Did Jonah Die Inside the Great Fish?

In my sermon’s introduction on October 12, 2008, I asked the question, “Did Jonah die inside the great fish?” We cannot conclude with absolute certainty that he did or did not.

I have very much reveled in the possibility/probability that Jonah died and was brought back to life! Here is the quote I read from Dr. John Piper, expanded a bit more:

 

“If you ask how a man can survive in the belly of a fish three days, the answer is, he probably can’t—any more than a person stay three days in the grave and live again. That’s why Jesus called it a ‘sign’. In Matthew 12:39 He says, ‘An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah, the prophet.’ Jesus knew this was no ordinary event. It was a miraculous sign of God’s gracious and powerful intervention. There is no point in trying to explain it away scientifically any more than the miraculous signs of Jesus’ ministry.” (Piper’s sermon, November 21, 1982)

And here is another quote, this one from RBBC’s Rusty Christensen, who wrote the following in his journal in October, 2006:

 

“Did Jonah actually die in the belly of the fish? I think he did and God resurrected him for the sole purpose of carrying out what He originally asked him to do. Consider—the grave simply gave up her dead—much like Jesus’ resurrection and those who were brought back to life when Jesus rose. The theological depth is greater—this is not simply that he almost died, and that God used a fish to bring him back to where he needed to be. But rather, he died—his life, his goals and his opportunities to be used of God for His glory have vanished. I think the language of Jonah supports the argument. (Sheol, the pit etc.) Consider…We are running around wasting our life—the exact opposite direction of what God is telling to do and where to go. We only realize our eternal mistake when it is too late. Jonah had a second chance.” (used with Rusty’s permission)

O, Dear Lord, grant us grace to live our lives today in your death-conquering, life-giving power! Thank you for your patience and compassion with Jonah--- and me. Amen.

Economic Crisis: Shall We Fear?

It’s Wednesday, October 8, 2008, and I read this on an online news page at 3:00 P.M.: “Deep Recession Imminent”. The markets have plummeted; banks are collapsing; the Fed and World Bank are scrambling to the rescue; the housing market is anemic; and jobs are threatened. Shall we fear?

Rynette and I talked about this last night before we prayed and went to sleep, and I was reminded that how we respond to the national/international financial emergency will show what and who we love, trust, and worship. I do not write this flippantly; I know what the gnawing sensations and adrenaline rushes of anxiety and fear are like. Through His Word our kind God has taught Rynette and me much about fear during the last year. He showed us that where there is fear, idolatry accompanies it.

I encourage you to war against fear and idolatry in these very unsettled times with truths found in the Word of God:

* The Lord does not change!

“For I, the LORD, do not change…” Malachi 3:6

* God is with you!

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my Righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

* Money won’t last!

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust (and faulty financial systems) destroy and where thieves (and greedy financiers) break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” Matthew 6:19-20

* Christ is worthy of your focus, not money!

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

* God will take care of you!

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food (and finances)...Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow…” Matt. 6:25,34

* Pray and be thankful!

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

“Delivered Up for Our Trespasses”

“Delivered”…What a word! In “Jonah Points to Jesus”, my communion meditation on October 5, I invited the people to consider Romans 4:25. There we read: “…Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4;24b-25).

“Delivered”…I love this word. Revel in it with me. Actually, revel in them with me because several Greek words are rendered “deliver(ed)” in the New Testament.

In Romans 4:25, “delivered up” is from the Greek verb “paradidomi”, meaning “to deliver over”. God the Father delivered His precious Son to die for our trespasses! “How deep the Father’s love for us, how vast beyond all measure!” How great His commitment to the display of His glory in grace and holiness and mercy and justice! The same Greek verb root is also found in Galatians 2:20 (and this moved me very much as I read it): “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself [delivered Himself up] for me.” “O, how He loves you and me!”

And here is one other instance of the verb “deliver”, this one being from the Greek word “rhuomai”, meaning “to rescue from”. This is so great! Colossians 1:13-4-- “He [the Father] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin. “Hallelujah! What a Savior!”

So be glad in this with me. God the Father delivered up His only begotten, beloved Son, and the Son delivered Himself up to die, so that we might be delivered from the domain of darkness and be granted life in His kingdom, having redemption and forgiveness of sin! Delivered—what a sweet word!

20 Resolutions from James

These resolutions by Sinclair Ferguson are excellent as we continue to live out the book of James at RBBC.

Between Two Worlds: Sinclair Ferguson: 20 Resolutions from James

“And Count the Patience of Our Lord as Salvation”

The first chapter of Jonah is full of God’s patience! Behold and bless and worship and thank the Lord!

Jonah was a prophet of God; he heard God’s instructions to preach in Nineveh; he thumbed his nose at the LORD and defied Him, trying to flee “away from the presence of the Lord” (1:3). But in His patience God did not let Jonah go—He chased Him!

You know the story… God “hurled a great wind upon the sea” (1:4) and caused the lot to fall to Jonah (1:7). He used Jonah to bear witness to the ship’s crew about “the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land” (1:9). And when the sailors asked Jonah what to do (because Jonah’s God made the sea and surely controlled the sea) in order to calm the storm and save the ship, the prophet preferred to remain rebellious and die, rather than repent! So Jonah was pitched over the side to drown, and who could charge God with unfairness if He had let Jonah sink to the bottom!

But, behold God’s patience! Jonah did not drown; God pursued him. “The LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights” (1:17).

Believer, this is what God does for us when we know what He requires of us, and yet we choose to trust our own judgment and love sin more! Jonah was foolish; we are foolish. But God is patient! “But you, O LORD, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Psalm 86:15). He pursues us. He shows us that defiance will lead to shipwreck. And He beckons to us: “Repent! I will cleanse and forgive and restore you, for My glory, and My Son’s name’s sake, and for your joy” (1 Jon 1:9; John 15:11).

Let us rejoice in the Lord’s patience with us and be drawn in the wonder of His saving, sanctifying grace to eagerly trust and obey Him!

"Jonah and Joy": Sept. 23, 2003

The prophet Jonah disobeyed God’s specific command and commission to him and headed out to sea instead of cross-country to Nineveh. “Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me. But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD” (1:1-3).

What happened when Jonah tried to get away from God? “In his excellent preaching on Jonah, Donald Grey Barnhouse…noted that Jonah did not get to where he was going, since he was thrown overboard, and the he obviously didn’t get a refund on his ticket. So he paid the full fare and did not get to the end of his journey. Barnhouse said, ‘It is always that way. When you run away from the Lord you never get where you are going, and you always pay your own fare.” (from John MacArthur’s The Minor Prophets, vol. 1, page 216)

Think about it. Like Jonah, when we disobey the Lord’s commands and try to flee from Him, we never get where we want to go, the place of satisfaction and contentment. And we pay a price, a heavy price. But it need not be this way for us.

Our Lord Jesus does not call us to obey His commands (and commission) to keep us under His thumb or ruin our fun or limit us. He calls us to obey Him…FOR OUR JOY! “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be full” (Jon 15:9-11). What better place to abide than in Christ’s love? And what greater joy than that which Jesus gives? Full joy!

This is not to say that pursuing Christ in obedience will always be peaches and cream. No, but Jonah’s experience certainly shows us that disobedience is hardly preferable! It is true that going after the Lord Jesus will include difficulty and suffering from time to time. After he was stoned nearly to death at Lystra, he said, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). But such hardship and difficulty is not the same as being pitched overboard into a raging sea for having run away from God! Rather, it comes because of allegiance and love for Christ Jesus and serves to draw us closer to Him (Phil. 3:10 “…that I may share in the fellowship of His suffering”), increase our hope for glory ( 2 Cor. 4:17 “This light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison”), and work righteousness and holiness in us (Hebrews 12:6, 10-11). Therefore, suffering in pursuit of Christ and for His glory is far different and greater than suffering for our rebellion and disobedience to Him.

Will you choose the promise of joy in following Christ (Hebrews 12:1-2), even when it means suffering for His Name’s sake, or the emptiness of the self-authored life? Will you seek the eternal rewards of trusting and obeying Jesus (Matthew 5:11-12; 2 Cor. 4:17), or the momentary satisfaction of “self-determination” and fleeing from God that always lead to gaping un-fulfillment?

For more about suffering and following Christ, I recommend John Piper’s chapter on suffering in Desiring God. It is thoroughly biblical and Christ-honoring, and a huge challenge to most American Christians, including me.

What is the meaning of Colossians 1:24 in real life? Paul wrote, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, that is the church…” Certainly it does not mean that the Lord’s suffering was somehow lacking or deficient? What then?

Here is an excerpt from Desiring God to draw your interest, I hope—

The Blood Flowed from Our Wounds Like a Fountain There are countless examples in our own day of choosing to suffer for the purpose of Colossians 1:24 -- to complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions by presenting them to others through suffering.12 As I was writing this chapter in late 1995 a missionary letter describing such suffering came to my attention. I quickly E-mailed the missionary in Africa to confirm the facts. He spoke personally with Dansa and got his permission for me to quote this story in Dansa's words from the letter.

Around 1980 there was a time of server persecution from the local officials of the communist government in my area of Wolayta. At the time, I was working in a government office, but I was also serving as the leader of the Christian youth association fro all the churches in my area. THE communist officials repeatedly came to me to ask for my help in teaching the doctrines of the Revolution among the youth. Many other Christians were giving in because the pressure was very great, but I could only say no.

At first, their approach was positive: they offered me promotions and pay increases. But then the imprisonments began. The first two were fairly short. The third time lasted an entire year. During this time communist cadres would regularly come to brainwash the nine of us believers (6 men and 3 women -- one of whom would later become my wife) who were being held together. But when one of the cadres converted to Christ, we were beaten and forced to haul water from long distances and carry heavy stones to clear farm land.

The worst time came during a two week period in which the prison official would wake us early while it was still dark when no one could see and force us to walk on
our bare knees over a distance of up to 1 1/2 kilometers on the gravel road of the town. It would take us about three hours. After the first day, the blood flowed from our wounds like a fountain, but we felt nothing.

On another occasion one particularly brutal prison official forced us to lie on our backs under the blazing sun for six straight hours. I don't know why I said it, but when we finished I told him, " You caused the suns's rays to strike us, but God will strike you." A short time later, the official contracted sever diabeties and died.

When the communist govenemnt fell several years later, the head official invited us back to preach in the jail. At that time, twelve prisoners being held for murder received Christ. We have continued to minister in the prison, and there are now 170 believer s. Most of the prison officials have also beleived.

Only God can sort out all the influences that led to this remakable time of harvest among the prison inmates and officials. But surely it would be naive to think that the suffering of Dansa was not part of the compelling presentation of the reality of Christ in the loves of those who believed.

DON’T GRUMBLE… SHINE!

On September 7th the sermon text was James 5:7-11. Found in those verses is this—“Do not grumble against one another, brothers…” (verse 9).

When I looked for other instances of the word “grumble” in the Word I came to Philippians 2:14-15—“Do things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…”

Do you see it? When our lives as Christ’s followers are without grumbling and questioning, we are like lights shining for others around us to see. Grumbling is dark and commonplace in the world and natural to most people. But it isn’t for us as Christians. It is noticed by others when grumbling and questioning is absent from our lives.

Grumbling? Do you do it? By God’s grace, put it to death…and shine!

Pray for the People of Haiti

Please pray for the people of Haiti. There is a special place in RBBC’s heart for Haiti—Heart of the Bride, led by Tony Gibson, ministers among children there and some of our church family have been short-term missionaries there. Dan and Tracy Shelton are pursuing adoption of two Haitian daughters and dealing with a very trying process.

And Haiti has been devastated by one storm after another! Hundreds have died, roadways and bridges are washed out, homes are destroyed, food supplies are short, and the country has been almost deforested.

So pray and seek other ways to show Christ’s love, too.

And here is something more to move our hearts for Haiti:

Slavery in Haiti
September 8, 2008 By: John Piper
Category: Commentary, International Outreach

It is a good thing that people from all ideologies are talking about the horrors of human trafficking. Don’t let the “trendiness” of it dampen your indignation. If a liberal champions a good cause woe to conservatives who put their head in the sand.

Doug Nichols has been on the cutting edge of caring for street children since before some of you were born. He is one of my heroes. As Founder of Action International, Doug draws my attention to child slavery in Haiti. The children are called restavéks(stay-withs).

He writes: “Let me share a few paragraphs from the recent book A Crime So Monstrous, by Benjamin Skinner:

…Slaves are everywhere. Assuming that this is your first trip to Haiti, you won't be able to identify them. But to a lower-middle-class Haitian, their status is 'written in blood.' Some are as young as three or four years old. But they'll always be the small ones, even if they're older. The average fifteen-year-old child slave is 1.5 inches shorter and 40 pounds lighter than the average free fifteen-year-old. They may have burns from cooking for their overseer's family over an open fire; or scars from beatings, sometimes in public, with the martinet, electrical cables, or wood switches. They wear faded, outsized castoffs, and walk barefoot, in sandals or, if they are lucky, oversized shoes...

You may see their tiny necks and delicate skulls straining as they tote five-gallon buckets of water on their heads while navigating broken glass and shattered roads.

These are the restavéks, the 'stay-withs,' (child slaves) as they are euphemistically known in Creole. Forced, unpaid, they work from before dawn until deep night. The violence in their lives is unyielding. These are the children who won't look into your eyes.

Nationwide the number of restavéks ballooned from 109,000 in 1992 to 300,000, or one in ten Haitian children, in 1998, to 400,000 in 2002."

“Preaching to Ourselves”

Following the sermon from James 4:13 – 5:1-6 on August 31, I asked you to see the connection between James 5:1-6 and Luke 12:13-21, and to preach truth to yourself as you battle for your joy in Jesus! That joy—joy in Jesus Christ—is infinitely sweeter and more valuable than seeking joy in money and stuff. And it is eternally rewarding, not eternally condemning!

Preaching to ourselves…It is a great thing to learn and grow in.

Yesterday I read a brief quote from Milton Vincent’s A Gospel Primer for Christians. It links with the book of James. The most breath-taking statements in James are these: “Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God…God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:4 and 6) By God’s kindness and grace, I don’t want to be God’s enemy! O, I don’t want God to oppose me! I want to be humble and receive His grace—“more grace” (4:6). And I’m sure you agree with me if you are in Jesus Christ by grace through faith.

How do we oppose pride and humble ourselves before the Lord? One way is by preaching the gospel to ourselves. Here is the quote from Vincent:

“Preaching the gospel to myself each day mounts a powerful assault against my pride and serves to establish humility in its place. Nothing suffocates my pride more than daily reminders regarding the glory of my God, the gravity of my sins, and the crucifixion of God’s own Son in my place. Also, the gracious love of God, lavished on me because of Christ’s death, is always humbling to remember, especially when viewed against the backdrop of the Hell I deserve.”

I encourage you. Join me in preaching the gospel to yourself for the glory of Jesus Christ in and through you, and the pummeling of pride, and your submission to God, and your battle against temptation, and the defeat of self-sovereignty (James 4:13-17), and the bridling of your tongue, and your cherishing of Christ more than anything else, and your growing effectiveness in witness and missions, and…

Sept. 2, 2008

We are continually inundated with subtle or not-so-subtle messages that happiness, goodness and success in life are relative to the amount of wealth and possessions we acquire. But the opposite is true. In fact, the pursuit of happiness in money and stuff is ultimately dissatisfying and deadly!

James says so in chapter 5:1-6 and his brother, the Lord Jesus, says so in Luke 12:13-21. Both these passages are very good to preach to ourselves when battling for our joy in Jesus. Notice the similarities in the two texts please; James apparently paid attention to his Lord.

James 5:1-6

Luke 12:13-21


Let’s pray for one another, that we will go hard after Christ and our joy in Him (John 15:11).

Pastor Carey