The Whole Bible.
The whole bible is about man’s weakness and God’s strength. Brian explains how he sees this in the unusual story of Jonah, the prophet.
The Topic is – The Whole Bible
My general topic today is ….. The Whole Bible. Here is my text. These are my notes. Now you may be thinking: This guy is either – A] The most proud guy I have ever met. B] The most foolish. C] Both A & B. And the answer would be … C!
God’s Strength and Man’s Weakness
I think there is a 2-pronged message running through the entire Bible: God’s Strength and Man’s Weakness. God’s Sufficiency and Man’s Insufficiency. God’s Rescue and Man’s Lostness. I should probably say it twice … oh, wait – Jonah does say it twice.
“I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice.”
Jonah 2:2
A Cry From Distress
The first time he says he cried out of his “affliction”, his distress or trouble. Are you in any trouble right now? Any distress in your life that you can’t handle on your own? Does life overwhelm you? Do what Jonah did: Cry out to God from that distress.
If anyone deserved not to be heard, it was the rebellious Jonah. But God heard him. God will hear you. The truth is balanced: You are more sinful than you ever imagined, but you are more loved than you ever dreamed.
A Cry From Hell
The 2nd time Jonah ramps up his statement about as much as you could: He says he cried to God out of Sheol – out of hell! Jonah was out of the boat, in the depths of the sea, and in the belly of a whale.
If you are out of Christ, you are in a worse place. I say this sadly, not in anger. I don’t want to be a Jonah. He was the worst kind of hell fire preacher toward the Ninevites. He would have loved to see Nineveh literally smoked into annihilation.
Plans For Nineveh
But God had plans of forgiveness for Nineveh. And Jonah didn’t like it. He complains to God,
“Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore, I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.”
Jonah 4:2
So, what did God do with this man who ran away from telling people that a God of Wrath is also a God of Love? He sent a terrible storm after him. He sent a great fish that literally spat Jonah back on course.
A Warning
God sent a warning of destruction to Nineveh, not so they would be destroyed but so that they would not. If you are not a Christian, that is what I want to do today, not pronounce hell as your final destiny, but to offer you, in Jesus Christ, escape from a deep place without God. Offer God’s promise of a destiny in heaven – forever, in perfect happiness, with the Lord who died for you. Cry out to God and he will answer you.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”
Acts 16:31
You are more sinful than you ever imagined, but you are more loved than you ever dreamed.
What do you think is the principal lesson of the whole Bible? Contact us at HopeStreamRadio, or comment below.
Brian Stapley
Brian Stapley is the husband of Margaret and “Christian-proud” father of Tabitha, Ben, Jeremy and Joel. He has been director of the Boys JIM Club of America since 1981 and a “JIM Clubber” since 1958, the year he became a Christian. The mission statement of the JIM Club is, “Discipling boys to love Jesus deeply and express him vividly.”
He has been an educator since 1970, primarily as a high school English Teacher. (Don’t dangle your participles.) He has been in fellowship at Scottlea Gospel Chapel, St. Catharines, since 1976 and travels to preach about three dozen times a year, in Ontario and New York State. He is a ventriloquist, in company with Casey, Theodore, Dodo, Grumpa, and a menagerie of others. Also, a bit of a magician.
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