Sermon Title: Jonah, pt 3- Does God give second chances?

Scriptures: Jonah 3:1-5,4:1-3,5-9,10-11, Genesis 39:2-4,21-23,41:38-40

Main Points:

1. Who gets the blessing? The inclination to return to God and obey him is much greater when we think that it will result in a blessing for us. We desire the restoration of our path and God’s plan. We want the blessing that will come from reconciliation. How will we respond if we find out that the blessing goes to someone else for our obedience?

2. Look for the Lesson. While the storm certainly teaches us about obedience, this is not the only lesson. On the other side we find that God is not simply teaching us about obedience, but he is giving us an opportunity to gain perspective.

3. Is God’s plan worth it? At the beginning of the message, I gave you a list of individuals to whom God gave second chances. The interesting thing about nearly all of them is that by the end of their lives, they are praising God for all that he has done. They’ve gone through the process of storms. They’ve received the gift of 2nd chances and the lessons that are imparted during that process. They get to the end of their lives with a profound love for God and a perspective of his goodness. I see this as a “Perspective of Praise.” Jonah, however, did not.

NOTES: There is no conclusion to Jonah’s story outside of his anger with God’s plan of mercy for the Ninevites. The book ends with a question from God that Jonah never answers. I think that God did it this way on purpose. He’s good at stuff like that! I think the answer to the question wasn’t for Jonah. I think it was for us. Jonah got a unique perspective of God’s process and at the end was faced with the totality of God’s plan. It was for the salvation of 120,000 people that God cares about. The numbers, people and places aren’t the real question. God’s question that echoes down to us is simply this, “Is my plan worth it?” That is a question that we each must answer, often without knowing the totality of the impact. What do you say to your storm, your struggles, your lessons and God’s plan? Is it worth it? Is he worth it? Can you trust him? The answer is up to you…

Sermon Title: Jonah, pt 2–When is a storm more than a storm?

Scripture: Jon. 1:4-12, Luke 15:20-21, John 9:2-3, Ps. 116:1-4 & 17-18, Dan. 4:34-37, Rom. 5:3-5

Main Points:

1. Confession & Repentance: When we know that the storm is our fault, we must confess our sin to God and repent (turn away from our sin). This is for our benefit!

2. The Glory of God: Regardless of the cause, God is able to get glory in any storm. Our repentance gives him glory. Our righteous response to suffering gives him glory.

3. Praise in the Storm: Even in our pain, God is still worthy of our praise. That is not a feeling. It’s a fact. When we choose to ignore the feeling and face the fact, we honor God.

4. Return to God: After our time of testing we are met with a decision. We can either draw closer to God or turn away from him. The decision affects our future with God.

Prayer: Suffering is difficult for us to comprehend. We do not like it. We don’t like punishment. We don’t like to be collateral damage for someone else’s sin. We don’t like natural outcomes. We want to see God blessing us in all things. Pray for those in your group who are suffering. Pray that God would open their eyes to see that whether He is the cause or not, there is a righteous way for us to respond to suffering that is worship.

Notes: Jonah knew that the storm was his fault. We often wrestle with this question in our own lives. It can drive us to see where blame belongs. Seeking to find appropriate blame distracts us from what is most important in our suffering. The cause is not as significant as our response. How we respond speaks to the depth of our faith in God and our love for Him. Our anger in suffering does nothing to produce peace. It is the decision we make to confess our sins, repent and draw close to God that makes us stronger in the storms of our lives. Our “tested” faith produces endurance (Rom. 5:3-5) so that we can endure to the end in relationship with God.

Sermon Title: Jonah, pt 1–Why would someone run from God?

Scripture: Jon. 1:1-3, Matt. 5:43-48 & 6:14-15, 2 Cor. 11:23-27, Lu 14:26-30, 2 Ki. 14:23-25, Am. 6:14

Main Points:

1. Forgiveness is Hard: Jonah despised the idea that God wanted to show mercy to Israel’s enemies. An attitude of unforgiveness drives us from God. We run from mercy.

2. The Process is Hard: Jonah would have to travel 500 mi to preach to Nineveh. Sometimes we think the things God is asking are too much. So, we back away from His plans.

3. God Doesn’t Make Sense: God tells Jonah to witness to the enemy that Amos says is going to destroy Israel! When God’s plan doesn’t make sense, we run. Logic and faith are not equals.

Notes: Jonah was alive in the 700’s B.C. He lived and prophesied at the same time as Amos, during the reign of King Jeroboam II. There is wickedness in the Kingdom of Israel. Jonah prophesied that God would still bless Israel, while Amos prophesied punishment. Jonah is speaking of victory over Assyria while Amos is predicting punishment from God at the hand of Assyria. They seem to be contrasting and wrong. Jonah is speaking of God’s blessing through obedience, which Jeroboam II and Israel did not choose, and Amos is giving God’s warning of punishment if Israel does not turn from wickedness. When Israel does not turn, it is Amos’ prophecy that comes true and that directly overturns the prophecy given by Jonah. At the same time, Jonah is being asked to go and witness to this enemy so they can repent. It’s a wild series of events that must be understood in context for Jonah’s response to make more sense.

Sermon Title: This Changes Everything, Pt 3

Scripture: Phil. 4:6-8, Eph. 3:14-21, 8-12, Josh. 1:9, Ps. 34:7, Matt. 18:20 & 28:20, Heb. 13:5

Main Points:

1. Fix Your Eyes On God: We tend to believe that the Presence of God is only in church services or in quiet moments. We can invite God’s presence into everything in our lives!

2. More Than You Can Imagine: God does not give us his power for our use or to do work through us. He wants to give himself to us; just him for no other reason than relationship.

3. God Is Inviting You: We shy away from God because we feel unworthy. We are sinful, but he is merciful. He longs to bring us to the King’s Table and refresh us with his love.

1. What barriers keep you from living in and experiencing the presence of God?

2. When and where do you feel like you are experiencing the presence of God in your life?

3. How could you invite God into the everyday things that keep you busy?

4. Are you a cup or a pitcher? Does God give himself to you for others or just so you can receive?

5. What practical steps can you take in your life to begin practicing the Presence of God?

Notes: Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection was a cook in a French monastery who learned that service for God is more than spending time in solitude and silence. While the Monks around him were devoting themselves in solitude, he was devoting himself in service. He invited God into his work, even work that he did not enjoy, and learned how to Practice the Presence of God in everything. The two greatest barriers to God’s presence are busyness and worthiness. We think that we can only experience God in services or solitude, but we can invite him into everything and then experience even greater times of joy in those places. We also consider ourselves unworthy. We are unworthy, but Jesus did not come for worthy people. His invitation is not for worthy people. His invitation is that of a King to wretches who have no business in his presence, but whom he desires to invite to his table and feed from his own hands. He delights in wretches and elevates us to the status of “Child of the King.”

Sermon Title: This Changes Everything, Pt 2

Scripture: Rom. 8:5-8, Ex. 34:27-30, Matt. 5:17-20, John 14:15-21, 2 Pet. 1:3-11

Main Points:

1. Accept God’s Authority: Our relationship with God is covenantal. Accepting that covenant

means humbly submitting to the sovereignty of God.

2. Keep God’s Commands: Our love for God is not demonstrated in words, but in actions. We

show true devotion to God by keeping the commands found in scripture as our worship.

3. Plow Through the Plateaus: We often ask, “Where is God?” when we experience moments

of difficulty. In these moments, we find a return to God’s faithfulness through scripture and

the testimony of his love for all of us.

Notes: Submission requires taking a lower position while elevating someone or something else to a level that

exceeds our own. When we trust in God and submit to his authority, we relinquish our own in exchange for his.

This exchange is difficult when we are immature, but the more we know about God the better we realize this

trade to be. Love is not a statement of words or a system of beliefs. Love for God is demonstrated through

obedience to the commands that are given in scripture. In immaturity, we see Christianity as a system of dos

and don’ts. As we grow in relationship with Jesus, we learn that he had our best interests in mind from the

start. However, submission and love are challenged when difficulties arise. We may find it difficult to keep

pursuing these things with God when we are hurting, disappointed or steeped in sin. In these moments we

cannot succumb to the lies of the enemy. The only way out is to press in to the goodness of God.

Sermon Title: This Changes Everything, Pt 1

Scripture: Ex. 33:13-20, 34:29-30, Matt 17:1-6, John 1:1-6, 2 Cor. 3:13-18, Deut. 6:4, Ex 3:14-15

Main Points:

1. Attributes of God: The beauty/splendor/majesty/honor of God is expressed in his attributes. He is: self-existent, unified, spirit, simple, immutable, infinite, eternal, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent.

2. God’s Glory Changes Me: When we reflect the glory of God, it is apparent to the world. It is not something we have to say. It shines through our character and daily lives.

3. Access to God’s Glory: The work of the cross gives us the clearest picture of God’s glory as manifested through Jesus’ substitutionary death and subsequent resurrection victory.

Small group questions:

1. What attributes of God are most recognizable and easy to believe about God?

2. What attributes of God are harder to believe fully? Which ones do you wish you understood better?

3. What are some characteristics of a person who reflects the glory of God to those around them?

4. How does Jesus reveal the Glory of God for all of us?

5. In what ways do you want to better reflect the “glorious image of Christ” for your family and friends?

Prayer: A lot of people would say that they want a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God. As we outline some of the most significant ways that our relationship changes, it’s going to be a matter of prayer and application that truly makes the shift. Pray that God would reveal his glory to the people of your group and pray that they would have the boldness to see everything in their lives changed by the Glory of God.

Notes: When we hear the word glory we are prone to think of it in our modern terms. We might describe it as the honor or the credit for something. Glory, as it relates to God, is something deeper and wider. There are about 10 different words used in scripture that we translate as glory. Most significantly we see kabowd (Hebrew; the weight of splendor) and doxa (Greek; glory) used in scripture. The Old Testament gives us the fullness of the definition through multiple words. The New Testament simplifies all of them in the word doxa which just means glory. God’s glory is made powerful in our lives through our comprehension of his beauty. Then it is magnified through the reflection of that beauty that we live as our worship for the God who redeemed us.

Sermon Title: Jesus for President

Scripture: 2 Sam. 12:14-15, Ps. 101:8, Rom. 13:1, Matt 5:14-16, Mal. 3:8-10, Num 34:2, Jer. 19:4-5, 1 Cor. 6:12-19

1. Christianity & Politics: For much of history, Christians have seen it as their duty to be involved in politics. It’s the best way to infuse Biblical beliefs into leadership positions.

2. God on the Issues: It takes study, but the Bible speaks to every issue of our day. We can find guidance and direction from the LORD if we make the effort to do so.

3. Biblical Voting: As the “light of the world” we have a responsibility to infuse Biblical truth into the dark places of the world. Voting is one significant way that we can accomplish that.

Scriptures: Romans 10:8-15, Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Proverbs 3:5-6,9-10, 27-28 NLT

The Gospel is FREE to those who receive it, but it will COST those who give it away.

Where should we send the Gospel?

One Day for the Nations, Sunday, October 6, 2024. $20,000. Convoy of Hope and the Missionary Housing project in Carlisle.

Break It Down: Salary $ ______________ / ________ work-days Offering = $ ______________________