Sunday Service Online Stream

This page has the notes for the sermon and links for songs used during children’s music time each week. Scroll down to the bottom for the children’s info.

Fear the Lord, Tell the Truth

Jonah: God’s Matchless Grace
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Pastor Jojo Ma

 

7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” 9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

I.          Do you believe God is Sovereign? [v7]
II.        Do you blame others? [v8]
III.       Do you fear the LORD? [v9]
IV.       Do you tell the truth? [v10]

I.         Do you believe God is Sovereign? [v7]
7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

Mk 15:24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.

Casting lots was a way of saying, “Let it be God’s will that decides.”

Prov 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

John Piper: “It is not merely that God has the power and right to govern all things but that He does so always and without exception.”

God is sovereign over the entire universe: Ps 103:19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all. [Rom 8:28; Eph 1:11]

God is sovereign over all of nature: Ps 135:6-7 Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses. [Mt 5:45; 6:25-30]

God is sovereign over angels & Satan: Ps 103:20 Bless the Lord, O you His angels, you mighty ones who do His Word, obeying the voice of His Word! [Job 1:12]

God is sovereign over nations: Ps 47:8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. [Dan 2:20-21; 4:34-35]

God is sovereign over human beings: Gal 1:15 But when He who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by His grace. [1 Sam 2:6-7]

God is sovereign over animals: Ps 104:21-30; 1 Ki 17:4-6

God is sovereign over “accidents” or “chance events”: Pr 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. [Jon 1:7; Mt 10:29]

God is sovereign over free acts of men: Prov 21:1 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He will. [Ex 3:21; 12:25-36; Ez 7:27]

God is sovereign over sinful acts of men and Satan: Acts 2:23 This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. [2 Sam 24:1; 1 Chr 21:1; Gen 45:5; 50:20]

Eph 1:11 …according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.

Charles Spurgeon: “I am sure there is no more delightful doctrine to a Christian, than that of Christ’s absolute sovereignty. I am glad there is no such thing as chance, that nothing is left to itself, but that Christ everywhere hath sway. If I thought that there was a devil in hell that Christ did not govern, I should be afraid that devil would destroy me. If I thought there was a circumstance on earth, which Christ did not over-rule, I should fear that that circumstance would ruin me. Nay, if there were an angel in heaven that was not one of Jehovah’s subjects, I should tremble even at him. But since Christ is King of kings, and I am his poor brother, one whom he loves, I give all my cares to him, for he cares for me; and leaning on his breast, my soul hath full repose, confidence, and security.”

Jn 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth.

Matt 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

The Christian church should lament the corrupt state of civic depravity known as our state-run lotteries. Not only does the lottery undermine the biblical teaching of working hard, delayed gratification, perseverance, and proper saving and investing, it also promotes laziness and greed and feeds on the poor.

John Piper: “So, if you win, don’t give your lottery winnings to our church. Christ does not build his church on the backs of the poor. Pray that Christ’s people will be so satisfied in him that they will be freed from the greed that makes us crave to get rich.”

II.        Do you blame others? [v8]
8 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?”

8 Then they said to [Jonah], “Tell us who is to blame for this trouble we're in. What is your business and where are you from? What is your country and what people are you from?” HCSB

A healthy marriage, or healthy relationships in general, take people who will first look at their own lives and humbly seek out where they have been part of the problem.

III.      Do you fear the LORD? [v9]
9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

8 What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?

“Jonah, what do you do? What’s your occupation?” I love his answer: “I fear the LORD.”

To fear the Lord is our primary occupation, should be our primary preoccupation, and should daily occupy our thinking and our breathing and our living.

Rom 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Too much of American evangelical Christianity is fearing the world more than fearing God.

History has shown that great revivals begin when the church awakens to a deep and profound fear of God.

It's the sleeping church that fears the world and dreams of worldly things and worldly ambitions. But when the church is truly awakened, the first sign, after rubbing her eyes and clearing her vision, is that she really fears God.

IV.       Do you tell the truth? [v10]
10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

An important part of fearing the Lord is telling the truth.

Eph 4:25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor.

Church, in every area of life, we are to tell the truth. We are truth-speakers and we are God-fearers.

I.          Do you believe God is Sovereign? [v7]
II.        Do you blame others? [v8]
III.       Do you fear the LORD? [v9]
IV.       Do you tell the truth? [v10]