Providence of God, Men's Plans

Good morning. It is a privilege to be here this morning, if you would take your Bibles and turn to Jonah chapter one. I bring you greetings from First Baptist Church of Durham, the senior pastors, Dr. Andrew Davis. You all have had the privilege of hearing from Nathan Tymon. And one of the things I like about Nathan, not Nathan Tymon, Nathan Finn. is that when Nathan is standing behind this pulpit, I'm teaching his Sunday school class for him. And you also have the privilege of hearing from Ryan Hutchinson. a few weeks ago, and I'm taking a class at Southeastern that Ryan is teaching on finances. And so last night, I was working on a final exam last night. And so it is truly a privilege to be here with you, Nathan, and talking about this church has just had some wonderful things to say about you. And so it is a privilege. My wife and I, are not with our five wonderful children. They are having a good time with their cousins. They have four cousins. And so my brother and sister-in-law took nine children to church with them this morning. And so you all pray for them. I would greatly appreciate that. But my wife and I have had a great time to get away and enjoy ourselves and to be with you all. In Revelations chapter seven, verse nine, it says, After this, I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation and tribe, people in language standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands, and they cried out in a loud voice, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne. and to the land. John Piper, in his book, Let the Nations Be Glad, said the reason why missions exist is because worship does not. And so the reason why that God has given missions is because people do not worship the king. And the people around this throne, by God's grace, are worshiping the king because someone brought them the message. God is still at work. God is still at work through redeemed men and women to get the most important message that they need to hear, that they ought to worship the King. God wants to use you to reach the nations. God wants to use you to go across the street. He wants to use you to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. And so this morning, We're going to look into the book of Jonah and we're going to be in Jonah for the next Lord willing. To two Sundays tonight will be in Jonah, chapter two, and Lord willing, next week will be in chapter three and then also chapter four. And what we're going to see in the book of Jonah throughout the entire book is this, that the will of God thwarts the will of men so that the Ninevites hear the most important message ever. Their wickedness had come up to God, and that runs through the entire book. The will of God thwarting the will of men. We're going to see this morning as we look into chapter one. Is it we're going to get a glimpse into the mind and heart of God for the nations? And we're going to see that Jonah rejects the call of God. And therefore, God displays his rule over all created things to get Jonah's attention. So the reason why you need to listen this morning. Because God is still calling his redeemed to rise up and go to the nations. And the reason why you need to listen is because God's call to reach the nations is not for a select few. It is for everyone who is called his disciple. And the reason why you need to listen this morning is because you and I are in need of the Lord to daily fill us with His compassion for all people. And you need to listen if you're here this morning and you've never trusted in Jesus Christ. You need to understand that your life is uncovered and laid bare before the King. And finally, you need to listen this morning Because maybe this may be the first time or God is going to use this time to remind you of his heart and mind to reach the nations. A little background into the book of Jonah. Jonah, he was a real man. He was one of Israel's prophets, the son of Amittai. He was a successor of Elisha and contemporaries of Amos and Hosea. Jonah prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II. He prophesied the restoration of the bounties of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of Arabah, which is the Salt Sea. Jonah was a true prophet speaking for the Lord, for his prophecy came true. In 2 Kings 14, 25, it says, first time we learn about Jonah, he was the one who restored the bounties of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of Arabah in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel. Spoken through his servant Jonah, son of Mithai, The prophet from Gath Heffer. We're going to notice as we go through this book is that Jonah's message is not directed to the Israelites. But his message is directed toward an enemy, the Ninevites. Jonah is no amateur. He was called by God, he was a seasoned prophet of God. During this time, Jonah going to Assyria, the Assyrians were in a period of internal instability because of dynastic struggles. And so this people, though they were wicked and powerful and strong, at this time they are not as strong as they will be as we find out in 2 Kings 15, 29. When Tigla Pilesar, king of Assyria, comes and reigns in Assyria. And so the Assyrians are in a time of weakness. But yet God wants to get the most important message to them that they need to hear. And so in Jonah, chapter one, verses one and two, we have here the call of Jonah, or we could say this is the divine will. And it says the word of the Lord came to Jonah, son of Amittai, go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because its wickedness has come up before me. The story begins with the Lord acting on behalf of a wicked people to send them a message through the prophet Jonah. Jonah was to leave or he was to rise up and to take the message to the people. Jonah ultimately was to cry out, or he was to proclaim to the Ninevites that Yahweh, the God of Israel, the one in whom it says in Genesis 1, 3, let there be light, and there was light. Yahweh, the God of Israel, the self-existing one who spoke and brought the one into existence, is going to deal with this wicked people. They need to know that their wicked thoughts, deeds, and actions, though they may celebrate them, had not gone unnoticed. And the same could be said about you and I. Our lifestyle is on 24-hour display before the King of Kings. And so Jonah has been chosen to speak on behalf of God. Amazingly, the Lord could have used different means As in the days of Noah, he could have used a flood. He could have brought rats and tumors on the people as he did in 1 Samuel. He could have caused the people to turn on one another and kill themselves as in the time when Gideon defeated the Midianites. But he has chosen to use one of his prophets. As we're going to see throughout this entire book, God has everything at his disposal to accomplish his eternal plan to reach the Ninevites. And God has everything at his disposal to reach the men and women who live in Charlottesville, Virginia, and to reach the nations. And the means that God has chosen to use to reach the Ninevites and the means that God has chosen today has not changed. Men and women have been redeemed. Men and women who trusted in Jesus Christ. And so, Jonah is to go and proclaim. You know, going is not easy. Going across the street is not easy. Going on a short mission trip on a mission trip is not easy. Maybe sharing the gospel with friends at times can be a challenge. Sharing the gospel with coworkers can be a challenge. And ultimately, this is a work of God. This is a work that God must do upon our hearts. Understand the one who had been offended, God has chosen to act first and deal with the offender, the Ninevites. The Ninevites are not running to God. Nor is Jonah running to God on behalf of the Ninevites. God must sovereignly work in our hearts and minds. To lead us to proclaim to unredeemed people their need to immediately return to Jesus Christ. To go is not natural. This is a part of the work of the sanctification process as we're being conformed into the image of Jesus Christ. God must work on our hearts and fill us with compassion. Throughout the New Testament, you see Jesus Christ was full of compassion on many occasions. Talks about how He was filled with compassion when He saw the crowds. He was filled with compassion. He was filled with concern. And His concern moves Him to act. And that is the kind of compassion that God wants to work in all of us. Compassion that moves us to act. So it's not natural for us to go. And that's why the scripture says in Acts 1.8, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth. He said you'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. There's a need for me to send my spirit to accomplish this work. If he doesn't send his spirit. These men and those that are followed Christ are going to stay up in that room and hide. They need God to send his spirit. Or, listen to what it says in Acts 20, 21 through 24 about Paul. Paul says, I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and faith in our Lord Jesus. And now, compelled by the spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prisons and hardships are facing me. Verse 24, however, I consider my life worth nothing. If only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. That is amazing that Paul can say, I don't know what's going to happen to me when I get there. But what I do know is there's going to be prisons and hardships. If I heard there's going to be prisons and hardships, I'm not going. But Paul said, however, I consider my life worth nothing to me. It is true there's going to be hard times, but Paul said, I consider my life worth nothing because there's something more important in my life. It is finishing the task the Lord has given to me, the task of testifying, of proclaiming, of declaring the gospel of God's grace. Think of what Paul says in Galatians 2.20. He says, I've been crucified with Christ. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Brothers and sisters in Christ, it's not natural. It's a work that God must do in our hearts to take the gospel to the nations. And so it is time for Jonah to go. In God's eternal plan, it is time for this man to act. It is time for the Ninevites to realize that the Lord is not just the Lord of Israel, but he is the Lord of all nations, whether they bow down to him or not. They need to understand that God is not confined to a box and to some divided territory. The Ninevites need to know that he is Lord of all. Understand that God is fully aware of every kind of wicked act that is committed. And he's fully aware of every act of grace and mercy we do every day. Be mindful of this, that God's messengers may have to take the message into messy situations. Well, how does Jonah respond to the call? We get a little glimpse here at the human will. And remember, I said that throughout the book, we see the divine will thwarting the will of men. Jonah's response to God, it says in verse three, but Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for the port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. I wish that verse said that Jonah ran with the Lord. To that great city of Nineveh. But it doesn't say that. It says that Jonah ran away from the Lord. I would think that Jonah knew that he could not run away from the Lord, but he may not have known. Some suggest that when it says he ran away from the Lord, that he was running away from the responsibility that had been given to him. And so he runs. And it says he ran to Tarsus. He went to Tarsus. I'm going to get to Tarsus, but I want to talk about Joppa. And I want you to listen to the detail of count of Jonah's actions. At any moment in these actions, the Lord could have intervened and stopped Jonah. Jonah makes thoughtful decisions to get away from the Lord. I did not say they were wise, but he decided to disobey the Lord. I can only imagine what is going through his mind as he makes. These steps. As it says, as he ran away from the Lord. to get to Tarshish, Jonah had to go to Joppa. Assuming that Jonah was living in Samaria on foot, it was about 20 miles to go down to Joppa. It says that he found a ship going to Nineveh. Jonas sought out a ship that was heading in the total opposite direction that the Lord commanded him to go. He sought out this ship. It says he found the ship. Once he found the ship, he paid the fare. One commentary said that he may have paid the entire fare. But he paid the fare. He boards the ship. And he sails for Tarsus. This is a detailed account of intentional disobedience on Jonah's part. He intentionally rejects the Lord's command. Jonah's purpose for these actions is revealed in the last five words of verse three. It says to flee from the Lord. That's what he wanted to do. He wanted to flee from the Lord. The place he wanted to flee was to Tarsus. Tarsus is a city of the Phoenicians in a distant part of the Mediterranean Sea. The site is unknown, but some authorities believe that Tarsus, a city in ancient Spain, was Tarsus. It is known that Tarsus was a city famous for wealth and not power. They were a city that traded with Israel, but possessed no military threat. It is said about Tarshish that the ships of Tarshish were strong and sturdy vessels of the Phoenicians. And they were the leading mariners of the ancient world. And so you have on this ship individuals who were seasoned sailors. Seasoned sailors taking a man away from God's will. And so Jonah heads to Tarshish and apparently the human will is working itself out. Apparently. From verse four to the end of chapter two. We have recorded the outworking of the divine will over the human will. Understand, brothers and sisters in Christ, it is a losing battle to fight against the will of God as revealed in scripture. Whether you are a child, a teen, a young adult, an adult, or you have a crown of splendor on your head, God's will always gets accomplished. Proverbs 16.1 says, To man belongs the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue. Proverbs 16.9 says, In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. So what should we do about Our own plans will scripture encourage us, encourages us to make plans and to not live fatalistically. But understand that the final decision, as if those plans will come about, is the Lord's. We need to say about our plans, as it says in James, today or tomorrow we will go. If you say today or tomorrow, we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why you? Do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? Instead, you are to say, if it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that. And so let's look at God's response. God's response to Jonah, what we have here is the divine will, or we can say the providence of God is going to be put on display in verses four through 14. I like Wayne Grudem's definition of Providence, he says, God is continually involved with all created things in such a way to accomplish his purpose. And that's what we're going to see here. God is continually involved with all created things in such a way to accomplish his purpose. Verse four in chapter one of Jonah says, Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. Unlike Jonah, the wind obeys its master. The wind causes a violent storm that threatens to break up the ship. Most likely, this is a well-built ship from Tarshish, and it is on the verge of being destroyed, not only for God to display his omnipotence, but for Jonah to understand the heart and mind of God to accomplish his eternal plan. Jonah must understand God's will will be accomplished. The Ninevites will hear the message. As Jesus said in Matthew 24, 14, and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. The gospel will be proclaimed. It will happen. And the means that God has chosen to use men and women in this room and men and women in every local body throughout the world but only does God show his power over this storm it says about this storm that it was a violent storm it was a violent storm in intensity and was probably a storm with great sound As we learned, this storm continues to increase. As long as Jonah is in the boat, as long as Jonah is running from the will of God, this storm will continue and will increase in intensity. As it says in verses 11 and 13, the sea was getting rougher and rougher. As it says in verse 13, for the sea grew even wilder than before. And so this ship that is heading to Tarshish is in a violent storm, and the sea is growing rougher and rougher. And wow. And so the sailors on this ship respond. Surely these sailors have been in storms before, but this storm. Has the men afraid, as it says in verse five, all the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own God, and they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. They were afraid. Each of them cried out to their own God. They were throwing cargo into the ship, and we're going to see that they cast lots to determine who's responsible for the trouble. These sails are crying out for help. This is not a silent prayer or a prayer that says, God knows my heart. They are terrified. They are crying out to their own God, because they are in need of their God, whoever that is, intervening. Wilson says in his commentary, these men are so desperate that they cease to care whether they made money off the trip. They were concerned for their survival. Usually when times get tough, the non-spiritual person becomes spiritual. The person who doesn't pray will pray or find someone religious or who goes to church to pray for them. Times have not changed. In moments of crisis. Jefferson Park display the love of Christ in action, yes, but also in word. In moments of crisis, when people come to you, bring them to the scriptures and allow the Lord to use you at this means to point hurting individuals to Jesus Christ. Each of these sailors, no matter how pious they are, call on their gods who do not exist. Their calling out is futile, and so the storm continues. Their gods have no control over the sea. So these sailors are taking drastic actions for fear of their life, unaware that the reason they are in this violent storm is because someone on board is running from the Lord. As it says in verse 5, but Jonah had gone below deck where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The one man on the ship connected to the true God is asleep while the men calling on various gods who will not answer are in distress. And so the one man who had not called on his God is located. In verse 6 it says, the captain went to him and said, how can you sleep? Get up and call on your God. Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish. ESV has this verse a little different. It says, so the captain came and said to him, what do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your God. Perhaps the God will give a thought to us that we may not perish. From the perspective of the captain, this is not a storm that people naturally sleep in. For he says, how can you sleep? Your translation may say fast sleep. Jonah was sleeping so good that the violent storm could not awake him, nor could the commotion of the sailors. This kind of sleep is probably the same kind of deep sleep that Saul and his men were in when David stole a spear and water jug. You remember in 1 Samuel 26, 12, it says, so David took the spear and water jug near Saul's head and they left. No one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep. And so this captain comes to Joan and he tells him, call on your God. The hope is that Jonah's God would listen, since he is probably the only one left who had not called on his God. Apparently, none of the other gods had responded. And if Jonah's God does not respond, then death is imminent. Jonah, we can assume, has risen from his sleep. And the sailors have come to the conclusion that the problem must be in the boat. I can only assume that divine intervention brought them to that decision. The problem's got to be in the boat because they decide to cast lots, as it says in verse seven. Then the sailors said to each other, come, let us cast lots to find out who was responsible for this calamity. They cast lots and the lot fell. on Jonah. The casting of lots or pebbles used for systematically making decisions. Proverbs 18 and 18 says, casting the lot settles disputes and keep strong opponents apart. Listen to this account in first Samuel of how lots were used to determine the cause of the problem. when Saul made his request to God as to whether or not they should attack the Philistines. 1 Samuel 14 verse 38 it says, So therefore Saul said, Come here, all you who are leaders of the army, and let us find out what sin has been committed today. As surely as the Lord who rescues Israel lives, even if it lives with my son Jonathan, he must die. But not one of the men said a word. Saul then said to the Israelites, you stand over there. I and Jonathan, my son, will stand over here. Do what seems best to you, the men replied. Verse 41. Then Saul prayed to the Lord, the God of Israel, give me the right answer. And Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot. And the men were cleared. Saul said, cast the lot between me and Jonathan, my son. and Jonathan was taken. And so the casting of lots during that time was a way in which they could settle disputes. In Proverbs 16, 33, it says, the lot is cast into the lap, but it's every decision is from the Lord. The lot that was cast by the sailors did not just happen to fall on Jonah. Remember, they're in a storm. The boat is rocking back and forth. It intentionally fell on Jonah because it was the Lord's decision for where that lot would fall. The Lord's will, the Lord's will, remember, is for the Ninevites to hear the most important message they would ever hear. That is why the lot fell on Jonah. The Ninevites were going to hear the message. And so the ship turns into a courtroom, and Jonah is on trial. Verse eight, so they ask him, tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you? I love Jonah's response. He said, verse nine, I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven who made the sea and the land. By saying he was a Hebrew, Jonah was stating that he was not one of them. He was an Israelite and he was not from Tarshish. And since he was an Israelite, his God was unique and his God was in a class all by himself. His God was a true God. His God was the maker of both heaven and earth. His God is the one in whom the scripture says, the earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and all who live in it. And so Jonah can say, I worship the Lord, or he says, I fear saying I have a healthy fear of being in awe of of my God. In the midst of running away from the will of God, Jonah boldly proclaims by saying, I worship the Lord or I fear the Lord. What he's saying is, hey, I obey my God. I obey my God. And that was not true. Jonah makes a clear distinction in the God he worships. He says, God of heaven who made the sea and the land. Jonah's God made and rules the universe. He is not made out of wood, gold, or silver, but he is the maker of wood, gold, and silver. His God was not made by human hands, but is the one who made the human hands. In the midst of a storm, we have a patriarch theology proper lecture going on. And so I would encourage you to bring up your theology in everyday conversation. Bring the scriptures to bear in conversations about politics and economics. And someone wants to talk about global warming, marriage, child rearing, science, health care. And we could go on. Bring the scriptures to bear on all things. And I would also encourage you to allow the wonderful and challenging conversations that you have about our historic Christian faith to not only fill the classrooms and hallways of Jefferson Park Baptist Church, but share it with the atheist and with the agnostic, with the person who is spiritual, whatever that is, and share it with that brother or sister who keeps telling you that you're too deep for me theologically. All I want to do is love Jesus, which is fine. Remember, Paul said, I want to know him and I want to know him and the power of his resurrection. And so, if Jonah's God who made the sea, if Jonah's God is upset at something that caused him to act in this way, to cause the sea to act so vitally, what would Jonah's God do to the sailors? Jonah, at some point in his conversation with the men, shared that he was running from the Lord. As it says in verse 10, they knew he was running away from the Lord because he had already told them so. And so the men knew that Jonah was running from his God, the maker of the sea and the land. And as it says in verse 10, the rest of verse this terrified them and they asked, what have you done? Verse 10 says this terrified them. What terrified them is that they were afraid. They're in awe of Jonah's God. Both things are probably at work in these individuals, these sailors. They're afraid, there's fear, and there's also awe. He is a great God, but we're also afraid of him. And if you're his prophet, if you call him Lord, and you're running from him, and this is how he's acting, what about us who don't even believe in him? How can he respond to us? And so, on the boat, the problem has been discovered, it is Jonah. But the problem is still on the boat. The sea is getting rougher and rougher. The intensity of the violent sea did not die down when the problem was discovered. Look at verse 11, it says, so they asked him, what should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us? Once again, these men are only concerned with surviving. What should we do to you? Verse 12, listen to what Jonah says. He says, pick me up and throw me into the sea, he replied, and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you. Jonah finally acknowledges that he alone is at fault for the great storm. His disobedience affected the lives of the entire ship. This one man running from the will of God to go into proclaim to the Ninevites has affected the lives of the entire ship. Even though Jonah acknowledged. Rather than throw Jonah to the sea. The men do something else. Once again, we have the human will. Verse 13, instead, the men did their best to row back to the land, but they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. I believe that the right thing at this moment would have been for them to throw him out of the ship. Throw him out of the ship. But these men thought, let's not throw him out of the ship. Let's see if we can get back to land. Once again, we have another group fighting against God's will. Once again, human will does not accomplish its purpose in God's eternal plan. No matter how hard these men rode, God continued to turn up the intensity of the sea, because God had an eternal purpose for which he was going to accomplish through Jonah. And so after each of these sailors cried out to their own God, after they'd thrown cargo into the sea, After they cast lots to determine who was responsible for the trouble, after hearing a theology proper lecture, and after an attempt to row back to land to no avail, it says the sailors cried out to the Lord, the God of Jonah, the maker of the sea and the land. Amazing, they asked this God for mercy. Be merciful to us. They are asking for mercy because they know they must throw him overboard. And if they throw him overboard, what could happen to the sailors? God was doing what he wanted to do by using the storm to awaken Jonah and these sailors to the maker of the sea and the land. Verse 14 says, Then they cried to the Lord, O Lord, Please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man. For you, O Lord, have done as you pleased. I can only imagine what is going through these. These men's mind as they contemplate what God could do to them. And this we will find out tonight. If it is the Lord's will. When we continue in Jonah and look at the providence of God and the prophets prayer. Unlike the sailors, though, we can leave knowing this script is very clear and what God can do. Psalms 115 verse three says, Our God is in heaven. He does whatever pleases him. Scripture is very clear also. That it is God's will for individuals to trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. The reason why individuals need to trust in Jesus Christ is because the Scriptures make it very clear that we're sinners in need of a Savior. The Scriptures make it very clear that there's a price for sin. So if you're here this morning and you've never trusted in Jesus Christ, you need to cry out to God and ask Him to be merciful to you. You need to cry out to God and believe on His Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible says in John 3, 36, whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. And Romans 10, 13 says, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. And so I want to encourage you if you're here today, you've never trusted in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, to call upon Him today, even now. But understand this also. The scriptures are very clear what will happen to those who reject Jesus Christ, who choose not to trust in him. The Bible says also in John 3, 36, but whoever rejects the son will not see life for God's wrath remains on him. The Book of Jonah is a glimpse into God's heart and mind to a Gentile nation. To get the most important message they ever heard, their wickedness had come up to God. God's eternal plan has not changed and it has not been completed. The plan of God is to send redeemed men and women wherever the gospel needs to go. Some places are safe and not hostile to the gospel. Others are unsafe and hostile to the gospel. All of this, God knows. All of it. And so remember, God has not changed in his ability to use whatever he desires to move his redeemed across the street. And across the seas. in order to draw his elect to himself. And so, my brothers and sisters, in Jesus Christ, let us not run away from God, but let us run with him to call people to live on his lordship in every area of their lives. Let's pray. You are the King of kings and Lord of lords. It says in scripture, before the foundation of the world you chose to save, And that eternal plan has been working itself out. And so we ask, dear Father, as we've just looked into your word, that you would give us a desire to reach the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ, proclaim it, to tell it. I pray, Lord, you would fill us with compassion, all of us, God. You're going to accomplish your plan. I pray that you are honored in all we do. For this I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.