What to know about fighting God s calling on your life What to do when your comfort zone swallows you whole?

Transcription

1 What to know about fighting God s calling on your life What to do when your comfort zone swallows you whole? March 23, Homer (rework of 2002) - Captain Mark Thielenhaus Scripture Reading: Jonah 1:1-5, 15-2:10 Jonah 1:1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." 3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. 4 Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 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. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. 17 But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights. 2:1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. 2 He said: "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry. 3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. 4 I said, `I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.' 5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God. 7 "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. 8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. 9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD." 10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. Introduction: Well today we are going to look at a scripture passage that you may know, but my prayer is you will see it in a deeper and more practical way that applies to your life this week. For the next couple weeks we will study the historical biblical account of Jonah and the Fish to see how it works. How many of you know the basic story of Jonah and the big fish or Jonah and the whale?

2 As I m focusing on God s calling on my life, for this season in my life, at this place in my life, I am being reminded that in order to fully grasp God s will for us, we often have to give some things up. I want us to look at Jonah, his calling, and some of the things he had to give up, and deal with, in order to claim God s will for his life. I want to walk with you through this story, give you some observations, and then we will see how we can apply God s word to our lives this week and maybe even find something we need to give up this week. There is one thing that Jonah could have given up that would have prevented this entire book of the bible from being in here. Jonah s problem, and one of the biggest problems in the church, is that most of us have an unhealthy ratio between our comfort and our commitment of faith. I believe a large portion of believers have an unhealthy ratio between our conveniences and comforts, and our commitments to God. Many of us need to learn to give up our comfort zones in order to let God work in us, with us, and through us. Jonah is the prime example. 1 st thing I want you to see as we get started here, we don t hear about Jonah having any problems until God gave Jonah the call to serve. God gave Jonah a mission and Jonah ran from God primarily because it was outside of his comfort zone, so he chose instead to refuse God s command and calling and he ran. Jonah didn t want to give up his comfort zone. Jonah felt uncomfortable going to those people. He didn t want to deal with the Ninevites. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, the hated enemy of the Israelites. These were a wicked and evil people, so much so that God had in mind to destroy them because of their wickedness. Jonah would have been very uncomfortable having to walk among them, he would have been uncomfortable doing anything to help them, let alone have to preach to them in order to save them. Jonah ran from God and faced a storm that nearly killed him because his comfort to commitment ratio was off.

3 Instead of this being known as a story about his being swallowed by a big fish, it could just as easily be known as the story of Jonah being swallowed up by his comfort zone. Instead of this being known for Jonah almost loosing his life to a storm as sea, it could just as easily be known for Jonah almost loosing his life to the circumstances of his running from God s call on his life. Jonah s comfort to commitment ratio was so off that The Comfort of Jonah s prejudices were more important than even his life I want you to see this next point right at the very start of this story. This is a subtle point, but Jonah made a discovery and it s written down for us to see. The very first lesson that Jonah learned, and that we need to learn when we decide that we can run from God, or go the opposite direction than what God intended for us, is this.. Whenever you run from God, Whenever you rebel against God s will for your life, whenever you choose your personal comfort zone over your commitment to God, it will cost you something. 1) When your comfort to commitment ratio is off, it will cost you something Look at Jonah 1:3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. (the opposite direction and the farthest away from Nineveh he could get) He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. Because Jonah decided to run from God it cost him something. Jonah tried to run from God and he had to pay for it, it cost him something. When Jonah chose his comfort over his being committed to God, he ran and it cost him some money, but we find out a little farther in the story that it cost him more than just the cash for a boarding pass. If you settle for comfortable, it will cost you something We ll look at that some more in a minute and see more about what it cost Jonah. Transition: The next lesson we learn about what happens when we have an unhealthy comfort to commitment ratio is

4 2) When your comfort to commitment ratio is off, you can sleep through anything Jonah 1:3 After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. 4 Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 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. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. Jonah refused to leave his comfort zone and got so comfortable that he just laid down, fell into a deep sleep, and was about to lay down and die. I want you to picture the scene here. There is such a violent storm, that s so bad, that the sailors are praying to their gods, thinking that they are about to meet them. They are scrambling to through all of their cargo overboard, everything of earthly value on the ship is not longer important, the boat is on the verge of breaking up. The ship is being tossed back and forth, the waves are smashing against it, water is sloshing back and forth, supplies and gear are rolling and sliding around the deck, the sailors are yelling orders to each other as they try to survive the torrential storm, the ship is creaking as it barely holds together, the wind is howling, the rain is pouring, the boat is pitching every direction, sailors fight to keep working to hold the ship together and not get swept overboard, the noise deafening, and the stress level reflects that this is a life and death moment. And in the midst of all this noise and chaos, and the fight for life and death against the raging of the sea, where is Jonah? (below deck, not working, laying down, in a deep sleep) One of the dangers of living with a comfort and commitment ratio level that are out of whack is that if you aren t careful, you can get so comfortable being in your comfort zone, that even though you are in the storm of your life, it won t bother you, you can be lulled into accepting your situation, and choose to live or die in the storm of your life, anything but have to face change or be pushed beyond your comfort zone. We need to wake up and rate our comfort and commitment levels.

5 When you get too comfortable, when you decide that nothing is as important as staying in your comfort zone or facing the things God has called you to face, you may decide it s better to settle and die in the biggest storms of your life, rather than take the steps that will save you, but lead you out of your comfort zone. I ve seen people run away from amazing opportunities that could have grown them into amazing people, with the options of doing amazing things with and for God, but they just didn t want to leave their comfort zones. I have watched people fall asleep in their comfort zone and even though they start to loose their lives, homes, and families to drugs, alcohol, abusive relationships, or destructive habits, anything would be better than waking up and having to admit that they need to leave their comfort zones and commit themselves to God. Now the good news is that God is so amazing that he can use even our rebellion and a life of wrong choices and work them for His good. Some of the most amazing witnesses and workers for God are people who God saved from themselves. Jonah 1:15 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. God used this situation caused by Jonah s disobedience to show His saving power. You re never too far gone to be used by God. (God just might use you anyway) This is a point by itself, GOD ALWAYS WINS. Some of us need to give up fighting God because He is going to win. Here are just a few verses God has reminded me of this past week Isaiah 22:22 (says that God opens doors that no one can shut and he closes doors that no one can open). If God says you will win with Him, there is nothing in all of heaven earth and hell that will cause you to loose. AND if God says you will loose without Him, then there is nothing in all of creation that you can do to get yourself the victory. Psalm 115:3 says Our God is in heaven and he does whatever pleases Him.

6 God doesn t run Burger King, you don t get to have it your way. God will let you run off and fight everything He has planned for you, and you might miss your blessing, but He just might use you for His good anyway. Some of us need to give up fighting God. Transition: We need to learn to give up fighting God and give up allowing our comfort zones to be greater than our commitment to Christ. 1 st ) When your comfort to commitment ratio is off, it will cost you something 2 nd ) When your comfort to commitment ratio is off, you can sleep through anything The next thing we learn from this story is that even though Jonah was out of the will of God, even though he was running away, God still provided for him. 3) Even though your Comfort to commitment ratio is off, God will always provide for you Jonah 1:17 But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights. The Lord provides Now here is some bad news, good news, bad news. Let me give you some bad news first. Almost every time God asks you to serve Him, almost every time God asks you to grow and become the person he wants you to be, almost ever time God asks you to go and impact our world for the better, when you are given a vision, mission, and mandate from God, it is going to be a whale of a job. The Bad news is that virtually every time God asks you to do something it will be out of your comfort zone. That s the bad news, but now for the good news. The good news is that God will always provide everything that you need to overcome your need for comfort if your commitment to Him is what s most important. The good news is that God will always provide. We read in 1 Cor 10:13 that when you re temped God will provide a way out. We read in 2 Cor 9:10 that God will supply you what you need to enlarge your harvest of righteousness.

7 In Philippians 4:11-19, Paul tells us that he has learned to be content in any situation. Whether he felt hungry or full, whether he felt he had plenty or little, whether he felt adequate or inadequate, comfortable or out of his comfort zone, Paul learned 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. And then in verse 19 he says my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. The amplified version translates Phil 4:13 & 19 this way 13 I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me, I am ready for anything and I am equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me, I am self-sufficient in Christ s sufficiency. 19 And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in Glory in Christ Jesus. The bad news, God wants us to learn to live beyond our comfort zones, the good news is that He always provides what you need to live beyond your comfort zone, now the last bit of bad news Sometimes God provides by sending a whale. I want you to understand that God provided this whale and the whale isn t a punishment. The whale is the unrelenting love of God that doesn t give up on us when we have an unhealthy comfort to commitment ratio. This whale is God lovingly providing Jonah with exactly what he needs. (as a prelude to next weeks sermon, I want to let you know that God doesn t owe you a whale to save you from every time you go overboard, be he being a loving heavenly father if faithful to give us far more than we deserve, so take it when you get it). If it wasn t for the whale Jonah would have been destroyed by the storm and consequences of his running away from God, but God said I m going to save you, and work through you, and get your life back to a place where I can use you. God knows many of us could destroy ourselves if he left us to ourselves, so sometimes, for our own good, He lovingly provides a whale. Real quickly, I want you to see 3 things about the whale and about what God s love does for you while you re in your whale. 1 st God provided the whale for Protection Sometimes God sends a whale for your protection. How many of you know that sometimes God has to put you in a situation so that you are safe from yourself let alone things going on around you? Aren t you thankful that God protects you?

8 God doesn t always provide completely luxurious things to keep us safe, but thank God he protects us from the world and from ourselves. Sometimes it s as simple as listening to His Word, following His Word, applying it to our lives, leaning on a Christian friend God provides, listening to the Holy Spirit nudges he gives us. God sent a whale to protect Jonah from the drowning in the storm and the sea. 2 nd God provided the whale for Reflection 2:1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. While Jonah was sitting in that whale for 3 days, it gave him some time to reflect on his situation. I imagine that some of Jonah s time was spent in prayer and asking himself questions like how did I get myself into this mess, what s going on, what happened to me, when did things start to go terribly wrong, where do I go from here, and what do I do now, what s wrong with me, why did I try to run from God. During this time God provided time for reflection. Jonah prays and we see that he acknowledges that God had saved him. Look at Jonah praying in verse 8 8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. 9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD." While Jonah looked back over his experience on the boat he realized that all those men were serious and devoted to worshiping their idols and their other gods, but they couldn t help them. Jonah was reminded again, and focused on the fact that there is only one God who lives and saves and cares about the lives of his people. Jonah realized that those worshiping other god s were missing out and forfeiting the grace of God that was able to save them. I believe that Jonah probably realized that in some way he had been worshiping his comfort zone more than God, that as his comfort commitment ratio was off that he had forfeited realizing the grace of God that was there to help him do what he was called to do. Jonah was probably reflecting on all that his running from God has cost him. Remember we said that running from God will cost you something?

9 Jonah probably realized that it had cost him money to run, it cost him wasted time, and it caused him to miss the grace of God that was always there for him. If you choose your comfort zone over God you wind up forfeiting the grace that could have been yours. God s grace is always there for you, but when you are over comfortable and life has no problems and you are satisfied sleeping through your situations, you don t rely on God s grace like you do when you are really uncomfortable. How many of you know that when you re in your whale you pray more because you need God more? How many of you know that you see God coming through more when you are living outside your comfort zone than when you are satisfied coasting along in your comfort zone? God wants you uncomfortable because when you are uncomfortable you reach out for God and cling to Him more. God wants you uncomfortable God doesn t want you comfortable, he wants you content in his sufficiency. Let me just share a few verses with you. Paul said in 2 Cor 12: Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it (my thorn in my flesh) away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. When I m not satisfied with my comfort zone, when I m not trusting in my own strength, I can rely on God s perfect strength and God comes through. PS 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. PS 73:28 But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. PS 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call on him JAS 4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.

10 When you re uncomfortable, God comes along side to be near to you in a powerful way that you will never find while you are running from him or fast asleep. ILL>> I recall times when Emily was a little one and was having a hard time sleeping or was sick or uncomfortable, I as her father was occasionally compelled to lay next to her. I was always right there for her, listening to her on the monitor, just a second away, close enough to come to her or close enough for her to get to me, I was there in the next room if she needed me, but when she was uncomfortable I got real close just to let her know I was there so she could relax. God does the same thing for us, the more you live out of your comfort zone trying to be all you can be for God, he comes near to help you and you will know his presence. This week I want you to ask yourself what you cling to more often, do you usually cling to God or do you usually cling to your comfort zones? Transition: God provided the whale for protection, reflection, and then also for direction. 3 rd God provided the whale for Direction God told Jonah to head towards Nineveh and he ran away from where God called him to go, so God gave directions to the whale. How many of you have ever been sent a whale to get you turned around and headed back in the right direction again? CONCLUSION: We need to learn to quit clinging to our comfort zones, and give up running from God and His will for our lives, and in their place we need to renew our commitment to face anything that God asks us to do. As we are about to close, I want to challenge you to go beyond your comfort zone and do something with God over the next few weeks. Ask God to speak to you individually and to all of us a church about what our mission is and where we are supposed to be heading. Time in your word Time in prayer Time reaching out to others you know (witness, service, acts of kindness) Time in serving at the church (plenty to do, if you aren t sure talk to us) If you are willing to listen to God s leading, despite how far out of your comfort zone it is, God will come near to you and bless you in ways you can t even imagine yet.

11 1 st ) When your comfort to commitment ratio is off, it will cost you something. 2 nd ) When your comfort to commitment ratio is off, you can wind up settling for sleeping through terrible hardships that God wants to bring us through 3 rd ) Even when you re Comfort to commitment ratio may be off, you can trust that God will always provide for you. In the same way that God wanted to save a terribly evil and wicked nation, God wants to save a run-away servant, and want he wants to save us. In the same way that God wanted to use a man self-consumed by his comfort zones and prejudices, and a man who was quick to run from God rather than be quick to obey, God wants to use even us when we are willing to let God come near to us in our times of weakness. Today you might be feeling like God has let a whale of a situation consume you and you have been angry with Him. My challenge to you is to spend some time reflecting on your situation and viewing even your hardships as something that God can use to bless you, work in you and through you, to give you protection and direction towards bigger and better things for God. Alter Call / Prayer Salvation quit relying on yourself quit running draw near to God Comfort to commitment ratio is off adjust your priorities to put God first over everything else Whatever your need, God is there for you, no matter how long you ve run, or how bad you ve been, how big the storm, or the whale your facing, God will provide