is when you hear preaching from the US and it's good preaching saying find a church go to a church there is a church don't be one of those where there's no church completely agree in the US here it is a bit of a different kettle of fish okay it's not that there's just all these like IFB churches but they're just not they don't agree with us it's pretty bad isn't it okay you're hard-pressed to find a church where they believe the gospel okay but but with that there are there's a couple but going out and knocking the doors I mean you're talking like a couple of people in these congregations three four maybe five once a week on a Sunday maybe going out knocking it is someone do you think gonna knock the door of your family member who lives nowhere near this church do you think that's gonna happen I don't think so and unless you can get one of your church members go knock on their door because you think maybe they're more likely to listen to them and there's nothing wrong with doing that by the way but the chances are you're probably the only person that's gonna have the opportunity to preach in the gospel God tells us preach gospel to every creature but how many people go yeah well I'm knocking the door on the week I'm knocking the door on the weekend I'm gonna preach in the gospel forget them I just can't deal with the embarrassment the awkwardness of mocking the shame or whatever it is that you feel you're gonna get from that person it's gonna be awkward at family parties afterwards oh dear it's gonna be a bit funny yeah how many people yeah but we're told to preach the gospel friends and like I said sometimes strangers sometimes strangers it's other people that are fine with the family and friends they're alright with the people that they're comfortable with it's not so easy with the strangers well we don't want to be leggy it do we we don't want to be on that ship to Tarshish and here's another one how many preachers though are on the ship to Tarshish how many preachers are not doing what they've been commanded by God to do because what the reason that we haven't got churches around this nation going out preaching the gospel and going out and doing that is because the preachers aren't send them out because the preachers aren't preaching the Word of God and how many of them are on the ship to Tarshish just on the first point alone God said in verse to arise go to Nineveh that great city and cry against it for their wickedness has come up before me because a man of God is told to shout against sin he's told to lift up his voice against sin you don't have to turn to Isaiah 58 one a famous verse Isaiah is told to cry aloud that shout aloud spare not lift up thy voice like a trumpet and show my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins we are commanded to do that aren't we now look you don't have to shout every word that comes out of your mouth if you're behind a pulpit but we are told to go and show God's people their transgression and sometimes and in fact all the time as well we are also told to shine the light on those nations around us and shine the light on their wickedness because we have to live amongst it so on that just a quick list of thought of here Jeremiah Zechariah John the Baptist Jesus Peter and Paul in Acts are all described as crying or as we would call it shouting when they preach okay and that's just ones who are described as that and I'm sure that the rest of them were doing it as well okay that's just what I what I found once when I went through this a while back as Jonah was commanded to hear and the cry against the wickedness of that city of that nation yeah but if you're going to a church week after week yeah and again it doesn't have to be every week but if you start getting into the multiple weeks and you're not hearing any sin getting preached about no sin being named and shame no sin getting preached about then that preacher is already on his way to Tarshish isn't he he's already running from the Lord he's running from the commandment of the Lord and going any other direction and where does that direction end up it ends up in just some sort of liberal excuse for a church where people are just standing there trying to tickle the ears of their congregants and it's wicked and look it's hard going I've said it before and I know for many people here it's still early days of being in a proper church being in a church where really you're getting your sins preached on being in a church where sometimes getting shouted at where sometimes you're getting your feathers ruffled but and it can be hard going but you know what that's what the Word of God commands and it's good for you and and good on you that you look many of you are still sitting here going yeah I'm gonna I'm gonna hear I'm gonna hear some some preaching sometimes I'm not saying I'm the best preacher but what I am saying is I'm trying to preach the Word of God like the Word of God commands it to be preached and how many preach they're doing it nowadays and how many of these guys are probably already in Tarshish on a deck chair eating tappers because they're sure as hell not doing what God commanded them to and haven't been doing it for a long time and I don't think the journey is that long and I think they end up there and they're just saying it's just all downhill from there isn't it because you go to these places you and you at these places you got the King James you seem to have the gospel right yet we're just spending week after week after week kind of dissecting one verse and we haven't really got anywhere or we're spending week after week after week here in the gospel just dressed up with a different ribbon and a different kind of different story proceeding and following it but that's not what the Word of God calls for and that's and and what was Jonah told to do preach the word now it's not just the preachers because there are there are many hard things not just preaching there many hard things that God commands us to do yeah where every single person here has hard things that God commands them to do and that's often when we start hiding that's when we start hiding from God when we know there's something that we should be doing as men women children of God that's a lot of the time when we start hiding when we start getting the boat in the other direction that's when the Bible goes away isn't it when there's something you know you should be doing there's some decision you know you should be making there's something you know you should be doing and that's when you start to distance from God it happens it will continue to happen and probably everyone hears lives at some point or another the praying gets less yeah suddenly the prayers get a little bit harder don't they when you know there's something you should be doing for God when you know there's some sin in your life you should be getting rid of when there's some decision you should be making when there's some thing you should be doing to be in the in the will of God that's when the praying gets less that's when the Bible reading gets less isn't it that's when the church attendant starts to get less doesn't it that's when there seems to be more and more excuses not to be at church well how many hide from the Lord because maybe they don't want to make that journey to church how about that they don't want to make that journey they don't want to be around God's people so then they start hiding from the Lord they start hiding from the Word of God a lot of the time you'll find someone who's not in church do you think they're really sitting there and their Bible readings like solid every day at this time I'm reading my Bible my prayers solid my soul when he saw I just don't go to church look it might go last for a little while it quickly slips yeah and the end it's kind of it's a bit of a vicious circle as well because then in the same way the people who aren't reading the Bible regularly the people that aren't praying regularly the people that aren't so winning regularly a lot of the time the church going slips doesn't it and the church attendance slips and other things start to coming away and other excuses start to be made if you're not in church or let's just point this out because I preach this stuff and I know we have people viewing sometimes and people that we do try and make the live stream accessible yeah it's not a replacement but we do have people in countries where there is not a church but look if there's literally nothing nothing at all it doesn't sound like they're going to be able to start up some something soon they should be making effort to try and find a way of being in church okay look I understand that's hard yeah I understand it's not easy to change your whole life to relocate but what do you think God wants you to do do you think it was easy for Jonah to go to Nineveh no but what did God tell him to do to go to Nineveh and look God wants us in church but there are people that may be in the process of what might eventually be a church plant in the future maybe there are people that are starting to form what we formed here and look praise God that's great yeah they should still try and visit a church regularly I think as regular as they can but I wouldn't say right like if everyone just moved then there would be probably only a couple of countries with Christians in it wouldn't they yeah okay and we should try and work sometimes what we got but they should be networking they should be you know should be trying to find other believers they should be so winning they should be congregating they should be doing things they should be trying to be part of some the nearest church they can in the meantime and trying to find a way of being some sort of capitalist to a church in the future so you should be one of those two things because if not you might as well be in Tarshish yeah you might because what you're gonna be what you're doing you might as well be in Tarshish if you're swerving so winning you're sailing to Tarshish by the way if you're swerving so when if you're refusing to go to someone you already you already got one foot on on on deck haven't you and by the way you don't want to have like one foot on because when those boats start moving and stuff you suddenly you're doing the splits yeah you know you don't want to be doing the splits you want to be making sure that you're in the things of God make sure you're in the things of God and you're not starting that slippery slope start in that voyage that journey hiding from God because it's not always easy to come back from there and and look God wants you back it's not always easy so is that journey do you think that journey is going to be a pleasure cruise was it a pleasure cruise for Jonah well what you can hide from God it's up to you well it definitely was it look at verse 4 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 to be broken now I'm sure when Jonah boarded that ship that he probably didn't imagine it was going to be like that he probably thought he maybe got on a nice nice cruise ship he probably thought he's going to have a nice comfortable bed on it I think he did have a comfortable bed because he's sleeping actually further on but he probably thought it's going to be a nice journey but no it looks like there was then a mighty tempest in the sea and sometimes it does take a mighty tempest to get our attention isn't it sometimes it's sometimes often it's the storms in life which then put our attention back to God yeah it's often the storms in life that is that when we do turn back they're the times that we do start praying to God and look you start you a lot of the time when things get a bit easy that's when we don't really seek God isn't it yeah that's the truth of the Christian life and we need those storms a lot of the time and those storms make us get on our knees and pray to God they make us get back in the word they make us get back in the church for those who aren't doing those things and for those who are out of church they make us do the things of God yeah but you know what's even better is to be doing the things of God anyway yeah make sure you're doing the things of God in the first place you want to swerve those storms don't get on the ship in the first place because it's quite stormy out at sea apparently well it seems here it's quite stormy it was a mighty tempest in the seas that the ship was like to be broken and and there is another point here is it there that that you can run but you can't hide yeah Christian you're saved you can run from God but you can't hide and God is long suffering sometimes and some some people might be sitting here thinking well I haven't really been doing much I've you know come along or whatever else it is whoever it is here maybe not maybe people watching online maybe people in the future maybe people look back in the past and think that but you know you can't hide forever yeah I don't know how far they've gone on their way to Tarshish but God will find you in the end yeah and God will get your attention and God does want you back you can still choose not to be you can still choose not to have the things of God but and you can run but you can't hide the eyes of the Lord are ever aren't they beholding evil and the good and and they are everywhere okay God sees everything you do it doesn't matter if you've got out of this church oh it's okay the other church members can't see me now look we're not who you who you should be worried about yeah it's God who you should be worried about oh well God's not wherever it is God is not in my workplace yeah he is he's in your workplace yeah oh well God's not God's not at home when I'm just selling my own with the kids yep God's at home when you're there with the kids mums yeah God is everywhere okay and he sees everything you do and and he he hears everything you say and in fact he hears everything that you say in your mind and on your heart in fact he knows it before you say it yeah so you know it's probably good idea to get right with God yeah so verse 5 says in 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 so the ship master 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 now there are a couple of points here firstly I would hope and maybe maybe you would miss it you know sometimes you could just got to sit down and read it carefully you can't miss a picture of Christ here can you okay you can't miss a picture of Jesus Christ turn a mark chapter 4 here in Jonah we see a great wind a mighty tempest the men are afraid and Jonah is somehow asleep yeah during what is seems to be a pretty pretty mighty tempest now look at Mark chapter 4 and from verse 36 mark 436 and this is Jesus Christ and when they had sent away the multitude this is mark 436 and when they had sent away the multitude they took him even as he was in the ship and there were also with him other little ships and there arose a great storm of wind and the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full and he was in the hinder part of the ship asleep on a pillow and they awake him and sound to him master carest thou not that we perish makes you think of that him doesn't it well is that a coincidence you think is it a coincidence that this seems to be the exact same situation as with Jonah have a many 800 odd years before 850 years before no way Jonah's a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ in this event by the way is also recorded in Matthew's and Luke's Gospels in case you make it miss it it marks yeah it's in three of the four Gospels and and here it's clearly a picture there because it's showing that he's he is this picture Jesus Christ when in also when you read after as you're seeing Jesus Christ you're seeing then this this similarity to Jonah here okay so and also it's not just the sleeping bear okay the sleeping bit while this storms going on just like Jonah's actions stop the storm so does Jesus so where you are verse 39 it says in he arose and rebuked the wind and said unto the sea peace be still and the wind ceased and there was a great calm and he said unto them why are you so fearful how is it it how is it that you have no faith and they feared exceedingly I said one to another what manner of man is this that even the wind and the sea obey him and we're going to also see the continual fear of Jonah's shipmate similar situation here go back to Jonah chapter one with that in mind and it doesn't stop there by the way because then there's a symbolism of Jonah giving his life for the people so and obviously it's it's because of that that then eventually the the wind stops and the Pete and the sea still like we just saw a mark there but verse 12 in Jonah 1 we just jumped forward for a second says and he said unto them take me up and cast me forth into the sea so shall the sea become unto you for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you okay so that's some of the many pictures of Christ right at the beginning of this story and we're going to see more but let's look at it just on the surface for a minute though okay so take away that picture of the Lord Jesus Christ at foreshadowing of Christ and there's this mighty tempest right verse 5 where you are in Jonah 1 says 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 has gone down into the sides of the ship and he lay and was fast asleep now that for me is a pretty down and depressed Jonah isn't it to be able to sleep through that now whether he slept through the whole thing or he knew what was happening and managed to go to sleep either way that's some ability to go to sleep there and I would I'm okay it can't be a hundred percent here but I would say it's some ability to go to sleep here because he's pretty depressed and if you've ever been pretty down in the dumps or even clinically depressed you probably know that you're pretty tired when you feel like that and it's pretty easy for most people who feel like that to sleep and to see hours and hours and hours you're thinking how on earth does someone sleep that long well because they're depressed and here's the thing running away from God running in the other direction when you're a child of God when you have the Holy Spirit okay there's no indwelling Holy Spirit at this point here but you're a child of God you know the Word of God you know what you should be doing and for us as children God with the indwelling Holy Spirit it's a pretty depressing thing to then be running in the other direction okay it can make you pretty low it can make you pretty depressed and I'll tell you what when you see Christians who are very low a lot of the time not all the time but a lot of the time it's because they're going away from the things of God but then it becomes this vicious circle doesn't it because then they're just feeling tired they just want to sleep the whole time now he just wants to sleep but does that solve anything does it solve it for does the tempest just stop did you just sleep it through and then things just start to get better again doesn't solve anything because we have to face things eventually don't we so if again look it's not always easy sometimes people go through some hard stuff in life sometimes people deal with it different to other people and sometimes people can be feeling pretty low and pretty tired but it doesn't solve your problems does it you still have to face your problems you're better to face them earlier than face them after you've been sleeping in the tempest has been going on for several hours and all the wares of the ship are being thrown overboard and you're back and you're down to a point of kind of no return yeah it's better to just deal with it because the sleep ain't going to solve anything is it the sleep doesn't solve it and it doesn't solve it for Jonah here so the ship master came to in verse 6 and said unto him what meanest our sleeper arise call upon thy God if so be that God will think upon us that we perish not now notice how these guys are at least a ship master is pretty ecumenical like most worshippers of false gods are yeah they're pretty ecumenical verse 5 it said then the Mariners were afraid and cried every man unto his God in small G so they've got all these different gods these different idols you know different pagan gods in verse 6 a ship must says arise call upon thy God if so be that God will think upon us that we perish not and it's kind of a bit of a just like any God will do you know all one path is in it it's like because most of the time most of these people aren't really that sincere are they yeah you knock how many times you're not going to do oh yes I'm a Catholic oh okay so you believe in blood oh no I believe in reincarnation oh no I obviously don't you get that I know I well I believe there's not really a heaven or hell so the Catholic Church teach heaven and hell or I'm I'm you know I'm a you fill in the blank yeah it doesn't really matter I mean how many times you knock it I'm a Muslim well I believe that the you know as long as I had this VC as long as it's one God any God doesn't matter I mean this guy gone beyond the world it's it's one God the Abrahamic religion type thing it gone way beyond that as long as like the Hindus worship one girl whatever God it is one God fine go to heaven I mean it's a nonsense isn't it but because really because it's just another false God and I say this many times as well how all these people all these like different versions of work salvation whether it's pre salvation during salvation in terms of at that time you had to do something or post salvation it's all work salvation they don't really seem that fussed by each other today they don't really seem that fussed by the other work salvation who do they really see worked up by grace through faith how angry do they are you saying you can do anything how angry do they get by grace through faith yet they don't seem to be fussed by all the other like well if your ways away if your beliefs away why do you not care about the other work salvation is who's always differ from some way to another because it's all work salvation because they're all just one big religion and that's why they don't care but they try and just just try and gaslight you and try and get you like you're some sort of you know how dare you suggest this and it's like that's what the word of God says it's what the word of God says but hard isn't it and these guys are the same these guys just any God any God will do any God just call upon your God yeah call upon your God you know if we call upon enough gods one of them might answer it's that sort of attitude isn't it do it enough way some something will work out and people do that don't they there are people that will go into many different you know types of all I try a bit of this a little bit spiritualism I went and tried a bit of Buddhism I tried a bit of this and any God will do you know just just you know spread your net far enough well verse 7 says and they said everyone 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 a lot fell upon Jonah and this is kind of like drawing straws and Jonah's the odd one out here verse 8 says 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 and he said unto them I am in Hebrew and I fear the Lord the God of heaven which has made the sea and a dry land now this is only part of what he said because look at verse verse 10 verse 10 that says then were the men exceedingly afraid and said unto him why has thou done this for the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord because he had told them so we kind of get this statement in in verse 9 but the statement yeah he it's not it's not a full statement he clearly said this but he didn't say this is the only thing he said okay so he's also told them other stuff now I just find it interesting because he's answered more in depth but the highlight in verse 9 is that he declares unto them who the Lord is verse 9 he said and he said unto them I am in Hebrew and I fear the Lord the God of heaven which has made the sea and the dry land so he makes it real clear who God is yeah I mean he's a preacher at heart this guy isn't he even when his backslidden state he's running the other way and then he's like let's preach the Lord to these worshipers of false gods how far do you think he went verse 11 then says then said they unto him what shall we do unto thee that the sea may be calm unto us for the sea wrought and was tempestuous and he said unto them take me up and cast me forth into the sea so shall the sea be calm unto you for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you so there's this picture of Jesus Christ being the only way of salvation remember he's a picture of Jesus Christ the only way of them being saved from this is by casting him is by shedding his blood yes okay he's not necessarily going to bleed in the sea but you get the point yeah it is by him paying for it verse 13 nevertheless nevertheless so he's told them this is the way nevertheless the men rode hard to bring it to the land but they could not for the sea wrought and was tempestuous against them and again that for me it's just a picture of work salvation isn't it they they're told you you know you could be saved if you throw me overboard yeah he's preached to them as well who the Lord is you need to get rid of me and they're like no we're going to try and work our way we're going to work our way to shore we're going to roll our way to shore but it doesn't matter how hard you work you can't save yourself it doesn't matter how hard you work how hard you try and work to get safe how hard do you think you're working after your salvation whatever it is it ain't salvation if you're working for it and you cannot work hard enough you want to get good luck to you you want to try and be judged by works great because Romans 11 6 says and if by grace and is it no more of works otherwise grace is no more grace but if it be of work then is it no more grace otherwise work is no more work so look if you want to go for work go ahead go for work but that means you the grace is gone you're the grace is gone any little addition of works you add to salvation and you're working your way to heaven and good luck with that because they try to work their way to salvation yeah this is obviously a picture here and they couldn't because look you try and row in a tempest and you're gonna be going all over the place aren't you every angle it's coming from you every way which way you go the sea the waves are tossing you about it's not gonna happen is it it's not gonna happen and look life is a tempest you're unsaved yeah you're in a tempest yeah and there's one way out of it and that's the Lord Jesus Christ there's one way of salvation and that's the Lord I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the Father but by me not him plus your works not him plus anything else it's him and it's him it's the Lord Jesus Christ not your own version of the Lord Jesus Christ not your oneness version of the Lord Jesus Christ not any other version of the Lord Jesus Christ it's the Lord Jesus Christ as revealed in scripture the Son of God God manifest in the flesh okay they're trying to row they obviously probably at some point felt like they were getting somewhere don't you think they probably you know had a little bit when they were going downhill down a wave and they're like hey we're getting somewhere I don't know I managed to I've managed to get rid of that sin and then suddenly you know let's smash with the next one because look you try and work your way you ain't getting nowhere you're not getting nowhere wherefore they cried unto the Lord they tried to work they saw the folly they cried unto the Lord and said we beseech thee O Lord we beseech thee let us not perish for this man's life and lay not upon us innocent blood for thou O Lord has done as it please thee so they're saying don't blame us for killing him yeah don't blame us you know basically I know what they're gonna do here so they took up Jonah and cast him forth into the sea and the sea ceased from her raging now that must have been an amazing sight to see right imagine half of these guys they've finally flown him into the sea and suddenly just calm amazing right this happened every single word of this is true that happened and those men witness that okay so what was the result after that amazing sight then the men feared the Lord exceedingly and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord and made vows so what's happening don't forget in verse 5 they were calling to their God small G now they're shouting to the Lord the Lord Jehovah Oh Lord capital letters and then verse verse 6 so before that we saw the ship master is kind of referring to the Lord God as a generic God because he's saying to him what many South Sea but arise call upon thy God you know if so be that God will think upon us that we perish not and in verse 8 to 10 said then said they unto him tell us we pray thee for whose cause this evil is upon us what is thine occupation whence comest thou what is thy country and of what people art thou so remember he said unto them part of what he said was I am in Hebrew and I fear the Lord the God of heaven which made the sea and the dry land then when the men exceedingly afraid something why has thou done this for the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord because he had told them so according like I said to it seems like he's preached something to them according to verse 9 he's preached some amount of truth about God for them to understand why he was fleeing and everything else and in verse 10 it's apparently he's told them more obviously than verse 9 then in verse 14 they're praying to him the Lord by his name Lord Jehovah wherefore they cried unto the Lord and said we beseech thee O Lord we beseech thee let us not perish for this man's life lay not upon us innocent blood for thou O Lord is done as it pleases there's a definite difference there doesn't there and then in verse 16 and the men feared the Lord exceedingly and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord it may valve now they're not only fearing the Lord exceedingly but offering sacrifices to him okay I don't want to like jump to right they got saved yeah but I tell you what they don't all seem to have a better understanding of God don't they they understand need and look I think many false religions offer sacrifices but they're offering it to God here okay they're offering sacrifices we don't know what they've been preached you know what's being preached them at this point I don't know but what I do know is that there seems to be some sort of picture there I believe at least a picture of salvation they've thrown him in there now say and then what do they go and do after that what everyone should go and do after that and he's offer sacrifices to the Lord yeah and go to the Lord and serve the Lord and just because everyone doesn't doesn't mean that they should just because people get saved and go cheers mate I'm done with that or I'll do it in my own time doesn't mean that they shouldn't go and serve the Lord yeah and we should it be encouraging people to serve the Lord shouldn't we yeah and I know it sometimes feels uncomfortable because because on one hand you preach it's grace through faith it is grace through faith yeah but but we should be trying to encourage them in the church as well afterwards shouldn't we and these guys here they then they're then offering a sacrifice unto the Lord they're making vows then verse 17 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 now something familiar about this three day and three nights isn't there yeah turn in Matthew chapter 12 well I read Matthew 16 4 you're turning to Matthew 12 Matthew 16 4 says a wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign and there shall no sign be given unto it but the sign of the Prophet Jonas and he left them and departed now you've turned to Matthew 12 so there's a sign of the Prophet Jonas that's a sign they're being given Matthew 12 and verse 38 to 40 says then certain of the scribes and that the Pharisees answered say master we would see a sign from thee but he answers sent unto them an evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign and there shall no sign be given it but the sign of the Prophet Jonas for as Jonas was three days of three nights in the whale's belly so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth wait a minute look the error he said the whale's belly Jonah said a fish what's happened it's an error in the Bible isn't it is it an error in the Bible no it's not an error in the Bible yeah because just because our world's decided that a whale is a mammal yeah because they have their own classification well under God's classification which I'm more willing to go with God's classification then some some people there that think they know it all God decides that a whale is a fish yeah and we don't need to change and we don't need to apologize for that do we and and be embarrassed that look a whale's a fish according to God yeah it swims in the sea yeah it goes underwater yeah it does cool stuff in the sea it's got fins and all of that stuff for me it's a fish I do remember when you were young it used to be like the catch-out thing didn't it when you're really young it's like what's a whale fish oh no it's about because we all just look at it and go it's a fish yeah you don't show like you show kids like you know right fish swim underwater look here's a load of fish swimming underwater look at this one and they go mammal they don't do they they go look at another big fish then you have to train them and teach them that no no because the world's decided that's a mammal yeah look there's many similarities between different creatures and things and yeah they breathe and all this other stuff yeah great yeah they're a fish okay cuz God says they're a fish and that's probably about as far as the science lesson is gonna go on that God said they're a fish so they're a fish yeah if you got a problem with that tough okay because that's what the Word of God says doesn't it the Word of God says it's a fish because we've just seen that the comparison there and he then says Jesus Christ says a whale's belly and and the Word of God said that he was swallowed by fish okay so but back to the point of he said so shall the Son of Man be three days of three nights in the heart of the earth and the you know ladies and gentlemen case you're wondering there that is hell okay that is held the heart of the earth how do we know that hell is in the heart of the earth well we could literally go to many places in Scripture but turn to number 16 because number 16 is just a nice quick quick story on this just to make it very clear what happens when you go to the heart of the earth numbers chapter 16 and verse 28 because again this is one of those teachings which you know the what seemed to be you know independent fundamental Baptist churches there seems to be this kind of rising chorus of people saying it's heretical to suggest that Jesus Christ went to hell and they don't really seem to have much of a reason for that I don't really know what their argument is other than they just start shouting and getting angry and really upset about it and then you know what's a damnable have some even say it's damnable heresy strange because what's the Bible say well the Bible said that for his Jonas was three days three nights in the world's belly so shall the Son of Man be three days three nights in the heart of the earth well what's in the heart of the earth well look at verse 28 where you are number 16 and Moses said hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me to all these works who have not done them of my own hand so basically just to give you an update here these guys have tried to rebel against ultimately the Lord but against Moses okay and Moses is you know understandably a little bit annoyed yeah okay so he says if these men die the common death of all men or if they be visited off the visitation of all men then the Lord has not sent me but if the Lord make a new thing and the earth open a mouth and swallow them up with all the app attained unto them and they go down quick into the pit then you shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord and it came to pass he had made an ender speak all these words that the ground clave asunder that was under them and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up in a house and all the men that app attained unto Korah and all their goods they and all that app attained to them went down alive into the pit and the earth closed upon them and they perished from among the congregation okay so the grounds opened up these guys have just gone down into the pit yeah the earth's opened up they've gone into the pit what's the pit then well the pit is hell revelation chapter 9 and verse 2 turn there if you want if you're quick how quick are you revelation 9 to talking of the angel Abaddon or Apollyon says and he opened the bottomless pit and there arose a smoke out of the pit as a smoke of a great furnace and the Sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit okay sounds a bit hellish doesn't it sounds hellish well that is the pit and that's and that's basically where the devil goes for a thousand years into the pit okay and that unfortunately is where everyone's going who doesn't have their faith in Christ alone for salvation now Jesus Christ went there for three days and three nights and Jonah as we're going to see when we go to the next chapter is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ spending three days and three nights in the heart of the earth in hell in the pit which is what happens when the earth opens up and swallows people and they go to the heart of the earth the pit is hell now turn to Acts 2 where Peter is preaching on the day of Pentecost and and we're just going to see this little passage as well Acts chapter 2 and verse 22 Acts 2 22 says ye men of Israel hear these words Jesus of Nazareth a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you as ye yourselves also know him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain whom God has raised up having loosed the pains of death so what the pains of death he loosed the pains of death this is what happened when he was raised up out of the pit out of the heart of the earth out of hell he loosed the pains of death because hell is torment hell is torture hell is burning in fire it's the pains of death because it was not possible that he should be holding of it for David speaketh concerning him I foresaw the Lord always before my face for he is on my right hand I should not be booed now keep a finger there turn to Psalm 16 which is what is being quoted here Psalm chapter 16 in Psalm 16 it's the Psalm of David who obviously didn't go to hell yeah David didn't go to hell there's only one person the only begotten of the dead the Lord Jesus Christ yeah who actually came back from spiritual death in hell okay no one else because like we see in Luke 16 they cannot pass from thence to us yeah there's no either way and we know that that David David clearly is in heaven he's a man after God's own heart well Psalm 16 we're gonna look from verse 8 because like that like Jonah David was another Old Testament picture of Christ and many of his Psalms are also prophecies of Jesus Christ as Paul is explaining here where where and he's referencing Psalm 16 and from verse 8 we're seeing where it 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 now David neither went to hell nor was described as thine holy one was he no David wasn't described as thine holy one a name for the Lord he says in verse 11 thou wilt show me the the path of life in thy presence his fullness of joy at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore he also didn't end up at the right hand of God something reserved for the Lord Jesus Christ you have to turn to Colossians 3 1 says if ye then be risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God okay so what's he talking about well it's the prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ with that in mind go back to Acts 2 Acts chapter 2 and verse 26 Acts 2 26 says therefore did my heart rejoice and my tongue was glad moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption thou has made known to me the ways of life thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance now listen what he says here men and brethren this is uh this is Peter so men and brethren let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David that he is both dead and buried and his sepulcher is with us unto this day therefore being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins according the flesh he would raise up Christ sit on his throne he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ that his soul was not left in hell and neither his flesh did see corruption this Jesus have God raised up where we are all or we all are witnesses and look we often go to that verse alone don't we and most people it doesn't really take more than that verse because it shouldn't really have to take more than that verse but look it's clear as day isn't it it's clear as day and aside from that all of those burnt off why all those burns why all those sacrifices burn in the old testament why they're all burnt with fire burnt with fire none of it remaining burnt with fire burnt with fire what what's the burning about what's the burnt sacrifice about because they're all they're pictures of the Lord Jesus Christ it's to be burnt with fire not sodden yeah burnt with fire because it's a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ burning in hell for our sins and yes that was enough yeah that was enough to pay for our sins yeah he's paid for all our sins past present and future sins that's what he paid for in hell he didn't just pay for some of them he's burned for some of them you know well just just burn for the like the previous ones you know no for the law okay and and look it's a clear doctrine of the bible we're not going to hide away from that doctrine are we you could argue you know it's not necessarily a doctrine that someone has to believe for salvation you know if they believe in that you know his death paying for your sins fine but i want to preach when i preach to gospel i preach hell i preach i preach the Lord Jesus Christ going to hell because if the Lord Jesus Christ went to hell why would we not make that point because it's an amazing truth isn't it yeah it's an amazing truth that that for me just gives even more power and strength to the gospel and the love and the love of God yeah yeah the love of God and that there's a great truth there and and that truth is pictured in the book of Jonah and that and and again what an amazing just one of the many evidences again you know we don't have to go into all these but they're just interesting aren't they to help to strengthen our faith you've got a story here 800 odd years before the Lord Jesus Christ and what an amazing thing how God like and it's not just a story you've got a an event that happened a historical event that pictured the Lord Jesus Christ how God just molds and shapes and that it just it's amazing isn't it alongside men's free will as well alongside just just amazing how it all works out but it does and with that um with that we're going to continue uh when we go next week into chapter two and what what then happens in that whale all that fishes don't matter which one you want to call it it's belly so on that let's pray father thank you uh thank you for a great book of the bible the thing with that great chapter and thank you for the great truths that we we can get from there and truths that you know running from you is is is never going to profit us you know we're going to be down we're going to be depressed we're going to be we're going to ultimately have it catch up with us that you you know we're going to have things happen to get our attention help us not to do that help us not to do that in in the many areas of our lives where we can be tempted to do that help us to just just follow you help us to seek you help us to be in your will help us to follow your commandments to want to follow your commandments to when you tell us to do something to want to do it to do our best to do it lord we know that we're all sinners we know that we're going to get things wrong we know that we all sin regularly that there's you know not a just man upon us amongst us sorry but we we we know that look that that you're a forgiving god we we we want to do our best we want to try our best help us to all feel like that but help us also to to preach the truth the truth is that that you know that that we're saved by grace through faith that jonah's a picture of that they're being cast into the sea to save those men and that you know once he's cast there's no more casting he they didn't have to pull him out and cast him in every time they did a sin it was one time it was one time that he was cast in to save them there's a picture of the lord jesus christ that death once and for all we we thank you for that we thank you for that truth help us to preach that truth this week help us to get home safely help us to return back wednesday for the last service in south end in jesus name we pray all of this amen