How God Grows Faith
Jonah Chapter 2

Rev. David G. Bostick
02-07-09
Revolution Church of the Nazarene
Tucson, AZ

Introduction

In Jonah chapter one we learned that we are not in control of our lives, at least not as much as we would like to think we are. Now if you think that is a frightening thought hold on to you seats.

Do you ever take naps? All the mothers are saying, "I wish". Sometimes a nap needs to be more than just a 15 minute power nap. Sometimes we are exhausted when we lay down and we fall into a deep, deep sleep. When Jonah went into the ship to take a nap, he fell into a deep sleep. He was exhausted. He had been struggling with God for some time now, and as he laid his head down to nap, he thought he finally had everything in his life under his own control. Then suddenly he wakes with a start, hollering and screaming from his shipmates and the howl of a storm were pounding in his head, something was wrong. Little did Jonah know that in a short time he would find himself in the belly of a great fish gasping for air and crying out to God. As we read this account we come face to face with some revealing questions. Let's look at the details of these verses and see how on this earth, the story of a prophet named Jonah, being swallowed by a giant fish, can possible have any application to our lives in the 21st century.

Sermon Body:

Jonah Chapter 2

Seaweed and Sand – God’s Breeding Ground for Faith

Jonah 1:17 (ESV)
[17] And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
I like the way Pastor Josh addressed the issue about weather Jonah was actually swallowed by a great fish. Believing that God created our vast universe out of nothing or that in Jerusalem there is an empty tomb because it's original inhabitant was raised from the dead, makes it easy to believe that Jonah was swallowed by, and lived inside the belly of a great fish.
I think there's a better question to ask here though. Why did God save the rebellious prophet Jonah, who worked so hard to avoid God's call for his life at this time? Why didn't He just let the deep swallow him up?
One possible answer is that God will not allow his sovereign will to be thwarted. Sometimes he causes circumstances, like a great fish, to change our rebellious mind, but sometimes He will use someone else to accomplish His will. It is always important to remember that God can see a much bigger picture that we can see. God cannot consider an individual at the cost of others around them. God has to consider all of mankind and His divine purpose and will in everyone's life.
But there is another possible answer to our question about why God would keep Jonah from being swallowed by the depths of the ocean. God wanted His prophet Jonah, to learn faith. It is important for us to remember this as well. Without the complete story, most people looking at Jonah's situation in the belly of a great fish would say that they thought God was punishing Jonah for his rebellion. But God loved Jonah and the people of Nineveh.
When we go through difficult times we rarely think God is loving us, in fact we mostly think He is punishing us. But God's actions toward mankind over the span of human history show His true character and nature. God loves every single human being. When we look at God's actions in the life of Jonah, we cannot separate those actions from the fact that God not only loved Jonah, He loved the people of Nineveh.
Jonah 2:1-10 (ESV)
[1] Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish,
Notice that Jonah prayed to his God, there was a personal relationship between the two of them. That is part of the reason God sent the great fish; God loved Jonah even though Jonah would not do what God was calling him to do right then. Pastor Josh reminded us several times that the story of Jonah is our story. Just a surely as God did what it took to carry out His sovereign will, He also did what it took to love Jonah. He does that for you and I as well. We must never forget that God loves us passionately and continually. If you want to read a good book that shows the love of God in a very practical way, read Brennon Manning's book, The Ragamuffin Gospel. Then Jonah begins to pray.
[2] saying, “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress,
We might think this to be a grave predicament, but have we not found ourselves in similar circumstances? In fact when you have lived as long as I have you will find that there are moments in your life when you wish you had found yourself in the belly of some great fish. As Pastor Josh said last week, Tarshish is that place we go when we don't want to do what we are supposed to do. Being in the belly of a great fish is where God takes us to show us that He is really in control.
In the belly of the great fish it is easy to call out to God because every trace of the control of our lives, that we thought we had, has been erased. In the belly of the great fish the only one I can turn to is God. Can I ask you a question? What is your great fish? What is it that brings you to the point in your every day life that makes you turn your face toward God? Is it the loss of a job, the impending foreclosure of your home, the death of a loved one, perhaps a tragic crippling accident that leaves you helpless? What is it that turns your heart toward God in your busy world?
I hope you have a great amount of respect for, and give a generous amount of support to your pastor. You see he is a prophet of God like Jonah was. God has called him here, to minister to you, and every time you enter into the belly of the great fish that come in your life, emotionally he is there with you. He needs a lot of support and encouragement because the world presses in on him in ways you cannot imagine. In the four decades that I have been following Christ I have learned that each and every difficult circumstance, and every great tragedy was used by God to draw me close to Him. When I look back at them, I realize that my disasters have built and strengthened my faith. God allows us to be swallowed by a great fish so we will look to Him in a way that we many never have looked to Him before. Jonah continues...
and he answered me;
Wow! This is probably the greatest news that mankind can ever hear. God is wherever we are, He is right beside us going through our disasters with us. The problem is we often don't recognize Him there beside us. When things are not going like we think they should we think God has forsaken us. We often think that when a prayer is not answered in the way we think it should be answered that God cannot hear us, or He is ignoring us, or, even worse yet -- we have done something wrong and He won't listen to us. But Jonah recognized that even in his rebellious state that God could hear him, even in the belly of a great fish. Can I ask you another question? What does it take to get your attention? What would it take for you to recognize that God has answered a prayer of yours? Would it take things happening as you wish them to happen? Or do you allow God to work out his will in your life even when it hurts? Look at the rest of verse two...
out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.
God listened. Comfort in the midst of distress. Listen to what Paul says in... Philippians 4:12-13 (ESV)
[12] I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. [13] I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Think for a moment. Do you ever find any circumstances in your life which seem to be impossible? Have you come to the place where you can give thanks in the midst of your pain? Verse 3...
[3] For you cast me into the deep,
Jonah recognizes the work of God in this disaster but it is important to realize that He was not blaming God, He took full responsibility for his rebellion. This is important in our lives as well. If not directly, as in the case of Jonah, as least indirectly we must see that, though God may not have caused the difficulty, He at least let it happen when He could very well have prevented it. He does this because He loves us, He wants to teach us faith.
into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me.
Can you imagine the hopelessness Jonah must have felt?
Jonah was not just sitting calmly in the belly of the great fish. The fish was thrashing about as it went through the sea. Going about it’s daily task of gathering food. I wonder what sort of monstrosities it might have swallowed while Jonah was there inside him. Can you imagine the roller coaster ride that would have been? Sometimes hopelessness and foul circumstances plunge us deeper and deeper into what seems like helplessness.
Every time the great fish swallowed there was a new rush of salt water and fish food that swept over Jonah.
[4] Then I said, 'I am driven away from your sight;
Often when we are in difficult circumstances we fail to see the hand of God at work in our lives. Jonah failed to see that for him to remain alive in the belly of a great fish, God would have to be providing the air Jonah needed to survive. And if there was no air God would have been the one keeping him alive in spite of the lack of air. The hand of God was upon Jonah, even in the foul circumstances of the belly of the great fish. God's hand was not a hand of judgment, rather it was a hand of protection and help, even though Jonah might have thought otherwise.
Yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.'
Is it not uncommon for any of us to look toward God and His holy temple when we are in trouble? Can you remember the last time your circumstances drove you to call out to God?
[5] The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head.
Sometimes the stark reality of the facts that surround us bring us close to God. At least we do cry out for help when we realize that help can come from no other quarter.
[6] at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.
This verse reminds us that Jonah is looking back on a past experience after having been delivered from other circumstances in his lifetime. It is always easier to evaluate what happened and what good God might have brought out of our foul circumstances after we are safe on the other side. Our experiences can teach us something about the future. If we can ponder and remember how God brought us through even an easy disturbance, it builds our faith for a future event that might even be more catastrophic than those of the past. In fact God allows the foul experiences in life to build up our faith so that when an even greater disaster comes, we can stand firm in our faith.
[7] When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.
Job teaches us that we can be assured that that when we pray our prayers rise to the holy temple of Almighty God who has everything in His control.
[8] Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.
(NIV)“Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
Job realized that when he was clinging to his own stubborn will it was a worthless idol. He worshiped a god who would not go to, or forgive the sins of Nineveh. He was worshiping the idol of self. He thought he knew better than God, what should be done with the sinful people of the city of Nineveh. Jonah realized that in his rebellion he had forfeited the grace of God.
[9] But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!” (NIV) Salvation comes from the Lord
Now, after the foul circumstances of his life have captured his attention and taught him faith, he makes a commitment to carry out God's will. There is even an element of joy and thanksgiving in Jonah's attitude now.
There is another important lesson for us here. Never feel like you are a second class citizen in the Kingdom of God because you have stumbled. The key to success in living in the Kingdom of God is this; when you stumble, get back on you feet as soon as possible. Many people think that the measure of a mature Christian is the perfection with which he or she lives their life every day. And certainly the longer we live in relationship with God and learn His lessons of faith for us, the better we get at living righteously. But, sometimes, we stumble, miss the mark, and then what? I have learned by my own experience in my relationship with God and in observation as a Pastor for more than 30 years, that the measure of a persons spiritual maturity is the amount of time it takes them to cry out to God in confession and repentance after they have stumbled.

Conclusion

It is important to realize that the account of Jonah in the belly of a fish is mostly about God and His sovereign will. You see the account of Jonah, like all of the Old Testament has a greater purpose than just recording history. It is the account of God's plan of salvation for mankind. The account of Jonah looks forward to a very important event in God's calendar.

Matthew 12:38-41 (ESV)
[38] Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
[39] But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
[40] For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
[41] The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

Jonah's delivery from the belly of the great fish is God's provision for the salvation of the great city of Nineveh. Jesus' delivery from the death and the grave is God's provision for the salvation of mankind.

Leading up to Jesus comment about the sign of Jonah in the belly of the great fish, Jesus has healed a man who was demon-possessed, blind and mute. (Mt. 12:22...) The religious leaders accuse Jesus of using the power of the prince of demons to perform this miracle. After Jesus answers them, they ask Him to perform a miracle, a sign. Jesus tells them that they should look at the sign of Jonah. You see, what happened to Jonah is a picture of what would happen to Jesus. As Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days, so Christ would be in the grave for three days. As Jonah came out of the fish to bring the message of salvation to the town of Nineveh, so Jesus would come out of the grave to confirm the message of Salvation for all of mankind.

Today, people think that Jesus' claims to be the Son of Almighty God were not valid. Certainly the religious leaders of His day did not believe that He was the Son of God. But Jesus even claimed to be Almighty God, and for this He was eventually crucified. But when Jesus came out of the grave, everything He said, and everything He claimed to be, was confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Remember:
- The oldest book of the Bible points us toward the cross.
- The great fish and the empty tomb of Jesus are both signs that God is in control. Not just of our lives but of all the circumstances all around us. That's why Paul could be content in every circumstance in his life.
- What Jesus says about Jonah, tells us a lot about the situation Jonah found himself in and it tells us a lot about ourselves.
- Resurrection is the ultimate sign that God is in control but before there can be a resurrection there must be a body in a grave.
- We should not be surprised or fear the way that God might choose to work in our lives because He is sovereign and has our best interests close to His heart.
- The empty fish and the empty tomb are a message from God to you and I today. The message is this: God wants you to know that no matter what might happen in your life, God is right there beside you. He has promised that you will be delivered from the belly of the great fish that has swallowed you. He has also promised that your grave will one day be empty. The empty fish and the empty tomb point toward an eternal glory that none of us can begin to imagine. Look at Jonah 2:10...

[10] And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.
Laying in fish vomit, with seaweed wrapped around his head, and salty sand in his eyes, nostrils, and mouth, Jonah smiles as he gets up and heads for the great city of Nineveh to carry out God’s command. But alas, the experience has not taught him everything he must know about faith and how God works. When you find yourself laying on a sunny beach in the fish vomit of your foul circumstances, with seaweed wrapped around your head and sand in your eyes, nostrils, and mouth, smile. God is not through with you yet. He has only just begun.

Having been in the belly of the great fish many times in my lifetime I have learned that Paul's words to the Roman Church are a constant reminder of the hand of God in my life.

Romans 8:38-39 (NIV) [38] For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, [39] neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Works Cited