29/09/12

Paying the price

Jonah 1:3 - But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.


I must have written n number of times on this scripture, and when I got it again today I knew the Lord had something new to teach us, something which is applicable to us today.

In today's message the Lord wants to bring our attention to the fact, when Jonah left Gathhepher to flee to Tarshish to avoid doing the task assigned to him, he did not just abruptly run. He did organize himself, making sure he would not have any difficulties during his journey.

I did point out in my last message on this scripture that Jonah was a Man of God who had good communication with the Lord and he knew he could not flee from the Lord for there is no place where one can flee from the Lord. Jonah was just running away from doing the task assigned to him not because he did want to do the Lord's work or was afraid to do it. The only reason was that he did not want the people of Nineveh to be saved for they were among the most inhumane and evil people. They were known to skin people alive, tying them upside down, among the many other things they did. They were also known to have done great brutality towards the Israelites and that was the reason Jonah wanted them punished. He knew if the time period given to the people of Nineveh passed and they had not repented, the Lord would destroy them, and that was exactly what he wanted. In today's day it is like the Lord telling an American to go to the Taliban or Iranian President to tell if they did not repent by 4 days they would be destroyed, surely most Americans would wait eagerly for the fifth day to see their destruction. Compared to the people of Nineveh, the Taliban and the Iranian president look good people.

Today's message is about us working according to our understanding and not according to the Lord's Will. When the Lord telling us to do something that does not agree with our desires we find we will go out of the way to get our desire fulfilled. For example among the Pastors and preachers of India most have one desire and that is to preach in USA. They think going to USA is like getting a MIT certificate from the Kingdom of God. They also idolize some Men of God who like yesterday's message have reached their saturation point and sing the same song like a sparrow; nothing new is their messages other than theatrics of words and great showmanship.

The Lord is telling us today because we do not know the Heart of God like Jonah at that time we too try to do our own things. And when we find things not going well we call them persecution or our failure as the will of God and thus bear and not change or repent. We should thank God most of us have not gone through the 3 days hell experience which Jonah went through.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, Your people are far from your Heart that is the reason the Church is unlike the Church during the times of the Apostles when experienced your glory before it started moving away from your Word. Lord, today we are trying to add people by marketing your Kingdom using our wisdom and worldly knowledge. We do not let the people be added by You By your Spirit because we like Jonah walk according to our understanding. Lord, we pray that we realize our mistakes and surrender to your Will and not to our understanding...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Jonah 1:1-4, 15-17
1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
4 But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.
17 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.

Jonah 2:1-2, 10
1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,
2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land

Jonah 3:1-6, 10
1 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.
3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.
4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

Jonah 4:1-11
1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
4 Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?
5 So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.
6 And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.
7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.
8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.
9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.
10 Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:
11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

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