Zoe Trail

The Grand Finale!

2011-07-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

This is a synopsis of a series on Jonah that was presented at summer camp.

Part 7 of 7:

THE GREAT QUESTION (Jonah 4:5-11)

In this final section we find Jonah outside and alone, waiting. He is angry and sulking. God in his mercy continues to reach out to Jonah! God provides a plant that grows up and provides Jonah with comfort and shade. Jonah goes from being EXCEEDINGLY MAD to EXCEEDINGLY GLAD--over a plant that makes him comfortable.

There is a lot of lessons in this episode, but a main one is this; How human happiness is so driven by self-focus. Jonah is mad at God when he doesn't get what he wants. Jonah is happy with God when God provides. It's all about Jonah. Sin does this. Sin makes us blind and small minded. Sin also makes us self-centered.

We see that God, in his sovereignty, doesn't let Jonah rest in his comfort. The next day God sends a worm to eat the plant along with a scorching wind and hot sun to make Jonah uncomfortable. Again we see that God is in control of events. God gives both comfort and brings discomfort. In all of this it is for Jonah's good. It is to grow him and move him beyond himself.

Jonah doesn't see it that way.

Again God asks Jonah if he has a right to be angry? Is he being wise and sensible in his approach to these events? Jonah responds is essence, that he would rather give up his life than give into God,"It is better for me to die than to live."

Really? Here is a man who has a history of being a successful prophet of God. He had the privilege of giving a popular word in 2 Kings 14, he experienced God's undeserved mercy and deliverance from the whale, he was given a fresh start and a second chance to complete the work the LORD gave him. Jonah was used by God despite his failings to bring hope to his enemies. He was comforted in his anger. He was blessed, forgiven and shown mercy upon mercy. And he is ready to give it up-- over a plant that made him comfortable?

The story tightens around these two competing points. For Jonah everything comes down to the reoccurring anger and death wish arising from his own personal discomfort and displeasure. For God, He ignores Jonah's request and instead brings everything back to the issue of extending pity, compassion and mercy to others.

The story reaches these conclusions on this question: "You pity a plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night...and should I not pity Ninevah, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left and also much cattle?"

The End.

Jonah's tale is done and it leaves us hanging? What happens to Jonah? What happens to Ninevah? Does Jonah make it back home? What happens to the cattle? We don't know.

But the point is this. Is Jonah right to be angry and not compassionate about Ninevah? Does he finally move beyond himself? Does he embrace God's grace and allow it to finally transform his angry, wandering and bitter heart? Does Jonah repent?

These questions all arise and we are left hanging.

Except we aren't.

These questions are designed to lead the reader to ask: Is my heart more in line with God's purpose or with Jonah's pain? In what ways is my life small minded, selfish, and blinded by sin? How is the gospel-the good news of God's continuous and surprising grace- exploding life and transforming my heart?

As we wrap this up, Jonah has given a sense of the greatness of God's ways as compared to the smallness of selfishness. One is left with a sense of the greatness of these three things:

1. Our Sin

2. God's Grace

3. God's Mission

To God alone be the glory-- or to echo the words of Jonah in the belly of the whale, "Salvation belongs to the LORD."

RAGE

2011-07-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

This is a synopsis of a series on Jonah that was presented at summer camp.

Part 6 of 7:

THE GREAT RAGE (Jonah 4:1-4)

"And Jonah prayed and said, 'O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that your are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster." (2)

Wow! This insight shifts the entire paradigm of Jonah. We see that Jonah's heart is much more twisted, rebellious and off center than imagined. Jonah confesses that he didn't run to Tarshish because he was afraid of failure, he ran because he feared God would bring success!

How much do you have to hate and look down on other people to run from the Lord's command to help them?

Jonah isn't just upset and appalled at the Ninevites sin, he is upset and angry with God's mercy toward them. Jonah doesn't like how God is operating with the Ninevites and would rather that God act in line with his desires.

The qualities that Jonah ascribes to God are the same qualities that God revealed to Moses on Mt. Sinai in Exodus 34:6-7.

Sin creates in us a blindness.

Jonah was proud to be Hebrew. He was proud to be a part of God's people. Israel was in. Others were out. That was the way it should be. Jonah was happy for God to act in line with his characteristics as long as it was a blessing to his goals, but to extend that same mercy to his enemies was more than he could bear. Again we see that our sin runs deep and colors so much of what we think and do. It takes an act of God's grace to break us out of these ruts.

Sin creates small habits.

The book of Jonah is about breaking out the the small boxes we build for ourselves. It is about exposing the greatness of both our sin and God's grace. Jonah is being blown up right here and he doesn't like it. At the same time he is becoming more honest and open about who he really is. God's grace is at work.

In response to his great anger, God asks Jonah, "Do you do well to be angry?"

He is basically asking Jonah, why do you do this to yourself? Are you sure your right on this? Are you sure you know more than me?

If I take an honest look, the issue with Jonah is mirrored in my heart . I can know God's word and enjoy being part of God's people, but all to often I make other things the center and use God to support those things. C.S. Lewis says, "There is but one good and that is God. Everything else is good when it looks at him and bad when it turns from him." Jonah is being asked to turn back to the good by turning back to God.

God's grace continues to work on Jonah's perspective. As Jonah's heart is being expanded we see he leaves the city to see what will happen. He waits and watches, hoping for God's justice to be executed. Which way will this tale turn?

Next time we'll see how God finishes this story. Until then you'll just have to wait (or better yet, read the story for yourself and find out)

BEHIND ENEMY LINES

2011-07-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

This is a synopsis of a series on Jonah that was presented at summer camp.

Part 5 of 7:

THE GREAT CITY (Jonah 3:6-10)

The city of Ninevah had a long and glorious history. It was founded by Noah's great-grand son, who was unfortunately named, Nimrod. The Bible tells us he was a "mighty man" and responsible for the start of several cities. He was the first empire builder in the ancient world. Ninevah was a center of political power, culture and prestige. It was believed that this great city took three days to travel across and was home to more than 600,000 people!

The city of Ninevah was also known for being especially brutal and arrogant. One of the rulers of the city, Ashurbanipal II, reported the following grisly details.

"I caused great slaughter...I destroyed, I demolished, I burned. I took warriors prisoner and impaled them on stakes before their cities. Many of the captives I burned in a fire. Many I took alive; from so I cut off their hands at the wrist...(he goes on to explain other disfiguring acts). I burnt their young men and women to death."

In another place he reports that he acted with such force "to establish victory and strength over the land."

I share some of these details to make this observation. The LORD responded to Ninevah--these Ninevites, with compassion? These aren't just the weird, awkward neighbors these are cruel, wicked men...and God loves them?

I find once again that I come up short against God's grace. This is NOT HOW I WOULD RESPOND. It is not how Jonah wanted God to respond either. This brings us to one of the main points of Jonah.

Jonah's life is the message. We see in Jonah a mirror into ourselves.

I can critique Jonah for running from God and for blatantly disobeying. On this point when I see how the Ninevites acted I have to agree with Jonah. I wouldn't want to go to that city, to those people, just so they could be extended grace. It goes against my sense of justice.

My sense. Of justice.

There it is. The root of the issue.I think I know better than God. I trust my wisdom so much more than His. This is the point that Jonah brings us to. Our own hearts and the need for repentance.

JONAH'S MESSAGE & NINEVAH'S RESPONSE

Many of you would probably appreciate Jonah's message, especially during football season, it was all of 8 words. "Yet forty days, and Ninevah will be overthrown!"

Short. Sweet. To the point.

All doom and gloom and no hope. Jonah was happy to declare judgment but we see no word of a way out. Jonah is following God's orders but he hasn't had a change of heart. He is obeying out of duty not out of delight. This makes all the difference to Jonah, though to the LORD he is still able to use the message, despite the messenger. This is amazing to me. God is able to accomplish his purpose in Ninevah despite who they are and despite the fact that his prophet is so reluctant.

What is frustrating is that Jonah received God's rescuing mercy but he is not willing to extend God's rescuing mercy to others. Jonah still thinks he is better and that he knows better. God still has work to do on Jonah's heart...and on mine.

We see that the Ninevites hear Jonah's message and as a collective group respond in repentance and fasting. We are told they even include their animals in response to the message. They are serious about their response.

Here we can also get a glimpse into the sweep of God's sovereignty. He can use ALL THINGS FOR HIS PURPOSES!

The Ninevite's prior to Jonah's visit experienced a few things in their history that prepared them to hear God's voice. 1) They were weakened by eternal conflict and their power and prestige was unsettled. 2) There was a draught and famine that made many more uncomfortable than they had previously been and 3) Their was a total solar eclipse and an earthquake that were considered to be bad omens. In these three things we see God stripping away their trust and preparing them to receive his mercy.

Most striking and incredible is this. The Ninevite's chief god was Dagon! Okay let me explain. Dagon was a FISH GOD, depicted as half man and half fish. Talk about Jonah gaining street-cred with a group of people! This testifies to the fact that their is NOTHING OUTSIDER THE SCOPE OF GOD'S REDEMPTIVE PURPOSE, NOTHING.

The whole time that Jonah was in the great fish God was using it. He was using it to work on Jonah's heart and he was using this terrible experience to prepare Jonah for actually being effective in Ninevah! What is a basically land-locked city doing worshipping a fish God anyway?

There are no coincidences with God.

God is in control.

God knows best.

God knows better than I.

God knows better than you.

Are you willing to admit this? The truth of the matter is that the God who crafts storms and commands sea monsters is now doing something even more incredibly difficult: He's changing the hearts of sinful human beings in Ninevah!

The good news is that He continues to do this today. God's willingness to forgive is bigger than our willingness to sin! Those who know they are deficient come to the point were they see that God's grace is more than sufficient.

The encouraging thing about the Ninevites, if you remember from Jesus' claim in Matthew 12, is that they will rise up in judgment because they responded repentantly in faith. This is the call we have each and every day; to trust that God knows more and is in control.

The heart of repentance can be summed up with this quote by G.K. Chesterton, "How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it." Jonah needs to turn away from himself and a small understanding. He needs to turn toward God's promise.

Tomorrow we will continue to be surprised by the stubborn heart of Jonah and God's amazing grace. We will get insight as to why Jonah really ran in the first place and it may surprise you, though it shouldn't.

VOMIT--a story of a fresh start

2011-07-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

This is a synopsis of a series on Jonah that was presented at summer camp.

Part 4 of 7:

VOMIT: Fresh Beginnings (Jonah 3:1-5)

Out of failure comes success. The beauty of the gospel is that it catches us by surprise and brings us up short--and amazed. I am convinced it's why we love stories about miracle upsets and finishes. Movies like Hoosiers and Miracle strike a chord within us because they are a reflection of our own stories.

We all carry the burden of sin. Our shortcomings and failures are only to obvious for many of us. The beauty of the gospel is that in our weakness Jesus is strong. The weak receive power, life is achieved through His death, grace is extended to the undeserving.

Simply stated, the more aware we are of our sin, the more amazing and compelling is God's grace. He let's us come to the end of ourselves, not to punish us, but to give us what we need. Which is more of Him and less of us.

Jonah is a great example of this. Yet it is also a reminder of how stubborn our hearts really are and how continually we need to trust on Jesus' grace to us. John Calvin said, "we need to be saved every day and in every way."

GRACE FOR RUNNERS

In light of Jonah's earlier disobedience, it is stunning the God would stay with Jonah and offer him a second chance. Who loves like that? It is mind boggling that someone so proud and arrogant, so disobedient and stubborn would get a second chance. The amazing thing about God's grace is that His response to great sin is GREATER MERCY. To those who are finally turned around God ALWAYS welcomes back a truly humble sinner. The cross of Jesus is God's guarantee to us that this is true.

FIXED BY GOD

Jonah hears God's call to go to Ninevah a second time. When a divine message was repeated it meant that it was assured to happen. Genesis 41:32 says, "And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about."

The amazing thing is that despite Ninevah's great sin and Jonah's great disobedience nothing will stop God from giving Ninevah his message. What great news for sinners!

This time Jonah responds and goes to Ninevah with the message God has given him. The fact that Jonah gets a second chance in spite of his blatant disobedience is a testament to God's gracious character.

God's grace should always put us in a place of healthy tension between being humbled and being encouraged. We should be humbled by the reality the God has to show us grace and we should be encouraged that he chooses to act in such a manner. We become humble without being distraught, we are encouraged without being arrogant. It is in the gospel reality of these two tensions that we are really free to live for Him.

GOD'S CHARACTER

Finally we see three things about God's character in this episode.

1. God doesn't hold grudges-This is good news for believers. He doesn't count our sins against us because he has already dealt with them in Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:21) He doesn't treat us as we deserve, he treats us unfairly.

2. God doesn't budge- God doesn't lower his expectations of us or lighten the load. He is consistent and won't compromise our comfort for his kingdom purposes. Malachi 3:6 says, 'For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob are not consumed." Only God is able to take you beyond what you could ever become on your own. It is wonderful news that God demands us to be perfect. This is wonderful because the demands of perfection have been met for us in Jesus. It is not about what you do, it is about what Jesus has done. His death covers your sin, but the perfect life He lived, is also yours in faith. This is what makes Christianity absolutely unique. God is the one who both makes and meets the demand to be perfect. Have you responded to this thankfully and thoughtfully?

3. God cares about You!

God doesn't give up on Jonah or discard him for someone else. He stays with him because Jonah needs God.

We are all like Jonah and need to be saved from the power, presence and penalty of sin. The great news is that Jesus loves you and me and Jonah enough to set us free. He didn't give up on Jonah and He won't give up on you.

The truth of the matter is this:

You are A LOT WORSE OFF than you think you are, BUT IN JESUS YOU'RE FAR MORE LOVED than you could ever imagine!

Thankfully we have a God who can make great things and fresh starts out of what begins as vomit. Amazing as that is, it is only the start.

FISH

2011-07-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

This is a synopsis of a series on Jonah that was presented at summer camp.

Part 3 of 7:

FISH (Jonah 1:17-2:9)

It is here that we meet perhaps the most recognizable character in the story of Jonah, the great fish. It is interesting that all of the emphasis during this section is not on the fish and Jonah, but on Jonah and the Lord. Jonah spent three days and three night praying in what may be the weirdest place ever--the belly of a great fish in the depths of the sea. As the story unfolds a stunning truth is revealed in this dark place.

IT IS GOOD FOR JONAH TO BE HERE.

Let's find out why.

Many people have questioned whether this is an accurate historical description. Some see the story of Jonah as a metaphor or an allegory but find it unbelievable that Jonah could survive in a fish for that long. It is important to acknowledge that Jesus identified himself with Jonah's situation--paralleling his time in the tomb with Jonah's time in the fish. There is also evidence that Jonah was a real historical figure. He is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:23-28 as being a prophet from the area around Galilee. It seems like the Bible itself assumes this unbelievable event was an actual historical account.

This section provides striking insights on several levels. Here is what is highlighted today.

Jonah's Prayer

Jonah as he relates to King David

Jonah as he related to King Jesus.

The application will simply be to discover how this is relevant today.

JONAH'S PRAYER

Though Jonah had been rebellious and running from the Lord, notice that his desperate prayer is full of Scripture. Jonah's prayer in Chapter 2 confidently asserts that God hears his cries. The rhythm of Jonah's prayer reflects the ping-pong emotional swings that Jonah probably felt. We see the prayer continually transitions between Jonah focusing on his agony and God responding in mercy.
Doubt Hope
"I called out to the Lord in my distress.... and he answered me
Out of the belly of the belly of Sheol I cried...and you heard my voice."v. 1

Again the reality of both human responsibility and God's sovereignty is seen. Jonah acknowledges in verse three that it was God who cast him into the sea. It was also God's plan, through the actions of the sailors, that ended Jonah in this most peculiar of places. In the midst of the belly Jonah concludes that he will be not only rescued but restored to the faith of God's people.

"For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas and the flood surrounded me...
...Then I said, 'I am driven way from your sight; yet will I again look upon your holy temple." vs. 3-4

During the three days in the belly of the whale Jonah refers to it as Sheol. This was a place the ancients thought that people went when they died. Clearly Jonah equates this time in the fish with passing away. The Lord only knows the despair and fear Jonah must have felt. Yet in the midst of this dark place, the worst place Jonah physically would probably ever be, the Lord was using it for his good. Jonah was full of pride and getting what he NEEDED not what he WANTED. This dilemma always causes people to wrestle, doubt and struggle on some level. God was showing Jonah that he was an unworthy servant who was undeserving of deliverance, so that when God worked Jonah would respond appropriately.

There is an old Jewish saying that says God is closest to those with broken hearts. The reason it is good for Jonah to be in this place is he is brought to the end of himself. In this place one is more likely to be fully dependent upon the Lord.

At the end of the prayer Jonah makes a simple and profound statement which is the main idea of the entire book--indeed of the entire Bible. Jonah prays, "Salvation belongs to the LORD!" Jonah is moved from disobedience to repentance. One sees that God is capable of moving the Ninevites from idolatry to faith and in the New Testament it that God's salvation will move Gentiles to faith and repentance. Deliverance doesn't ultimately come from 12 step programs, luck or chance, gritty hard work, it is a gift from the Lord to his people. Ultimately this deliverance has come to earth in Jesus, but first another word.

JONAH & KING DAVID'S PSALMS

Much of what Jonah prays in the belly are reflected in Psalms attributed to David. The link between Jonah and David is not only looking back at the Psalms, it is the connection in looking forward to David's greatest descendant Jesus.

We see that Jonah literally experiences David expressed in poetry.
"The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help." Psalm 18:4-6

"Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God....let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me." Psalm 69:3-4, 15

"If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me." Psalm 139:8-10

The Bible comments and illustrates itself often. A clear connection is made to Jesus here that the brings deeper meaning in the story alive. Let's look at how Jonah connects to Jesus!

JONAH & KING JESUS

"No sign shall be given to this evil and adulterous generation except for the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Ninevah will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for the repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here." Matthew 12:40-41

Jesus draws a clear parallel here between the time Jonah spent in despair in the deep and his time in the tomb. Jonah points us to Jesus! The tie between the two is so strong that Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 states that Jesus was raised on the third day in accordance with Scripture. The only two places where this is stated in the Old Testament is Hosea 6:2 and more clearly here in Jonah!

Jesus taught, after the resurrection, that the entirety of the Old Testament Scriptures pointed in some way to him. Jonah declares that salvation alone is from the LORD, and Jesus declared that He was God. Jesus is the greater Jonah. Jesus is the faithful Jonah. Jesus is the prophet who was literally swallowed up by death, cast from the Lord's presence, took the brunt of the storm of God's wrath and was vomited up, brought back to life because the grave couldn't contain Him!

Where are you looking for hope and deliverance? There is only one place you need to look. It is to THE ONE that Jonah point. We are to hope in the only place that salvation is found and that is Jesus. His death and resurrection is our only hope for forgiveness and new life. Jonah illustrates this amazing fact!

Next we'll look at the amazing second chance that fish vomit provides. Even this is used by God in his sovereignty for great things!

Jonah and the Storm

2011-07-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

This is a synopsis of a series on Jonah that was presented at summer camp.

Part 2 of 7:

Storm (Jonah 1:4-16)

There are three words that are emphasized in this section that give handles into applying the gospel to life today. These words are hurled, down and fear. Lets explore what these show us about the human condition and who God is today.

SEVERE SQUALL

The word hurled is thrown around a lot in this section (okay bad pun). God hurls a storm at the ship. The sailors hurl the cargo in to the sea, Jonah asks to be hurled into the sea and eventually is hurled overboard.

This was a massive storm. It was a storm that riled seasoned sailors into a panic. It was violent, powerful and strong. It brought fear into the hearts of men who had lived on the sea. In the midst of this God is in control. It is God who sent the storm. As big and wild as the waves and wind were, God is bigger and stronger. This is an important aspect to remember when the storms of life are hurled into life. God is in control of even the current storms of life that cause ships to break apart and begin to sink.

God is in control.

THE DOWNWARD DRAG

Another word that is repeated in this first section of Jonah is the word down. We see that Jonah went down to Joppa, Jonah went down to the hold of the ship and Jonah laid down and slept during the storm. The same verb, down, is also used to indicate that Jonah went on board the ship. The Hebrew word for down was a euphemism for death. The author's intent is to show that as Jonah is fleeing from the presence of the Lord is going down, down, down. To flee the presence of the Lord is to from flee life and thus encounter death. Apart from God, there is no real life (zoe in greek, hence the blog title).

The direction one runs makes all the difference in the world, you can pursue life-giving goals or you can pursue life-taking goals. The choice is made everyday in the attitudes we take and the actions we partake.

GROWING STORM, GROWING FEAR

The final word that is emphasized in this section is the word fear. It is repeated at the beginning of this section and at the end by the sailors (vs. 5,16); in the middle by Jonah when he claims to "fear" the Lord (v. 9), while the pagan sailors actually do fear (v. 10).

Things become so chaotic that Jonah actually asks to be drowned. He reasons that the storm is judgment on his disobedience and seeks to make an effort to save some human life. A great surprise, and sign of God's grace, is that the pagan sailors show compassion on Jonah and actually try to rescue him. Despite their humanitarian concern, the already raging storm, only intensifies. After drawing lots, Jonah is thrown overboard and it is only then that the storm ceases. The sailors we are told 'greatly feared' the Lord.

This is an amazing insight. God is able to take Jonah's disobedient action; his hard heart and rebellious actions and use it to further spread the glory of His name to those who hadn't heard. It is one of many situations in the Bible that affirm both human responsibility in Jonah's choices and God's sovereignty in the results. Both of these are taught to be true.

GOD'S MASSIVE MERCY

Many assume that the storm God sent was judgment on Jonah's rebellion. After reading this some more it is amazing that the storm is one of the places in the Old Testament that gives us a glimpse of Jesus. Here is how.

The storm in the grand scheme of things was God's mercy to Jonah. It was God's way of getting the prophet's attention and turning him back toward obedience. It was God's way of getting Jonah to where he needed to be. It is amazing that God sticks with Jonah, to bring him to Ninevah, to do his work, even though Jonah does all he can to escape the calling.

Like the storm, which intervened in Jonah's case, Jesus is our greatest intervention. Jesus is the greatest example of God's massive mercy to us. The storm we deserve and often create by being slaves to ourselves was taken on by Jesus. The cross is the clearest example of God's desire for intervention in our lives. The good news in the gospel isn't that bad people become good, it is that dead people become alive.

The applications from this section could be many. Here are two.

1) There are two ways to run away from God.

One can be righteous like Jonah and hide behind your religion and credentials (when asked Jonah proudly identified himself as Hebrew--God's chosen people). One can try to hide from God by being good. Some may think, if big sins are avoided in life than perhaps dealing with God won't be an option. Many trust in their own righteousness. This kind of thinking requires a lot of work in the belly of a whale to confront.

The second way of running is by being free. Free to do what you want, when you want and how you want. This is the allure of the culture we live in. It was the freedom the pagan sailors enjoyed. They were running from God because they were worshipping other things--things they wanted to pursue. They like Jonah, but with a different flavor, where making themselves their own rulers. The beauty of the gospel is that it confronts both freedom loving pagans and rule following prophets and calls them to repentance.

Which group are you inclined to associate with and how does the gospel need to break into your heart today?

The second application is simply this: How do you view difficulties in your life? Do you see them as God's punishment driving you to bitterness or God's intervention calling you to be better? At the end of the day, in the middle of the storm, one has a choice to either trust that God is in control or grow bitter by questioning?

Next time we'll see one of the strangest places anyone ever prayed.

Jonah Flees

2011-07-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

This is a synopsis of a series on Jonah that was presented at summer camp.

Part 1 of 7:
Jonah Flees (Jonah 1:1-3)

The book of Jonah is most usually associated with the enormous fish, usually assumed to be a whale that swallowed Jonah. What is less well known, and often overlooked, is how the book of Jonah paints a picture of the gospel and points us to Jesus. This series will show how Jonah gives us lessons in the gospel to shape our lives today.

Most of the prophets in the Old Testament spoke the word of the Lord. The unique thing about Jonah is that he lived the message. Jonah's life and experience were meant to communicate the purpose and plan of God's redeeming heart. In the process one gains insight into one's own heart as well.

BIG THINGS
The book of Jonah talks about many great things. The great city of Ninevah, the great disobedience of Jonah, the great cruelty of the Assyrians, the great things that God sends to Jonah throughout the book including a great storm, a great fish, a great plant, a great worm and a great wind. We see that Jonah has great emotional reactions to what happens to him, sinks to great depths, and also tries to put great distance between himself and the Lord's plans. Of all these "great things" in Jonah there are three themes that develop which are key to understanding the gospel message in Jonah.

1. The great extent of our sin
2. The greatness of God's grace
3. The great scope of God's mission

1. THE GREAT EXTENT OF OUR SIN
There are not any human heros in Jonah. Neither the pagan sailors, the prejudice prophet and the pitiless Ninevites qualify as having it together. There is a lesson here; everyone, from every tribe and background, needs the gospel. Jonah the practicing professional prophet of Israel needs to know God's compassion in his life just as much as the pagan-worshipping sailors and the cruel Assyrian nation. Sin is sin and it drives all of us away from the presence of the Lord. What Jonah needs to realize more than anything is that he needs grace. In fact, we see in this book that Jonah is a rebel, prejudice, self-righteous and comfort seeking. His only hope is the compassion and mercy of the Lord, not his pedigree, background or accomplishments.

Yet these are the very things that many people often times hide behind instead of seizing the grace which is at hand.

2. THE GREATNESS OF GOD'S GRACE
There is a great insight in Chapter 4, which we will get to, about the Lord. Jonah quotes from Exodus about God's character stating: He is a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. God's grace is for sinners. God relents if and when we repent. His ability to forgive is greater than our ability to sin. In fact of all the great things mentioned in Jonah, it is the greatness of God's grace that stands above them all. And it is this grace that points us to Jesus.

3. THE GREAT SCOPE OF GOD'S MISSION
What we see in Jonah is also the great lengths that God will go to in order to make his grace known. God's compassion is for the world. It is for Jews and it is for Ninevites and all those in between. God's grace on display through the gospel is needed to humble to pride of the religious and encourage sight to the blind pagan. God's power over creation is demonstrated again and again. His compassion for the lost city of Ninevah extends also to his lost and fleeing prophet. God doesn't give up on Jonah, the Ninevites and he won't give up on us....as long as we are given days to live. The book even goes as far to say that God's compassion for the cattle of Ninevah is greater that Jonah's concern for the people. Again we see the great scope of God's mission for the world he loves and has redeemed.

CONCLUSION
We see that the word of the Lord comes to Jonah, to preach repentance to his enemies and Jonah responds by fleeing. The kindness of the Lord toward Jonah's enemies is more than he can bear and so he sets out in the opposite direction. Human hearts reflect this truth in Jonah. The question Jonah poses from the beginning is this: Are you able to love others, including your enemies, because you recognize that God loved you while still his enemy?

How one answers that question will determine what direction one is fleeing. And that direction makes all the difference in how you handle the storms that are bound to come into life.

For further reading on Jonah check out:
Surprised by Grace by Tullian Tchividjian's
For the City (especially chapter 10)by Darrin Patrick and Matt Carter

COMING SOON.

2011-07-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

Next week a will be posting a series of lessons I will be sharing at summer camp from the book of Jonah. If you are an HBC parent hopefully these will help connect you to what your child is learning. I encourage you to talk to them about what they are learning.

If you are a friend. I hope these can encourage you that we serve a great God who is compassionate and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love!

Please pray for these lessons and To God be the glory!

MINE.

2011-07-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

There are daily insights in to biblical truth all around us every day. Often times for me these come through the insights of my son. Sometimes they are not always easy reflections to see.

J loves to play puzzles. He loves to play these on my phone. At times this tool is great for stealing a needed moment to get something done while he keeping him safely occupied (as opposed to trying to climb onto the top rack of the dishwasher or throw himself in the dryer). But more increasingly these interactions lead to tantrums when the phone is taken back. Now it is true he is in the midst of the "terrible twos", but the truth that he utters in these terrible moments is also a reflection of MY heart. One that does great damage to understanding and applying,in relevant ways, God's love to my life everyday.

The word that stings me is "mine." Choruses of, "my phone daddy", "my car daddy" or "my drink daddy" careen around the house. It can sound like the pelicans on Finding Nemo, mine, mine, mine." The thing that gets me is this. Often that the first words I respond with are, "No son, those are mine." My phone, my car, my drink, my time, mine, mine, mine...

Could it be that in my mid-30's I am still at heart a terrible two? What is it in me that make s me claim ownership to things that really aren't mine? Truth be told, I have very little in this life that I own. Practically most of what is owned belongs to a bank somewhere. Realistically EVERYTHING belongs to the Lord and I get to enjoy it for a season. There are many Scriptures that remind us of this:
Job says, "Naked I come from my mother's womb and naked shall I return. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord."

The Lord says, "For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills and all that moves in the field is mine."

Even more encouraging are these words in Isaiah 43:1, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." The rest the chapter goes on to remind the people that they are who they are not because of their guilty blindness but because by grace, The Lord has declared YOU are MINE.

The 'mines' in my life and thinking need to turn into a recognition of what is truly YOURS. We get crossed-up when we turn things upside down. Making God small and our agendas big, trusting in what we do instead of what Jesus has done for us, calling things that are truly His as though they were ours.

The word mine is a telling word in two ways. It tells of a selfish and twisted hearts that seek to HAVE things and USE them though they are not REALLY ours. It is a beautiful word though when used properly--by the true owner-- to claim things that ought to be left unclaimed. This is the beauty and power of the gospel. Despite being orphaned in sin, God in his love decides to claim us for his very own child.

I love these beautiful, redemptive words in Malachi 3:17-18, "They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more they shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him."

Today the challenge is to serve the Lord. This begins by recognizing the "mines" in life are really His. By seeing that THE Son who truly served the Father was not spared but sacrificed. And that in that sacrifice Jesus earned our redemption to make us God's treasured possession. Jesus' sacrifice means we are spared. It means that today,the Lord says to those who fear him, "you are mine". Now that's a word I need to hear.

Why Zoe Trail?

2011-07-12T20:27:00.000-07:00

Zoe. The greek word for life.

Trail. The word conjures up the idea of a journey. A journey connected to nature and being in the wilderness. Trails are not paved. Trails are not main thoroughfares. They are paths that take us away from the crowds. The best views are the ones that are out of the way, inconvenient and require sacrifice. Remote beauty is more inspiring than accessible beauty because it has taken thought, planning and work to get there. Life is often like a trail. It is often times not well-marked, often times leads us to unique destinations and offers the potential for great beauty.

Jesus once said in Matthew 7," Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

The gospel of Jesus is that gate. The good news that Jesus did for us what we could never do for ourselves is the way to find true Zoe. Real life. This trail-- of living your life as a disciple for Christ-- isn't for everyone. Is it for you?

Will you join me as we explore the many ways in which the gospel shapes our life as disciples of Jesus? How this news is the most relevant information for every situation, challenge and problem in your life.

So grab your backpack, lace up your boots and join me on the journey. In the process may we come to know the joy of knowing life in Jesus.