Gracious Love Available For Those Drowning in the Sea of Despair

O. T. #2161 "Gracious Love Available For Those Drowning in the Sea of Despair"

March 31, 2022

Jonah 1-Part 7

LET IT GLOW

Love is always fleeting, isn't it? People use the word in a casual way these days. Makes you wonder if they actually know love. So what is real love, then? John describes love for us in his first letter, 4:10,

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

In the Greek, the word propitiation means atonement; exchange; reconciliation; restoration to (the divine) favor.

Folks, before God created anything, He loved us. He knew that you and I could not save our soul, could not live a perfect life, nor meat His requirement for the forgiveness of sins.

How much did God the Creator love us? He loves us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to take our place on the cross. He became the sacrifice that takes away our sins. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice that we could not be in order for this to happen.When He becomes our Savior, Jesus restores us to the Father's favor.

Previously, John wrote in 1:9 NLT, If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

How does our relationship with a Holy God get restored? We confess our sins. Have you confessed your sins today? No one loves you more.

 

LET IT GROW

We have read where Jonah rebelled against God's will, not going to Nineveh to share the gospel and God's love to the heathen Assyrians. No, he went way down into his sin-down to Joppa, caught a ship to sail down to Tarshish, Jonah slept down in the bottom of the ship. Sin takes us down, further down than we want to go.

Then a storm came up and the sailors became afraid. After casting lots, they woke up Jonah so he would pray to his God for the storm to stop. He would have had to confess his sins, and determine to do God's will. Instead, Jonah told them to throw him overboard.

Hebrews 12:6 says, For whom the Lord loves, He chastens and scourges every son whom He receives.

The storm was intended to bring Jonah to repentance, but it did not. (Not all storms in life are due to sin.) Jonah preferred to die selfishly than to repent and obey God's will. Instead of taking his life into his own hands, Jonah should have surrendered his life and let God give the orders.

Jonah should have been a witness to the sailors, had he been willing, but he was a mess spiritually. When the sailors saw the situation as hopeless, they prayed to Jonah's God for forgiveness throwing him into the stormy sea. They even gave a sacrifice unto God. Sometimes unsaved people put believers to shame by their honesty, sympathy, and sacrifice.

... for Thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased Thee. (verse 14)

Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (verse 17)

Folks, God is always in control. He always has a plan. He knows what it will take for us to turn back to Him when we stray away.

When you're runny from a particular aspect of your calling, God will send circumstances, and they will find you. The wind obeyed, the sea obeyed, and the fish obeyed. But there was still a problem with the preacher. (Tony Evans)

What does it take for us to want to obey God? Are we willingly going wherever He leads? Or are we running away? Do we have to get to the place where we are drowning in a sea of despair in our rebelling before we repent and obey?

Are we or someone we know drifting along like driftwood, effortlessly and heedlessly downstream with the current of sin? That way leads to destruction.

LET IT GO

Thank You Father for a day to live, a day to enjoy walking with You.

Forgive our failings. How glorious in Your grace and mercy!

Bless all who read this with Your love, salvation, and direction.

May we be a blessing to others today.

Please protect us from the draw of the world and sin.

Glory to god in the Highest!