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00:00:00 Oh, are you ready for the word?
00:00:02 (audience cheering)
00:00:05 I'll tell you what,
00:00:07 if you ain't ready for the word after that,
00:00:09 you ain't got a pulse, okay?
00:00:11 Just remain standing just for a few more moments.
00:00:13 I know, I know it's a lot of standing,
00:00:15 but you wore those shoes, okay?
00:00:17 You should know by now,
00:00:19 that you're just a guest.
00:00:20 You gotta wear comfortable shoes as social.
00:00:23 I want to share a word that I believe
00:00:27 has the power to literally
00:00:30 change the trajectory of your life.
00:00:32 This is not just a cute message,
00:00:34 but I know this word is for somebody.
00:00:36 And I want to go to the book of Jonah today.
00:00:38 Jonah chapter one.
00:00:41 And I want to look at verses one through 15.
00:00:43 The book of Jonah, chapter number one.
00:00:47 And we're going to read 15 verses.
00:00:50 Is that okay?
00:00:52 It's not too much.
00:00:53 Come on, you know, this is our year to go.
00:00:56 Oh, y'all still remember.
00:00:57 We're going deeper this year.
00:00:59 And one of the ways to go deeper
00:01:01 is to get a greater hunger for the word of God.
00:01:05 And so we're going to read 15 verses from Jonah chapter one.
00:01:08 And I know if you're super saved
00:01:10 and you graduated from Sunday school,
00:01:12 you've heard this story.
00:01:14 But don't dismiss it.
00:01:15 Perhaps God wants to say something new to you from it.
00:01:19 Jonah chapter one, when you're ready to read it, say yeah.
00:01:22 If you need some time to find the book of Jonah,
00:01:25 which may take a while, it's in the Old Testament,
00:01:28 say give me a minute.
00:01:30 I heard it, it was faint.
00:01:33 I'm going to wait for you.
00:01:34 Jonah, Jonah chapter one.
00:01:36 Can I see your hand again if this is your first time at Social?
00:01:39 Your first time ever at Social.
00:01:41 That is amazing.
00:01:42 Come on.
00:01:43 Welcome.
00:01:45 So glad your face is in the place.
00:01:48 So glad that you're here.
00:01:50 Jonah chapter one.
00:01:52 And this is what it says.
00:01:53 The word of the Lord came to Jonah, son of Amittah,
00:01:58 go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it
00:02:03 because its wickedness has come up before me.
00:02:06 But Jonah ran away from the Lord, as if you could,
00:02:12 and headed for Tarshish.
00:02:14 He went down to Joppa where he found a ship bound for that port.
00:02:18 And after paying the fare,
00:02:19 he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
00:02:23 Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea and such a violent storm arose
00:02:28 that the ship threatened to break up.
00:02:30 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own God
00:02:34 and they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.
00:02:37 But Jonah had gone below deck where he laid down and fell into a deep sleep.
00:02:43 The captain went to him and said, hey, bro,
00:02:46 how can you sleep?
00:02:48 Get up and call on your God.
00:02:51 And maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.
00:02:55 Then the sailors said to each other, come,
00:02:58 let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.
00:03:05 Ooh, I hate to just read and not give you my own little commentary
00:03:09 that sneaks into the text when I'm reading the text,
00:03:11 but sometimes I want to help you read your Bible better.
00:03:14 I find it intriguing that these expert sailors noticed
00:03:19 this is not a regular storm.
00:03:22 Like I've been on the water, I've seen some storms,
00:03:26 but this storm is so different.
00:03:29 Somebody did something.
00:03:31 Somebody did something.
00:03:33 What in the world did they see in that storm that made them go,
00:03:37 somebody is responsible for this.
00:03:41 So they cast lots and the lot fell on, surprise, Jonah.
00:03:46 So they asked him, hey, tell us,
00:03:48 who's responsible for making all this trouble for us?
00:03:50 What kind of work do you do?
00:03:52 Where do you come from?
00:03:53 What's your country?
00:03:54 Where are your people at?
00:03:55 What's your social media handle?
00:03:56 What's your social security number?
00:03:58 See, when you get in trouble, you start asking the questions
00:04:00 you should have asked before you got in the trouble.
00:04:03 Have you noticed that?
00:04:05 Turbulence will make you on a plane read that little brochure
00:04:08 that you ignored.
00:04:09 Oh yeah, you were eating your snacks and putting on your headphones
00:04:11 when the students like, ah, whatever.
00:04:13 As soon as you hit a pocket, wait a minute, where's the exit door?
00:04:16 Trouble will make you ask some critical questions.
00:04:20 And so now that they've hit a storm, they're asking him everything
00:04:23 and look at what he answered.
00:04:24 I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven,
00:04:28 who made the sea and the dry land.
00:04:31 And this terrified them and they asked, what have you done?
00:04:34 Because they knew he was running away from the Lord
00:04:36 because he had already told them so.
00:04:38 And the sea, the sea was getting rougher and rougher.
00:04:41 So they asked him, what should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?
00:04:47 Pick me up and throw me into the sea.
00:04:49 He replied, and it will become calm.
00:04:52 I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.
00:04:58 And instead the men did their best to roll back to land.
00:05:01 But when they could not, they said, hey bro, we got to do what we got to do.
00:05:05 This storm ain't going down.
00:05:07 They even prayed, please Lord, don't let us die for taking this man's life.
00:05:11 Don't hold us accountable for killing an innocent man for you.
00:05:15 Lord have done as you pleased.
00:05:18 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard and the raging sea grew calm.
00:05:27 Can you see the sailors picking him up like DJ Jazzy Jeff from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,
00:05:33 just like Uncle Phil used to do.
00:05:36 And if you ain't laughing, you too young.
00:05:41 And they threw Jonah into the water and the storm on top stopped when Jonah was under the sea.
00:05:53 We're in an interesting season as a family.
00:05:55 You know, our kids are seven, six and five and summer has started.
00:06:00 Pray for us.
00:06:01 And so we were watching a lot of movies.
00:06:03 And sometimes when you're watching movies and studying the Bible, things get all mixed up.
00:06:06 And so excuse my title today.
00:06:08 I want to preach to you for about three hours using this as a title, Under the Sea.
00:06:17 Under the Sea.
00:06:19 About half of y'all are going doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, which is cool.
00:06:24 Under the Sea.
00:06:25 And if you want to know what the sea is, just calm down.
00:06:29 You'll see.
00:06:30 You'll see.
00:06:31 But let's pray.
00:06:32 Father, thank you for your word.
00:06:34 Speak today.
00:06:35 Amen.
00:06:36 You may be seated in the presence of the Lord.
00:06:40 Under the Sea.
00:06:49 Last week, had the incredible opportunity to gather with about 50 pastors in Charlotte,
00:07:00 North Carolina.
00:07:02 It was 50 pastors that gathered for some teaching, for some fellowship, and some impartation.
00:07:09 And it was such a life-giving gathering.
00:07:13 I don't know if you've ever gone to a gathering and you didn't even know how much your soul
00:07:18 needed it until you got there.
00:07:20 That's what this meeting was for me, just gathering with about 50 pastors.
00:07:24 It was so good for my soul.
00:07:27 In fact, it was so good for my soul, I just felt the need to tell somebody, every once
00:07:33 in a while, you need to gather with people who do what you do and aren't jealous of you.
00:07:40 I'm going to say that one more time for the people in the back.
00:07:44 Every once in a while, it is good to gather with people who do what you do but aren't
00:07:50 jealous of you and are for you.
00:07:52 There's actually a camaraderie that comes with people that have just a vocational similarity.
00:07:58 There's just something in the room that's palpable.
00:08:00 It's a connection.
00:08:01 Every once in a while, just gather with somebody that does what you do but isn't jealous of
00:08:05 you.
00:08:06 If you're a doctor, you should find you another doctor to talk to.
00:08:09 Get you a doctor friend so you all can talk about how your patients test your patients.
00:08:14 It would just be good for your soul.
00:08:16 Don't be in isolation.
00:08:17 If you're a plumber, find you another plumber to talk to and be vulnerable and have a conversation.
00:08:22 Just talk about how, you know, sometimes, bro, you ever just feel emotionally drained?
00:08:28 Jokes will get better as the sermon goes on.
00:08:31 It's just important to have the fellowship of people that do what you do.
00:08:35 And so I did that with a few pastors last week.
00:08:37 And as we were discussing and talking, one of the things that we realized and we talked
00:08:42 about was the challenge that we have in approaching the Scripture, approaching the Word of God.
00:08:50 We have a challenge that is actually unique to our calling and our office.
00:08:55 Think about it this way.
00:08:56 Like, whenever you read the Bible, whenever you read the Bible, how do you know you're
00:08:59 just reading it for you?
00:09:01 Like, you're not opening up your Bible really thinking about, "Oh, I wonder what kind of
00:09:05 illustration this is going to be."
00:09:06 You're not reading your Bible trying to figure out what title you can put to the text.
00:09:10 You're really not trying to alliterate points out of the text.
00:09:13 But the challenge for preachers often is that we are looking at the text sometimes not for
00:09:19 what we can get for us, but what we can get for you.
00:09:23 And if you're not careful, you'll be so busy preparing sermons for other people that you
00:09:29 forget to feed yourself.
00:09:31 Much like a chef that has the culinary skill and excellence to prepare incredible meals,
00:09:36 but he spends so much time preparing the meals for others, he never takes time to sit down
00:09:42 and prepare a meal for himself.
00:09:45 And I just made the decision that I'm not going to be a starving chef.
00:09:49 I'm going to be a chef that's going to eat exactly what I'm putting out.
00:09:53 Matter of fact, when I see a chef, I love a chef that's a little bit overweight.
00:09:57 Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:09:58 I don't want my trainer to be overweight, like you better be shredded.
00:10:01 But I don't mind if my chef is overweight just a little bit and got some of the food
00:10:05 all on his apron.
00:10:07 It lets me know that he's eating what he's serving because it is a dangerous thing to
00:10:13 have a chef who's starving to death.
00:10:16 What do you do when the chef is starving?
00:10:20 What do you do when the doctor is sick?
00:10:24 The doctor who's always writing the prescription now needs the same prescription that he's
00:10:29 used to writing.
00:10:30 What do you do when the lawyer has legal trouble and now finds him or herself in the courtroom
00:10:38 and the representer now needs representation?
00:10:41 What do you do when you go to the home builder's house and you realize his house has foundation
00:10:47 issues and his own house is about to fall apart?
00:10:52 This tension, this dichotomy, this contradiction is actually what is occurring in the book
00:10:57 of Jonah today.
00:10:58 You have to understand that in the book of Jonah because in the book of Jonah, we are
00:11:02 looking at a man who is a prophet of God, a prophet for God.
00:11:07 His only responsibility is to hear from God and then declare what he has heard.
00:11:13 But all of a sudden, when we get on Jonah's life, he has heard clearly from God what he's
00:11:18 supposed to do.
00:11:19 Go to Nineveh and the prophet says, "Oh no, I'm not going there."
00:11:26 I find that contradiction somewhat comical because this is a person, your job is to go
00:11:32 to people and say, "Obey, obey, obey.
00:11:35 This is the way."
00:11:36 But now the one who's always calling other people to obey has disobedience in his heart.
00:11:42 Oh, there is a tension in the book of Jonah.
00:11:45 And to be honest with you, I'm probably not going to finish this message today.
00:11:48 I'm going to have to give you part two next week because the book of Jonah is so powerful.
00:11:53 In fact, I'm going to give you a homework assignment this week.
00:11:56 Just read the book of Jonah.
00:11:57 It's only four chapters, 48 verses of, watch this, not a heathen's disobedience, a preacher's
00:12:05 disobedience, a prophet's disobedience.
00:12:09 I think that's important.
00:12:11 That's important because I've learned growing up in church that we typecast disobedience.
00:12:17 Don't we?
00:12:18 We have a visual image of what disobedience looks like.
00:12:21 Come on, think of a person that disobedient.
00:12:23 You see that person in your head.
00:12:24 What are they doing?
00:12:25 They're not in church.
00:12:26 They're in the club, snorting cocaine, taking shots, turning up.
00:12:32 You're like, "Oh, look at that heathen, disobedient.
00:12:35 Hadn't been to church in forever."
00:12:37 That's how we look at disobedience.
00:12:39 But I love God because he does not look at the external.
00:12:42 He always looks at the heart.
00:12:44 He looks deeper than the facade that's on the surface.
00:12:48 Here's what I learned about God is that disobedience looks different.
00:12:52 Disobedience, it looks different for people.
00:12:54 Not everybody's disobedience looks like them turning up in the club, losing their mind,
00:12:59 living a wild lifestyle.
00:13:01 And Jonah is proof positive there because this is not somebody that's living a lifestyle
00:13:05 that's immoral.
00:13:06 This is a prophet of God.
00:13:09 Jonah is proof positive that disobedience can disguise itself.
00:13:14 Disobedience can hide in religious activity.
00:13:17 Disobedience can hide in worship.
00:13:20 Disobedience can hide in church attendance.
00:13:23 That you can have a person that's lifting up their hands and crying and snarling at
00:13:26 the altar, but in their heart is disobedience because they're quick to lift up their hands,
00:13:30 but they're slow to forgive the person that hurts them.
00:13:33 So they got bitterness in their heart all while they're lifting up their hands.
00:13:37 Oh, I'm going to not get any shouts today.
00:13:39 I'm glad we got them out in worship.
00:13:41 Disobedience looks different for people.
00:13:45 You can be coming to church, giving in the offering, and people can say, "Oh, that's
00:13:49 amazing."
00:13:50 But if you're not giving what he told you to give, it's still disobedience.
00:13:54 And Jonah scares me because Jonah is proof positive that disobedience can disguise itself
00:14:02 in religious activity.
00:14:04 That you can be a prophet of God and still have disobedience in your heart.
00:14:10 It's scary to look at the book of Jonah because disobedience disguises itself.
00:14:17 When you're looking at Jonah, we're not looking at the prodigal son who went to Vegas
00:14:22 and turned all the way up.
00:14:24 No.
00:14:25 To quote the late and great, brilliant Dr. Tim Keller, he says that Jonah is the prodigal
00:14:32 prophet.
00:14:34 He shows us that you can be a prophet of God and telling everybody else to obey and yet
00:14:40 have disobedience creep into your own heart.
00:14:43 See, in the Old Testament, it was pretty easy that whenever the people of God were disobedient,
00:14:48 God would send a prophet and the prophet would declare, "This is what the Lord says."
00:14:53 But who do you send when the prophet is the one who is disobedient?
00:14:58 Who do you send to him?
00:14:59 I'll tell you what you send.
00:15:00 You send the wind.
00:15:02 You send a whale.
00:15:04 You send a storm.
00:15:05 I want to warn some of you that are like, "Oh, I got a big call of God on my life.
00:15:08 It's a big call, massive call.
00:15:10 Y'all gonna see.
00:15:11 I got a big call of God on my life.
00:15:13 I'm about to blow up."
00:15:14 I just want to warn you, a big call requires a big answer.
00:15:19 A big call will come with a big sacrifice.
00:15:21 A big call will come with a big price.
00:15:24 A big call might come with some big restrictions.
00:15:26 And if you don't answer the call, the bigger the call, the bigger this wind, the bigger
00:15:31 the whale that's gonna come your way.
00:15:33 So be careful when you start shouting about your big call, because God will make sure
00:15:38 he's got a big whale if you're disobedient.
00:15:41 I don't know if you're like me, but whenever somebody calls me, whenever somebody calls
00:15:44 me, if it says unknown caller, I don't pick up the phone.
00:15:48 I don't care who it is.
00:15:49 I don't know you.
00:15:50 I'm not picking up the phone if it's an unknown caller.
00:15:52 That's how I am.
00:15:53 Thank God for caller ID.
00:15:54 I don't even answer the phone for some people, especially if you don't talk to me regularly
00:15:58 and you call me.
00:15:59 I'm like, "Oh, Lord, hold on.
00:16:00 You must be calling for something.
00:16:01 Uh-uh, uh-uh.
00:16:02 I ain't doing it.
00:16:03 I ain't doing it.
00:16:04 I don't know what this is about.
00:16:05 Am I the only one?"
00:16:06 I think we do God like that.
00:16:07 When it's an unknown plan or whenever he asks us to do something like, "Uh-uh, uh-uh.
00:16:09 No, Lord, not today.
00:16:10 Uh-uh, no.
00:16:11 What?
00:16:12 Get rid of him?
00:16:13 God, we just started going together.
00:16:14 He saved and he loves you.
00:16:15 No, no, no.
00:16:16 Uh-uh, don't tell me.
00:16:17 Isn't it funny how we will block the call when it's something that we don't want to
00:16:24 do?"
00:16:25 Jonah.
00:16:26 Oh, Jonah is scary.
00:16:27 He's scary because he shows us how disobedience will creep into our heart.
00:16:35 Bigger the call, sometimes the bigger the whale God will send.
00:16:40 Now, since we're in church, we may as well talk about it.
00:16:42 We got to discuss this whale.
00:16:45 I want to do a quick little sermonic survey.
00:16:46 How many of you have been raised in church?
00:16:47 Can I see your hand?
00:16:48 You've been raised in church.
00:16:49 Look at, you lifted up your hand spiritual.
00:16:51 I saw you.
00:16:52 Just like that.
00:16:53 It's funny.
00:16:54 If you've been raised in church, you've heard this story.
00:16:56 You've heard about Jonah and the whale.
00:16:58 And if you've been in church and now you're old, especially if you got a little degrees
00:17:02 behind your name, there's got to be something in you that goes, "For real?
00:17:08 How in the world did a whale swallow a whole man?"
00:17:12 Am I the only one that's ever looked at the Bible and go, "God, I'm with it.
00:17:15 I'm for you.
00:17:16 I believe in everything."
00:17:17 But I'm just saying, I'm trying to figure out how in the world did this happen?
00:17:21 Is this for real?
00:17:22 Because come on, this is the story that we tell little kids in Sunday school.
00:17:25 We pass out the goldfish that Jonah was disobedient, kids.
00:17:28 You better be obedient.
00:17:29 You don't know if God's still talking to whales today.
00:17:32 That's the story that we tell.
00:17:33 So there's almost this tendency to put this story in the Santa Claus category and the
00:17:38 Easter bunny category.
00:17:39 As a matter of fact, somebody watching in this room or online, maybe you don't even
00:17:42 acquiesce to the fact that God is real and you're just as welcome here as anybody else.
00:17:46 But I can hear you talking to me saying, "Oh my goodness, Robert, seriously.
00:17:50 Surely you have more cognitive aptitude and intellectual capacity to understand that this
00:17:55 is not even plausible that a whale could swallow a whole man.
00:18:00 Come on, let's use reasoning.
00:18:02 Let's use intellect.
00:18:03 This is not possible.
00:18:04 After all, there's only two categories of whales.
00:18:07 There are baleen whales that feed on plankton and then there's toothed whales that actually
00:18:12 hunt their prey.
00:18:13 It's impossible for a man to get through the esophagus of a baleen whale because the esophagus
00:18:18 is only a few inches wide.
00:18:20 So that cancels out the baleen whale.
00:18:23 And if there is a toothed whale that has four chambers in his stomach, but in that stomach
00:18:28 are digestive enzymes that would actually corrode the flesh of a human.
00:18:32 So even if a man could get past the sharp teeth, the digestive enzymes of a toothed
00:18:36 whale would completely corrode the flesh of a human.
00:18:40 And not only that, you must understand that inside of a whale is methane gas.
00:18:46 So even if the man got in the whale, he wouldn't even be able to breathe because the methane
00:18:50 gas would destroy his life and kill him.
00:18:52 So this is impossible.
00:18:53 And I'm with you.
00:18:54 I believe it.
00:18:55 You're right.
00:18:56 It's impossible because that's science.
00:18:57 And I believe in science.
00:18:58 Science is good.
00:18:59 I don't like believers that check their brains at the door and say, "I don't know.
00:19:00 I don't know."
00:19:01 I don't like believers that check their brains at the door and say, "I don't know.
00:19:02 I don't know."
00:19:03 I don't like believers that check their brains at the door and say, "I don't know."
00:19:04 I don't like believers that check their brains at the door and say, "I don't know."
00:19:05 I believe in science.
00:19:06 Science is good.
00:19:07 I don't like believers that check their brains at the door and just disregard science.
00:19:12 That is science tells you where nature ends.
00:19:17 Science tells you where nature ends and what it can do.
00:19:21 The problem is I'm all for the science.
00:19:22 Don't get me wrong.
00:19:23 I'm for the science.
00:19:24 The problem is I'm a believer and I believe in a God that does miracles.
00:19:28 And miracles start right at the place, oh God, help me, where science ends.
00:19:35 This is the problem that I have with the God is because I know his track record.
00:19:39 I know what he can do.
00:19:40 I have seen him do the impossible.
00:19:43 I have seen him come right at the place where science ended and here comes a miracle.
00:19:49 Come on.
00:19:50 Science says that H2O has to stay H2O, but here comes Jesus at a wedding and he changes
00:19:55 the molecular structure of H2O to Pinot Noir.
00:19:59 That's the power of what God can do.
00:20:02 Science says that a man's not supposed to be able to walk on water, but whenever God
00:20:06 gives you a word and just says come forth, all of a sudden that which other people would
00:20:12 sink in, you start stepping.
00:20:15 Science says that when Lazarus is in the grave and it's already been four days and the stone
00:20:21 has been rolled on top of him and if you're moving, it's going to sink.
00:20:25 Science says it's over, but here comes Jesus saying Lazarus come forth and a dead man comes
00:20:31 out of the grave.
00:20:32 God can do miracles.
00:20:33 I need somebody just to take a little 20 second praise break.
00:20:39 If you believe that God still does miracles, that he can still split red seeds, that he
00:20:46 can still open blind eyes, he can still open deaf ears, he does miracles.
00:20:52 Some of y'all clapping like you ain't the miracle yourself.
00:20:58 Some of y'all clapping like you know where you could have been and where you should have
00:21:02 been.
00:21:03 Just the fact that you're still here is a billboard that God still does miracles.
00:21:10 Come on, you know you didn't used to be in church.
00:21:12 You would have been right here in Gilles having a hangover.
00:21:15 Look at you in church now, lifting up your hands, giving God the glory.
00:21:20 Why?
00:21:21 Because he still does miracles.
00:21:24 One song said I got miracles.
00:21:28 Oh, miracles.
00:21:30 So many miracles.
00:21:32 I can't even count them all.
00:21:35 Oh, I'm all for science.
00:21:37 I've just seen them do miracles.
00:21:39 In case you can't shout over those ones in the Bible, maybe you can shout over the ones
00:21:42 right here in our community.
00:21:44 Can I tell you about baby Isabella in our church?
00:21:47 Three year old baby girl that had cancer, but just got a report right here in our church
00:21:52 that she is cancer free, three years old, completely healed.
00:21:56 How'd that happen?
00:21:58 Because God does miracles.
00:22:01 Can I tell you about Guy Fernandez who should be dead, was in a tragic motorcycle accident.
00:22:07 Doctors already called it over, but guess what?
00:22:10 He just got cleared this week to drive.
00:22:12 Why?
00:22:13 Because God does miracles.
00:22:19 Miracles.
00:22:21 I'm all for science, but science just tells me where nature ends.
00:22:27 Miracles is where God begins.
00:22:30 So this is the beauty of what we believe as a church.
00:22:34 Let me just give a little quick theology lesson real quick.
00:22:37 There's atheism that says there is no deity, there is no God, and he is not actively involved.
00:22:42 There's deism that says there is a deity, there is a God, but he just created the world,
00:22:47 started it, spinned it all together and said, "Peace out, I can't get involved no more."
00:22:52 And then there is theism that says God created the world and he is presently, currently,
00:22:59 actively involved in it and miracles can still happen.
00:23:04 So I believe, yes, that a whole man was in the belly of a whale.
00:23:14 And even if I didn't believe in miracles, and if any didn't believe that miracles begin where science ends,
00:23:20 then I got Matthew chapter 12 verse 40.
00:23:24 Remember that's chapter 12?
00:23:26 The Pharisees, the original haters, come up to Jesus.
00:23:29 They're like, "Yo, we need a sign that you're really the Messiah.
00:23:33 Give us a sign."
00:23:35 He said, "Y'all ain't gonna get no sign."
00:23:37 He said, "The only sign you're gonna get is the sign of Jonah."
00:23:39 And then he says this in Matthew chapter 12 verse 40, "These are the words of Jesus.
00:23:44 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish,
00:23:49 so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
00:23:57 If this story is made up, then Jesus is a liar.
00:24:02 Because of all the illustrations to use, and of all the people to talk about when he gets ready to articulate the resurrection,
00:24:10 the thing that changed the course of human history, he chooses to use Jonah and this whale.
00:24:17 I don't know if whales go to heaven, but if they do, I know which whale I want to meet.
00:24:22 I want to meet this whale.
00:24:24 I want to meet the whale that God used to talk about the grave that would hold him for three days.
00:24:31 Oh, this whale is a star.
00:24:35 This whale is powerful.
00:24:37 You know why this whale came for Jonah?
00:24:41 Because it was under the sea.
00:24:44 No.
00:24:45 It was under the sea.
00:24:49 Not the S-E-A.
00:24:51 The sea. What's the sea? Calm down. I'm gonna tell you later.
00:24:55 But I want you to look at Jonah chapter 1 verse 17.
00:24:59 It says, "Then God..."
00:25:04 I'm pausing so you can say that word.
00:25:07 "Then God..."
00:25:10 "...a huge fish..."
00:25:11 They don't even say it was a whale.
00:25:13 It was a huge fish.
00:25:17 "...to swallow Jonah."
00:25:19 Jonah was in the fish's belly three days and three nights.
00:25:23 "Then God..."
00:25:27 "...assigned..."
00:25:31 Doesn't even say what kind of fish it was.
00:25:34 It was an assigned fish.
00:25:38 The fish understood the...
00:25:41 "...assignments."
00:25:46 Now, here's the thing about assignments.
00:25:49 There cannot be an assignment unless there is a calling.
00:25:55 Every assignment is connected to a calling.
00:25:59 Oh, Lord. I'm sorry.
00:26:02 Can you... Somebody grab that for me.
00:26:04 Thank you, sir.
00:26:05 See, every assignment is connected to a calling.
00:26:11 See, I used to think that God assigned things the way I just dropped this towel.
00:26:19 I used to think that God would just drop assignments in the earth by accident.
00:26:25 But God is so intentional.
00:26:27 The same way I didn't drop that towel by accident, I dropped it intentionally.
00:26:32 And I used to think that God would just drop assignments and then say, "Hey, somebody.
00:26:36 "Somebody, can you... Somebody, can you... Somebody, can you..."
00:26:40 And whoever wanted to pick up the assignment could pick up the assignment.
00:26:44 But that's not how God works.
00:26:46 Can I show you how God works?
00:26:48 God will strategically drop an assignment in the earth.
00:26:53 And then He'll call and say, "Jonah, son of Scott and Stephanie, come grab this."
00:27:03 "Jonah, son of Scott and Stephanie, come grab this."
00:27:10 There's Jonah.
00:27:15 And Jonah, son of Scott and Stephanie,
00:27:23 picked up the specific towel that I wanted him to pick up.
00:27:29 This is how God's call works.
00:27:31 It is so specific.
00:27:33 See, in case there was another Jonah in here that might have tried to come get the towel,
00:27:41 I had to bring specificity to the assignment and say, "Jonah, son of Scott and Stephanie, come pick it up."
00:27:48 And he had to walk all the way from over here to right here to pick up this assignment.
00:27:54 Now, here's what I love about this Jonah that I can't stand about the Jonah in our text today.
00:27:59 I'm so glad... Now, he moved at a glacial pace, but at least he came.
00:28:03 I'm glad that this Jonah obeyed.
00:28:05 This Jonah in the Bible wastes two whole chapters running away from the call of God.
00:28:11 And can I just tell you, if this Jonah would have walked outside and gone to Chipotle to get some lunch and said, "Forget him."
00:28:18 I ain't got to listen.
00:28:19 I would have stayed right here saying, "Jonah, son of Scott and Stephanie, come get this towel."
00:28:25 I'm trying to tell you that God in His sovereignty is waiting on you to pick up the assignment that He's placed on your life.
00:28:34 Your mama can't do it.
00:28:35 Your daddy can't do it.
00:28:37 Your brother can't do it.
00:28:38 Your cousin can't do it.
00:28:40 Only you can do the thing He's assigned you to do.
00:28:48 He's not a schoolteacher that's just putting out assignments to everybody.
00:28:52 This assignment comes with specificity.
00:28:56 Can you prove it in the text, Pastor Robert?
00:28:58 I sure can.
00:28:59 Jonah 1, verse number 1 says, "What?
00:29:03 The word of the Lord came to who?
00:29:06 Son of who?"
00:29:08 See how y'all weren't confident.
00:29:10 "Ah, my, my, my.
00:29:11 You know."
00:29:14 Jonah, son of Amittai.
00:29:16 Just fake it.
00:29:17 You got to fake it in the Bible.
00:29:18 You don't know how to say it.
00:29:19 Just fake it.
00:29:20 Y'all lost all y'all's confidence.
00:29:21 You're like, "Jonah, son of--."
00:29:27 "The word of the Lord came to Jonah, son of Amittai."
00:29:33 Go to the great city of Nineveh.
00:29:36 Preach against it, because his wickedness has come up before me.
00:29:40 The entire book of Jonah starts with Jonah being under the sea.
00:29:48 What's the sea?
00:29:49 I know you've been itching to know.
00:29:55 (Applause)
00:29:59 (Humming)
00:30:07 I feel the spirit of Sebastian on me today.
00:30:12 I'm trying to speak to some Ariels in here
00:30:16 who think that life is so much better
00:30:21 off where they run.
00:30:28 And I'm telling you,
00:30:30 you will never be at peace or be whole
00:30:36 until you come under the sea.
00:30:39 The sea is the call.
00:30:41 It is the call that God has placed on your life.
00:30:46 And I want to know today, are you under the sea?
00:30:50 Are you under the call?
00:30:52 Are you like Jonah, who thinks that you can drift
00:30:55 out from under the call and do whatever you want?
00:30:59 And now you're shocked that there's a storm in your life.
00:31:03 Not understanding that the story of Jonah is proof positive,
00:31:06 that everything God called responded.
00:31:10 Well, come on.
00:31:14 Wind, let's go.
00:31:17 Jonah, none of us.
00:31:20 Oh, no, let me tell you something.
00:31:22 I got stuff to do today.
00:31:25 It's a picture of the human condition,
00:31:28 that we are the only entity that fights the call.
00:31:33 We're the only entity that thinks the call is restrictive.
00:31:38 It's literally Ariel.
00:31:41 This girl thought everything was better up there.
00:31:44 And I wish they would do Little Mermaid Part Two.
00:31:48 Yes, show me after the honeymoon,
00:31:51 what was life like with your new legs?
00:31:53 I guarantee you, they got into a little marital argument.
00:31:56 I guarantee you, he dropped his underwear all over the floor
00:32:00 and all kinds of marital issues.
00:32:02 I guarantee you she saw this credit score that he had.
00:32:04 It was like, forget this, my daddy was right.
00:32:06 Where are my fins?
00:32:08 I need to get back in the water.
00:32:10 But it's the trick of the enemy to get you to come out
00:32:14 from the call that you know God has placed on your life.
00:32:18 Now, here's the thing about a call.
00:32:20 This is a word, oh, that has been so jacked up in the church,
00:32:24 if I can say it that way.
00:32:26 Matter of fact, I'm almost sick of people saying, "I have a call.
00:32:29 "I have a call. No, I need to sing on stage 'cause I have a call."
00:32:32 Really? Really?
00:32:35 Since when did we start mixing personal ambition...
00:32:40 [cheers and applause]
00:32:43 ...for cute Christian language?
00:32:49 Oh, you very well might have a call to sing.
00:32:51 You very well might have a call to have a business.
00:32:53 But let's just go back to our original call as human beings.
00:32:56 Our original call is to be in intimacy and relationship with God.
00:32:59 Our original call is simply obedience.
00:33:02 So whatever he says, that's the original call.
00:33:05 Let me just simplify something that seems so ethereal.
00:33:08 The original call is to be in relationship with God
00:33:11 and obey what he says.
00:33:13 "Give us Scripture, Robert."
00:33:15 That's what happened in Genesis.
00:33:17 He created Adam and Eve.
00:33:19 They were in intimate fellowship with God.
00:33:21 And then he puts a tree in the garden and says,
00:33:24 "You cannot touch that tree,"
00:33:26 and gives no explanation as to why they can't touch the tree.
00:33:30 He just says, "I'm giving you a word. You cannot touch it."
00:33:33 If it was me, I at least would have given a five-minute video
00:33:36 that would have showed Adam and Eve,
00:33:38 "This is what's going to happen to the world if you eat this tree."
00:33:41 God does not do that. God says, "I want relationship with you,
00:33:44 and I want that relationship to be founded on trust
00:33:47 and that you obey me, and you know that even if you don't understand it,
00:33:50 it's good for you, that even if you can't comprehend it,
00:33:53 it's good for you, because I'm your Father.
00:33:55 I want you to obey and stay under the call."
00:33:59 This is why we get no explanation.
00:34:01 But Adam and Eve were the first ones to say,
00:34:04 "I want to be where the people are."
00:34:08 And now we have the calamity we have in the world today
00:34:12 because we're all trying to get out from under the sea.
00:34:15 Are you under the sea?
00:34:17 I think because we have confused our own personal ambition
00:34:23 for things in the kingdom of God.
00:34:25 Some of us think we're under the sea, but we're not really under the sea.
00:34:28 I think some of us are under the sea, but it's the sea of comparison.
00:34:33 And so we're comparing our life to somebody else's life.
00:34:37 And because God is doing something a certain way through them,
00:34:40 we erroneously and arrogantly assume that if God did it that way through them,
00:34:44 he's going to do it the same way through me.
00:34:46 But then when God doesn't do it that way through you, you're like,
00:34:48 "Oh, God, what's going on?
00:34:51 I just think about you being a promise keeper.
00:34:53 Obviously, you ain't keeping your promises."
00:34:56 And he's like, "I never promised that.
00:34:59 I never promised that."
00:35:00 You're under the sea of comparison.
00:35:05 You have to be careful, especially hear me when it comes to things in the kingdom of God
00:35:09 because the kingdom of God is the place where idols of ambition and success can hide the best.
00:35:15 I have to be careful that even as I'm standing under the sea,
00:35:18 the call that God has placed on my life, that I don't start getting under the sea of comparison.
00:35:22 Sometimes it'll come through other people's voices.
00:35:24 I have people all the time, "Oh, when are we going to have some more campuses, Pastor?"
00:35:27 "I don't know."
00:35:28 What if we never have one?
00:35:30 I mean, I would love a social Maui and I would leave tomorrow.
00:35:36 But isn't it funny what we think because everybody else has a campus,
00:35:39 I'm supposed to have multiple campuses?
00:35:41 What if God just wants me to have one campus?
00:35:44 Can I be content with one campus?
00:35:49 And so, Jack, you know, if you really start asking yourself, "What sea am I under?
00:35:54 Am I under the call or am I under comparison?"
00:35:56 Because isn't it funny how everybody's call is massive?
00:36:01 I've never heard anybody come up to me and say, "I had a vision and I was in front of five people singing.
00:36:08 I had a vision and I saw three people in the church."
00:36:11 Everybody's call is big.
00:36:13 Everybody's thousands.
00:36:15 What are we comparing the sea to?
00:36:17 Maybe we're under the cloud.
00:36:22 Because we're so insecure that we need the validation of other people.
00:36:26 And so we think that it's only significant if it's great in size,
00:36:30 not knowing that growth and swelling looks the same.
00:36:35 That's not in my notes, but I know God gave me that one.
00:36:40 Which sea are you under?
00:36:41 Oh, are you under the sea of comfort?
00:36:46 Oh, I hear this all the time.
00:36:47 Because so many people think that if God called me to do it, I'll be comfortable.
00:36:53 As if our whole faith is incentive on a man who died on a cross and said, "You got to pick up yours too."
00:37:02 But we're wondering if we're under the call, if it's comfortable.
00:37:06 Are you really under the sea?
00:37:07 Oh, are you under, oh, see, are you under the sea but it's the compensation package?
00:37:14 Oh God, God, no, God, whatever you want me to do, Lord, I just need to know what the benefits are.
00:37:19 Because you know, the new seven series is coming out.
00:37:21 I just want to make sure that the money's right.
00:37:24 I've never in my life seen so many people that the thing they go to is the benefit package
00:37:30 instead of asking God, "Was I actually called to this?"
00:37:34 No wonder God said, "You cannot serve both me and money."
00:37:37 Because money seems to be the thing that people will go to to see whether I'm called to it.
00:37:42 Do you know, ooh, can I say this?
00:37:44 Do you know that when we first planted this church, we didn't take no salary?
00:37:48 Because we couldn't afford to give us one.
00:37:51 We was out here on these streets.
00:37:54 The only reason I did it is because I had an undeniable call.
00:38:00 Are you under the call or are you under the compensation package?
00:38:05 Are you under the convenience because it's easy?
00:38:11 Are you under the sea but it's the sea of compliments?
00:38:15 So you're comfortable to be under the sea as long as everybody is clapping for you.
00:38:21 I remember when we first started planting this church, God told me real quick,
00:38:24 "Get ready for controversy and get ready for criticism."
00:38:29 Because anybody that does anything great in the earth, there will be criticism.
00:38:33 The only people that don't have people talking about them are the people that say nothing, do nothing, and become nothing.
00:38:38 If you ever start doing something, get ready for folks to start talking about you.
00:38:43 God gave us a word very early in this church.
00:38:45 He said, "Keep a soft heart but thick skin."
00:38:50 So many people are under the sea of compliments.
00:38:52 As soon as two people say something underneath your page, you're like, "Oh, God, I don't know if I can do this anymore."
00:38:58 Which sea are you under?
00:39:02 Jonah was trying to get away from the call.
00:39:08 He fled, went down to Joppa, all the way to Tarshish.
00:39:19 Don't play just yet, Will.
00:39:21 Where there's a will, there's a way.
00:39:25 He fled all the way to Tarshish.
00:39:28 I almost was going to put the map on the screen for you to show you that from where Jonah was to Nineveh was only 550 miles.
00:39:40 But Tarshish was 2,500 miles away from where he was.
00:39:48 Homeboy went 2,000 miles by sea into the complete opposite direction.
00:39:56 And the Bible fills the need to tell us that he did not hop on the boat for free.
00:40:01 He paid the fare.
00:40:04 As if the text is subliminally suggesting to us, "Disobedience will always cost you."
00:40:10 You will always pay the price for disobedience.
00:40:15 And ships leave for Tarshish every single day.
00:40:20 And it doesn't always look like somebody up in the club.
00:40:23 You can be in church and still be disobeying the sea that he called you to.
00:40:31 He gets on his way to Tarshish, and he's fleeing from the presence of the Lord.
00:40:39 He's on the run.
00:40:41 Well, now you can play.
00:40:44 I just want to ask you very plainly today.
00:40:52 Are you on the run?
00:40:56 I'm not talking about the call, because again, that can become so ethereal.
00:40:59 They were like, "Well, I don't know what to do."
00:41:01 Let's not even deal with the thing that you don't know what to do.
00:41:03 I'm talking about the thing that you know he told you to do.
00:41:07 Are you on the run?
00:41:10 Because you don't want to be under the sea.
00:41:13 It's so interesting being a preacher, because everybody's occupation sometimes curates conversations.
00:41:21 Come on, if you're a chiropractor and you tell people you're a chiropractor, all of a sudden you're at a dinner party,
00:41:25 and they're like, "Hey, can you fix me? Because my back is off."
00:41:28 Same thing as a preacher. It's interesting.
00:41:31 I run into people, and I'll just be seeing them.
00:41:34 It's like I can almost tell in their eyes. It's not like I'm judgmental at all.
00:41:39 But it's weird being a preacher, because sometimes when you talk to people,
00:41:43 you can almost see in their face where they are with the Lord.
00:41:48 Because for whatever reason, sometimes if it's you, they're like, they don't want to look at you in the eye.
00:41:52 I've been out just like at a restaurant, and then I'll see somebody, they're like,
00:41:56 "Oh, man, I'm going to come to church pastor. I know it's been a few months."
00:41:59 I'm like, "Hey, man, I'm just getting a bean burrito, homie. I'm just..."
00:42:02 "Cool. Come to Gilead."
00:42:05 But I've learned to realize it's not me.
00:42:08 They're running from the sea.
00:42:11 And just me, because I guess I preach the gospel, is reminding them of the sea
00:42:17 that they've been trying to get out from under.
00:42:20 Jonah went so far trying to get out from under the sea.
00:42:27 I'm wondering, are you paying the price?
00:42:31 Have you found yourself farther than you ever realized trying to get away from the sea?
00:42:37 That's the thing about disobedience. That's why I didn't put the map on the screen.
00:42:40 I was going to show you the distance and how far Tarshish was.
00:42:43 But I guarantee you, life and maps look different in retrospect.
00:42:49 It's not until you look back that you say, "Oh, that's how far I've drifted."
00:42:52 But when you're in it, disobedience doesn't start in leaps. It starts in steps.
00:42:58 And before you know it, you've gone farther than you realized.
00:43:03 And here is Jonah, asleep, and a storm is brewing.
00:43:10 And the storm, hear me, is because of him.
00:43:14 See, we talk about storms all the time in the church.
00:43:16 How many of you know storms can happen for a whole lot of reasons?
00:43:19 Some storms are just life.
00:43:21 And maybe you need to hear that today.
00:43:23 There's a storm that you're facing, and hear me, that storm is not God.
00:43:26 God is not the devil. It's just life.
00:43:28 There are some storms that are just a result of the fact that we live in a broken world.
00:43:33 We live in a fallen world because Adam and Eve came out from under the sea.
00:43:38 And yes, one day when God comes back, when Jesus splits the sky, this world will be redeemed.
00:43:43 But the reality is we live in a fallen world.
00:43:45 Some storms are just life.
00:43:47 Some storms are because you did something right, and it's just an attack from the enemy.
00:43:52 I told you last week, remember how Jesus went from the water into the wilderness,
00:43:56 and right after the water, here comes the enemy attacking the very identity that he got in the water.
00:44:02 Some storms in your life are because you did something right, and the enemy is attacking you.
00:44:06 But then there are some storms that are the consequence of your disobedience.
00:44:13 That's what the storm is.
00:44:15 I actually got good news for somebody.
00:44:17 That storm could stop if you would just come back to the call.
00:44:21 That storm could stop if you would just get under the sea.
00:44:25 That storm could actually stop in your life.
00:44:27 That's what happened when the winds and the waves were raging.
00:44:31 And here comes the captain saying, "Wake up, Jonah!
00:44:35 How are you sleeping in this?"
00:44:37 Oh, this isn't the sleep of somebody that's in peace like when Jesus was asleep in the storm.
00:44:41 No, this is the sleep of somebody who is unaware that the storm they're facing is directly connected to their personal disobedience.
00:44:52 Because you don't know you're asleep until somebody says, "Wake up!
00:44:56 Call on your God!"
00:44:58 Isn't it crazy that God would use a pagan captain to wake up a prophet of God and say, "Get up and call on your God!"
00:45:07 And I don't know who this is for, but how many know God has a way of doing that?
00:45:10 God will use the most unusual things when you've been away from the sea to speak to you, to get your attention.
00:45:17 He'll use somebody that doesn't even know who Jesus is to say, "You know you're not supposed to be in here.
00:45:21 You know there's more on your life.
00:45:23 You know you're not supposed to be doing this.
00:45:25 God has greater for you.
00:45:26 What are you doing in here?
00:45:27 You ain't supposed to be here."
00:45:29 There's something about being out from under the sea that makes you unaware and somebody has to wake you up.
00:45:39 And Jonah says, "Here's what you've got to do.
00:45:42 You want the sea to stop?
00:45:44 Throw me into the sea."
00:45:46 And I can see the sailors there like, "No, we can't do that.
00:45:48 We can't do that.
00:45:49 That would be like killing you.
00:45:50 We can't do that."
00:45:51 He's like, "No, that's the only way this storm is going to stop.
00:45:53 This storm is because of me."
00:45:54 And I can see those sailors struggling to throw Jonah overboard.
00:45:59 The Bible says they started throwing cargo over because it's easy to throw cargo.
00:46:03 It's harder to throw somebody that you've been connected to.
00:46:06 And maybe you're a sailor in here and the reason you're in a storm is because you let Jonah on your boat.
00:46:11 And I got a word for you today.
00:46:13 Throw Jonah overboard.
00:46:15 Your destiny is not worth it.
00:46:17 Throw Jonah overboard.
00:46:19 Some of you are in a storm because of who you are connected to.
00:46:22 Throw Jonah overboard.
00:46:24 Delete Jonah off your phone because they're the one that's causing the storm.
00:46:29 You've got to get rid of them or you're going to lose you.
00:46:34 Sailors, throw him overboard.
00:46:38 All of a sudden, he hits the ground.
00:46:41 Hits the water, rather.
00:46:43 And all of a sudden, the storm that was raging is calm and peaceful.
00:46:50 Look at the God of the sea.
00:46:53 That he's the God that can control Jonah in the water and make sure that a whale gets him.
00:47:01 And he's the God that even used Jonah's disobedience to speak to those sailors who ended up calling on the true God and he got them to shore.
00:47:09 This is what I thank God about.
00:47:11 That he has the ability to take care of both.
00:47:15 Jonah is in the belly of the whale.
00:47:19 And for the first time, he prays.
00:47:23 He prays.
00:47:25 He didn't pray when God said, "Go to Nineveh."
00:47:29 He's like, "No, them heathens don't need your mercy. I ain't going there."
00:47:33 But all of a sudden, now that he's got himself in the whale, he lifts up his voice to pray.
00:47:39 And that prayer produced this whale vomiting him up.
00:47:47 I love it because the Bible doesn't say how far the whale was from the land when he vomited.
00:47:53 So in my mind, I like to think he was a far distance from the land.
00:47:56 And it was projectile.
00:47:59 So here comes this whale.
00:48:01 Here's Jonah.
00:48:03 Flying through the air.
00:48:05 Vomiting his hair.
00:48:07 Landing on the ground.
00:48:10 And getting up.
00:48:12 And what happens when Jonah hits the land?
00:48:17 I'm so glad you asked.
00:48:19 Jonah chapter 3.
00:48:21 "Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah, 'Eh.'"
00:48:27 Remember, when I pause, you're supposed to say it.
00:48:30 "Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah, 'Uh.'"
00:48:34 "Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah, 'Eh.'"
00:48:37 "Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah, 'Eh.'"
00:48:40 I don't know about you, but that second time made me shout.
00:48:43 Because sometimes I wonder if God's given me a word and I've gotten so far away from the sea,
00:48:48 sometimes I wonder, "God, are you going to give up on me?
00:48:51 God, are you going to walk away?"
00:48:53 But I want to thank God that he'll use a whale that was under the sea
00:48:56 to throw you up to the exact place of your disobedience.
00:48:59 And God will give you a second time.
00:49:02 Somebody in here knows what it's like to get a second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance, a fifth chance.
00:49:08 How many are thankful for the loving kindness, for the mercy, for the grace of God
00:49:13 that even when I've gotten so far away, I'm so glad that my Father will come a second time
00:49:19 and give me another opportunity to get under the sea, under the call that is on my life,
00:49:25 somebody who's thankful for a second chance.
00:49:28 Would you give Jesus just the best handclap and shout of praise that you got?
00:49:33 Our God is a God of second chances.
00:49:41 Would you stand to your feet?
00:49:43 This is what the book of Jonah is completely about.
00:49:48 It's about the mercy of God.
00:49:50 You know why Jonah didn't want to go?
00:49:53 He didn't want to go because he knew how wicked Nineveh was,
00:49:58 and he did not think that they deserved the mercy of God.
00:50:03 Isn't that funny?
00:50:05 The one that needed the mercy didn't think other people deserved the mercy.
00:50:11 And the Word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time.
00:50:18 Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.
00:50:24 Jonah.
00:50:26 Jonah.
00:50:30 Jonah.
00:50:32 He heard the Lord and went to Nineveh.
00:50:35 He obeyed.
00:50:37 God gave him a second chance to bring him back to the place of his disobedience
00:50:44 and gives him the same word so he can obey.
00:50:49 Jonah, you don't get to get out from under the sea.
00:50:52 I had a specific assignment for you to accomplish.
00:50:58 The Bible says the entire city of Nineveh repented.
00:51:06 The entire city from the king to the peasants, everybody repented.
00:51:16 And it gave me so much hope when I was preaching this sermon today
00:51:19 because guess what his message was?
00:51:21 You know he had an attitude still.
00:51:23 His message was like, "Hey, you don't repent, God's going to judge you all in 40 days."
00:51:27 No illustrations.
00:51:30 No three points.
00:51:32 Just a warning.
00:51:34 And a whole city gives its life to the Savior?
00:51:41 I wonder who's waiting for you to get under the sea.
00:51:48 Who is on the other side of you getting under the sea?
00:51:54 I'll never forget when God started calling us to plant this church.
00:52:01 Y'all, I was comfortable.
00:52:05 I would travel and preach at different churches and I would talk to pastors.
00:52:08 They'd be like, "It's hard out here on these pastoral streets."
00:52:10 I'm like, "Man, it's too bad for you."
00:52:13 I'm going home, but Godspeed.
00:52:17 I gave God every excuse, but I couldn't shake it.
00:52:24 Being under the sea, I didn't see this right here.
00:52:32 There's always somebody waiting on the other side of you getting under the sea.
00:52:36 This isn't just about you.
00:52:39 Somebody is waiting on you to stop running and get under the sea.
00:52:47 I'm going to ask every head be bowed and eyes be closed.
00:52:52 Father, thank you today for your Word.
00:52:58 The Word of the Lord came to Jonah, and the Word of the Lord still comes to us today.
00:53:06 Father, I pray for your son. I pray for your daughter.
00:53:11 Some who have traveled so far, they paid the price.
00:53:20 Some are headed to Tarsus. Some are already there.
00:53:24 Lord, I pray today they would hear your message of mercy and your loving kindness.
00:53:33 Lord, if you had mercy and compassion on the wicked, most evil city of Nineveh,
00:53:41 how much more will you have mercy on us?
00:53:47 But you do require obedience.
00:53:52 Bring us back to the place where we disobeyed.
00:53:58 Give us the second time today.
00:54:03 Whatever that looks like, let us obey our first call,
00:54:11 which is to trust the Word of our loving, kind Father.
00:54:21 Give us an obedience that doesn't even need comprehension.
00:54:26 We don't have to understand to obey.
00:54:29 We just have to know that your character and your nature is good.
00:54:34 So with heads bowed, eyes closed today, if you'd be so honest and say,
00:54:39 "Pastor Robert, I know this Word is for me. I've been on the run."
00:54:47 Some of you, to be honest, you're so tired of running.
00:54:53 God ordained you to be here today. This is your moment.
00:54:59 This is your second chance to say, "God, I'm coming home."
00:55:04 If that's you with heads bowed and eyes closed, and you know there's an area of your life,
00:55:10 because come on, let's be honest, we do so good sometimes compartmentalizing and saying,
00:55:14 "God, yeah, I'm good with being under the call, under the sea in this area.
00:55:17 Oh, but this area, God, come on, you don't know who I'm supposed to date.
00:55:21 That doesn't apply to you." No, He wants you under the call in every area of your life.
00:55:30 Your finances, your emotions, every aspect. He wants you under the sea.
00:55:38 If you're in here today, you'd be so honest and say, "I know God is speaking to me about a specific area
00:55:42 that I need to come under the sea, under the call. Today, I'm coming home."
00:55:48 Would you just lift up your hand high enough and long enough, just as a sign to say,
00:55:52 "God, I hear you speaking." Oh my goodness, this is beautiful.
00:55:56 Hear me. When you harden your heart, the more you disobey, the harder it is to hear.
00:56:03 This is beautiful that you would even lift up your hand to say, "God, I hear you speaking."
00:56:08 I'm telling you, conviction is a gift. It's a horrible thing when you don't feel conviction anymore.
00:56:14 You don't feel it anymore. It's a beautiful thing when you say, "God, I disobeyed, but I'm coming back.
00:56:20 I'm coming back." Hear me. He is so quick to forgive. He's slow to anger.
00:56:28 He's a God of mercy. Anybody else, you can lift it up and put it right back down.
00:56:34 Head still bowed, eyes still closed. Be so honest and say, "Pastor Robert, I've never surrendered my life to Jesus."
00:56:42 That's the first call, to respond to the call of salvation.
00:56:48 To repent means I changed my mind. I turned in a different direction.
00:56:53 Yes, we spend our whole Christian life repenting and turning. God is continually shaping and sanctifying us,
00:57:00 but there needs to be that initial moment to say, "God, I'm coming home. I'm giving you my life."
00:57:05 If that's you today, I don't care if it's just one person. I don't care if you're watching online.
00:57:10 There's a reason you haven't turned off. If you're here today and say, "Pastor Robert, I need to surrender my life to him."
00:57:17 Would you just lift up your hand high enough and long enough to where I can see it and say, "Today's the day."
00:57:21 We say it all the time in social. You can always come home. Thank you, Jesus.
00:57:25 Hands going up all over this place today. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, God. Thank you, Lord.
00:57:29 Anybody else? Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
00:57:34 We're a church that just believes in the power of responding, not just by lifting up your hands,
00:57:39 but sometimes it's just good to get out from where you're standing and come up to the front.
00:57:43 I'm going to ask those of you, especially if you lifted up your hand that second time saying, "I need to give him my life,"
00:57:48 or maybe you've been away from God, been away from the church, and God's calling you back today.
00:57:54 You had somebody. I just said so strongly, "You haven't been to church forever, but today you just decided to come."
00:58:00 This whole message, God has been speaking to you. That's because he knows where you are.
00:58:04 He's the God who sees. He doesn't just want you under the sea, but he can see you.
00:58:09 He can see where you are, and he's calling you home.
00:58:12 I'm just going to ask you, if that's you, if you lifted up your hand that second time without worrying about what anybody else thinks,
00:58:18 would you just come find a place at this altar? Our prayer team is going to start coming up here now.
00:58:22 We want to be able to pray with you. Come on. This is a destiny moment for you.
00:58:26 One, don't worry about what anybody else is going to think. Two, come on. You know when God is speaking to your heart.
00:58:31 Three, would you come? I don't care if you're all the way in the back.
00:58:34 I'm telling you that walk is worth every single step to say, "God, I'm coming home."
00:58:40 Come on. I wish I had a church that would celebrate every single one of these incredibly brave, strong children of God who are coming home today.
00:58:54 Come on. Y'all could do better than that. Would you give God some praise?
00:58:58 Come on. Just come right up here to the front. Right up here to the front.
00:59:03 Come on. Come on. Come on, y'all. Don't stop clapping until people stop coming.
00:59:10 Come on. You don't know the story of some of the people who are making the biggest step of their life to say, "God, I've been running.
00:59:16 I'm tired of running. I'm tired of running. I'm tired of running. I've got to come home. I've got to come home."
00:59:22 Come on. Come on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I see fathers coming. I see sons coming. I see daughters coming.
00:59:31 I'm telling you, you don't know who's on the other side of you coming under the sea.
00:59:35 You don't know whose destiny has been waiting for you to come under the sea. Come on.
00:59:45 Come on.
00:59:59 Thank you, Jesus. Yeah, come on. Come on. Thank you, Jesus.
01:00:06 Come on. Come on. Anybody else? Anybody else? It's exhausting running. It's exhausting running.
01:00:15 It's exhausting to keep running when you know he's calling. When you know he's calling.
01:00:24 I'm sorry, Lord. Thank you, God. Thank you, God.
01:00:32 Thank you, Jesus. Anybody else? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I want to wait a few more moments.
01:00:42 Thank you, God. Thank you, God.
01:00:51 The Bible says that the day you hear God's voice, do not harden your heart.
01:00:58 He's a God of incredible mercy, but he will not strive forever.
01:01:04 I'm telling you, the fact that you still feel him tugging even as you're running is a sign God has so much more for you.
01:01:14 Anybody else? Thank you, God. Thank you, God.
01:01:18 We're going to pray a prayer together as one big family.
01:01:22 This prayer team is going to be able to pray with you personally if you want personal prayer, but can we just do this just as a sign of surrender?
01:01:29 Can we all just lift up our hands, not just those of you at the front, but all of us?
01:01:36 We're lifting up our hands as a sign of surrender, and I'm just going to lead you in this corporate prayer.
01:01:42 Again, the prayer team is going to be here for individual prayer, but can we pray this prayer?
01:01:45 I'm going to give you the words, but you say it from your heart.
01:01:48 Would you say this? Say, "Jesus, my hands are raised because I'm tired of running. I surrender."
01:02:01 God, I know that you've been calling for me. Lord, thank you for your love, for your mercy, and for your patience.
01:02:18 Lord, today I need your forgiveness. Speak to me. Give me a second chance.
01:02:34 I am here for you, and I will obey the call. Give me the strength that I need to live under the sea, under the divine call that you've placed on my life.
01:02:58 From this moment forward, I'm walking with you. Where you lead, I will follow. In Jesus' name, amen.
01:03:14 Come on. If you meant what you prayed, can we give Jesus some praise today?
01:03:19 Oh, come on. We could do better than that. Can we give Jesus just the best praise that you've got?