Jonah Chapter 1 SIN’S SLIPPERY SLOPE! The Sunday School teacher had been teaching her class about sin - but little Stephen's mind had been wandering. "Now, Stephen," the teacher said, "tell me again. What must we do before our sins may be forgiven?" Stephen was rudely brought back to the present. "What must we do before our sins may be forgiven?" he muttered. "WE GOTTA SIN!" Not exactly what the teacher was looking for. Jonah 1:1- “Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,“ When God’s Word comes to you it is always speaking. The question is not is it speaking but, are we listening? Jonah was a prophet or a preacher in Jonah 3:2. Jonah was a saved man. God’s Word speaks only to the saved, except in the case of salvation. The unsaved man cannot understand the things of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” This is why the Bible is not understood by all who pick it up. It’s not supposed to be like any other book, a newspaper, or even a comic book. The modernist and “scholars” want us to believe that everyone should be able to understand the things of God. A lost man by the wonderful grace of God is capable to understand how to get to heaven, but that is all. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” The Word of God is written for the saved to understand not the lost. God promises that his Word will not return empty or void when we give it out. Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Jonah 1:2-“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.” God told Jonah 1. Who was to go--Jonah--the saved. In Mark 16:15 God has given each saved individual the same command “And he said unto them…” His disciples, the saved. John 8:31-32 “… If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 2. WHEN to go--“arise”--now! “…Go ye…” When I was a small boy my dad would tell me to go and do something or go and get him something. One time I remember we were working in the front yard and he told me to go and get him something. Well I got up and went to the shop in the back yard to get him what he needed. Along the way I stopped and played and took my time. After a few minutes my dad came looking for me and found me playing. He asked me what I was doing and I said playing, but I was coming back. He took me in the house and whipped me and taught me a valuable lesson. The next time I was told to go do something I did it without stopping, playing or anything else. In fact, from that day on, I remember running as fast as I could to get whatever my dad needed. I wanted to please him and make him proud of me. I don’t know if he ever noticed how fast I would return with the item he needed or not, he didn’t say. The lesson I learned was to do what I was told when I was told to do it without stopping. Not to do my best, but to get the job done. 3. WHERE to go--”Nineveh”--this is more than he told Abraham. “…into all the world…” God does not always tell us where to go. He just wants us to obey. Obedience is better than sacrifice. 1 Samuel 15:22 “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” 4. WHAT to do-- “cry against it”--preach. “…preach the gospel to every creature.” Today’s modernistic positive preachers such as Joel Osteen and Rick Warren say that we should not be “preachy” when we preach. Michael W. Smith a Contemporary Christian singer says, “I know if I’m too blatant about my Christianity and talk about Jesus I won’t succeed in the mainstream. But hey, I’m not an evangelist. I’m a singer” * In his first three albums there are over 6000 words in his lyrics, but not one word about Jesus. How can you preach the Gospel without using Jesus name? Undoubtedly Mr. Smith has never read the Great Commission. No where does the Bible say we are to entertain the world. Entertaining is not a ministry of Jesus Christ. Our job is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To “cry against it.” I don’t know how you can cry against sin and the world and their wickedness without being “preachy” or using the name Jesus in your sermon or music. Jesus was preachy when he preached. Peter was preachy. Paul was preachy. The Word of God is preachy, so that’s good enough for me. I’ll be preachy also. 5. WHY he should do it--”for their wickedness is come up before me”-- God is holy and hates sin. 1 Peter 1:16 “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” This should be our same attitude about sin. Hate it! Hate it! Hate gossip! Hate the false versions of the Bible! Hate lust! Hate pride! Hate murder! Hate lying! Hate adultery! Hate drugs! Hate alcohol! Hate pornography! Hate homosexuality! Hate rock and roll! Hate country music! Hate Contemporary Christian music! Love the sinner! Love the sinner! Love them enough to tell them that they are a dirty rotten sinner going to hell without Jesus. Always remember Christian, Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” 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.“ Jonah only obeyed God partially. He did get up, but he did not go WHERE God told him to go. The word go and flee or two different words with two entirely different meanings. 1- The word “go” means to move; to pass; to proceed from one place, state or station to another; opposed to resting, or fleeing. 2- The word “flee” means to depart; to leave; to hasten away. “…resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7b. Or to avoid; to keep at a distance from. “Flee fornication; flee from idolatry.” 1Cor. 6:10. This was Jonah’s first mistake he partially obeyed the Word or God. God made it very clear what Jonah was suppose to do. Just like he does for us in the Bible. Most “Christians” want to pick and choose what they want to obey. They decide for themselves if they should get an easier version to understand. They decide based on how they feel if they have church. They base their doctrine on “scholarly opinions.” They choose their friends based on their preferences. They do what feels good. They do what is popular, because “everyone is doing it.” The Bible (KING JAMES VERSION) is our FINAL AUTHORTY ON ALL ISSUES IN LIFE. But Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 “…It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” This began Jonah’s slippery slide deep into sin. This is always the beginning of all our sins. We ignore what God’s Word says. From this very moment Jonah begin going in the wrong direction. 1. Sin Pulls You Down. Jonah1:3 “…and went down to Joppa…” Sin always pulls us down. The first look of lust is not the one that gets us in bed. The first drink of wine, beer, or liquor is not the one that destroys our marriage or life. It’s just the beginning. Sin is deceitful. The Devil is tricky and a liar. 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” The Word of God promises to bless those who follow his way, and plan for their life. Psalms 119:1 “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.” Sin drags us down. It never picks us up. Do you remember Eve in the Garden of Eden? What did sin do for her? Did it open her eyes and make her like a god? Did sin fulfill its promise? NO! And it never does. 2. Sin Puts Distance Between Us And God. -Adam and Eve’s sin put them out of the garden. -Moses’ sin cost him the promise land. -Lots wife’s sin cost her her life. -Samson’s sin removed God’s power from his life. -Saul’s sin cost him his crown. -David’s sin cost him his son. -Jonah’s sin drove him from the presence of God. -The rich man’s sin cost him his soul in hell. “he found a ship going to Tarshish:” Jonah thought he found a ship. This was not just luck or by chance. He thought he could run from the presence of God. God had prepared this particular ship, with this particular crew just for Jonah. We haven’t never just found anything without the providence of God putting it there or allowing it to be there. We didn’t find God, he found us. We were dead in our sins. Therefore, we could never have found anything apart from the Spirit of God convicting our hearts toward God. A few years ago, my wife and I lost our only son, Micah. That was not an accident. God knew exactly what He was doing in our lives. Romans 8:28-29 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” God was conforming us to be more like his Son Jesus Christ. Just like he prepared this ship for Jonah to be conformed to his Son. God was not finished with Jonah. You may think you can run from God but you can’t. Where can you go to hide? David said in Psalms 139:7-13 “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.” 3. Sin’s Payment Is Costly. Jonah 1:3 “…so he paid the fare thereof...” Jonah’s sin is beginning to cost him something. He thought he was going to get away from the “presence of the Lord.” Jonah doesn’t know it but his ship is called the Titanic. He’s sinking fast and doesn’t even realize it. At first sin is a simple tug. The tugging begins to pull you away from God and His will for your life, which puts distance between you and God. As a result of tugging and distance, it is beginning to cost you something. Could be your family, your job, your talent, your time, your money, your spirit, your devotion, your relationships, your ministry, etc. You rest assured, sin will cost you something. It comes with a hefty price tag. It’s not free like it advertises. You have to look beyond the fancy lights, smoke, pretty pictures, the sexy girls, fast cars, laughs, and the expensive toys. Sin is not a bargain either. The payment is always greater than the fun. Sin has a high interest rate attached. It is stated in the fine print. It’s not in big bold letters where everyone can plainly see it. No it is hidden away in a dark corner. Each time in my life when I tried to do my on thing out of God’s will, it always cost me something. Sad to say, but a few times in my life I cheated God by not tithing. Every single time my sin cost me something, along with interest. 4. Sin Pins You Down. “and went down into it” Jonah was not satisfied with running from God. It wasn’t enough to disobey God. No! He dug himself in. Jonah was getting comfortable in the ship of sin. When you get deep down into sin you don’t care about the cost no more. You’re no longer tuned in to what the Holy Spirit is saying to you. You ignore the sweet whisper in your ear. Sin has its chains pulling you down. It’s no longer a slight tug but a violent pull. The chains of sin are beginning to wrap themselves around you. Allowing you never to return. Never to repent. Jonah 2:5-6 “The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever...” Like a fighter who knocks his opponent down, sin knocks us down. It tries to keep us down for the count. It tries to pin our shoulders to the canvas, so that sin has the victory. This phrase also indicates to me that sins always leads us to more sin. Sin is never satisfied at the level of filth that it is has obtained. A little lie always leads to a bigger lie. A robbery can lead to a killing. A little wink will lead to lust. A little lust will lead to a phone call. A little phone call will lead to a date. A little date will lead to adultery. A little adultery will lead to a divorce. A little divorce will lead to a broken home. A little broken home will lead to a second marriage. A second marriage will start the whole process over again. 5. Sin Places Others In Sin’s Path. “…to go with them…” Jonah’s sin not only affected himself, but it affected those on the ship, and those to whom he was to go preach. Again we see the slippery slope that Jonah is on. Each moment of the day seems to cause him to slide further and further away from God’s best for his life. Our sin always affects those around us. Especially, those we love the most. There’s no way to help it. Remember the spies who Moses sent to spy on the promise land? Ten of them came back doubting God. Remember they had to wonder around in the wilderness for forty years. The whole nation of Israel, not just the ten. Even Joshua, Caleb, and Moses had to suffer because of the sin of others. Thousands of people died because of their sin. They all were affected, even though they all didn’t doubt God’s Word. Remember David’s sin. His son died because of it. He certainly was an innocent party to his dad’s sin. That’s not to mention the thousands who died because of it. They certainly were innocent also. The fact remains, our sins affect those around us. Sin is like a virus. You can’t contain it. It creeps out into the air and things that we touch. How many homes are broken by divorce and the children are hurt the worst? How many drunk drivers walk away, after killing someone’s son or daughter? How many innocent people get infective by Aids because of the sin of homosexuality? How many innocent victims get killed by the sin of hate? How many homes are broken because going to church is not important to the parents? How many children become rebellious because their mom or dad loves them to much to whip them? How many? How many? I ask you. Sin Places Others In Sin Path. 6. Sin Produces the Chastening of The Lord. Jonah 1:4 “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.” The word chastens means to correct, purify, or punish. A. The Chastening was from God. “the LORD sent out…” This storm was no accident. It was not caused by a cold front and a warm front meeting. It did not come from “Mother Nature.” It was created by a sovereign, omnipotent God. This storm in Jonah’s life was for the purpose of his sin. God’s chastening always follows our sin. Sin brings on the chastening of God. Proverbs 19:18 “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.” B. The Chastening was Great from God. Notice that God sent out a “great wind”. The sin fit the occasion, for the sin was great. Noah had commited a great sin of willful disobedience. Proverbs 13:24 “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” C. The Chastening was Grand from God. “there was a mighty tempest in the sea…” Sometimes when I have had to whip my girls, it was after their mom had whipped them. Depending on the sin, I would even take things away from them, because the sin was so sever. To be just the punishment for the sin should be equal to the sin. Jonah was a man of God running from his God and his calling. Again we see the punishment matches the sin. It takes a “mighty tempest” to get some backsliders attention sometimes. D. The Chastening was Guided from God. “…so that the ship was like to be broken.” It was to break Jonah, not the ship, of his stubborn will. God was not interested in breaking a boat made of wood. He was interested in breaking a man of his sin. He was trying to get his attention on the slippery slope of sin. God has a purpose in mind when he chastens his children. He had a goal. When I have to chasten my girls it’s with a purpose. They have never come to me asking for my chastening. They don’t desire the chastening of their dad. We should not desire or seek out the chastening of God. But sometimes the chastening hand of God is the only thing that will wake up some Christians. The chastening of God is to lovingly bring us back to fellowship with Him, and to be in His perfect will for our lives. Revelation 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Our response toward the chastening of God should be to repent. To turn from our sin, and turn toward God willing to obey his will. A whipping from a parent is because they love their child. The same is true of God our Heavenly Father. Never hate or despise God’s chastening. In fact, it’s proof that you are saved. God never chastens a lost man. Hebrews 12:5-8 “…My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” Sin’s slippery slope is oh so slippery. Sin is only for a season. Sin produces the chastening of God. 7. Sin Pronounces us Spiritually Dead. Jonah 1:5-6 “Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.” I want you to notice several things here. A-The chastening of God is obvious to others lots of time. “…the mariners were afraid…“ Right now I can think of a family who believes that they are in the middle of God’s will for their lives, yet they are plainly disobeying God in many areas of their lives based on the clear teaching of God’s Word. I can think of others that we have met since we have been living here in Cumming that are going through the chastening of God because of sin in their lives. While they lay fast asleep, cold and callous to the matter. Not giving it a second thought. Thinking that they have it under control. My friend, the moment that we think we have sin under control, you better watch out. My dad many times over the years has warned me of things, and had given me counsel concerning a matter and I ignored it. After looking back he was right nine out of ten times. Why? Because he was more spiritually wiser than me. He was also older, wiser and much more mature than me. B-The ship’s crew was just as spiritual as Jonah at this moment. “…and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. “ In my case my dad was more spiritual than me, but in Jonah’s case they were not even saved. Yet they were probably just as spiritual as Jonah was at that moment. They were more aware that God was doing something that was directed at them on that particular ship than Jonah who was fast asleep. This shows us just how far Jonah has slipped into sin. Just how deep sin had taken him. Jonah was so far gone that he lay fast asleep cold and callous to God that he could sleep. When our son Micah died, I was in that same condition. I would lie Sunday morning after Sunday morning sleeping while my wife and children went to church. I would hear them getting ready while I would sit and pretend to be fast asleep. All the while I would hear them ask my wife, “Is daddy going to church with us today mama?” My own daughters who were very young were more spiritual than their dad. I had allowed sin to control and wreck my life to the point I didn’t care about my own family. Sin always takes us further than we want to go. A man has to be sorry to allow others to suffer for his sin, and that’s what I was, and so was Jonah. C-God used a simple shipmaster to wake Jonah out of his sleep. “So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.” God could have touched Jonah with his own hand, but He didn‘t. God could have done a number of things, but he used a man to touch him. This simple sinful man told Jonah to pray. Of all things that he asked him, he asked him to pray. He could have asked him to help row, or to throw things over board to lighten the load. Instead, he asked him to pray. Even though he only woke him out of a physical sleep that was the first step in getting him out of a spiritual sleep. There are several things that woke me out of my physical sleep when I was thinking about suicide. One was my wife and children praying for me. Begging and crying asking me not to take my life. The other big thing was my father-in-law praying for me and with me. He even told me if it would help he would take his life in place of me. These were the things that woke me up physically and begin to wake me up spiritually. God can use what he wants to wake us up. For the prodigal son it was the pig slop, for David it was a small story, for Peter it was a rooster, for Paul it was a visit from Jesus, for many of the disciples it was just a word, for Jonah it was a shipmaster that begin his repentance. I’m not saying that Jonah repented here, I am only saying that this was the first thing said toward Jonah to turn to God and from his sin. Sin had pronounced Jonah spiritually dead and rightly so, for he was. Just like me, I was spiritually dead. Sin had taken me way further than I had wanted to go on the journey of sin. Sin was claiming victory in my life. Sin was holding the banner of victory high and clear in my life. I was so spiritually dead I didn’t care about myself, my family and friends. Jonah was so spiritually dead that he didn’t care about himself, the Ninevites, or the ship’s crew. In Ephesians 5:14 it says, “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” 8-Sin’s Path Is Made Known. Read Jonah 1:7-10 These verses show us that they were concern with their lives, the ship, the storm, and their situation. They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. Now tell me, why didn’t Jonah just speak up and say, “I’ll save you the trouble of casting lots. I’m the guilty party here. I’m to blame.” When the lot fell on Jonah he was questioned by the fishermen, as to why this was happening and who he was. Jonah told them that he was a preacher, and that he was running from God. What a great testimony he must have had with these men. These verses also tell us that our sins will be found out. We have all heard the saying, “Be sure your sins will find you out.” God has many ways of bringing to light hidden sins and sinners, and making know that folly which was thought to be hid from the eyes of everyone living. We cannot hide our sin so good, that God cannot find it. We cannot cover our sin so well, that God cannot reveal it. This brings us to two points: A-Who Can Cover Our Sins? If we cover our sins, God will not forgive us. But if we confess our sins, He will cover them. The difference here is Who is doing the covering? We cannot cover our sins because “the wages of sin is death.” Someone has to pay for those sins. They can’t just be swept under a rug and hide from the eyes of God. My friend we cannot deal with our sins. Our sins grow bigger and bigger the longer we sleep in them. The storm was not raging when Jonah went to sleep, but when he was awaken he was in a storm. Sin always grows larger and larger the longer we are in it. God is the only One who can cover our sins. Our sin requires a perfect sacrifice. God is the only One who can calm the storm of sin. In Galatians 1:4 Paul said, “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:” Jesus gave himself for our sins, so he is the only One who can forgive sin. To be able to forgive sin you must be God and sinless. We are not God and we are certainly not sinless. Paul said in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” David said in Psalms 85:2 “Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.” Also in Psalms 32:1 David said, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” If we want forgiveness of our sins we must ask the One who can forgive, God. 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God is the only One who can forgive our sins. Let’s don’t hide them, but confess them. Not only is it Who is doing the forgiving that is important but B-What Can Cover Our Sins? Our sins cannot be covered with a rug. Our sins cannot be covered with good deeds. In Isaiah 64:6 Isaiah said, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Our best, our good deeds, our righteousness, our good works is like dirty, filthy, smelly, soiled, famine rags when it comes to covering our sins. Our sins cannot be forgotten even though we try. We turn the music so high so we don‘t have to listen to our sins, we turn the bottle up to drown in our sins, we shoot up with drugs so we can sail away from our sin, we lay ourselves out on the bed of prostitution to ignore our sins, we cut ourselves to ease the pain of sin, we divorce to separate from our sins, we murder our babies to remove our sins, we talk with doctors to help with our sins, we confess our sins to religious priest to forgive us our sins, we dress immodestly to expose our sins, we talk like trash to add to our sins, we go in dept to forget our sins, and we deny God who is able to forgive us our sins. My friend, there is only one thing that can cover your sins. The blood of Jesus Christ. “What Can Wash Away My Sins? Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus.” David said in Psalms 51:7 “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” David wrote this after he commited his great sins. In Egypt when God was going to kill all the first born sons in Egypt, the way that the Death Angel would know the difference between the Egyptians and the Children of Israel would be for them to pour, not sprinkle, the blood of a spotless lamb over the door post. The blood has to be applied. It is no good unless it is applied. It was not enough for them to kill the spotless lamb, it was not enough to prepare the lamb, it was not enough to prepare the blood, it was not enough for the blood to be near or at the door, but the blood had to be applied to the door and door post. Then when that Death Angel came to that house with the blood, he would see the blood, not our good deeds, not our good works, not our giving, not our sacrifice, not our history, not our membership, but the blood, and therefore would pass over them. It tells us this in Exodus 12:13 “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” If we confess our sins, God will forgive based on the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 9:22 “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” Without the shed blood of Jesus we have no hope. Sorry, Charles Swindoll we have a bloody salvation, not a bloodless salvation. Leviticus 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” Jonah tried to sleep through his sin, hide his sin, run from his sin, ignore his sin, cover his sin, everything but confess it and repent. 9-Sin Pollutes Our Testimony. Jonah 1:8-10 “Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.” Did you notice Jonah’s testimony for the Lord? Well neither did the men on the ship. Because he had no testimony for the Lord. He did have one but not for the Lord. We all have a testimony, the question is it one for the Lord? Jonah fit right in with the rest of the world. You couldn’t even tell him from them. There was a difference between Jonah and the crew, even though it was unnoticed by the crew. Sin had polluted Jonah’s testimony so much you could not tell who he was. They didn’t know if he was a preacher or a fisherman. It was not obvious from anything about him that he was God‘s man. I ask you the question, “Can the world and your friends identify you as a Christian?” Is your attitude different? Is your look different? Are your words Godly or ungodly? Do you dress modestly? Dirt does the same thing with pure clean water. If you have two glasses of water, one is filthy and dirty, and the other one is clean and pure. If you take a hand full of dirt and pour it in the glass of water that is clean and pure, it becomes polluted. The water no longer looks pure, it no longer tastes pure, and it no longer feels pure and it no longer smells pure because it is polluted. You can no longer tell that it was clean pure water at one time. In fact, it looks just like the other glass of dirty polluted water. If you were to mix them up you wouldn’t know which one was pure at one time and which one was polluted. The same is true with Jonah’s testimony, it had become polluted. If you were to look at the ship’s men and looked at Jonah you couldn’t tell who was a preacher and who was in the world. There was no difference. Sin always pollutes our testimony. You may think that it want but you cannot control the slippery slope of sin. This brings us to several points about our testimony. A-What is a Testimony or a Witness? a. Pointing others to Jesus through our light. John the Baptist was a witness and was sent to bear witness of Jesus. In John 1:7-8 it says, “The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.” John’s purpose was to point others to that Light. He was not that Light, but was a witness of that Light. Jesus said in Matthew 5:14 “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” We are a light also, Jesus said. The little kid’s song says that we are not to hide it under a bushel, but we are to let it shine. Our testimony is either shining or we are hiding it. In Acts 26:22-23 Paul said, “Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.” Paul didn’t care who he was in front of, the small or the great, the rich or the poor, the educated or uneducated, life or death, he witnessed to them the things about the Word of God. Are we that way? Are we careful about whom we curse in front of? If you do, then you’re a hypocrite. The fact is, God is standing there, why are you cursing in front of Him? It doesn’t matter if the preacher or the drunk is standing there, our light is to shine. The only light that some people see will be yours. Some people will go to hell, because you hid your light. b. Pointing others to the Truth with our life. John 18:37 “Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.” Jesus came to be a witness of the truth with his life, even if it meant death. He gave his life which was a testimony of the truth. Are our lives pointing others to the truth? Are we living our lives that are an example of the truth in God’s Word? Are we living our lives in such a way that others know that the truth is in us? Yesterday, I had my daughter tell me that another teenager said, “That they did not like me because I am always happy no matter what. I’m always in a great mood.” My daughter Hannah said, “That is because he has Jesus in his heart and he is first place. He just doesn’t have happiness, but he has joy.” c. Don’t be ashamed of your testimony. 2 Timothy 1:8 “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;” Paul tell us not to be ashamed of our Lord’s testimony or of him that was an example of the Lord. Instead we are to “fight the good fight of faith…” he tells us this in 1 Timothy 6:12 “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” We better not be ashamed of our Saviour, or he will be ashamed of us. Instead we are to be a good testimony and let our lives shine forth as a lighthouse to the ship that is about to be broken on the sea of life. B-Commanded that we be a testimony. a. God commanded it. In Acts 10:42 it says, “And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.” God has commanded that we testify to those around us. Neither Jonah nor we have an excuse when it comes to being a testimony unto the Lord. We are not to blend in, but to stand out and speak out. Our opinions don’t matter on issues that are clear cut like this. It doesn’t matter about what others will think about us. It doesn’t matter what others will say about us. It doesn’t matter if we get laughed at, the fact is the only thing that should concern us is are we obeying God, and what does he think? b. God practiced it. Not to long ago, we were involved in a church that had a Bible memorization program for the teens. It was well developed and was a great help to everyone involved. The only problem I saw was that the teens were expected to learn verses but not the coaches, or leaders. That is a double standard, that’s being a hypocrite. Why should teens have to memorize verses but not the leaders? God practices what he preaches. He does not ask us to do something that he is not willing to do or has done. In John 5:9 God is a witness of His own Son, “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.” How much more should we be a witness of Jesus, if His own Father was a witness of Him? b. Jesus preached it. Jesus preached unto his own but his own received him not. He was a testimony of His Father, but they rejected it. John 4:44 “For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.” c. Jesus practiced it. Jesus practiced what he preached. John 7:7 “The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.” 1 Timothy 2:6 “Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” d. Jesus works preaches it. The very works of Jesus testified of Jesus. Our works should they not be the same type of witness in everything that we do? John 5:36 “But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.” John 10:25 “Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.” This certainly can apply to our work ethics, but it can also apply to our attitude, our mouth, our eyes, our walk, our actions, our prayer life, our gossip, our modesty, our “free time“, our dreams, our goals, our families, our children, our Bible study, our everything. e. Holy Spirit practices it. The Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus. John 15:26 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:” f. Word of God practices it. The Word of God testifies to the fact that Jesus is God. In every portion of Scripture, Old and New Testament there is a witness to the Light of the world. John 5:39 “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” g. Paul preached it. If it wasn’t enough that God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God preached and practiced it, Paul preached it to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12 “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” Young believers have no excuse when it comes to being an example of Jesus Christ. Certainly this verse could be applied to teens, but I think it applies better to young believers. Paul even tells us to be an example in our lives, our speech, our love, in spirit, in our faith, and in our purity. h. Paul practiced it. Most people when they come have their own agenda, but not Paul. He came with one purpose and one agenda and that was to talk about the love of his life. In 1 Corinthians 2:1 he said, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.” Also in Acts 20:24 “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” One of the ways Paul was going to finish his life in joy was by testifying of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others. That is also the only way we can ever have complete joy in our lives, by telling others about Jesus. The problem is we count our lives, our jobs, our money, our friends, our time, our lust, our reputation, our influence, our prestige, our position, our neighbors, our family, our stuff more precious then Jesus. Paul counted his life as nothing when compared to testifying of the One who gave his life for him. i. Peter preached it. Peter was giving a testimony to a faithful brother that he was standing on a solid rock, Jesus Christ. In 1 Peter 5:12 “By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.” j. John preached it. John on the Island of Patmos was a testimony and had received a testimony from Jesus Christ Himself that if anyone who tampers with correcting, adding or taking away, from the Word of God, they shall be facing God Almighty in His wrath. Revelation 22:18 “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:” We as Christians have received just a strong word of testimony from Jesus Christ from the Scriptures that we are to be witnesses to Him in our lives. k. World preaches it. Even the world testifies that we are false witnesses when we are witnesses of Jesus. The world sometimes is a better example than the children of God. 1 Corinthians 15:15 “Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.” l. Angels preach it. If the angels are to testify, how much more should we who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. Revelation 22:16 “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” B. Examples of a Godly testimony. a. Enoch-Hebrews 11:5 “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” Does your testimony please God so much that if he so chose to take you up to heaven that he could? I’m sure we all have a lot of work to do. b. John-Revelation 1:9 “I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Have you like John been persecuted for your stand, for your testimony for the Word of God and the Lord Jesus Christ? c. Woman of Samaria-John 4:39 “And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.” Because of this one woman’s testimony many people in this town was saved. How many people have been saved from your testimony? Or could be? d. Moses-Hebrews 3:5 “And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;” Moses was faithful in his house as a servant for a testimony. We ourselves should be faithful in our homes for a testimony unto the Lord. e. Able-Hebrews 11:4 “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.” f. Brethren-3 John 1:3 “For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.” John rejoiced when the brethren were a testimony of the truth that was in them. How many people are rejoicing because of the witness that you have of the truth that is in you? g. Jesus-John 13:15 “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” 1 Peter 2:21 “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:” Jesus is always our greatest example in all matters. He said that we should follow in his foot steps. Are you following in the foot steps of Jesus when it comes to being a testimony? Or do you blend in with the world like Jonah? Jesus did not blend in, instead he stood out. 10. Sin’s Philosophy is to Destroy you. Jonah 1:11-16 “Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee. So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.” Here again we see that Jonah’s sins are affecting others, and the sad part is, he doesn’t even care. Notice if you will he says for them to take him and throw him into the sea. Why didn’t Jonah just say, “I’ll jump because I have caused you enough pain?” Even though he knew that his sins were the cause of this storm in these men’s lives, he still didn’t do the right thing. He still was only watching out for himself. Sin causes us to focus on ourselves rather than others. D.L. Moody said, "God sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves." Therefore, sin destroying our lives, our testimony, and our chance to please God. Notice 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” The devil uses sin in our lives to “devour” or destroy us. That is his purpose and philosophy. The devil is out to destroy every Christian that is breathing. He knows he can’t get our soul, because once we are saved were always saved. Funny that he knows that but many Christians do not. The devil is our enemy our adversary. The Bible says he is like “a roaring lion” as a lion walks about looking for his prey that he can destroy. It is wrong to say the devil is a roaring lion, because Peter used the word “as”. Peter was trying to convey the cunning craftiness of a lion before he lands a kill. So he told them to be “Be sober, be vigilant” so they to would not end up in the hands of the lion, the devil, who would destroy them. This verse also indicates that those who are not sober and vigilant are easy prey for the devil to pounce on. What I want us to focus on today is what the devil destroys in our lives by using sin. As I have said all throughout this message, Jonah was on sin’s slippery slope going down hill fast. Once he got started it was hard to stop, even if he wanted to. Though Scripture gives us no indication of that. Sin is a powerful force that destroys everything in its path. Let’s look at four areas of Jonah’s life that was destroyed. Sin destroys our…. A. Walk with God. -In verse one the Lord comes to Jonah and tells him to do something. Therefore, indication perfect fellowship with God at this point in his life. -In verse three sin enters in the picture and from this point on till chapter three, God doesn’t speak to Jonah again. -In verse three and ten the phrase “from the presence of the LORD” is used three separate times. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” -Sin always separated us from the love of God. Our salvation is not lost, but our fellowship is. -Billy Sunday said this about sin, “"I'm against sin. I'll kick it as long as I've got a foot, and I'll fight it as long as I've got a fist. I'll butt it as long as I've got a head. I'll bite it as long as I've got a tooth. And when I'm old and fistless and footless and toothless, I'll gum it till I go home to Glory and it goes home to perdition!" -My daddy said, “You can’t run with the devil, and walk with God.” B. Wealth from God. -In verse three Jonah began spending his money on a ship that would take him away from the place where God wanted him. So he was spending his money foolishly. Sin was costing him something to be separate from the will of God for his life. Sin always eats up our wealth that God has given us. -Wealth can be more than money or wages. It can also be talking about ones family, possessions, talents, forgiveness of sins, home in heaven, position in Christ, crowns or rewards in heaven, friends, joy, peace, purpose in life, his calling, etc. -Jonah’s sin destroyed his wealth no only by spending his money on a boat ticket, but in his rewards, peace of mind, joy, fellowship with God, etc. -Sin will destroy God’s riches that he has given to us if we allow sin to get a foothold on our lives. C. Witness of God. -Jonah was a prophet of God. His ministry was to speak for God. To be a witness of the one true God. -In verse two God tells Jonah to be a witness to Nineveh. -In verse eight the men on the ship had to ask Jonah who he was, and what his occupation was. -It’s a shame when the world has to ask the man of God who he is and what he does. -Mark 16:15-16 “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature…” -Sin destroys our witness of God with the world. D. Worth in God. -The word Jonah means dove. -But in verse twelve he recommends that the fishermen throw him overboard, so he will die. -In verse fifteen Jonah gets them to help him commit suicide. -Jonah felt like his purpose for living was over, which was to preach. -Sin has a way to tear down a person’s self worth, and self esteem so they just want to throw in the towel and quit. Sin will destroy our lives and eventually our life if we are not careful with allowing sin to creep into our lives.