This is a rush transcript.

[00:00:01] We definitely had an exciting weekend celebrating America and starting a series on the book of Jonah last Sunday if you were here. So I invite you to open back up to the book of Jonah. We're looking at a book here in the Old Testament, one of the minor prophets. And so everybody turn with me back to Jonah. And it's on page seven hundred and seventy four. If you got one of our Bibles and we'd love to have everybody reading along as we go through this book. And it's a story of a prophet being sent to a city of Minova because the city's wickedness had been noticed by God. And while we study this revival that takes place in Geneva, we've decided that our theme here at the church is we're going to be praying for a revival here in America. Is anybody still into that a week later? Are we excited about praying for that hope? A smattering of applause for revival in America. It's OK. I'll be all right. Hopefully, some people in this room actually did pray with renewed fervor and zeal before the Lord that he would reveal himself and show himself in our nation once again and that we would stop turning away from him. But he would turn us back to him. That's really our prayer. And when I think about America, when I think about being an American, well, what I identify with in our nation, by far the most significant event that has occurred during my lifetime, it seems to me, or at least we should say it, since the 21st century is 9/11. I would imagine you can remember where you were on the day of 9/11, all I got to do is say 9/11. And we immediately all know what I'm talking about. And I remember when I was watching it on Tel. television how my heart stopped when I realized that plane was going to fly into that building. And I don't know if you can remember where you were sitting, I can still picture the place I was sitting with, the group that was around me and how we could not believe what our eyes were seeing when the plane hit the building. And then we saw the explosion.

[00:02:05] And it was terrible.

[00:02:06] I couldn't remember anything like this happening before. There was nothing to compare it to. America was being attacked. Who was doing this? What was their motivation? And now here we are many years later. But but I wonder if we remember what happened after 9/11. Can you remember what happened? Can you remember how it was? Can you remember when Americans were excited to be Americans? Does anybody remember that? We weren't the divided states when we weren't the blue and the red states. But when you were actually a United States, I remember scenes like this, the and the patriotic fervor and the passion that people had for our nation. Remember George W. Bush speaking there from from Ground Zero and how everyone got so excited about being an American. And there was this rallying point. And one thing I can specifically remember is that people started going to church after 9/11. Does anybody else remember this? I don't know where you were, where you were going to church, but I know I was going to a big church at that time. And I know that literally thousands of more people showed up this Sunday after 9/11.

[00:03:16] Thousands of people.

[00:03:18] I mean, it's clear if you look at if you just Google at 9/11 church, it's a church attendance. It's clear that church attendance skyrocketed in America after this tragedy took place. People didn't know what to think about it. People were scared. I don't remember if I don't know if you remember the aura of of what's going to happen next that was in our nation at that time. You would go to L.A. X and you'd see armed soldiers holding machine guns and you'd feel like you might. Is it even safe to be at the airport? I remember one year later, on the anniversary of 9/11, I was going to be in San Francisco in the front page of the newspaper, had like a bomb threat in San Francisco. And I was like, whoa, do I even want to be in this city right now? It just felt dangerous. There was this uncertainty and people were looking for, you know, what can I trust in when it feels like my life is in danger? When the foundation I was standing on has been swept out from underneath me, I mean, what can I really trust in when life gets hard and it looks like I might die is what I have my faith in enough. An answer in America was No. A lot of people admitted that where they were at at that time wasn't a good place and they started coming to church and there was an interest at that time among people like, why did this happen? What is God doing? What should I believe? Now, unfortunately, that interest died down so that by a year later, church attendance was back to the same numbers.

[00:04:44] And unfortunately, since then, church attendance has only decreased here in our nation. But when is the next 9/11 going to happen? If you thought about that? When is the next tragedy that's going to strike our nation? Do we think we're above things like that? When is this big earthquake? Have you ever heard people talking about the big earthquake that's going to happen? Anybody seen the movie San Andreas, right where all of California slips open in the rock can save us. Right. We're going to need a bigger rock to trust in when the ground really starts shaking, when the tornadoes start coming, when the next big disaster strikes our nation. Guess what? We're going to find out once again in America. We're not ready. What we're trusting in is not sufficient to get us through the issues of life and death. And that's what we see here as we see that men get afraid of dying and they are immediately. The question is raised in their minds is what I'm trusting in going to see me when it comes down to dying. What we have here in Jonah Chapter one is one of the great nautical tales of all time. It's a very appropriate day for it to feel like you're underwater in our hallways here, because we are literally going to throw a man overboard in our story of Jonah one, if you're not familiar with Jonah, one, this is one of the great sea adventures you could ever read right up there with Moby Dick and and great tales like that. Let's read it together, Jonah, chapter one, verse four, and watch how even these sailors, these seamen, these mariners, they realize they are in a calamitous situation and they might die. Jonah, chapter one, verse four.

[00:06:18] 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. And 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 he'd lay down and he was fast asleep.

[00:06:46] And 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.

[00:06:59] 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. And they said to him, Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? What people are you? 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.

[00:07:28] And then the men were exceedingly afraid. And they 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. And they said to him, What shall we do to you?

[00:07:41] That the CMA quiet down for us, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous. And 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. Nevertheless, the men rode hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore, they called out to the Lord. Oh Lord, let us not perish for this man's life and lay not on us.

[00:08:15] Innocent blood for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.

[00:08:21] So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging than the men feared the Lord exceedingly. And they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. 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.

[00:08:48] So as we get into the book of Jonah, you know, a child's understanding of the book of Jonah is, whoa, that's cool. There's a really big fish. Right. And kind of a lot of people's understanding is when they study the book of Jonah, they spend a lot of time trying to figure out why did Jonah go the opposite way? Why is he being disobedient? And a lot of the speculation as we study this book is about the man, Jonah, and what we tried to say last Sunday and we want to reinforce here this morning is that this book is not about a great fish. It's not about a disobedient prophet. This is a book about a God who wants to save people. That's the point of this story. And that Jonah, even in his disobedience to go the opposite direction of where God sent him, God is even going to now sovereignly oversee the circumstances, not only to get his disobedient prophet back on the right direction, but he is going to reveal himself to these guys who did not worship him on their ship to these mariners, it calls them. And these were seafarer's seamen, is the idea. These are guys who, for a living, sailed on boats. Now I'm a land lover. Anybody else here? A land lover, anybody else here? And I got your sea legs. Anybody here get seasick? You start throwing up. You got to put a little patch on the back your neck or you're going to start throwing up over the side. Right. I mean, that's how that's how we are. A lot of us here, we're not familiar with sailing and being out on a boat. I get on a boat, it starts to tip a little bit.

[00:10:15] And I'm concerned for my general well-being. Right. Well, these were hardened these were hardened mariners here.

[00:10:22] They've seen a storm or two. These are tough guys. Maybe they had a little bit of salty language, if you know what I mean. Right. These were these were men's men here on this boat.

[00:10:33] But when the Lord hurls a storm on the sea. Oh, right away. These guys, they are afraid their ship that literally feels like is going to break into pieces like Legos falling apart. That's what it feels like here. And so you can see in verse five, the Mariners were afraid. And you can see by the end of verse six that they're afraid, literally, that they might perish. They felt like their life was on the line and they were in danger of dying in this storm. And so they do what people do when they're in danger, when their lives are on the line and they call out to their gods. This is what everybody does when the going gets tough. I don't care who you are. I don't care how tough, how hard of a life you might have lived when you're facing your own mortality. When death is right in front of you and you're staring it in the face. People's thoughts turn to God. It's what happens. And here you can see a great example of that. That people call out. And it's so it's it's very interesting here when you see that everyone starts calling out to their God, look back in first five. Read it with me. The Mariners are afraid this is not your ordinary storm. And they start crying out to their God. And they're doing the practical things. They're throwing the cargo overboard. They're trying to lighten the ship. I mean, whatever their stuff was, they're throwing their worldly possessions away to try to save their lives. Of course, Jonah. He's down there asleep. He's indifferent to the whole scene. And so the captain comes. It's a good line for parenting right here when you're trying to wake your kids up. What do you mean, you sleeper shouting it at Jonah here. Arise call to your God, perhaps. Maybe there's a chance he will give a thought to us and he'll save our life. Hey, everybody, call out to your God. Maybe your God will save you. This is what people do. This is what the atheist in the foxhole does when death is on the line. People start to think about, am I really confident about what's going to happen when I die to my soul, when their bodies in danger. They start to think about the part of them that is immortal, that will live forever. Their soul, who they really are. And you can just tell by the captain's response that his motto here as we're crying out is kind of like the more gods we can call out to, the better, because I'm not really confident my God's going to save me. And I don't know of your God's going to save me. So let's just kind of try them all and maybe one of them will be away, can be paying attention and will help us out. This is really an example of the polytheistic kind of thinking. And one thing you've got to realize is that people in the time of the Bible were way too smart to be atheists. OK, everybody that was alive during the time of scripture here in the Old Testament times, every nation had some gods that they would worship. In fact, many of them had many different gods that they would worship because they understood the basic fact of life, that there's no way this could have just happened without a creator over us controlling all things. But they would have falsely ascribed the creator and power of the true God to all kinds of false gods who would do the things that they wanted them to do. And so everybody's calling out to their God. And I guarantee you there is gonna come a time in your life. And I want you to think about this seriously today. There is gonna come a time in your life when you are going to call out to God because you are going to be afraid of dying.

[00:14:01] Are you ready for that moment right now? I know it's a beautiful summer day and you're just waking up and I'm bringing up death for you right now. Okay, but but I'd rather talk about it with you now than when that day comes. And I just had an experience recently that reminded me of why you and I need to consider death while we're still living. Can I get involved in some interesting situations as a pastor when people die? I get involved and I get. I do funerals, memorial services. I get to see death a lot more than the average American does today. And I heard from so-and-so who talked to so-and-so. So not anybody that even goes to our church, just a friend of a friend. There's a lady who gets cancer. She gets diagnosed with cancer and she only has a short amount of time to live. An elderly lady and I end up driving to her house. I've never met her before, never met her family. And now here I am because she wants to talk to a pastor before she dies.

[00:15:00] She's not a churchgoing person.

[00:15:02] She might consider herself a believer in Jesus Christ, but she's never really done anything about it in her life. But now that death is in a minute, it's imminent. It could happen to her at any moment. She wants to see a pastor and apparently she met with a view that weren't any good. And so now I'm going to meet with this late. I'm like the third one, you know, maybe we're gonna strike out here. And I go when I talk to this woman and I get to meet her and her husband is talking mostly because he's still of good health. They're an elderly couple. They're very friendly to welcome me into their home. And they begin to tell me about how this cancer is really aggressive and how they've tried this and this and there's nothing. And then he kind of looks at me and he says, and even this week, it's really been taking its toll. And so now here I am with two people I don't know in the most difficult time of their entire life, and I'm supposed to say something that all of a sudden makes this OK, because they don't have a God to call on when they really need it.

[00:15:57] And so I'm now supposed to introduce them to God.

[00:16:01] And so I try to start giving this woman as best I can, the gospel of Jesus Christ and I explain who God is in heaven and I explain that we all have sin and that Jesus came down from heaven to live a perfect life, to die for our sin. And I'm trying to explain it to her. And I'm asking her questions. And I'm trying to engage her, because the truth is, as I'm talking to her, as I'm giving her the good news that could save her soul for all of eternity. This poor woman continually is falling asleep while I'm talking to her.

[00:16:30] And so then I'll ask her a question and she'll kind of come back to and she'll say, Oh, yeah. Yes, yes. Yes. Oh, yeah. Or something like that. And then I'll go on to explain more about the gospel. And I can tell that she's falling back asleep while I'm talking. And I look at the husband and I say, do you think she's really understanding what I'm saying?

[00:16:50] Because I'm all worked up now. I mean, you've told me your whole life story. You're telling me you're about to die any minute and you don't really believe in Jesus Christ. You haven't put your faith in his death and resurrection.

[00:17:00] And I'm now pleading with this lady and she's fallen asleep while I'm trying to tell her how to be safe. And he says, you know, it's gotten really bad this week. I don't think she's really understanding anything you're saying, to be honest with you. I appreciate you trying, but I don't think she's even going to remember that you were here. This is what her husband says to me. And then I look at him and I say, well, what do you think? What do you think that you can understand what I'm saying right now? Are you ready to die? What do you think about what I'm saying? And it gets very close suddenly in the room. Me and this man, and he says to me, looks right at me. He says, you know, when you've lived the way you've lived for a long time. It's really hard to change.

[00:17:46] So he said.

[00:17:48] So we need to talk about death now, because I've seen what death looks like and the people who are dying, they aren't even able to have the conversation, my friend.

[00:17:59] So you don't know when you're not going to be even be able to respond to someone talking to you. Oftentimes when I go to the hospital to give the person the gospel, they may still be alive physically, but they cannot understand the words I'm saying and have a meaningful conversation. It's very possible that you could die in a way where you don't have time to think about it. And so we need to think about it right now on the day of calamity, on the day of your death. Who will you call out to? And are you confident that your God will save you? A lot of people in America getting caught up in a in a life without God, in a materialistic kind of life. Well, your beautiful house and your BMW and your family are not going to save you on the day of your death.

[00:18:48] The government is not going to save you. Businesses are not going to save you your your personal wealth that you've stored up for yourself. The relationships that you've developed here in this life, there is only one thing that can save you. And that is faith in God. And you need to make sure this morning, while you're here, while we can have this conversation that you have put your faith in God. Tour with me to James, Chapter one tour with Mina James. Chapter one, you know, we're reading a story, a true story of a storm that God causes to turn his prophet Jonah around. And really, we're going to see to teach these mariners, these pagan seafaring men, who he is to reveal himself, to show to show his glory to these men. But really, we use the we use the metaphor, the analogy of a storm to describe all of our trials in life. We will say stuff like, well, I'm going through this storm right now and what everybody knows what that means, especially among Christians, churchgoing people, we'll be like, I need to praise God in this storm. And it's hard right now. I can't really see what God's doing is I'm in the middle of this storm. We use that analogy a lot when it refers to the trials of our life, the things that really get our attention, and they cause us pain and maybe we're afraid of death involved in this trial. I mean, do you have a faith that can passed the test of the storms of life? Where does your faith, when it gets heart, get knocked down real quick? Look at James chapter one verse to look at what it says. Count it all, Joy, my brothers. When you meet trials of various kinds.

[00:20:20] The storms of life, we could say, metaphorically speaking, for, you know, that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. So when you can be tested. This trial comes and it makes you wonder, do you really have faith to call out to God? Do you really believe that your God will save you and get you through this? That's a testing of your faith. I mean, a lot of people can say they're Christians. This elderly couple I described you there might have said they were Christians, but when their faith got tested, they knew they weren't and they needed help.

[00:20:50] And unfortunately, what they basically told me was it was too late.

[00:20:55] When trials come up in this life, and I guarantee you they're coming for us all, they might come for all of us at one time, they might come for each one of us individually. It might be physical trials, relational trials, financial trials. I don't know what it's gonna be for you, but your faith will be tested. I promise you this.

[00:21:13] And will your faith be in a God who will get you through your trial? Or will your faith fall when it really matters?

[00:21:20] It says your faith is going to be tested and you got to consider it joy, and you got to be steadfast. You got to persevere and let steadfastness first floor have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, that you might be ready to die. Maturing Christ. Lacking in nothing. Go to first Peter, chapter one and you'll see this same thing. Here's James, the brother of Jesus. Here's Peter, the leader of the Apostles. And when they start their letters to Christian people, they start them with.

[00:21:47] There's gonna be trials. There's gonna be storms. Make sure your faith passes the test. It's a question for everybody here. Am I ready for my life to fall apart? Do I have that much confidence in God that he will save me? Am I ready to die? Because I know he will deliver me even from death first. Peter, chapter one. Look at verse six. Look at how it puts it like this. I mean, it says this crazy other worldly perspective that people could rejoice in the storms of this life because they know the one who's in charge of the storms. They know the one who can calm the seas. It says here in First Peter. Chapter one, verse six. In this, you rejoice. You can even find joy in these trials, though. Now for a little while, if necessary. You've been grieved. Man, it's hard. It hurts. It makes you sad. You've been grieved by various trials so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found. Here's what we're going for. A faith that makes it through that passes the test. And so it's found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. There it is at the end and it makes it through and the faith is found to pass the test. Point number one. Let's all think about this. Let's ask ourselves the question today. Is your faith ready to pass the test? Make your make sure your faith passes the test. Let's talk about it now before the tests come. Now, some of you guys might be in the midst of very tempestuous storms right now where it feels like it's getting more and more to pass to us. I found in our first 10 months of doing this church that one of the most dangerous things you can do is professed faith here at this church. That's one of the most dangerous things you could do with your life. Guarantee you you are a new Christian here at this church. You say, I want to put my faith in Jesus. That's going to be tested. I know people. I mean, it's like day to day. I got faith in Jesus. I repented of my sins. They literally fall down and end up in the hospital. That's happened here at this church. And I'm not making this up. I got faith in Jesus. Their whole family turns against them. And as at war with them, I got faith in Jesus. They lose their job and now they're unemployed. I mean, it's a very clear connection. They professed faith in Jesus. And guess what happened? It started to just storm upon them. And it got more and more tempestuous. And that faith that they professed God tested. See? And some people, they pass the test. They even look at me and they rejoice in the middle of the trial, it's amazing. And some people you can tell their faith is not really in a God who can get them through the storms of this life. What kind of faith do you have? Let's talk about it now before the storms come. Turn with me to Psalm 32. Here's here's a great thought. This is really the verse that's inspiring me to preach here this morning are the way I am and our passage, Psalm 30 to look at verse six. This is a solemn of confession. This is a solemn of repentance, of turning from sin. And even as David is turning from his sin, he throws it out.

[00:24:50] Here's a word of wisdom for all sinners everywhere. Psalm 32, verse six, says, therefore, let everyone who is godly offer a prayer to you at a time when you may be found. Surely in the rush of great waters when the flood comes, when the rains fall in the midst of the storm.

[00:25:10] They shall not reach him.

[00:25:13] A win win is the best time to get prepared for the earthquake. Before the earthquake happens, right. There's a little practical wisdom. Does everybody here have an earthquake kit, you know, or a flashlight is in your house? Right. Something like that would be practical wisdom. Hey, here's some spiritual wisdom. Is everybody ready for the storms of life? Is everybody here ready to die? Because if you wait till the great waters come, if you wait till it's flooding, if you wait till the rains are pouring down, see, you might not be able to reach God when it comes down to that moment, that day of calamity. So make sure that you are praying to God in a time where he may be found. That's the message here. That's why we're talking about this. And, you know, sometimes it's the storms of life that help people realize. I'm not ready. I'm not ready to die. One of the things that happens, it's so it's happened to some of you. I've heard your story is you had kids and that's what helped you realize you needed to get serious about God if you weren't ready to parent your kids. Your kids were a storm that you could not control. Right. And you said, I've got to get serious about the Lord. What am I going to do with these kids? For some people, that happens in marriage. For some people, there's a car accident. I know someone who recently was involved in an experience car accident that totaled their car. You know what their response to that car accident was? I got to stop messing around with God and I got to repent of my sins and put my faith in him.

[00:26:37] That was their response. Praise God that they survived that car accident and have the chance to do that. Let's not wait for the car accidents and the storms of life.

[00:26:46] Today is the day to make sure that you are right with God and your faith is in a God you know will save you on the day of your death. Look at Psalm 33. Look at how it puts it over here. This is to encourage all of you who have put your faith in God who are passing the tests of faith. Psalm 33, verse 13.

[00:27:04] It says, The Lord looks down from heaven. I mean, he's high above the storm. He's high above us. And he sees all the children of man from where he sits enthroned. He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth. He looks into the hearts of every single person here. And that he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. God knows you. The king is not saved by his great army. A warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation and by its great mind, it cannot rescue. Here's a question. What are you trusting in God can see right now what you think is going to save you? What's going to help you through life? Verse 18. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope and his steadfast love that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.

[00:27:59] God is looking at your heart right now, he sees the hearts of everybody here this morning and he knows who really fears God, who is so afraid of God and has such an all and respect for him and sees him as so high above all others that there's nothing else to be afraid of down here. When you see him for who is up there, who here is put your hope in the steadfast love, the promise of God to save you. And you believe that he really will save you. And your trust is firmly like there's an anchor of your soul in heaven right now holding you there. Those people, God is ready. He's watching you and he's ready to save you on the day that you die or even to keep you alive when it looks like many people might die. I mean, if your faith is in God, then you can have great confidence here this morning that no matter what this life throws at you, it cannot really take you away from God's hand that is holding you. He will deliver you. He will rescue you. You can have confidence. God will save you. And if your faith is not in God, what are you putting your trust in here this morning?

[00:29:04] So these are the questions that come up when you're on a boat and all of a sudden God is hurling a storm at you and God hurls many storms, and I'm sure there's more to come to America.

[00:29:16] I'm sure we'll have great storms here at this church. I'm sure you'll have great storms in your life. And these storms will do what they're designed to do. They will reveal. Do you really have faith in a God who saves or not? Make sure your faith passes the test and go back to Jonah. Chapter one. OK.

[00:29:31] So we've got a storm where people are afraid of dying, a real deal storm where the Mariners are concerned that they might die. They're more concerned about it than than Jonah here. And so they say to one another, they're going to cast lots and try to figure out what this storm seems to these sailors supernatural. And so they're going to try to figure out what's really going on here. They cast lots and of course, the lights fall to Jonah and they're like, okay, well, let's start with him. And they start investigating him. What do you know? Who are you? Where are you from? Look at verse nine. Look at what Jonah says. Here's how he introduces himself to these guys on the boat. He says, I am a Hebrew and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven. Let me just tell you something about this. God who reigns in heaven, who made the sea and the dry land keyword right there. When you're on the middle of a boat in the middle of a storm and you feel like your boat's about to break apart the god of the sea. That's the one you want to be talking to right there. Well, actually, he's the god of the sea and the dry land. Jonah says. He's saying that he's the creator of everything. He's the one who made the heavens and earth. He's above us. He's the creator of us. So he he appeals to their sense that they know there is a God. And he starts to introduce them to the one true God. And the men are exceedingly afraid. Now they're not only afraid of the storm, now they're starting to understand that this is a God caused storm against Jonah because it says in verse 10, we don't really know how they knew this, but the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord. He had told them, I don't know if he told them when he got on the boat or if he told them more to that quote there that it doesn't really tell us. But somehow they knew that Jonah knew that God in heaven, the God who made the sea in the dry land, and he was running away from that God. And that's why they were in the situation that they were in. So here we have pagans not familiar perhaps with the Hebrews or the true god of Israel, the God who made the heavens and the earth. And now what's really happening here? This is what's so amazing to me about this story. We get so caught up in Jonah going the wrong way that we miss what God's really doing here is he's introducing himself to the men on this boat.

[00:31:42] Yeah, you're in the middle of a storm. And here's a guy who was above the storm, who causes the storm. He's the one you really need to be afraid of, not the storm itself and the men on the boat. You realize they're starting to get this. It's a fascinating understanding that comes across the Mariners here.

[00:31:59] And so they're like, what do we do? They. I mean, Jonah has put them in a very awkward situation here. What do we do to you? Basically is what they say. How do we calm down the sea? Because the sea is growing. It says several times here. More and more tempestuous.

[00:32:14] Just a wicked storm all around them. He says, well, here's what you got to do. Real simple. Pick me up and hurl me into the sea. Then the sea will quiet down for you.

[00:32:24] Now, you can see here that's that's very awkward for these guys. They basically kill me, is what he's saying, and then everything will work out. If you commit murder, then the gun God will be happy with you that it doesn't feel quite right. You know what I mean? Hey, Huck, what can I do to help you? Well, drown me. That'll really help, right?

[00:32:44] I'm not I don't know where you come from. I'm not in the business of drowning people. You know what I mean? That would feel a little weird for me to do. I mean, this is almost feeling like some kind of weird child sacrifice or something here. Like this is a pretty intense. God that you've got, Jonah. I mean, this is pretty crazy stuff or disposed to throw you overboard and kill you. You can see that the Mariners first reaction is they don't want to kill Jonah. They don't want to murder him. And so they try to actually row their boat back to dry land because they're like they don't. They don't accept his option. We're not going to throw men go overboard, but we're not going to throw a guy overboard. And so they try to row back to dry land, but they can't because the sea grows. Here it is again, more and more tempestuous against them. And so they call out to the Lord now. Now, this is very interesting because look back at at verse five. Everyone's crying out to his God. Lower case G. Right. And then in verse six, the guy tells Jonah, call out to your God, lowercase g, perhaps the God, whatever God you're crying out to. Maybe he'll be the one to give a thought to us. So we just went on a boat where everybody's calling out to who knows what God, all these false idols, all these religious systems of other nations, who knows how many nations are represented here on this boat? How many perhaps dozens of gods they could have been calling out to. And now, just by this storm, everybody's been zeroed in and now they're calling out to one God. It's amazing what's happened here. In fact, they're calling out to whenever you see this in the Bible, in the Old Testament Siao it says in verse 14. Therefore they called out to the Lord. Does everybody see that. What do you notice about the word Lord there. Do you notice how it's for capital letters. L.O. Ardie. We call that the Tetragrammaton. That's in Hebrew. That's your way right there. It's a it's a very special way to say the specific name of God. Ja way. The God of Israel. OK. So now we've gone from calling out to whatever God will save us. And now these guys are making what seems to me a sincere prayer to your way, the one true God. And look what they pray. Oh, Lord, let us not perish. Please don't kill us. Please don't let us die for this man's life. We're gonna throw him overboard. Please don't kill us because of it. I mean, they they understand that they're not supposed to kill people, that if they kill a man, they might be guilty of death themself. They understand a basic principle, even if capital punishment is what they're revealing here. Oh, Lord, let us not perish for this man's life lay not on us innocent blood. And then they say something here to me that is absolutely amazing that these pagan mariners would understand this. So clearly they say for you, oh lord, have done as it pleased you. Here's something they understand about God on this boat in the middle of a storm. They come to realize this God. He can do whatever he wants.

[00:35:31] He does whatever he pleases.

[00:35:33] He's actually the one who's in control. He's actually the one calling the shots of the universe. And then you can see what happens. They picked up Jonah. They hurled him into the sea. You'll notice that word hurled is being used intentionally because it's it's the same word in the Hebrew showing up. There's a lot of wordplay in the book of Jonah. God hurls a storm. They hurl the stuff overboard. That doesn't work. Eventually, they hurl Jonah overboard, it says, and they picked up Jonah. They hurled him in the sea and the sea ceased from its raging. And look what happens on the boat. All of a sudden, Jonah's gone. The storm's gone. These guys are looking at each other and it says, then the men fear the Lord exceedingly. OK. Now, they feared him more than they feared the storm. And they offered a sacrifice to the Lord. They started worshiping him and they made vows. They expressed some kind of commitment. They made some kind of promise of how they were going to act or what they were going to do or how they were going to live because of this God, as they described him, the God who can do whatever he pleases.

[00:36:38] I mean, this is an amazing story to me, I mean, a lot of people debate about whether these guys really got saved or not or whether they just got introduced to God. But we win in a short amount of time on a boat from everybody calling out to any God that might possibly be able to help to all of a sudden fearing the one God in heaven who can do whatever he wants.

[00:36:57] It's very important that everybody here understands this morning that God does whatever he wants, he can do all things. And this phrase specifically that these pagan guys who don't have an understanding about God immediately get to for you, oh, Lord, have done as it pleased you. That's a common phrase throughout the scripture. And it's always a phrase that's used in contrast to idolatry. Idols can't really help you. God can do whatever he wants. Who are you trusting in? That's a common way to think. In the Old Testament and here these guys, they end up saying that. Go with me to the Book of Psalms 115 and let's see how this plays out through with me to Psalms 115. And I want you to see this phrase that God can do whatever he pleases. I would love for everybody to write that down. That's the thing we want to really be thinking about. God here this morning is God can do whatever he pleases. This is what a bunch of pagan mariners in the middle of the sea worshiping false gods immediately come to through this encounter with Jonah is that God does whatever he wants. And here it says this. And Psalm one hundred and fifteen. Start with me in verse one. Look at how it describes it here. Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name. Give glory for the stake of your steadfast love because of who you are as a God who keeps promises and establishes covenants and your faithfulness. A God of truth, a God of justice. Why should the nation say where is their God? Who are these people to not believe in you? Who are these other nations to doubt our God? Our God is in the heavens. He does all that he pleases. OK. Notice the connection here. God can do whatever he wants. And then immediately we start talking about the verse for their idols or silver and gold. The work of human hands. They have mouths but do not speak eyes. But do not see. They have ears but do not hear noses but do not smell. They have hands but do not feel feet, but do not walk. And they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them. So do all who trust in them. O Israel trust in the Lord. It saying the idols are stupid. That's what it's saying.

[00:39:09] They can't talk. They can't see. They can't hear. They can't think. These idols can't do anything. And in fact, it goes so far as it's kind of starts to trash talk. People who trust in idols become like them. They become unable really to respond. Unable really to deal with the reality around them because idols are fake. And you should trust in God who can do whatever he wants.

[00:39:32] I mean, what are Americans putting their trust in? What are things that you might be tempted to put their trust in? Some people are putting their trust in the fact that they're saving up for their retirement. That's something that people are putting their trust in. People are putting their trust in their financial holdings, especially. We got to realize we're living in a materialistic culture here in Orange County where a lot of people are putting their trust in the house that they have, in the car that they have. And our other house is bigger and the car is safer. And all of these things are what's going to protect me. Well, they're not going to help you on the day of your calamity.

[00:40:03] Say money is not going to buy you safety, security. It's an idle. What are you trusting in?

[00:40:14] Is it a God who can do whatever he wants and what he really wants to do is save people? Is that who you're trusting it or are you trusting in something else? Go to Psalm one hundred and thirty five. You'll see the same connection here. This so this was always a thought in the scripture that you can trust in God who can do whatever he wants or you can trust in idols that can't save you on the day you really need them. And it's amazing to me that these mariners have arrived at that conclusion through this encounter with God in the storm, through the trials of life. Sometimes God will use these trials to show people who he is, someone 35. Look at what it says in verse five four. I know that the Lord is great, and then our Lord is, above all, God's whatever the Lord pleases. He does. He can do anything that he wants. He's in control of all things. He's calling the shots right now in heaven and on earth, in the seas, in all deep's, which is really relevant to our passage about the storm. He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightning for the rain. He brings forth the wind from his storehouses. And then it goes down like a verse 15. Here's eventually what it's going to start to contrast. The idols of the nation are silver and gold. They probably value their idols because they were worth so much. The work of human hands. They have mouths but do not speak. They have eyes but do not see they have ears. But do not hear. Nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them. So do all who trust in them. So here it is again. Oh, House of Israel. All of God's people. Bless the Lord. Make sure your trust in him. He's the one who calls the shots.

[00:41:53] If there there's a storm in your life, if there is an earthquake in California, if there's another attack on America, I could tell you right now who is above all of these things, who's the only one you can count on to be in control, to sovereignly, oversee? And watch out for you.

[00:42:09] There's only one God who could do whatever he wants, who's in control. And if your trust isn't in him, if it's in something else, that thing is worthless and will not save you.

[00:42:18] Go to Isaiah 46 term with me and Isaiah 46. I just want you to see this is a common theme. And I just. What are Americans trusting in? What do we think is is going to help us? We think we're such a privileged people, maybe we trust in our military might. I mean, we might hear the war horse and we might think, well, yeah, we're not really trusted in the War Horse today. Well, we might be trusting in our military to protect us here in this nation. We might think that that's the reason we don't need to be worried is because we could defeat any other nation in war. We'll look at Isaiah 46. It will say that even that could be an idol. That would be a vain hope of deliverance. Isaiah, 46. God wants it to be clear here in this section of the book of Isaiah that there is no one like him. Look at Isaiah 46, verse five. To whom will you like in me and make me equal and compare me that we may be alike. What's another God? You're going to compare me to those who lavished gold from the person way out silver in the scales. Hire Goldsmith and he makes it into a God. You got a lot of money. You make it into an idol. Then you fall down and worship it. They lift it to their shoulders. They carry it. They set it in its place. And it stands there and it cannot move from its place. If one cries to it, it does not answer or save him from his trouble. That's the issue. Do you have a God who can save you when you're in a time of trouble? Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind you, transgressors. Remember, the former things have old rhyme God and there is no other I am God is there is none like me declaring the end from the beginning. I'll tell you how it's going to happen in the future. All prophesied to you. And from ancient times, I'll tell you things not yet done. Seeing my counsel shall stand and I will accomplish all my purpose. Whatever I tell you I'm gonna do. I'm going to do it. And he says in verse twelve, listen to me, you stubborn of heart, you who are far from righteousness, I bring near my righteousness. It is not far off and my salvation will not delay. I will put my salvation in Zion for Israel, my glory. We worship a God who can do whatever he wants. And I am so thankful that what God wants to do is save sinners like me and you. Can I get a man from anybody on. The guy can do anything he wants. And who could judge him? Who could blame them? He calls the shots. He's in control. He's created it. He could do with it as he will. He could judge us. He could destroy us. He could said one calamity after another. One test after another. One storm after another. And what he wants is to give you his righteousness. That's what he wants.

[00:44:53] What he wants is still deliver you from the RAF. That is to come and save you in your time of trouble. And he wants you to trust in him and nothing else. That's what he desires. Don't put your faith in anything else but him alone because he's the only one who can save you at the end of the day.

[00:45:11] You need to know that you can call on a God who can calm the seas, who can save your soul. Let's get that down for point number two. Make sure that you have got your trust in God. You need to know that God you call on calms the storm. Are you trusting in an idol here this morning? Are you trusting in something else to save you when there is only one who can do whatever he pleases and who is sovereign and in control? And that is God. And what's amazing to me is that these guys who were polytheistic, who were calling on any God they could through this trial, through this storm, they get zeroed in and they see there is one God who can do whatever he wants. And we need to fear him. We need to sacrifice to him. We need to make vows to him. And they start to make their life all about this one God. And they don't trust in anything else. And if you've gone through a trial, if you're going through a hard time right now, you would consider yourself in the season of life. That is a storm upon you. If you're not learning to call on God and put your faith in him, then you're missing the point of the storm.

[00:46:15] You got to see the one who's above the storm.

[00:46:18] You got to see the one who can do whatever he wants. And you have to look to him. And you might not take away the storm right away. He might take you through the storm. I don't know what he's gonna do, but I know that he is good and he is worthy of your faith. And you have to trust in him is the only way through.

[00:46:36] Now, there's a big debate, if you read the commentaries of on Jonah four, there's a lot of speculation about where these mariners' legitimately saved. Will you and I see them in heaven and there's no way to really know. To me, it looks pretty good. Men who are now fearing God, offering sacrifices and making vows, calling on the Lord. To me, it's powerful what God does here. I mean, it's almost like, hey, you don't want to go save the the pagans in Geneva, Jonah. You want to go the opposite direction? Well, it doesn't matter where you go. I'm going to save the pagan people anywhere you go. I feel like that's what God's saying to Jonah here. Amazing what God does. But people will wonder, well, did they really know the truth about God, that they really know enough about God just through that storm? I mean, Jonah didn't really tell them about God. Could they really have figured enough about God to be genuinely saved and to really have their faith in him? Well, I don't know for the Mariners, but look at verse 17. Here's an amazing prophecy in the book of Jonah. Don't miss this. It says, In The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Now, a lot of people get distracted about, was that a whale? What kind of fish was that? And all of a sudden, we could turn into the Discovery Channel and I could start showing really big sea creatures up here.

[00:47:49] Well, here's a candidate, everybody. We could take a vote at the end. Everybody could like. I mean, that would be great. It was Shark Week this week. The beaches were cleared because of a shark would be great. We could throw up some big fish and we could all vote on what kind it is. That's what a lot of people get caught up into because it's really interesting that a man got swallowed up fry by a fish. Usually it works a little bit differently when I go to the outback and eat the fish there, you know, to me. So this is very interesting. It's not the point. The point is, in this little phrase at the end of the verse, what did it say? How many days and how many nights?

[00:48:18] Anybody knows that. What does it say that? Why is that significant? Why is that important? Why would it say three days and three nights? OK.

[00:48:27] Throw a dude overboard. One guy dies so that everybody else on the boat can watch live. So we're gonna kill one guy so that everybody else can live. And then all of a sudden it says three days and three nights. Do you see what this is talking about here? If you don't think it's about Jesus, turn to Matthew, Chapter twelve. And we really have to use Matthew Chapter 12 to teach us how to interpret the book of Jonah. What Jesus says in Matthew Chapter 12 is really what's what's guiding our entire sermon series that we're doing through this book. And Jesus says that when it says that Jonah went into this great fish, a place of death, you would think that if you were in a fish, if you were in the fish's belly, you were not coming back out. You are not going to make it through that experience. Well, that's a clear prophecy, a clear typology. We could say it's a sign of something else similar that's going to happen. Look at Matthew, Chapter 12, where the people ask for a sign. Matthew, Chapter 12 hours 38. Since some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him saying, teacher, we wish to see a sign from you, prove that your God Jesus. But he answered them in evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign that's wrong of you to want to sign. No sign will be given to it except the sign of the Prophet Jonah. OK. And one way it's going to work. That is Jonah went innova. He just preached that they were gonna be destroyed. And the whole city repents. We'll get to that. That's chapter three. Those people didn't need signs. They didn't even know God. They weren't even God's chosen people. They just got told judgment was coming and they repented. Why do you guys need signs? It's a rebuke to the people of Israel. But then look at verse 40. Look at what Jesus says. Here's the sign. I'm gonna do for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish. A direct quote from Jonah 117. So will the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth? What is he talking about there? He's talking about dying on the cross, being buried. And then on the third day, what does he do? He rises from the dead. I guarantee you, nobody thought Jonah was coming back out of that water when they threw him in in the midst of the sea. And he got swallowed up by a great fish. Well, nobody thought Jesus was coming back when they killed him. At least many of his enemies did not. He says, you want to see a sign. Wait till I rise from the dead.

[00:50:48] This is the point of Jonah. He's saying, no, that weird story where a guy got swallowed up by a great fish. Remember that significant detail that maybe didn't seem that significant before where it says three days and three nights? Well, whenever something says like 40 days and 40 nights or three days and three nights, it's not really talking about the length of time as much as it's trying to clue you. This is really important. It's like, look, three days and three nights, like like like we would use quotes like three days. Right? That's how it's doing there in the Hebrew. It's trying to say, hey, this is a very significant period of time. In fact, if you were to go home today and just type in the third day or three days into your little Bible search, you would start realizing that the third day is talked about all over this book.

[00:51:31] It's fascinating.

[00:51:32] Once you start looking into like the third day is a special day from the beginning of this book, all the way to the end of this book, whenever something talks about third days, it's winking at you and it's telling you something significant is going on. I guarantee you they can sacrifices things that would happen in the third day, for example, the day that that Abraham gets close, when he's taking Isaac to sacrifice his son on Mount Moriah. Here's a crazy storm that got thrown into Abraham's life. Here's a test of faith. Hey, your son that you waited for for a hundred years. Hey, go kill him and offer him as a sacrifice to me. God says to Abraham.

[00:52:10] What were their walk in to go do the sacrifice? And guess what day all of a sudden they're there, so Abraham's going to do the sacrifice. Guess what day it is? The third day of all things, right?

[00:52:21] And on the same mountain where Jesus would later die, Abraham raises his knife to kill his own son. And then God stops him right there and says, OK, that's enough, because guess what it is. It's a type of what God is gonna do later on the third day when he raises up his own son on the same exact spot where Jesus gets killed.

[00:52:42] It's amazing if you if you look at the story of Moses, so that was let me just give you some references you can jot down Genesis 22 for. It talks about Abraham and Isaac getting there on the third day, Exodus 19 versus 11 and 16. Moses and the people of Israel gather to meet God. And guess what day they meet God on Mount Sinai when he overwhelms them with his thunder and his lightning and his awesome glory. Guess what day they meet with him on the third day. All these awesome encounters with God end up happening on the third day. And it's throughout the scriptures.

[00:53:17] And here's Jesus saying, hey, the reason that it tells you, Jonah. Everybody thought was dead in the great fish. The reason he was there for three days and three nights is pointing to me. What do you see what I do on the third day? You think getting vomit out of a great fish is impressive? Just wait till you see what I'm about to throw down. That's what Jesus is saying here. You guys want to sign? Pay attention. Keep your eye on the third day. The Bible's winking at you throughout it saying, are you familiar with the third day? Go to Isaiah, Chapter six. We're trying to look at some of the minor profits. Go to Ohis Hozier just a few pages before Jonah.

[00:53:51] Ozio, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, then Jonah. These are the minor prophets, Hosea's the first of the minor prophets. Look what it says in Hozier, Chapter six, just another reference to the third day. I'm just giving you a few of them if you think I'm exaggerating it. Take me up on it. Start the search for the third day. You'll find them all over the place, even in the New Testament. But here in Ozio, chapter six, look at verse one. It says, Come, let us return to the Lord, for he has torn us here. God is inviting his people who have wandered away from him to be revived, to come back, come back to God. Come let us return to the Lord.

[00:54:28] He has torn us. He's broken our hearts that he may heal us. He had struck us down so that he might bind us up. After two days he will revive us and on the third day he will. Well, what does it say there? On the third day? He will what?

[00:54:40] He will raise us up. You could have said that. I was trying to give you a little more energy there, but.

[00:54:46] That we may watch. What are we going to do? Live before him? Live before him.

[00:54:52] OK. So you can come here this morning and you could think, well, that's nice about this story with the storm and and these guys out on a boat. Jonah, getting tossed over. No. What, Jonah? Chapter one is my friends. It's it's a way that God is telling you the gospel of Jesus Christ is what it is. There's gonna be storms. And what God are you going to call on when the storms hit you? Well, there's only one God who can do whatever he wants. And what that God wanted to do was send his one and only son to live the perfect life that you should live to die, the death that you deserve to die. And when you put your faith in Jesus Christ sake, then you'll be saved and go to heaven for sure. So were the Mariners saved? Well, it's unclear to me whether they really understood the idea of the Messiah and really the idea of salvation in the one that God would send to save us. But it shouldn't be unclear for you. You have the benefit of reading Jonah one many years later, even after Jesus came, after he died and rose again on the third day. And you can see the prophecy play out throughout all of the pages of scripture.

[00:55:55] And have you put your trust in Jesus Christ? I guarantee you. You are all going to die. Everyone here myself. We are all going to die. What is your trust in? I don't know. Hopefully it will happen many years from now, after many happy years of telling people about Jesus and living a blessed life and seeing your family flourish in front of you. But that day is coming for us all. Jesus doesn't come back to get us. We are all going to die. What is your faith in what saves you on that day? Ask people this question.

[00:56:28] If let's just say, hypothetically speaking, you were standing at the gates of heaven and they said, why should we let you in here? What would you say? What is the answer to that question? How do you know your trust is in the right thing so that you will be accepted in God's presence after you die?

[00:56:46] And people say, well, I. I prayed a prayer.

[00:56:48] Lots of people have told me people here at this church, they say stuff like, well, I repented of my sin and I put my faith in Jesus Christ. That's the right answer, right, Pastor? They look at me like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Attaboy. Come on. You go on my back. Right. Now, the only reason that anybody in this room. Is gonna step on the streets of gold and enter the pearly gates is because Jesus Christ died for your sin and rose again. It has nothing to do with you. Or anything that you've done, it's this epic story being told back in the ocean when the guys in the middle of a great fish were already starting to tell the story of a God who would become a man, who would die for his own creation. And then on the third day would come back to life. Now, offering that life to anyone who will put their trust in him. You got to understand that your trust has to be in Jesus dying for you and rising again. If your faith is in God, faith in God doesn't save you. Faith in the Bible doesn't save you. Only faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is what saved. Let's get that down four point umber three.

[00:57:52] We've got to make sure we are trusting specifically in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ so that even here in the Old Testament, when it's telling us a story about some mariners' on a boat, some pagan guys worshiping all kinds of false idols who all of a sudden realize who the real God is, even there, it puts sin a little prophecy, a little bit of the flavor of here's what you really need to trust in whoever wrote the book of Jonah. They did us a great service by mentioning that Jonas with Jonah was in there three days and three nights. That's so that you and I will look to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And that is what we will put our trust in.

[00:58:33] And if you have put your trust in that, you're not afraid of dying here this morning.

[00:58:38] You can pass the tests of life.

[00:58:41] I mean, it's not something I like to brag about, it's not I don't wish trials on anybody here. I don't want anybody here to die.

[00:58:48] But let me tell you a beautiful thing. Let me tell you something that glorifies God when people are going through brutal trials and they can keep on trusting in God. Have you met these people? When people are about to die and they're not afraid, they're looking forward to they're actually praying. Hey, I'm not feeling too good. Well, you pray that the Lord will take me home sooner rather than later. You ever had somebody? I've had people whisper that to me. I mean, people with tubes sticking all out of them and they grabbed me close. I'm ready to go.

[00:59:18] Pray that it'll take me. And, you know, I was praying they'd get better. I'm going against their own, what they want and what they're hoping for. What a terrible pastor. Because they're ready. Are you ready?

[00:59:33] So when you die, what happens if you die and you go to this church, we might even have your funeral for you right here in this room, your memorial service. And what we'll do is we'll put up a picture of the person who dies. We put a picture of them up on the screen and we'll need whenever you get the brochure or you see the screen. There's two dates. Everybody familiar with those two dates.

[00:59:53] They have their birth. And then there's the day of their what? Here's the real question about everybody who dies. Did they have a third day say?

[01:00:01] When was the third day when they put their trust in Jesus Christ and they experienced the power of his resurrection, just like he rose on the third day, have you risen on a third day? Have you put your trust in the one thing that will save you from death that is coming upon us all? That's the death of Jesus Christ. And his resurrection win was your third day.

[01:00:23] In between the time that you're born and the time that you die, there's one day that's very critical.

[01:00:28] It's the day that you say, hey, that guy who raised on the third day. That's how I'm getting there. That's how I get eternal life. That's what I'm putting my trust in. It's the only hope that's going to save me. When was your third day? Hey, today, July 12, 2015 would be a great third day for some people sitting here right now.

[01:00:48] What are you waiting for?

[01:00:50] Don't wait till you get diagnosed with cancer and it's hitting you so bad you can't even understand the person preaching the gospel atcha. Today's the day of salvation. Everyone who is God, they call on the Lord while he can be found. Can you find him right now? You're in a great place to find the Lord here today. You can come talk to me. You can talk to one of the ushers. Many people who would be happy to help you have your third day where you put your trust in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and you will fear no storms. You will fear no death because you know God who will do whatever he pleases. And it will please him to save every single person who calls on the name of the Lord, who calls on Jesus Christ, who puts their trust in his third day to rise again. That person will rise again as well at that. I want you to be that person.

[01:01:38] I want you to experience that, please make sure that you've had a third day where you've put your trust in Jesus Christ. Let's pray. God. Thank you so much for this story. A story that might seem so distant happening on a faraway sea in a storm. With some men that are hard to even imagine what they might be like, these mariners that worship many false gods. And yet we could not study anything more relevant. Then you revealing yourself, you showing who you are. Now, we thank you so much for everybody in this room, I just want to say, on behalf of everyone in this room that you've saved God. Thank you so much for saving us. Now, we acknowledge that you could do whatever you want and now we acknowledge that because of our sin, you would have been right to judge us. If we had died in our sin, God, you would be right to condemn us even because of that, sir. The guy, because you can do whatever you want, because you do whatever you please, it pleases you to make us righteous in your son, Jesus Christ. It pleased you to offer your own son is a sacrifice for us. Who would rise again on the third day and that anyone who puts their faith in him? Will not perish, but have everlasting life. God, I pray that you will draw people to yourself right now.

[01:02:57] Today, people come to see who you are and they will put their trust in what Jesus has done by dying for their son, that he paid it all for them.

[01:03:07] And that they'll rise again today will be the third day for some here who will rise again and walk in newness of life and live with you for all of eternity with a faith in the only thing that can save them.

[01:03:17] You, God, your steadfast love, your faithfulness.

[01:03:21] Your promise that you've sent your son and whoever believes in him surely will not perish, but have eternal life. God, please raise people to life even here this morning at this service. We come here to worship you. We come here to thank you for saving us. God, I pray as we hear that song and we would just cry out in our hearts. Thank you for our salvation and God, even as we hear this last song that some people in the room will cry out to you for salvation, putting their faith in Jesus Christ, who gave the clear sign that he is God. When he died on the cross and rose again offering to salvation from our sin and eternal life, we thank you for the gift of Jesus Christ. We put all our faith in him. We pray this in his name. A man.