Fear and Grace
Series: Jonah- Grace for Everyone
Speaker: Ash Kwok
Date: 18th May 2025
Passage: Jonah 1:4-16
00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 What happens when one is faced with impending doom?
00:00:07 --> 00:00:13 ! In Gravity, Sandra Bullock's character, stranded in space, faces death alone.
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 ! And so what does she do?
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 She says, no one will mourn for me.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 I'll pray for myself, but I've never prayed.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:24 Nobody ever taught me how.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:27 And that's what fear does.
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 Fear strips us.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:36 Fear shows us what we believe, what we hope might actually save us.
00:00:36 --> 00:00:42 And when faced with this unavoidable doom, we instinctively turn to something for help.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:44 We turn to something that will save.
00:00:45 --> 00:00:49 And last week, Nick beautifully set up the premise of Jonah for us.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:58 And we see a prophet who has received the word of God, yet has decided to depart from that same word.
00:00:58 --> 00:01:07 And what today's passage brings us is the question of what is the role of fear for the Christian?
00:01:08 --> 00:01:14 In fact, what is the role, maybe even with the circumstances that bring fear for the Christian?
00:01:14 --> 00:01:24 In other words, the question this passage deems to answer is, where is God amidst our fear?
00:01:24 --> 00:01:25 Where is he?
00:01:26 --> 00:01:27 What is he doing?
00:01:27 --> 00:01:32 And to answer that question, we need to unpack both the idea of fear and grace in this passage.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:42 And so the three simple points are, number one, the character of fear, the character of grace, and lastly, fear the gracious one.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:47 Those points are also in your St. Paul's app if you want to open that up to follow along and take some notes.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 But firstly, the character of fear.
00:01:50 --> 00:02:00 Notice in this passage, as we read it, the predominant emotion that keeps coming up, that surrounds all of the characters, is fear.
00:02:01 --> 00:02:08 Jonah and the sailors are situated in the sea, and suddenly there is a great storm, the cause of their fear.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:15 And it is not just an ordinary one, a storm that threatens to break the ship apart.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:23 And so again, they are facing this impending doom, this certain death by drowning.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:28 And just like us, when we get overwhelmed, the sailors cry out for help.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 But their help reveals something.
00:02:30 --> 00:02:34 It reveals something deeper about the nature of their misplaced fear.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:38 But notice how it's worded in verse 5.
00:02:38 --> 00:02:44 All the sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own God.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 Each cried out to his own God.
00:02:49 --> 00:02:54 In other words, these sailors, they all have a God, and they're all different.
00:02:55 --> 00:02:57 But the storm didn't stop.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 The gods were silent.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:01 Multiple.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:06 All of the things, all of the things that they put their trust and their faith in, they are powerless.
00:03:07 --> 00:03:08 And so what do they do?
00:03:08 --> 00:03:14 Immediately what we see in the same verse is that they start lightening the load of the ship.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:15 So let's throw out the cargo.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:19 And the sailors realise that they have no control.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:21 They cannot control the external.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:27 And if they cannot control the storm, they will ultimately try to save themselves.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:29 That makes sense?
00:03:30 --> 00:03:34 But the logic here is the storm doesn't dissipate.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:43 The logic is when you try to calm your fears with false gods or even yourself, your efforts are futile.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:51 You see, Jonah believed that the Ninevites were not worthy enough to receive the mercy and grace of God for the evil works that they had done.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 And in a sense, he is right.
00:03:54 --> 00:04:05 But that is what God's mercy and grace is at display, because there is no good work that one can do to receive the forgiveness and pardon of God.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:18 And so what we're presented here is that not even our hardest efforts can even satisfy not just God, but your own deepest longing or even solve your own fear.
00:04:18 --> 00:04:24 And so where was God in this storm?
00:04:25 --> 00:04:33 You see, God gives an undeserving people who have rejected him his mercy, and it's a reminder to turn back to him.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:35 And where does it happen?
00:04:35 --> 00:04:38 At the very beginning of Jonah, it says,
00:04:38 --> 00:04:44 It is the word of God that goes out to bring an unrepentant people to his fold.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:45 The word of God.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:52 It is spoken to an unwilling prophet who must literally be reminded of God's compassion,
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 who flees and departs from the word and the will of God.
00:04:57 --> 00:04:58 And so what happens?
00:04:59 --> 00:05:02 That wonderful word in verse 4.
00:05:02 --> 00:05:09 But, that magical word, but the Lord sent a storm.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:15 This is a divine storm, one that God intentions and plans, and he sends it.
00:05:17 --> 00:05:18 It's not reckless.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:19 It's not unplanned.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:21 It's sort of spontaneous.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:22 Ooh, let's play a storm.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 He is the author of this experience.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:32 He is fully sovereign over every moment of your life, and so too of this storm.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 And the question is, where is God?
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 What is he doing here?
00:05:39 --> 00:05:42 And this is the character of grace.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:50 God uses this moment to redirect Jonah, who tries to flee, not just from the ways of the Lord,
00:05:50 --> 00:05:54 but what is best for him and the Ninevites.
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 Because God could have just let Jonah run.
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 He could have let Ninevites stay in the dark.
00:05:59 --> 00:06:05 But his grace won't be ignored.
00:06:06 --> 00:06:09 And there's this interesting phrase that has travelled around the Christian community,
00:06:10 --> 00:06:16 and I appreciate its sentiment, but I don't know if the Bible fully affirms it, and it's this.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:21 How will the nations know if we do not go?
00:06:22 --> 00:06:28 Or how could we judge the one who does not know God if they haven't been told about Jesus?
00:06:28 --> 00:06:35 And what I appreciate by questions like that is that it plays on this sense of urgency,
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 which is true of Scripture.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:40 It's this outward desperation that you must go.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:43 And there is a reality that I do want to say, St. Paul's,
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 are you really on mission?
00:06:45 --> 00:06:46 Are you on fire for Jesus?
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 Have you considered the nations?
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 What is your heart for the lost?
00:06:51 --> 00:06:55 But I don't want to pray on anxiety to push you on mission,
00:06:56 --> 00:06:57 because I don't think it's right to.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:05 Because this passage, and like many, are saying that God's grace is at display in a non-Christian's life,
00:07:05 --> 00:07:09 in a Christian's life, in everyone's life, that is so visible, that's so tangible,
00:07:09 --> 00:07:13 that's so evident, that it's an opportunity to turn back to him.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:18 Sometimes it's not a big storm.
00:07:19 --> 00:07:24 It might be that quiet realisation that work has become a personal religion,
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 and there's this gaping hole in your life.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:34 But God's usage of the storm is grace to reveal that he is present.
00:07:35 --> 00:07:36 He is the sovereign one.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:44 In fact, Romans 1 makes it clear that no one has an excuse from seeing the presence, reality, and existence of God.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:49 So in other words, when you're in crisis mode,
00:07:50 --> 00:07:53 and you see that you are helpless,
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 and you're in need of God,
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 that's God's grace.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:03 And there is no excuse,
00:08:03 --> 00:08:09 for God uses every mode to point in life back to him.
00:08:11 --> 00:08:14 Have you watched any of those videos of children being jabbed by vaccinations?
00:08:14 --> 00:08:19 If you're a parent here, I can imagine that could have been traumatic for you, not the child.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 You know, the doctor tries to distract the child,
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 and some are successful in distracting the baby,
00:08:25 --> 00:08:29 but the jab, regardless of what you do, it still stings.
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 So they cry, they don't understand,
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 but the parent does,
00:08:36 --> 00:08:37 and they stay close.
00:08:38 --> 00:08:40 The child finds comfort not in the jab,
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 even though it's going to be good for them,
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 but in the parent who knows that it is for their good,
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 and stays with them.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:52 In the storms of your life,
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 they are points of grace that say,
00:08:54 --> 00:08:55 turn back to God.
00:08:56 --> 00:08:59 He is the one who will keep your sails above the waves.
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 Repent from your ways,
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 and stop allaying your fears from what is worldly,
00:09:05 --> 00:09:06 and pursue Christ.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 Find your hidden place in the comfort of Jesus,
00:09:10 --> 00:09:11 amidst the typhoon.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 And so just a little aside, St. Paul's,
00:09:14 --> 00:09:18 when you have a friend who comes to you in crisis mode,
00:09:18 --> 00:09:23 how will you witness to the grace of Christ in your life?
00:09:24 --> 00:09:26 And of course, we want to do it really sensitively.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:29 We want to pray heaps, trust entirely.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:31 But we want to ask the Lord,
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 is this an opportunity for the gospel?
00:09:34 --> 00:09:38 Is this an opportunity where God can display his grace to this person?
00:09:40 --> 00:09:44 I mean, we even see grace in our main flawed witness in Jonah.
00:09:44 --> 00:09:47 Jonah's sin, despite being massive,
00:09:47 --> 00:09:54 is used still by God to display God's might and power
00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 in comparison to their self-will and their false gods.
00:09:58 --> 00:10:00 The irony is here in verse 9.
00:10:01 --> 00:10:02 I am a Hebrew,
00:10:03 --> 00:10:04 and I worship the Lord,
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 the God of heaven who made the sea and the land.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:09 Friends, this is the guy,
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 who only six verses ago,
00:10:11 --> 00:10:15 who was shown the opposite of worship.
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 He tells them of the God who he worships,
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 yet he does not do that.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:23 He does not obey the creator of all things.
00:10:23 --> 00:10:26 And so what is the immediate response of the sailor
00:10:26 --> 00:10:29 that is in stark contrast of Jonah?
00:10:30 --> 00:10:30 Verse 10.
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 This terrified them.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:35 In other words,
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 they truly understand that God,
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 from his powerful and visible acts,
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 that he is not one to be messed around with.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 And the sailors,
00:10:45 --> 00:10:46 I guess,
00:10:46 --> 00:10:47 when you think about it,
00:10:47 --> 00:10:49 they now have some relationship with God.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:50 It's a fearful one,
00:10:51 --> 00:10:51 but
00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 they now have a name
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 who controls the winds and the waves.
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 They know that this is a God
00:11:00 --> 00:11:01 who is in control of this storm,
00:11:01 --> 00:11:02 who brought it.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 And the fear of their circumstance
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 has shifted.
00:11:07 --> 00:11:10 It's shifted to an object of fear.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:12 They fear not the storm,
00:11:13 --> 00:11:16 but of God himself.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 And so how does Jonah respond in verse 12?
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 Pick me up and throw me in the sea,
00:11:24 --> 00:11:24 he replied,
00:11:25 --> 00:11:27 and it will become calm.
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 I know that it is my fault
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 that this great storm has come upon you.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 My community group this week
00:11:33 --> 00:11:34 is we were discussing
00:11:34 --> 00:11:35 what possible things
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 could Jonah have done
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 instead of
00:11:37 --> 00:11:38 verse 12.
00:11:39 --> 00:11:40 I mean,
00:11:40 --> 00:11:40 when you think about it,
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 he cares more about the sailors
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 than he does
00:11:43 --> 00:11:43 about
00:11:43 --> 00:11:44 their own sin.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 And the obvious thing for Jonah,
00:11:48 --> 00:11:48 you know,
00:11:49 --> 00:11:49 I would assume,
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 is that when he realizes
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 that God is the one
00:11:52 --> 00:11:53 that has brought the storm,
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 it's to repent.
00:11:56 --> 00:11:57 It's to beckon to God.
00:11:58 --> 00:11:58 It's to say,
00:11:58 --> 00:11:59 sorry.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:02 But he's almost this
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 imperfect,
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 willing sacrifice,
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 but not to appease God,
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 but to appease the sailors
00:12:07 --> 00:12:08 who've been hounding him.
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 What have you been doing?
00:12:10 --> 00:12:11 Who are you?
00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 What is your business?
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 And so what happens?
00:12:16 --> 00:12:18 He's thrown overboard,
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 and the sea becomes calm.
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 And God uses this,
00:12:22 --> 00:12:22 doesn't he?
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 There's a shift in their fear.
00:12:25 --> 00:12:26 Look at verse 16.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 At this,
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 the men greatly feared the Lord,
00:12:30 --> 00:12:32 and they offered a sacrifice
00:12:32 --> 00:12:33 to the Lord,
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 and made vows to him.
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 There's still a fear here,
00:12:38 --> 00:12:41 but instead of this
00:12:41 --> 00:12:44 frightening terror,
00:12:45 --> 00:12:48 their fear has become worship.
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 They realize that God
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 is the sovereign one
00:12:53 --> 00:12:55 who has power over the storm,
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 and therefore,
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 he is worthy of their praise
00:13:00 --> 00:13:01 and obedience.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:06 And this is the Lord's grace at work,
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 to bring such transformation
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 in their life purely
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 through the storm.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:12 Friends,
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 the call for you and me
00:13:13 --> 00:13:15 is to fear the gracious one.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 God,
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 in his providence,
00:13:20 --> 00:13:22 has used the broken,
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 the storm,
00:13:24 --> 00:13:27 so that you might fear him.
00:13:29 --> 00:13:31 Fear in the reverent sense.
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 It's not simply an emotional fear
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 that makes you flee,
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 or that makes you want to
00:13:34 --> 00:13:37 be filled with dread,
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 even though that might happen.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:40 fear in the world.
00:13:40 --> 00:13:40 But,
00:13:40 --> 00:13:43 it's a fear you see
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 when you look out
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 when you're on the plane,
00:13:46 --> 00:13:48 and you see the vast sea
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 and land,
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 and realize
00:13:50 --> 00:13:54 how small you are.
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 It's the fear that humbles you,
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 but the weight of God's glory
00:14:01 --> 00:14:01 increases.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:04 For us,
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 it might be difficult
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 to understand this sense of fear.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 The fear of God
00:14:08 --> 00:14:10 isn't supposed to make you
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 hide or flee from judgment.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 But if God is the one who judges,
00:14:15 --> 00:14:18 if he is the one who is supreme,
00:14:18 --> 00:14:21 who has control of all the events
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 and sequences in your life,
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 the only logic is
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 to run to him.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:33 Eric Thonese says,
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 in a podcast,
00:14:34 --> 00:14:36 a true fear of the Lord
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 realizes you can't run from God,
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 and the only option is
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 to run to him.
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 And when you do,
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 you find
00:14:44 --> 00:14:47 the embracing arms
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 of a loving father.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 It's a fear of reverence
00:14:52 --> 00:14:54 that is met
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 with God's compassion.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:01 The sailors are almost
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 this picture
00:15:02 --> 00:15:02 of a rebuke
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 for the believer,
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 like Jonah,
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 who has followed God
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08 all of their life.
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 And it is asking
00:15:10 --> 00:15:12 you and me,
00:15:12 --> 00:15:14 what have you been turning to
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 all this time?
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 In any form
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 of storm in your life,
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 whether it's fear of failure,
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 missing out,
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 or death,
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 you will turn to something.
00:15:25 --> 00:15:28 But the question is,
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 when you are
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 struck by fear,
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 are you turning
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 to the right thing?
00:15:36 --> 00:15:38 Jesus' famous 12 disciples
00:15:38 --> 00:15:40 who shared life with Christ,
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 they learnt the ways
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 of the kingdom,
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 they spent more time
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 with Jesus
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 than any other,
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 and they,
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 like Jonah,
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 and the sailors,
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 were caught in a storm,
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 and we are asking
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 the same question.
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 Do these disciples
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 turn to the right thing?
00:15:55 --> 00:15:57 And the disciples,
00:15:57 --> 00:15:57 too,
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 are fearful.
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 In Mark chapter 4,
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 we see that they question Jesus.
00:16:01 --> 00:16:01 They go,
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 Teacher,
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 do you not care
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 that we are perishing?
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 And so,
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 what does Jesus do?
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 Unlike Jonah,
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 who says,
00:16:12 --> 00:16:12 throw me,
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 he speaks
00:16:15 --> 00:16:15 to the storm.
00:16:16 --> 00:16:18 He calms the wind
00:16:18 --> 00:16:18 and the waves
00:16:18 --> 00:16:20 just by an utterance.
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 He simply says,
00:16:22 --> 00:16:22 Peace.
00:16:24 --> 00:16:24 Be still.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:29 What God did for the sailors
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 when they sacrificed Jonah,
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33 God does better for you
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 in Jesus.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:38 Jesus can calm the storm
00:16:38 --> 00:16:40 for he created the sea and land.
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 And God's son is not just
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 your sacrifice,
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 but the very one
00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 who can calm your inner storm
00:16:47 --> 00:16:50 for he is God.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 friends,
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 today,
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 he is with you
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 amidst the storm
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 by his spirit.
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 And when you come
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 to the foot of the cross,
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 when you understand
00:17:00 --> 00:17:00 the grace
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 that you have
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 in Jesus,
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 your fears
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 slowly allay
00:17:05 --> 00:17:07 knowing
00:17:07 --> 00:17:09 that you worship
00:17:09 --> 00:17:09 the God
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 who formed
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 and commands
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 the wind
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 to spin
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 and the waves
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 to roar.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 Some of us
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 might actually
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 have this huge block
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 of understanding
00:17:21 --> 00:17:21 God's grace
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 and compassion
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 because of the storm
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 and the suffering.
00:17:26 --> 00:17:26 And so I really want
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 to address this.
00:17:28 --> 00:17:28 In Jonah,
00:17:28 --> 00:17:30 what we do see
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 is that the storm
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 is a result
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 of Jonah's disobedience.
00:17:34 --> 00:17:34 I mean,
00:17:34 --> 00:17:34 the sailors
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 would not be caught up
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 in the storm
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 if Jonah wasn't
00:17:37 --> 00:17:37 on the boat.
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39 And so the question is,
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 is the storm
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 in your life
00:17:42 --> 00:17:44 due to your sin?
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 Is it punishment?
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 What happens
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 if I'm amidst
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 the storm?
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 The answer of grace
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 does not only say
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 that Jesus took
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 the punishment
00:17:57 --> 00:17:57 on the cross,
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 but it promises
00:17:59 --> 00:18:01 God's presence
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 amidst the storm.
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 Regardless of a storm
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 being a consequence
00:18:06 --> 00:18:08 of our foolishness
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 or it might be
00:18:09 --> 00:18:11 some unimaginable
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 random tragedy
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 in your life.
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 The Lord uses
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 those moments
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 as grace
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 to redeem your heart,
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 to know that
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 there is only
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 one thing
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 that you can count on.
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 Friends,
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 you rest on the promise
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 and biblical reality
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 that's set
00:18:31 --> 00:18:33 in Romans 8.28
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 that says,
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 and we know
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 that in all things
00:18:36 --> 00:18:38 God works
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 for the good
00:18:39 --> 00:18:39 of those
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 who love him,
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 who have been
00:18:41 --> 00:18:43 called according
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 to his promise.
00:18:45 --> 00:18:45 Friends,
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 there are pockets
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 of grace
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 in everything,
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 both the good
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 and the awful.
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 And what that
00:18:54 --> 00:18:54 should cause you
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 to do
00:18:55 --> 00:18:55 is that they
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 should cause you
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 to run.
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 Your fear
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 should actually
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 cause you
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 to run harder.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 Run harder
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 not from him
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 but to him.
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 Not because
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 he will punish you
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 but because
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 he holds you
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 amidst the storm.
00:19:12 --> 00:19:14 When you experience
00:19:14 --> 00:19:14 joy,
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 run to the Father
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 who loves
00:19:17 --> 00:19:17 giving good gifts
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 to his children.
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 When you are
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 stuck in doubt,
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 come to God
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 who brings you
00:19:23 --> 00:19:23 the spirit
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 of truth.
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 When dark days
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 are all around,
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 seek Christ,
00:19:28 --> 00:19:28 the Prince
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 of Peace.
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 For the solution
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 of fear
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 is not a suppression,
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 it's not to ignore,
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 it's to run.
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 But don't run away.
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 Run toward
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 the Father.
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 The Father
00:19:44 --> 00:19:46 by whom
00:19:46 --> 00:19:48 you had received
00:19:48 --> 00:19:48 the best
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 by his son
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 on the cross
00:19:50 --> 00:19:52 despite you
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 being at your worst.
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 And so the question
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 at the beginning
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 I asked,
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 what is God
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 doing
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07 in the storm
00:20:07 --> 00:20:09 of my life?
00:20:09 --> 00:20:11 Where is God
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 amidst our fear?
00:20:13 --> 00:20:15 And the answer
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 is God
00:20:16 --> 00:20:16 is showing
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18 his grace
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 to you
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 so that you
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 would fear him.
00:20:22 --> 00:20:22 To fear
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 the gracious
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 one.
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 Friends,
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 you've looked
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 out
00:20:28 --> 00:20:30 from the windowsill
00:20:30 --> 00:20:30 and seen
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 this stormy
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 tapestry
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 unfold.
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 But I wonder
00:20:33 --> 00:20:33 if there are
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 similarities
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 from Jonah
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 that align
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 with our lives.
00:20:38 --> 00:20:38 Some of you
00:20:38 --> 00:20:38 here
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 have come
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 to church
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 over the
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 many years
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 and you hear
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 the gospel
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 of Jesus
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 that Jesus
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 died for your
00:20:46 --> 00:20:46 sins
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 so that you
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 can be made
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 right with him.
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 But Jesus
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 is only a matter
00:20:51 --> 00:20:53 of the spiritual.
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 It's only a matter
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 of heaven.
00:20:57 --> 00:20:57 But does he
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 shape
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 your everyday?
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 I'll listen
00:21:01 --> 00:21:01 to the Bible
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 and maybe
00:21:02 --> 00:21:02 the pastor
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 even
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 when I want
00:21:04 --> 00:21:04 to know
00:21:04 --> 00:21:04 what God
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 is doing
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 or to ask
00:21:06 --> 00:21:06 about the
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 afterlife.
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 What happens?
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 What comes
00:21:08 --> 00:21:08 after?
00:21:09 --> 00:21:09 But when it
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 comes to
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 my job,
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 my family,
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 my time,
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 my house,
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 my spending
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 choices,
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 that's for me.
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 God's grace
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 and what
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 he has done
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 in my life
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 don't actually
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 take account
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 into all
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 the other
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 spheres.
00:21:27 --> 00:21:27 And I wonder
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 if that's
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 sometimes how
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 we treat
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 God,
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 intentionally
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 and sometimes
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 absolutely
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 subconsciously.
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 But God
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 has made
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 you to
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 worship
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 and has
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 made
00:21:38 --> 00:21:38 everything
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 to point
00:21:39 --> 00:21:39 to his
00:21:39 --> 00:21:39 grace.
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 The winds
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 and the
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 waves
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 are so wild
00:21:43 --> 00:21:43 that you
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 can't
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 escape
00:21:45 --> 00:21:45 seeing
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 that God
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 is saying
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 look,
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 look at
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 what I'm
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 doing.
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 I'm the
00:21:50 --> 00:21:50 one who
00:21:50 --> 00:21:50 made you.
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 Turn to
00:21:51 --> 00:21:51 me because
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 I am
00:21:52 --> 00:21:52 your rock,
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 your refuge,
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 your strength,
00:21:54 --> 00:21:54 your solace.
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 I am
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 to be
00:21:56 --> 00:21:56 your hiding
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 place.
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 The winds
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 and the
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 waves in
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 your life
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 may not
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 even be
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 big.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 You might
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 be in a
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 season that
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 fills you
00:22:04 --> 00:22:04 with joy,
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 but don't
00:22:05 --> 00:22:05 miss the
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 sign.
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 How is
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 God
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 showing
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 his
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 grace
00:22:08 --> 00:22:10 to you?
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 Maybe
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 your heart
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 is sitting
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 in
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 dissatisfaction
00:22:13 --> 00:22:15 or discontent
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 with the
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 state of
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 your life,
00:22:17 --> 00:22:17 but God's
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 grace is
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 so deeply
00:22:19 --> 00:22:19 visible and
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 grand
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 that it
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 is
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 inescapable.
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 And so
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 I want to
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 ask you,
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 what is it
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 that you
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 fear that
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 you don't
00:22:28 --> 00:22:28 believe God
00:22:28 --> 00:22:30 will bring
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 you or
00:22:31 --> 00:22:31 do better
00:22:31 --> 00:22:33 in the
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 gospel?
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 Because God's
00:22:36 --> 00:22:36 word reveals
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 that there is a
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 reality in the
00:22:38 --> 00:22:38 gospel, the
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 good news of
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 Jesus, that
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 what is
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 immediately in
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 front of you?
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 And Jesus'
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 word is so
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 much better.
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 God's
00:22:46 --> 00:22:51 word is so
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51
00:22:51 --> 00:22:53 your child.
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 Maybe you're
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 finding hanging
00:22:55 --> 00:22:55 up the
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 laundry is
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 boring.
00:22:58 --> 00:22:58 Give some
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 space to
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 look outward.
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 Because often
00:23:02 --> 00:23:02 what I think
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 is I think
00:23:03 --> 00:23:03 the grass is
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 greener
00:23:04 --> 00:23:04 elsewhere.
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 Perhaps we
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 need to
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 actually look
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 at the
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 sailors for
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 encouragement.
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 Just like
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 what Jonah did
00:23:12 --> 00:23:12 with the
00:23:12 --> 00:23:12 sailors.
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 Are you
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 sitting in a
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 place where
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 you can
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 observe,
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 experience,
00:23:17 --> 00:23:17 and reap
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 how God
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 is graciously
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 transforming
00:23:20 --> 00:23:22 non-Christians
00:23:22 --> 00:23:22 for his
00:23:22 --> 00:23:22 glory?
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 Join a
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 ministry that
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 involves people
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 who are
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 excited or
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 keen to get
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 stuck in the
00:23:29 --> 00:23:29 Bible to
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 discover Jesus
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 and see what
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 God is doing
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 at work.
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 Because I'm
00:23:34 --> 00:23:34 convinced that
00:23:34 --> 00:23:36 God will use
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 that to
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 inspire and
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 redeem what
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 is boring or
00:23:40 --> 00:23:40 seemingly
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 unfulfilling,
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 and you'll
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 see that good
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 work for your
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 boss, your
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 colleagues.
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 It's a
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 winsome witness
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 for Christ.
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 You'll see that
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 praying with your
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 kids and reading
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 them a Bible
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 story every
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 night and then
00:23:54 --> 00:23:54 tucking them
00:23:54 --> 00:23:56 to bed has a
00:23:56 --> 00:23:56 purpose for the
00:23:56 --> 00:23:59 king because you
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 fear the
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 gracious one.
00:24:02 --> 00:24:02 You revere that
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 his name is
00:24:03 --> 00:24:05 great and to be
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 made holy, and
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 so you run to
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 him.
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 Storm or
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 sunshine,
00:24:12 --> 00:24:14 grace is
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 there.
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 Cry out to
00:24:16 --> 00:24:16 the one who
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 calms the
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 seas with a
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 word.
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 Cry out to
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20 Jesus.
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 Don't run
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 from him.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 Run to him,
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 the gracious
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 king.
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 Run to the
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 arms that are
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 held out on
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 the cross and
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 are held out
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 for you.
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 Friends, let's
00:24:32 --> 00:24:32 pray.
00:24:33 --> 00:24:33 Father God, we
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 thank you so
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 much that in
00:24:35 --> 00:24:37 Jesus, we
00:24:37 --> 00:24:39 see not only
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 our sacrifice,
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 but we see
00:24:42 --> 00:24:45 one who is
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 present amidst
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 us in the
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 storm through
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 his spirit.
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 We ask that
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 we might see
00:24:52 --> 00:24:54 that Jesus is
00:24:54 --> 00:24:54 the gracious
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 one to turn
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 to.
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 He is our
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 hiding place,
00:24:59 --> 00:25:01 both from the
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 present turmoil
00:25:02 --> 00:25:04 or even the
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 coming judgment.
00:25:06 --> 00:25:08 We ask that
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 we might have
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 a life
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 transformed by
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 the reality
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 that we are
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 to fear the
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 gracious one.
00:25:15 --> 00:25:15 Amen.