Latest / Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons / When God's Messenger Runs

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When God's Messenger Runs · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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Okay, let's turn our thoughts then to Jonah, particularly verse 1 to 3, and we will be referencing
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! Chapter 4, verse 2 as well.
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! When you come to a book like Jonah, I think it's one of the most important things
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in terms of starting off looking at Jonah is that you see yourself in the message,
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or you see a little bit of Jonah's heart in ourselves. I think the shocking reality for
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us that when we do and look at Jonah, the shocking reality is we're more like him than we think.
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And that's the challenge I hope that we are willing to face up to. So, when we hear the hard call of God,
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in his case, to go to Nineveh to a people that he despised and hated because of what they did,
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and they were an enemy of Israel. But we might find it difficult with some neighbors,
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difficult people around us, and we might actually be a little bit more like Jonah than we realize.
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And the challenge, of course, is to realize that God is sovereign, God is all-powerful,
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God is gracious, and so on. And he will empower us as we live our lives for the glory of Jesus,
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even with the most difficult people around us. Because our calling is to be like Jesus,
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not just as we gather and sit beside each other in church, but to those that we are called to go out
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to. Because that is what God called, Jesus called his disciples to do, to go to all the ends of the
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earth, to all the people groups in his name and his power and his authority to make disciples of all
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nations. And here God calls Jonah. And immediately you see the struggle that he faces. Now, we don't know
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a great deal about Jonah other than some words that are mentioned for us in 2 Kings 14. And the words
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that are recorded for us from Jonah there are that he confirmed in the time of Jeroboam that the Lord was
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building the boundaries or rebuilding the boundaries of Israel. That's all we know. But why is that
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important? Well, if you go back to the previous verses that what the Lord revealed to Israel and to Jonah
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and to everybody around them was this, that during the time of Jeroboam II, it says that he did evil in
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the eyes of the Lord which had caused Israel, which he had caused Israel to commit. And this is the
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challenge I think that we always face as Christians. When we have a culture and we see things moving and
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changing in our culture and the impact it has on the Christian church, on the gathering or mission,
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the fear that we might have, that we might get a mouthful from whomever we have, in a sense,
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we might also have a disparaging view of the mission field that you're called to go to.
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And that is what is exposed here. The hypocrisy of Jonah is this,
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that he knew the repeated mercy of God in the life of Israel. The ups, the downs, the ups,
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the downs. You cannot read the Old Testament without seeing it for yourself.
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Times of great, you know, terrible events and terrible lifestyles, etc., in there by,
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led by kings and Jeroboam in this case, his sin came up before the Lord. And it is easy to forget that,
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to forget even our own sin from what we have been saved from, and see others and their lives as much
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worse and much more terrible than what God had to deal with with you and me.
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And it's a dangerous move from the church. And it's an easy thing to fall into, an easy pattern.
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And it is so easy to forget what the Lord saved you and me from. Now, granted, most of you were
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probably not like me back in the day. And all the mistakes and the wrongs, etc., I'm very much an unlikely
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candidate. But God, but God stepped in. But God saved. God saves the unexpected, the rascals,
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the people of Nineveh. He showed, he called Jonah to go to these people that he despised,
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forgetting the very sins that the Lord had repeatedly forgiven and restored Israel time
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and time again. So, it is easy to fall into that pattern. And that's the challenge I think we face as
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we look at Jonah, as we think about the first three verses and also his own confession regarding God's
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character when it comes to dealing with the sins of people. Now, one writer said this. He says,
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challenging us about our Christian lifestyles, our mission, etc. He said, your Christianity is not defined
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by Sunday morning when you're throwing your head back and singing praise to God.
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He says, that's the easy call of God.
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That doesn't define your Christianity alone. Our call is to be Christ-like in every day
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and in submission to Him and in worship every single day of our lives. Now, that includes the very clear
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command of Scripture, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love
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your neighbor as yourself. And as we all know, sometimes they can be the most difficult of people.
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Sometimes God calls us to hard things, to hard places. It's not easy, but we are never going on our own strength.
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And so, you can understand in one sense Jonah's unwillingness to go,
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but he had known God's redeeming grace repeatedly in the life of Israel.
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And it's something that he didn't want to share with the people of Nineveh.
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So, when God is calling you to tough places, what's your response?
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How do you respond to Him?
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We could say, and I think I've probably done this myself,
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Lord, lead me anywhere you want me to go.
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Except, and except, or in Jonah's case, Nineveh.
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In fact, his effort was to try and reach as far away from Nineveh as possible and go to Tarshish,
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the end of the then known world would be Europe to most commentators.
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So, what do I hope that we do this evening as we look at these words, and as we think about the
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tough call of God on your life? What if He's calling you to ministry,
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and you feel there are so many hurdles in your way? What if He's calling you to
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minister in some way or other to people at work, or whatever it may be? And sometimes you just simply
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resist and don't fulfill that calling because it's too tough for you and for me.
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Well, here we find out that God is truly sovereign and all-powerful.
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And that is what we need to take on board in the tough calls that He gives us,
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the people that He seeks you to minister to, because He goes with you and before you,
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and it is through Him that people come to know Him. So, what is the first thing then about Jonah that we
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should take consideration of? It's his heart. His heart.
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You know, you read these words, the first three verses there, and there is clearly something about
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the prophet. He does a runner. He just runs. How do we know his heart? It comes from his confession
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in chapter 4. He says,
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O Lord, and he prayed to the Lord and said, O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country?
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That is why I made haste to flee to Tarsus. For I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful,
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slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and relenting from disaster.
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There is the revelation of what he knew about God in this moment.
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He knew the character of God in every aspect of his life, and what he said about the character of God,
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what God displayed even through the message of judgment in the time of Israel,
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was a God who was compassionate and slow to anger and rich in mercy, and who relented when the people
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prayed in repentance. What an incredible testimony to the majesty and the grace and the wonder of God.
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God, but it exposes his heart. It shows you how he was so disturbed at the thought that these terrible people
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might discover, feel, receive that compassion,
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that love,
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that slow to anger and rich in mercy, God in heaven, who relents from disaster.
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There is the exposure of his heart and what he is truly thinking,
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and that he is willing to be a roadblock to these people ever responding to God.
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It is really difficult to try and understand how someone could get to that place.
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Very difficult.
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How someone refused, or he was, yes, he refused till later,
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but he refused to go to Nineveh,
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wanted to go to Tarshish because he didn't want
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to proclaim the gracious judgment of God.
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Now, one or two of you might be saying,
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did he just say gracious judgment?
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Yes, that's exactly what I said.
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God's gracious judgment.
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Now, if you're a non-Christian and you're hearing the word judgment,
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it's probably the case that you really don't like
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that word,
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and very often
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we don't do a great job
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when we're talking about the gracious judgment of God.
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A lot of us have probably never put the two words together.
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But I call it gracious judgment for a reason.
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You can call it gracious revelation.
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God knew the heart of the people of Nineveh.
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Their sin had come up before him.
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It also had come up before Jonah,
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and Jonah's response was,
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really, in a sense,
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Lord, just bring rain down judgment upon them.
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But when the Lord reveals judgment in this way,
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in this gracious judgment way,
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what He is doing is,
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is He exposes the heart of people.
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And if you're a non-Christian this evening,
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when He reveals your heart,
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the point of it is to bring you to a place
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where you are no longer on the throne of your life,
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but that He is on the throne,
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and He is the one who is supreme Lord and sovereign King.
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He is the one who judges.
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But He is also the gracious one
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who will relent when you turn to Him.
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He is the one who provided the means
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for you and me to turn away from this judgment
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because He gave His only begotten Son,
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and judgment was poured upon Him
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for the sin of the world.
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And that's the incredible truth in front of you,
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that this prophet of God,
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God spoke to him.
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God called him to a hard calling
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to get up and go,
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and not just simply lob grenade bombs
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of judgment on the people of Nineveh.
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Pick yourself up,
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go to Nineveh,
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and proclaim what I have told you to proclaim,
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that their sin has come up before me,
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and judgment is coming.
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Why does the Lord do that?
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So that you can turn.
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So that you can turn from it,
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from its outcome.
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When you want to be Lord of your own life,
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but there is only one Lord,
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and it is Him who offers you
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mercy and love and compassion
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and salvation and transformation
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and the new birth and eternal life.
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That's why I call it His gracious judgment.
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Now, of course, we know the outcome
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when He goes to Nineveh and preaches it,
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and you read that in chapter 3.
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The whole city, everybody turns to Him.
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And I just want to point this out to you.
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There are different responses in the Bible
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to God's gracious judgment.
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God's gracious judgment came to Nineveh.
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The whole place, every person,
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and even sackcloth and ashes on animals.
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It was incredible.
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What a glorious moment it could have been
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for Jonah to be remembered as the prophet
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to have seen 100 plus thousand people
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come to the Lord.
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But He despised them.
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I want to give you another example
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about God's gracious judgment
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that wasn't received.
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Go back to the time of Noah,
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when their sin had come up before the Lord,
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and there was 120 years,
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and only some were saved.
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And judgment reigned.
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The point is this,
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that when God speaks judgment,
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He wants you to come to Him
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because it is Him who can heal you,
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save you, change you,
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and make you His child
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and part of His family.
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That is the God that Jonah confesses.
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I knew that you were gracious,
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a gracious God,
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merciful and slow to anger,
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abounding in steadfast love
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and relenting from disaster.
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That's the call that I have for you tonight
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if you're a non-Christian.
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For us as Christians, then,
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what an incredible challenge it is.
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You know, if the statistics are right,
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and I cannot confirm the statistics are right,
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but I have heard many a preacher
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and many a person say
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that if we in this nation
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only have about 2% of evangelical,
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2% of the nation
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engaging in evangelical Christianity,
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things are rough.
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Times are tough.
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But God hasn't changed.
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It is the same God
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who is slow to anger
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and rich in mercy.
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The same God.
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Why has the church diminished so?
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We can give loads of different reasons,
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but I want us to really think that through.
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When you hear what Jonah confesses
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in light of what took place in Nineveh,
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that God relented,
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God poured out His grace,
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God brought these people to life,
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He hasn't changed.
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And our calling is to go
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in His name,
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His authority,
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even to the tough people
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in this town.
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And many a person
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who lambasted a Christian
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eventually came to know
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the King of Kings,
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the Lord Jesus Christ.
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And so,
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His heart is exposed
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to the reality of who God is.
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And we, the church,
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need to take confidence,
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if I can put,
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it's a weak word,
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I suppose,
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but it's,
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you get the idea.
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And who we are
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redeemed by,
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saved by,
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whom we worship in song,
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whom we worship in life,
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whom we seek to give glory
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in our lives,
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it is the same Lord
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who provided His
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only begotten Son,
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the same Lord
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who raised Him
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from the dead,
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defeating sin and death,
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the same Lord
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that raised us to life.
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don't be a Jonah
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and run away
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from the hard call of God.
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Jonah did something
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he knew he couldn't do.
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When we were singing
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our first praise,
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again,
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I hope that most ministers
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try and pick something
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relating to the text
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and not just our favorite
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bits of Scripture,
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you hear the words
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of the psalmist,
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which I'm pretty sure
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he would have known.
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O Lord,
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you have searched me
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and you know me,
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you know when I sit
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and when I rise,
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you perceive my thoughts
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from afar,
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you discern my going out
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and my lying down,
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you are familiar
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with all my ways
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before a word
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is on my tongue,
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you know it completely,
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you hem me in
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behind before,
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you have laid
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your hand upon me,
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such knowledge
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is too wonderful for me,
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too lofty for me
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to attain.
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Where can I go
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from your Spirit?
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Where can I flee
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from your presence?
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If I go up to the heavens,
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you are there.
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If I make my bed
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in the depths,
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you are there.
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If I rise
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on the wings of dawn,
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if I settle
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on the far side
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of the sea,
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his Tarshish,
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even there,
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your hand will guide me,
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your right hand
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will hold me.
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He was delusional
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and we are delusional
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ourselves
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or lacking
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in understanding
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that this God
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is our God
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and his almighty power,
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he uses his church
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as a vessel of grace
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to the world
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that is broken.
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And that is
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our call
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to go.
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It is on his name,
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his authority,
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on his provision
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and on his message
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that reveals
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the heart
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of people
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and exposes it
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to his living word.
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And some will say,
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no can do.
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I don't want to know.
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Some of us said that
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a few times.
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But I praise God
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that he continued
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to this day
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even in my stubbornness
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when I finally
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heard him say,
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come,
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follow me.
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Three things
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I want to say then
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before we conclude.
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And this is the challenge
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I hope that we will take
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regarding what we see
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here with Jonah.
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The first thing is this
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and listen carefully.
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Jonah ran from God
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because he did not have
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God's sensitivity
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to sin.
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Just pause and think
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of what I'm trying to say.
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You see,
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many of us
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have preached judgment
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and we let people
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know the full force
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of the word
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in that moment.
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what I mean
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about the sensitivity
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is that God knows
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their predicament.
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God knows
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their situation.
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And we go
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with that sensitivity
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knowing
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that the outcome
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is dreadful.
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But we go
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with a sensitivity
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in that God
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will relent.
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That God will relent
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when a person
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repents
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and turns to the Lord.
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That is the message
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that we're called
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to go with.
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it is a sensitivity
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to reignite
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in us
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a sensitivity
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to the fallenness
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of man,
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to the broken world
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around us,
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that the testimony
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of the church
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to the majesty
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of Jesus
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is getting
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lower
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and lower
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and dimmer
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and dimmer.
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it is time
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for us
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to have
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that sensitivity
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to be driven
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by the character
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of God
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to a people
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that are lost.
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And even if it's
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just one
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or two
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or five hundred
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the call
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is to go.
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We need
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that sensitivity.
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and it is
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driven
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by our own
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life
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and knowledge.
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Amazing grace
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that saved
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a wretch
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like me.
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That's the first thing.
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The second thing
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is this.
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It is clear
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that Jonah
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resisted
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the plan
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of God.
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The plan
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was simple
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but hard.
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Go to Nineveh
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and speak.
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the message
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of judgment
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against it.
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That I have
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seen their sin.
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The plan
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of God.
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We know
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the plan
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of God.
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It is preached.
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I've listened
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to Calum
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and others
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preaching.
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I know
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that the plan
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of God
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has been spoken
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about repeatedly
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in this place
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and in other churches.
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Praise be to God.
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But we need
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to not only
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listen
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and hear
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the words
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but put
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them in action.
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Put the plan
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of God
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in action.
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Jesus
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said it
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to his disciples
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and I repeat
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go
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therefore
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go
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therefore
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into all
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the earth
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and your town.
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Now I am
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very grateful
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for the opportunity
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of speaking
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about Mission
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International.
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It is my delight
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to be able
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to do that
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and to raise
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the profile
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of Christians
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in different
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places.
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But I marvel
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at the fact
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that these people
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speaking in tough
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situations
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or preaching
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in tough situations.
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Myanmar
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with a military junta
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bombing
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just because
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they can
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because they want
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to.
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They bomb churches
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and everything
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so that people
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aren't meeting
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together.
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And yet
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every month
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I get a report
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that the
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pastors
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and the evangelists
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are going to
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different places
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throughout Myanmar.
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And sometimes
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they say
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we spoke
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to 60 people.
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Nobody
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professed
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faith in Jesus.
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And other times
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they tell
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the story
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of many people
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reached
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20 interested
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10 baptized.
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The Lord
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is working
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in the tough
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places.
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What I fear
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is that we've
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got comfortable
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with church
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being our
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safe place.
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It should be
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a safe place.
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Absolutely.
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But it's a
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commissioning place,
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an equipping place
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for us to be
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prepared to do
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the works of
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good service
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and proclamation
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of the gospel,
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the message,
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to fulfill
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the plan of God
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through the
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New Testament church
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to the world
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around us.
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That's what
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we're called to.
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Thirdly,
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Jonah
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did not
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have a
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commitment
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to the
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grace of God
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and the
27:51
outworking
27:52
of that
27:52
grace
27:52
through the
27:54
message of
27:55
his word.
27:57
That is
27:57
such a
27:58
challenge.
27:59
It really
28:00
is.
28:01
There are
28:01
times when
28:02
the Lord
28:02
confronts me
28:03
about my
28:04
own heart,
28:05
about my
28:07
lethargy
28:08
at times,
28:09
whatever it
28:10
may be.
28:10
He speaks
28:11
and confronts
28:12
through his
28:12
word,
28:13
through preachers,
28:14
but through the
28:14
reading of his
28:15
word,
28:16
through reading
28:16
books.
28:17
Just,
28:19
he does it
28:19
and I freely
28:20
admit it.
28:25
Grace
28:26
to us
28:27
and we know
28:28
it full well.
28:29
And this is the
28:30
challenge,
28:31
whether it's to
28:31
people who have
28:32
wronged us
28:33
or offended us
28:34
or the people
28:34
that we are
28:35
called to on
28:35
mission or
28:37
people within
28:37
the church
28:38
that we don't
28:39
get on with.
28:40
We may be
28:41
able to sing
28:41
out loud,
28:42
amazing grace
28:43
that saved
28:44
a wretch like
28:44
me.
28:45
Amazing grace,
28:46
how sweet
28:47
the sound
28:47
that saved
28:48
a wretch like
28:48
me.
28:51
But we're
28:52
becoming
28:52
resistant
28:53
to sharing
28:56
that grace
28:57
to someone
28:58
who may
28:58
offend us,
28:59
to the
29:00
culture
29:01
around us
29:02
that is
29:04
anti-Christian.
29:10
That's
29:10
where we
29:11
were.
29:13
Some of us
29:14
didn't grow up
29:14
in church,
29:15
but that's
29:15
where we
29:15
were.
29:18
Ever so
29:19
thankful that
29:19
someone stopped
29:20
one day to
29:21
just give me a
29:21
tract and start
29:22
the discussion.
29:24
Didn't go down
29:25
too well in
29:26
some ways,
29:27
but you get
29:28
the gist.
29:29
Someone did
29:30
it.
29:31
Someone heard.
29:32
Someone
29:32
was a
29:32
practitioner
29:33
of the
29:34
grace of
29:34
God to
29:35
go to
29:36
rebels,
29:37
and they
29:37
picked six
29:38
or seven
29:38
of us
29:39
in our
29:39
ranger
29:40
scars.
29:43
He's
29:44
joyful this
29:45
weekend.
29:45
It'll not
29:45
last long.
29:47
But there
29:48
we are.
29:49
They came to
29:49
people that
29:49
they wouldn't
29:50
probably normally
29:51
speak to,
29:52
but they
29:52
did.
29:54
And eventually,
29:55
as God
29:56
opens doors
29:58
and whatever
29:59
he did to
30:00
bring me to
30:00
a place
30:01
where I
30:02
professed faith
30:03
in him,
30:04
I'm ever so
30:04
grateful for
30:05
that moment.
30:06
We have to
30:07
have a
30:08
commitment to
30:09
the grace of
30:10
God, to
30:11
the plan of
30:11
God, and
30:14
understand God's
30:16
compassion for
30:18
the broken world
30:19
that we're called
30:19
to go to.
30:21
We need to be
30:22
equipped,
30:24
encouraged,
30:24
discipled,
30:26
prepared for
30:28
action.
30:29
But it's
30:30
driven by
30:31
grace.
30:32
It's driven
30:32
by the grace
30:33
of God for
30:34
a broken
30:34
world that
30:35
he knows
30:36
full well
30:36
that he gave
30:37
his son
30:38
for.
30:40
And it
30:41
is him
30:42
who not
30:42
only took
30:43
judgment
30:45
upon himself
30:46
and the
30:47
judgment of
30:48
my sin
30:49
and your
30:50
sin upon
30:51
himself,
30:52
but that
30:55
same one
30:56
who exchanged
30:57
that judgment
30:58
for his
30:59
righteousness
31:00
and my
31:01
standing and
31:01
your standing
31:02
as a believer
31:03
completely altered
31:04
and changed
31:05
because of the
31:07
grace of God,
31:07
the saving grace
31:08
of God.
31:09
but we also
31:10
live by
31:12
that grace.
31:15
That's the
31:16
challenge.
31:17
Are we
31:18
channels
31:19
of
31:20
his
31:21
grace?
31:23
Are we
31:24
throttling
31:25
that grace
31:26
for whatever
31:27
reason?
31:29
Are we
31:29
listening
31:30
to the
31:31
hard call
31:32
of God
31:32
and depending
31:33
on him
31:34
in humility
31:34
because he
31:35
strengthens
31:37
us if we
31:38
come with
31:38
humble hearts
31:39
saying,
31:40
I can't
31:42
do this
31:42
by myself.
31:44
And that
31:45
is a
31:46
delight to
31:47
God
31:47
because God
31:49
resists the
31:50
proud.
31:51
And maybe
31:52
churches in
31:54
this country
31:54
have demonstrated
31:55
more pride
31:56
than humility
31:57
when God
31:59
resists
32:00
pride.
32:02
But he
32:03
will work
32:04
with the
32:04
humble,
32:06
restore,
32:07
empower us
32:09
to fulfill
32:10
this commission
32:11
of grace
32:13
to a broken
32:13
world.
32:15
So we
32:15
have that
32:16
challenge in
32:16
front of us
32:17
as we
32:18
kind of
32:19
close our
32:19
time together.
32:21
Do you
32:21
have God's
32:22
sensitivity
32:23
to sin?
32:26
Do you
32:27
understand the
32:28
plan of God
32:29
for you as a
32:29
Christian and
32:30
as a church?
32:31
do you have
32:34
God's commitment
32:35
to this
32:35
incredible
32:36
grace,
32:36
this gracious
32:37
God who
32:39
blessed us
32:40
with His
32:41
grace when
32:42
we were
32:42
lost?
32:44
Well,
32:45
He wants
32:45
us to
32:47
do to
32:48
others what
32:49
others did
32:50
for you when
32:52
they were
32:52
channels of
32:53
God's grace.
32:53
God saves.
32:57
But He
32:57
uses the
32:58
vehicle of
32:58
the church
32:59
and His
32:59
people to
33:01
proclaim the
33:02
message and
33:03
not be afraid
33:04
in a time
33:05
when the
33:05
culture is
33:06
difficult and
33:07
resistant.
33:09
He is
33:10
still sovereign
33:10
over all
33:11
nations.
33:13
He is
33:14
still ruler
33:15
and power
33:16
over all.
33:19
He is on
33:20
His throne
33:20
and He
33:22
wants to
33:22
use every
33:23
single gift
33:24
He has
33:25
bestowed upon
33:26
you, His
33:26
people, you
33:27
this church,
33:29
His people,
33:30
to use every
33:31
gift for the
33:32
glory of His
33:33
name, for
33:34
the blessing
33:34
of the people
33:35
of Stornoway
33:35
or if you
33:37
include Plasterfield
33:38
and different
33:38
places like that
33:39
in Stornoway
33:39
these days, I
33:40
think you do,
33:41
but in all the
33:42
places that you
33:43
belong to.
33:46
And I
33:46
believe that God
33:47
will do great
33:48
things when
33:49
we're a
33:50
humble
33:50
church that
33:52
comes with an
33:53
open heart
33:53
knowing we
33:55
cannot do it
33:56
ourselves, but
33:58
He will do it
33:58
through us for
34:00
the glory of
34:01
His name.
34:02
We pray all
34:03
things.
34:04
Let's pray.
34:07
Lord God,
34:08
our Heavenly
34:08
Father, Lord,
34:10
we just pray
34:11
that you will
34:11
continue speaking
34:13
to us and
34:13
challenging us,
34:16
checking our
34:17
hearts this
34:18
evening, Lord,
34:18
searching us.
34:24
May Your
34:24
Word be like a
34:25
mirror to us,
34:26
exposing the
34:27
weaknesses of
34:28
our character,
34:30
the flaws in
34:31
us that feel
34:32
anxious about
34:35
our time,
34:37
but this is not
34:38
our home,
34:39
Lord.
34:40
This is,
34:41
grace, we
34:44
know that we
34:44
are in the
34:45
in-between time,
34:46
and it is still
34:47
the time of
34:48
grace until
34:50
You return.
34:51
And I pray
34:52
then that we
34:53
would have that
34:53
sense of
34:54
urgency,
34:55
be prayerful,
34:57
be willing
35:00
to share the
35:03
grace of God
35:05
with people,
35:06
in the hope
35:08
that they too
35:09
may come and
35:10
join us at
35:11
Your feet.
35:12
Lord God,
35:13
our Heavenly
35:13
Father and
35:14
Savior,
35:15
we thank You.
35:17
Lord, I pray
35:18
that You will
35:19
move us as a
35:20
people and we
35:21
commit ourselves
35:23
to You.
35:25
I pray in a
35:26
new way to
35:27
see You do
35:30
great things in
35:31
this town and
35:32
further afield.
35:33
for the glory
35:35
of Your
35:35
name we
35:36
pray.
35:37
Amen.
35:41
Okay, we're
35:42
going to sing
35:42
our final
35:44
praise this
35:45
evening from
35:45
Psalm 130,
35:48
and that's
35:50
in the
35:50
Psalter,
35:52
page 421,
35:54
actually.
35:58
Lord,
35:59
from the
36:00
depths I
36:01
cried.
36:02
My voice,
36:03
Lord, do
36:03
Thou hear,
36:05
unto my
36:05
supplications
36:06
voice,
36:07
give an
36:09
attentive
36:09
ear.
36:10
We'll sing
36:10
the whole of
36:11
that psalm
36:11
to God's
36:12
praise.
36:12
For from the dead to thee I cry, my voice for dear thou dear,
36:32
Until thy son in nature's heart, in heaven at every year.
36:51
Lord, who shall stand in power, O Lord, to spark iniquity?
37:09
But yet will thee forgive, that if thou hast me,
37:28
I wait for God, my soul of me, My hope is in His word.
37:47
For from the dead to thee I cry, my soul of me, My hope is in His word.
38:07
I say, Lord God, may I to watch, The Lord be not to see.
38:25
Let Israel open the door, For with Him bless His King.
38:44
And when Jesus redeemed for His name,
38:58
And from all His name, He will be, He is blessed and redeemed.
39:22
And now may the grace and the mercy and peace and joy and the love of God
39:29
that we find in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God,
39:32
may these blessings rest upon you and dwell in your lives now
39:36
and until you meet them face to face.
39:39
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
39:52
Amen.
40:22
Amen.