Disobedience of the Prophet

Driving home: It is this book which not only sets Noah before us and his singular godliness in a wicked age, But it describes the sordid experience of Noah in a drunken stupor.

This analogy differentiates between a flattering, altered portrait and a truthful, untouched snapshot to explain how the Bible portrays its heroes with all their flaws, unlike human biographies.

One of the most amazing aspects of the Bible is its untouched pictures of some of its greatest heroes. Now, you all know the difference between a professionally altered portrait and an untouched snapshot. In the one, a man engages. He uses all the arts and skills of his profession to make you look better than you really are.

1:03 - 1:31 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is this book which not only sets Noah before us and his singular godliness in a wicked age, But it describes the sordid experience of Noah in a drunken stupor.

Noah's sordid experience in a drunken stupor is given as an example of the Bible's untouched pictures of its heroes, showing his sin despite his godliness.

But in the midst of it, there's a gallery of un konnte surfaces the Christian Church over 그러니까 just get over them touched photographs of even some of its greatest heroes. It is this book which not only sets Noah before us and his singular godliness in a wicked age, But it describes the sordid experience of Noah in a drunken stupor. It is this book which not only sets Noah before us and his singular godliness in an a wicked age, but it describes the sordid exec celebration of Noah in a drunken stupor.

1:58 - 2:29 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is this book which not only sets Noah before us and his singular godliness in a wicked age, But it describes the sordid experience of Noah in a drunken stupor.

David, the man after God's own heart, is presented as a man who burned with carnal lust, crippling himself and his family, illustrating the Bible's honest portrayal of sin.

If David is set before us as the man after God's own heart, he's also set before us as a man of like passions, who burns with carnal lust to a beautiful woman and cripples himself and his family for unborn generations because of that lust. If this book describes Peter in his boldness, it gives us the account of Peter in his denials. And so we could go on and on, going through the gallery of the untouched photographs of some of the greatest heroes of the Word of God. Well, in the passage I have read in your hearing, we encounter another of those untouched photographs.

2:30 - 3:11 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is this book which not only sets Noah before us and his singular godliness in a wicked age, But it describes the sordid experience of Noah in a drunken stupor.

Peter's denials of Christ, despite his boldness, are used as another example of the Bible's untouched photographs of its greatest heroes.

If David is set before us as the man after God's own heart, he's also set before us as a man of like passions, who burns with carnal lust to a beautiful woman and cripples himself and his family for unborn generations because of that lust. If this book describes Peter in his boldness, it gives us the account of Peter in his denials. And so we could go on and on, going through the gallery of the untouched photographs of some of the greatest heroes of the Word of God. Well, in the passage I have read in your hearing, we encounter another of those untouched photographs.

2:30 - 3:11 Read in full sermon

Driving home: In his state of disobedience, he is determined to put himself as far away from every visible reminder of the living God.

Jonah's choice of the high seas and the company of pagan sailors is presented as an example of his attempt to escape reminders of God and agitate his conscience.

Everything that would impinge upon his tortured conscience concerning the claims of the God of Israel to whom he was accountable. You see, there, in Israel, there were too many vivid reminders to agitate his conscience. Therefore, he must flee and get away from as much as possible that would remind him of his God. What better thing than the high seas and the rude company of a bunch of pagan sailors?

12:03 - 12:33 Read in full sermon

Driving home: O God, I had more than a sneaking suspicion that you were sending me to Nineveh because you had purposes of grace for Nineveh, and because you had purposes of grace and mercy that contradicted my notion of what was right…

The heathen concept of fickle, moody gods is contrasted with Jehovah to explain Jonah's potential fear for God's honor if He showed mercy, making Him seem unpredictable.

You see the heathen concept of God as we were reminded in the adult class several weeks ago is that the gods were very fickle. You could never predict how they were going to act. They were very moody, might get up one day frowning next day get up smiling. You never knew. So the safety thing to do is to send them lots of gifts so if they get up in a bad mood you'll placate them. Well it could have been that Jonah was fearful for the honor of God. Here he will come with a message, Nineveh is to be judged. Your wickedness has come up before Jehovah.

19:35 - 20:13 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Jonah you have no regard for them but I do. I delight to show mercy you're angry that I show mercy therefore I believe and I have reason to believe that that confidence is rooted in what is clear in the passage and we mu…

Habakkuk's perplexity over God using Babylon as a scourge, and his patient waiting for God's answer, is contrasted with Jonah's anger and sulking, highlighting the difference between righteous perplexity and sinful anger.

I mean these people at Nineveh have no temple, they have no prophetic office, no law, no revealed system of sacrifice. As such they are pagans unworthy of mercy. And if God through my preaching shows mercy upon them, well that puts them on the same footing with us. Now which of these motives is it? Or is it a combination of all of them? Well I opt for the worst although the others may have been mingled and I do so for this simple reason that the Holy Ghost has recorded that Jonah was angry. Now you remember there is the record in the book of Habakkuk of a prophet who was perplexed when God had...

24:03 - 24:54 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Jonah you have no regard for them but I do. I delight to show mercy you're angry that I show mercy therefore I believe and I have reason to believe that that confidence is rooted in what is clear in the passage and we mu…

God's interaction with Jonah through the gourd is referenced to show God's patient dealing with Jonah's anger and His ultimate question about His regard for Nineveh.

how can it be? Here's a nation more wicked than we are and you're going to use them. But what does he do? He doesn't go off and sulk. He says I will set upon my watch and wait and see what the Lord will say to me. You see it is perfectly right for a prophet to be perplexed concerning the mystery of God's dealings with him but Jonah was not just perplexed he was angry. He said God I'm upset you show mercy to those Ninevites and this wasn't just a passing thing it was a settled disposition. He even remonstrates with God and then God goes through this strange thing of causing this gourd to grow u...

24:54 - 25:45 Read in full sermon

The point: If you sit in the back of church to avoid the preacher's voice, finger, and eye, it's because you want to get away from that which impinges upon your conscience.

Sitting far in the back of church to avoid the preacher's voice, finger, and eye is used as an example of people trying to distance themselves from God's claims on their conscience.

unto Tarshish but his concern for Tarshish was only that he might flee from the presence of Jehovah that is everything that had a peculiar ability to remind him of the claims of his God and I say in that text there is an eloquent testimony to the unchanging activity of every person who has a controversy with God he will do all within his power to get as far away from everything that puts pressure upon his conscience to remind him of his obligations to the living God this is true of the unconverted and it's true of the child of God you know why some of you sit far to the back when you get a cha...

27:13 - 28:41 Read in full sermon

The point: If you only come to as many services as your parents make you, listen to only as much preaching as you have to, or only deal with the Bible as much as you have to, it's because you're fleeing God's claims.

The constant need to have TV or radio on, avoiding silence, is given as an example of people fleeing from the quiet reminders of their obligations to God.

of you get as far back as your mom and dad will let you and as far back as you can is because you'll do anything to get as far away from that which impinges upon your conscience that's why you only come to as many services as mom and dad make you come to because here God's presence is known and felt and sensed that's why you listen only to as much preaching as you have to that's why you have as much dealing with this book only as much as you have to you don't read your Bible why because every time you pick it up it's a reminder that the living God has claims upon you he has not said arise go t...

28:41 - 30:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Jonah's disobedience is a flashing beacon to warn us that with all our privileges and graces, if left to ourselves, we too are a mass of prejudice and weakness.

Jonah's disobedience is contrasted with a 'reflex sin' (like stepping on a corn) to emphasize that his flight was a calculated, deliberate act, not an unguarded moment.

I say the best of men, characterized in normal spiritual states with transparency, prayerfulness, courage, and all of those many graces of the Spirit, behold the weakness of the best of men when they are left to themselves. For this, you see, was not the reflex sin committed in an unguarded moment. This wasn't a matter of somebody brushing by and stepping on his toe and he had a corn on it and all of a sudden he blew off the handle and said, watch where you walk. No, no.

34:58 - 35:32 Read in full sermon

The point: Behold the frightening power of uncrucified racial pride and spiritual smugness, which cripples aggressive evangelism and missions.

Racial pride and spiritual smugness are described as 'sand in the gearbox' of evangelism, hindering its progress and effectiveness.

He has told us to take that message to the most unlikely recipients. And yet how often racial pride, pride in spiritual smugness, has caused the wheels of evangelism to come to a grinding halt. It's been like sand in the gearbox.

39:57 - 40:15 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The third application exposes Jonah's sin as rooted in uncrucified racial pride and spiritual smugness, which cripples evangelism and missions by creating barriers between…

Martin recounts hearing missionaries speak of 'those people' in a way that revealed their walled-off lifestyle and lack of genuine acceptance, illustrating racial pride.

that group of people, I've even heard missionaries talk concerning national, those people,

40:21 - 40:30 Read in full sermon

The point: Cry to God if anything of the spirit of a Jonah (uncrucified racial pride or spiritual smugness) is in us, that God will show us that thing for what it is.

The idea that churches must be homogeneous (e.g., 'middle-class young couples church') to grow is presented as a tragic consequence of the spirit of Jonah, prioritizing statistics over biblical principles.

And there are people who are actually telling us that you cannot have a functioning church made up of diversities of racial and ethnic and educational and age levels, that like attracts like and therefore if churches are to grow it must be a middle-class young couples church. And that kind of church will grow. And then if you're going to reach lower class, older people, you're going to have that kind of, that's ridiculous.

41:38 - 42:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Cry to God if anything of the spirit of a Jonah (uncrucified racial pride or spiritual smugness) is in us, that God will show us that thing for what it is.

Martin mentions a group that believes their national temperament makes them more susceptible to the Spirit and produces greater preachers, exposing a form of cultural pride.

I know one group that really believe their national temperament is more susceptible to the spirit. And that's why greater preachers are produced in their particular country. This view is actually expounded that the blank temperament we are told is more susceptible to the spirit. Hogwash.

42:56 - 43:13 Read in full sermon

The point: Behold the danger of determining the will of God by providence, especially when it contradicts a clear word from God.

The detailed narrative of Jonah finding a ship, having money for the fare, and favorable winds is used to illustrate how seemingly 'kind providences' can appear to confirm disobedience.

I'm going to go to Tarshish. So he goes up to Joppa where ships fly the ocean. Phoenician ships on their way to Tarshish put up. This is their port and lo and behold when he comes and he begins to inquire and says, fellas, is anything going out to Tarshish in the next couple of days?

44:50 - 45:07 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not tempt God by praying for Him to hinder you from a course of action that is already in blatant disobedience to His revealed will.

The foolish prayer 'Lord, break my leg while I'm walking up the gangplank' is given as an example of tempting God by asking Him to intervene to stop a known act of disobedience.

Lord, break my leg while I'm walking up the gangplank.

47:13 - 47:16 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not tempt God by praying for Him to hinder you from a course of action that is already in blatant disobedience to His revealed will.

Someone praying for God to hinder an unequally yoked marriage, despite clear biblical commands, is used as an example of tempting God by ignoring His revealed will.

Have you heard anyone say, well, I know the Bible says be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, but I just have a feeling that in my case God's going to be going to use this marriage to save this person. And I've prayed if it's not the will of God that we'll fall out of love.

47:53 - 48:12 Read in full sermon

The point: To be insensitive or disobedient to the revealed will and say we're trusting to providence to hedge us up is to tempt the living God.

Someone pursuing a personal career ambition, praying for God to close doors if it's not His will, is another example of tempting God by disregarding His clear word on kingdom priorities.

You tempt God. Or someone else pursuing a personal ambition in the realm of career saying, well, if God doesn't want me in this, I've prayed He'd close the doors. What do you want Him to do? Take away your rationality?

48:23 - 48:38 Read in full sermon

The point: To be insensitive or disobedient to the revealed will and say we're trusting to providence to hedge us up is to tempt the living God.

David's lust for Bathsheba, followed by her convenient visit, is cited as an example of how favorable providences can accompany sinful desires.

You see, David no sooner lusts after Bathsheba than when it's convenient for her to come and pay him a visit. What a kind providence.

49:06 - 49:13 Read in full sermon