Grace In The Storm
Sermon Audio
Sermon Notes
Today we’re continuing our series called Runaways: God’s grace in rebellion. It’s a 5 week series on a book of the bible called Jonah, which is a book about God’s grace in rebellion, and today we’re gonna learn that sometimes God’s grace comes in the form of a storm...Sometimes God’s grace comes in the form of a storm, meaning sometimes God will intentionally send us a storm as an act of love, as an act of grace, which is hard for us to grasp. It’s hard for us to think God would send us a storm as an act of grace. It’s because we tend to believe a loving God shouldn’t ever allow us to go through a storm, to go through a trial. We tend to believe a loving God should allow us to live a storm free, trial free life. It’s why when a storm comes in your life you sometimes get angry and frustrated with God. It’s why you sometimes start questioning the goodness of God, the love of God, wondering if God even cares. The reason we tend to respond like that in storms is because we’ve come to believe a God who loves us shouldn’t ever allow us to go through storms or trials in life. But here’s why that’s not true. It’s because some situations require a storm...Some situations in your life require a storm, and it would actually be unloving if God didn’t send you a storm. What are those situations? We’re studying some of those situations today in the book of Jonah. So let’s turn to Jonah 1:4-17 and get into it. The title of today’s message is Grace In The Storm. There’s grace in the storm. Sometimes God sends you a storm in life, but there’s grace in the storm.
Context:
Here’s your context. In Jonah 1:1-4 we learned God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh to speak against the brutal Ninevites, but instead of going he runs in the complete opposite direction about 2000 miles west of Nineveh to a place called Tarshish. He hates the Ninevites and doesn’t want to give them the slightest chance to repent and be forgiven by God, so he runs as far west from Nineveh as he can. But vs. 3 tells us he also runs from God, he runs from the presence of the Lord, and like I said last week if you want to run from God there will always be a ship ready to take you...If you want to run from God there will always be a ship ready to take you, but if you climb aboard, it’ll lead to a shipwreck. If you climb aboard that ship, it’ll always lead to a shipwreck. Jonah climbs aboard and it leads to a shipwreck. Let’s check it out.
The Word:
Jonah 1:4-17 states, “But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.” There’s the shipwreck starting to happen. Everything in Jonah’s life was fine until he disobeyed God, until he ran from Nineveh and God, but now that ship’s heading for a shipwreck, it’s threatening to break up like the text states. Now last week I asked you an important question, I asked who caused the storm? Who caused the storm that’s threatening to break up Jonah’s ship? It was God...God caused the storm. The text says it was the Lord who hurled a great wind upon the sea, and that wind, that storm’s an act of God’s grace for Jonah. How, how’s that storm an act of God’s grace for Jonah? How are the storms in our lives an act of God’s grace for us? Let’s keep studying to find out.
Again vs. 4, “But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid...” You know it’s a bad storm when the mariners, the people who live on boats are afraid. You know it’s a bad storm when the Deadliest Catch guys are freaking out. It’s a massive storm, and it’s a storm that started because of Jonah’s sin. Jonah’s sin isn’t just affecting Him, it’s affecting those around Him, it’s affecting the mariners too. But there’s grace in the storm, even for the mariners.
Again vs. 5, “Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god.” So the captain of the ships like, “Huddle up everybody. We’re not gonna make it through the storm, so we need everybody to pray to their gods, hopefully one of them will save us. So you get Allah, you get Krishna, you get Poseidon, you get Tom Cruise and Scientology, I’ll get the big guy upstairs. Okay ready break!” It’s amazing how spiritual people get when there’s a storm in their life. It’s what happens to some people when there’s a storm. Some people run from God in a storm like Jonah, but some suddenly get devoted to God like these sailors. They suddenly get devoted, briefly...key word, briefly...See some people when a storm comes they start getting all spiritual, negotiating with God, bargaining with God, saying things like, “God if you do this, I’ll never do this again. God if you do this, I’ll go to church, increase my giving, listen to Z88 the rest of my life.” But as soon as the crisis is over, as soon as the storm’s gone, so is their zeal for God. A lot of people in Orlando are like this, possibly even some of you are like this. Are you like Jonah only devoted to God when there ISN’T a storm, then as soon as storm comes you run? Or are you like the sailors, you’re only devoted to God when it’s convenient, when there’s a storm? Mark Twain was like that. Near the end of his life he had seen many tragedies, including tragedies of people he loved, and in his autobiography he wrote, “I prayed. I prayed like a coward. I prayed like a dog.” He calls himself a coward, a dog, because he was a skeptic. He had very strong beliefs and arguments against God. But he admits that in a storm, he prayed, he cried out to God like these sailors are crying out to God. It’s because even the greatest of skeptics will one day face a storm that’s so massive, it’ll cause them to realize just how helpless they really are without God. But there’s grace in the storm for Jonah, these sailors, and even the skeptic.
Again vs. 5, “Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. 6 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.’” Notice the pagans are praying, but the prophet is sleeping...The pagans are praying, but the prophet who’s supposed to be the one praying is sleeping. I also want you to notice the pagan captain more concerned about people perishing than Jonah is. It’s a glimpse of just how dark of a place sin can take you. Jonah’s in a very dark place right now, he literally wants nothing to do with God. It’s the pagans who are praying, it’s the pagans who are worried about saving lives not Jonah, and the reason the captain asks Jonah to cry out to the God of the bible is because the other gods they’re praying to aren’t working. All of this is very interesting from a historical standpoint, because the original readers of this book were the Jews, the Israelites. So when they read that the pagans are the ones praying and caring about people perishing instead of the prophet it would’ve shocked them. They wouldn’t have expected the pagans to be the ones with the soft hearts, but what God’s teaching Jonah, the Jews, and us is His grace is available even to non-Jews like these pagan sailors. There’s grace in the storm.
Vs. 7, “And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, ‘Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?’ 9 And he said to them, ‘I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’” He doesn’t fear the Lord. He says he does, but his actions prove otherwise, just like some people today say they fear and love the Lord, but their actions prove otherwise. Like Jonah, they need a storm to wake them from their nominal sleep, to wake them from their nominal faith.
Vs. 10, “Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, ‘What is this that you have done!’ For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. 11 Then they said to him, ‘What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?’ For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, ‘Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.’” Okay so this is where we see the grace of God starting to work on Jonah’s heart. God’s grace is starting to soften Jonah’s heart for those who aren’t Israelites. He recognizes it’s his fault, it’s his sin causing all this so he says, “It’s because of ME this great storm has come upon YOU. You shouldn’t die for me, it’s me who should die for you. I should die for my sin not you so throw me overboard.” God’s grace is starting to soften Jonah’s heart.
Vs. 13, “Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not...” The Hebrew word for rowed hard, means with great violent force, like trying to break through a brick wall. They’re rowing violently hard, doing everything they can to row against the storm and save Jonah. But the text says they couldn’t do it, they couldn’t fight against the storm, against God, and we’re no different than them. Instead of submitting to God in a storm, we try to fight against God, fight against the storm, but like these sailors, it’s a fight you can’t win.
Again vs. 13, ““Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, ‘O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.’ 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.” The sailors finally pray to the one true God, the storm ceases, God saves them, and how do they respond? They start worshiping the one true God. The text says they feared the Lord exceedingly. It’s a different fear than the fear they experienced in the storm. This fear is a worshipful fear, a reverent fear where they’re in awe over the greatness of who God is. They’re in awe over God’s great power and mercy. They’re in awe over the fact God could’ve crushed them in the storm, but instead He offered them mercy and salvation. Jonah ran from God because he didn’t want to preach to pagans, but God’s using his life to preach and save the life of pagans. Like Jonah you might not be happy with the storm you’re in, you might not be happy with the way your life’s going, you might not even be happy living in Orlando, but God has you in this city to do a work in you and through you. So don’t row against the storm, instead submit to it, submit to God, and let God’s grace do a work in and through you because there’s grace in the storm. There’s grace in the storm for you, and the people around you.
Vs. 17, “And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Like last week it’s another to be continued, because there’s even grace in Jonah being swallowed up by a great fish. Come back next week and you’ll see it. But for now let me give you 3 reasons why storms can be an act of God’s grace.
Reason #1: Storms Can Save Us From Self-Destruction = Storms can save us from self-
destruction, meaning the destruction our sin causes us and those around us. Now just to be clear not all storms are the result of your sin, some storms have nothing to do with your sin, and the way you know the difference is God will tell you if it’s the result of sin. He’ll tell you through the bible, through church community, even through preaching like I’m doing right now. So not all storms are the result of sin, but sometimes it takes a storm to wake us up to the destruction our sins and idols are causing us and those around us. Look you and I both know sin hurts us and those around us like Jonah’s sin is hurting him and the sailors around him. Whenever we sin against God and others it’s always painful, always destructive to us and our relationships. So if you sail on a sinful ship that’s headed for destruction, of course a loving God will intervene by sending a storm to bust that ship up a bit. It’s His way of giving you a chance to repent, get off that ship, and be saved from the destructive direction you’re headed in. The storm Jonah faces isn’t a punishment, it’s an intervention. It’s an intervention to save Jonah from self-destruction, to save Jonah from Jonah. It’s God’s way of intervening to save you from you from you, and that storm is a gentle spank compared to the destructive abuse sin will cause if you keep sailing on that ship. That storm’s an act of grace, it’s God’s way of saving us from self-destruction.
Reason #2: Storms Can Help Us To Let Go Of Control = Storms can help us to let go of
control so we can trust God’s in control. There’s some storms in life you just can’t fight against, there’s some storms in life you just can survive without God’s help. You can try all you want, you can try controlling the situation, controlling your life, controlling the outcome, but no matter how hard you row, there’s some storms you can’t control or survive without God’s help. Jonah tried living his life without God, the sailors tried rowing against God, and they were gonna die without God’s help. But they finally realized this, laid down their paddles, and submitted to the will of God knowing He’s in control of their lives not them. We need to lay down our paddles and submit to God too. This doesn’t mean God will cause our storms to immediately stop, because Jonah’s now stuck in the belly of a fish. But it does mean if you lay your paddles down and sbumit to God, you’ll have a hope and peace in the storm that’ll allow you to rest in the current of His grace. You can rest in knowing the day will come when you’ll never face another storm again in eternity. Storms are an act of grace, they’re God’s way of helping us to let go of control, giving God all the burdens that come with trying to be in control. It’s an act of grace.
Reason #3: Storms Can Help Sanctify Us and Save Others Through Us = Storms can help sanctify us and save others through us. I mean clearly God’s working on Jonah’s heart in all this. Jonah’s heart is hardened towards anyone who isn’t an Israelite, but God’s softening his heart on that. Jonah has to experience the grace of God to be able to preach the grace of God to the sailors and Ninevites. In a similar way you can’t preach the grace of God to others unless you’ve been in situations where you’ve needed the grace of God yourself. Every single storm you’ve faced in life has taught you something, it’s grown you in ways you wouldn’t have grown if you didn’t go through that storm, and it’s because of those storms that you’re now able to help others navigate through their storms. You won’t always know the reasons for your storms or even see the fruits of your storms, but God’s definitely growing you and using your storms to help others. Storms can help sanctify us and save others through us. Jonah’s ship was headed for destruction, but God turned it into a ship of sanctification and salvation. It’s because there’s grace in the storm.
The Big Idea:
Let’s get to the big idea. Here’s the big idea. There’s grace in the storm... Sometimes God sends you storms in life, but there’s grace in the storm...Your life has had, does have, and will have storms that are so big you won’t be able to control it. Christian or not, that’s the reality of life. Storms come to all of us, and when they come you can try to row against it like the sailors, you can try to heave-ho your way through it saying, “I control my life, I control the situation, I control the outcome, I control the storm.” It’s heave-ho! Heave-ho! Heave...ho...Heave...ho...It’s exhausting...it’s overwhelming...it’s burdensome...and some of you are there...If you’re not there, you will be one day. But some of you are there now...You’re at the point where you don’t have anymore energy to row, and your heave-ho’s have turned into an oh no. “I can’t do it anymore, I can’t hold it together anymore, I’ve tried being in control, but my life’s spiraling out of control, and I don’t know what to do.” You can lay down your paddles...Like Jonah and the sailors you can lay down your paddles and submit to God...It’s the only way to see God’s grace in the storm.
Are you willing to do that?..Are you willing to lay down your paddles and submit your storms to Jesus? The bible teaches there’s an even greater storm coming, an eternal storm of God’s wrath because of sin, but Jesus is the greater Jonah who sacrificed his life on the cross to die for our sins and calm the eternal storm of God’s wrath. Are you willing to lay down your paddles, repent of your sins, and trust Jesus can save you from that eternal storm, and give you the grace you need to make it through your temporal storms? We need to learn from the mistake of Jonah and the sailors by not running from the Lord or rowing against the Lord, instead let’s run to the Lord and submit our lives to the Lord. Let’s stand and worship Jesus laying down our paddles and raising up our arms as an act of worship to Jesus. If that’s uncomfortable for you then just hold your arms out to your side like this or like this with your hands open as an act of worship to Jesus, as a sign you’re surrendering your life and storms to Jesus. Instead of having your fists clenched saying Heave-ho, heave-ho, heave-ho. Open your hands to Jesus saying, I surrender, I surrender, I surrender...I surrender to you Jesus, because I trust you’re Lord over the temporal and eternal storms of my life. I surrender to you, and trust there’s grace in the storm.