Guest Speaker: Charter Stinespring

When Cornerstone was planted, the word that God gave me was, “See, I can plant a church anywhere I want at anytime I want.  What I need (now) is a church that will obey my call.”  

Since that time, and you have been a part of this, there has always been a sense of expectancy and a call to prepare the church, God’s people, for the times.  

The call has remained the same, but what has changed in a little less than two decades since Cornerstone was planted is the nature of the times.  

The book of Jonah has served God’s purposes in many ways over the course of time, but I believe today (in these times) it serves as a warning, a motivation, and an encouragement for us individually and as the church to prepare.  

As we get into this, I want to start with a story about an engineering student who was taking his PhD qualifying exam.  This is an exam on practical and theoretical knowledge – sometimes written and sometimes oral.  It’s their first hurtle getting into the program and it could be their last if they don’t pass.

Professor, I don’t know what I’d do, but I’d rather die open that window.   

This story is a bit of an exaggeration, but I’ve seen this behavior over and over in students. And without realizing it, we can be like this in our dealings with God.  

Sometimes, it seems, we would rather die than submit to God’s plan.  We’d rather die than follow his guidance for our lives. . . at least when it comes to particular area of our lives.  

It may be a change in our lifestyle we know God is calling us to make.  We may be holding on to unforgiveness.  We can have anger or pride in our hearts.  It may be a hidden sin, an addiction, radical self-centeredness, you name it.  

We know that God is calling us to make a change, but we resist him.  In effect, we’d rather die than change.  

Fortunately for us, the Bible gives us Jonah as an example of a person with the same problem.

Jonah is representative of the person who certainly knows about God.  If you met him, you would definitely put him in the category of a believer, a strong believer at that.  

Jonah can represent someone who might even have a ministry serving the Lord and yet they have areas in their lives where they resist God’s will. 

Jonah could easily be me or you.  We all struggle with this at times.  We resist God in certain areas, and what’s even worse is when we do grudgingly obey, we miss the blessing of what God is up to.  There is a ketch in our spirit, we don’t feel the joy, the freedom, the satisfaction that we expect to be there, and it leaves us asking – what am I missing here?  

We know there’s a problem, but the causes of the problem are elusive.  Sometimes there are even hidden from us, but not from God.  

Now if life came with an operator’s manual, this would be a good place for those annoying stickers: Warning!!! The consequences of not fixing the problem may not be seen immediately, but they will be devastating.  

Like Jonah we can find ourselves in deep waters. 

If you would turn to Jonah 1:1,  The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” Jonah 1:1-2 

From 2 Kings 14:25-27 we know Jonah was a prophet during the reign of Jeroboam II – King of Israel from 786-746 BC.  

Jonah was from a region called Gath-hepher between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee.  

Archaeology confirms the Biblical account that Israel was extremely prosperous during this time because of trade in olive oil, wine, and horses. Their primary trading partners were Egypt and especially Assyria.  

Assyria was a declining but still extremely dangerous superpower to the north and east of Israel.  In fact, Assyria had menaced Israel for generations, and they would eventually overthrow Israel.  

According to the prophet Amos (Amos 6:13), the triumphs of Israel’s king Jeroboam had produced a haughty spirit of boastful overconfidence at home. What we might call a sense of carnal security and superiority.  

The Jewish Encyclopedia says that “Oppression and exploitation of the poor by the mighty, luxury in palaces of unheard-of splendor, and a craving for amusement were some of the internal fruits of these external triumphs.” [Jeroboam II – Jewish Encyclopedia] 

Of Jeroboam II, scripture (2 Kings 14:24) says He did evil in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn away from any of the sins of his predecessors, which he had caused Israel to commit. 

So, we see Israel at that time was a prideful arrogant country that was slipping further and further away from God while becoming economically dependent on the enemy.  As a result, Israel would be overthrown and led into captivity in about 20 years by the Assyrian King Shalmaneser. (2 Kings 17:3) See any parallels here with what is going on in our country? 

For its part, Nineveh was a large and magnificent city in Assyria (NYC of its day).  The Assyrians themselves were notoriously cruel.  An inscription from one of its temples records the fate of the leaders who dared to rebel against the Assyrian king.  It reads:  “I built a pillar at the city gate and I flayed all the chief men who had revolted and I covered the pillar with their skins; some I walled up inside the pillar, some I impaled upon the pillar on stakes.” 

Punishments like this were common, and this is where God sent Jonah: Go and preach against them because their evil has come up before me.  

What would you do?  

We know what Jonah did!!  Jonah 1:3 says 

But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. 

To put the extent of Jonah’s unwillingness to do what God asked, I point out that Nineveh is 500 miles east of Jonah’s hometown of Gath-hepher, but he choose the journey to Tarshish in Spain which is about 2500 miles west.  Jonah’s plan is to put 3000 miles between himself and God’s will for him. 

I think we can take that as a definite “I’m not gonna do it!!!” 

Point #1: When we refuse to do what God asks, we will make every effort to flee from his presence! 

The problem is, when we put distance between ourselves and the Lord and there are serious consequences.  

The first thing that happens is we miss out on the blessings of being close to God. 

Psalm 91:1 says He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

So, when we move away from God we are leaving our refuge and fortress behind and in reality we are actually moving into enemy territory.  

Second thing, in James 4:7-8 we are told to “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”  

This is a conditional promise of God drawing close to us based on our drawing close and submitting to God, the converse of this is also true. When we put space between ourselves and God, we surrender territory to the devil where he can build his own stronghold.  This can be devastating because he can exploit it for years to come wreaking all sorts of long-term damage in our lives. 

We get some insight into this long-term damage as Jonah’s story progresses. 

Jonah 1:4-5 says: Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.  All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 

Now I’ve rafted the New River at 18 feet above flood level and I was justifiably frightened at a couple of points, but if I had heard the rafting guides crying out to strange gods, I definitely would not have dozed off. 

So how is it that Jonah can fall asleep – a deep sleep? And before you say it, I can guarantee it was not the “Peace of God that passes all understanding!”  

On the contrary, Jonah knew the truth. He could not escape from God.  He had the Psalms.  He knew Psalm 137 that asks, “where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” The answer being absolutely nowhere, and Jonah knew it.  

No, Jonah’s sleep was the consequence of a seared conscience, and this doesn’t come quickly or easily.  Jonah must have been at this resistance to God business for a long time.  

What we frequently miss when we read Jonah is that his disobedience resulted from deep seated spiritual problems.  

Point #2: Refusing to obey God’s call always reflects spiritual damage in our lives.  

We don’t know where in Jonah’s life he was spiritually wounded or what it was, but it has led to this point in his life where he is more at peace with dying in the storm than he is with doing God’s will by preaching to the Ninevites.  

Jonah’s refusal to obey God could have been based on a fear for his life at the hands of a cruel people or hatred of a people who had terrorized Israel for generations.  His refusal could also be based pride and jealousy or anger when he foresaw (Jonah 4:2) the Ninevites would repent, God would spare them, and ultimately the Ninevites might replace the unrepentant Israelites as God’s favored people.  

Whatever the case, we can see that Jonah was dealing with a load of spiritual issues in his refusal to obey God.  The same is going to be true in our lives. 

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s get back to our story. 

In Jonah 1:6-11  The captain awakens Jonah, and it comes to light that he is running away from God, and after some “sailor talk” the terrified crew ask him “What can we do to you to calm the sea?” An interesting choice of words.  

Then in Jonah 1:12-17 Jonah says, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before.  Then they cried out to the LORD, “Please, LORD, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, LORD, have done as you pleased.”  Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.  

The first chapter ends with Jonah being thrown into the sea and it says Now the LORD prepared a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. 

Point #3: When we refuse to obey God, he will prepare a series of escalating opportunities for our repentance and restoration. 

Jonah did not recognize it, but pitching deck of the ship was his first opportunity for repentance and restoration.  Now the belly of that fish provides a second opportunity.  

We’ve all had our “tossed at sea and belly of the whale experiences”  Some of us feel like we are in that situation now.  These experiences are difficult and painful, there is uncertainty, but we also need to recognize these times as an opportunity.  

Romans 8:28-29 says: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.  

The problem is our prayers, too often we focus on the “Lord get me out of this” part when we should be focusing on the “Lord what do you want me to get out of this” part.  In every trial, we have to let the Holy Spirit do his work, and Jonah did not do this.  

In the Jonah 2, we read his eloquent prayer.  Jonah acknowledges his faith in God, the power and authority of God, and a belief that God alone can save him.  He promises that if God saves him, he will fulfill his vow (which is undoubtedly to do what God asks – go to Nineveh and preach).  

But when you read it carefully, you will notice that nowhere does Jonah express sorrow for his disobedience, nowhere does he ask God to examine him, to reveal and remove his hidden sins that led him to disobedience.  Nowhere does he connect with God’s love and concern for him!!!

There is none of this in Jonah’s prayer, and the truth is that God prepared the storm and fish so Jonah could deal with these issues.  Jonah misses the whole point of why this is happening.  

Jonah thinks it is just an obedience issue, while God is trying to get him to see that he has a heart issue too.  Jonah deals with the obedience issue but not the heart issues, and they come back to hurt him later.  

How many trials have we come through – like Jonah – without resolving the issues in our lives that God cares most about.  

In Jonah’s mind (and ours) it’s like Wow God you got me through that!! You are amazing!!!  I’m good to go!  

We are soon going to see how this works out!!! 

Fortunately for Jonah and for us, God is very patient and persistent, and we see that in Jonah’s story.  

Even though Jonah basically misses the point, God still delivers him.  Jonah 2:10 says  And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. 

God delivers Jonah true enough, but he is still sitting in a pool of fish vomit.  That should tell us something.  

Point #4: When the Lord delivers you but leaves you sitting in fish vomit, it is a sign there is still work to be done. 

When the Lord brings us through a trial and our attitude is “well what next,” “what is the next shoe to fall” instead of gratitude and thanksgiving and joy – that is fish vomit!  AND I have been guilty of it as much as anyone in these last days.  SO, there is still work to be done – certainly in me – and most likely in all of us.

This is exactly what we see as we continue Jonah’s story.  In Jonah 3:1-3 we read: Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. 

So, we are back to the original call to go to Nineveh and preach against their evil ways.  

From here to the end of the chapter three, we see that when Jonah preaches against the Ninevites’ evil ways, the Ninevites believe God (v5), they repent (v 5-8), and God relents (v10) from sending destruction as he had threatened. 

WOW, Jonah is like Billy Graham on steroids!!! Happy ending, right?  Well NO!!!!  

The Ninevites got the message, and they received their blessing from God.  But Jonah?? Is he filled with joy at having done God’s will?  Does he feel blessed?  Not at all!!

In Jonah 4:1-3 it says:  But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.  He prayed to the LORD, “Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish.  I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.  Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”  

Jonah knows what God’s will is, what God’s heart is, and he just doesn’t want anything to do with it. . . . Can you say more fish vomit?  The spiritual problems are still there, the devil’s foothold is still a stronghold in Jonah’s life.  This time though, instead of letting Jonah slide, God calls him on it!!

In Jonah 4:4  The Lord confronts Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry?” 

Jonah 4:5-8 goes on to say that:  Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. (In a “last” effort to bring Jonah around versus 6-8 say) Then the LORD God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.” 

With all these “God provideds” we can see the Lord is working overtime on Jonah to get him to deal with his issues, but Jonah still doesn’t get it.  He is not connecting with God at all.  He is oblivious to what God is trying to teach him.  

All Jonah is concerned with is his own comfort.  Remember what we said, Israel was obsessed with 

Point #5: When God is working in your life and all you care about is you comfort, watch out!!!

At this point that God has had enough of Jonah.

In Jonah 4:10-11 The Lord responds, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow.  It sprang up overnight and died overnight.  And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left-and also many animals?” 

Jonah! If you care for the plant, shouldn’t I care for people who are much more valuable?

Suddenly the spiritual landscape of this story is obvious.  Jonah has been working in a spirit of anger, fear, hate, jealousy, pride, while God has been working in a spirt of love.  

God loves the Ninevites, he doesn’t want to lose them to Satan.  That’s why he sends Jonah to preach against their evil ways, to get them to repent, so they will establish a relationship with him and save their souls.  

Jonah doesn’t understand this because Jonah doesn’t understand the depth of God’s love for him or the Ninevites.  He doesn’t really know God’s heart!!!  What’s more . . 

In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’“ 

This scripture scares the heck out of me, and it fits Jonah to a T.  By all outward appearances he has done great things for the Lord, but he doesn’t really know his heart. 

He knows God’s rules and laws, he knows God is powerful.  He knows God saves.  He knows God’s plans.  He knows all this stuff, but he doesn’t know the most important thing.  He doesn’t know about God’s immense love for him. At least he has not allowed it to transform his life and develop a heart for others.  

Despite all the opportunities God has provided, Jonah has never dealt with all those heart issues that keep him from experiencing that love.  He would rather die than open that window!!! 

Final point (#6): When God provides a trial, don’t bail before the breakthrough.  

The very essence of Jesus’ teaching was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 4:17)

His kingdom is so near. We don’t know if it is coming in 1000 seconds or 1000 years, but it is coming.  From the signs of the times we are just waiting for the Father to tell Jesus – NOW go get them. 

Now is the time to get rid of whatever it is that is holding you down. 

Now is the time to unload it.

Now is the time to lay it down. 

Paul puts it like this – “ throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” (Hebrews 12:1) 

We don’t know how Jonah’s story ended!!! Did he repent?  Did he finally experience the love that God desired?  Did he make it?  Did he ever experience the joy of the Lord?  We don’t know, and it is sad because he was so close!!! All we know is that the last time we see him, he is angry  with God – not a good sign.  

We can’t change Jonah’s story, but we can change ours.