Category: Church at Home

Good morning everyone, thank you for joining me again. As you know, we’ve temporarily asked that people only attend services in the meeting house where they are a member of the congregation. Even with this restriction in place we still can’t fit everyone in. So, I am continuing to put these messages and some other resources online.

Last week we began this series on 1 Peter and covered just the first two verses. But these verses are important. Peter in just those two verses, reminded the people he was writing to – a selection of churches scattered around what is now modern-day Turkey – who they are and what a remarkable thing has already happened to them to make them Christians. They were chosen by the Father, sanctified by the Sprit, cleansed by the blood of Jesus, the Son, to live lives of obedience to God. If a person is a Christian, it’s not just one of those things, it’s not ordinary, it is the result of the extraordinary work of all three persons of the Holy Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

Today, we’ll be continuing in the first chapter and looking at verses three to 12. In these verses Peter reminds these Christians that because of this extraordinary thing God has done, and is doing in them, they have new life.  

Let’s read 1 Peter 1:3-12 now.

In verse three Peter talks about the new birth that God the Father has given Christians. A fresh start and a new identity. Imagine starting again with God, your old sins, your regrets and mistakes washed away, a new identity given to you, all is forgiven. You can start over, but not just to repeat the same mistakes again, you are born again and empowered by God’s Spirit to live out your new identity, to become what you were always destined to be. Not only does God call you to be a new person, he makes you a new person, a person who knows the joy of walking with their God, of experiencing life as it was meant to be. 

Christians have a real, living hope through the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus is for us the proof of what God is doing in us and what he will bring to completion, he will make all things new, giving them real life, setting things right. Proof that death is not the end, that God has a better plan. 

The hope that Christians have is not in some ideology or philosophy that someone came up with long ago. It is a hope which comes, as Peter writes at the end of verse 3, “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 

Our hope is grounded in in a real historical event that happened in this world. When the Apostles like Peter went out to spread the Good News about Jesus, they preached about something that had just happened. People didn’t like what they were saying. They persecuted them, but they wouldn’t shut up, they beat them, but they wouldn’t shut up, they killed them, but the message carried on and spread around the world. Christ died to rescue sinners and he is risen, he is alive. 

Nothing can tarnish this new hope or inheritance Christians have as a result of their faith in Christ, nothing can take away their identity as children of God, nothing can take away this blessing, it is kept safe for them in heaven. Even if those who persecute the church should do their worst and kill them they cannot destroy their inheritance and in the end the Christians will be brought fourth again in glory when God makes all things new. This amazing gift from God came for free from a God who didn’t owe us anything but punishment for our sins. And that’s why Peter begins verse 3 with praise: 

This gift is all from God’s mercy and grace, we didn’t earn it and we don’t have to pay for it, we couldn’t ever earn it or afford it anyway. If you are a Christian, rejoice in the hope that God has given you, be encouraged that it is safe and that your hope is not in something vague but in a real event that happened and that you follow a living Saviour. If you are not a Christian the invitation is there, to know God, to trust in what Jesus did and follow him, to be set free by the amazing love of God to be born again as the person you were always meant to be, to know true life, true love, true hope, true peace, true joy… even in the midst of trials 

These Christians are suffering for their faith. Peter compares these trials to gold being tested in a furnace. When Christians go through trials, when we suffer even lightly because of our faith – because we want to honour God and live this new life – that faith grows. Your faith is proven true and becomes stronger and purer when you cling to it in the face of trials. Gold is refined in a furnace, you don’t get stronger or fitter by lying on the couch all day, and it is just like that with faith. Your faith grows in the hard times. Nobody was ever pampered into being strong. Even gold will perish but your faith secures for you an eternal salvation and results in praise and glory and honour for God and for you. 
 
These people know what is truly important – knowing God and the salvation Christ has won for them – they have been liberated from the slavery of sin and the punishment of death and they know that nobody can take that blessing away from them. Therefore, they rejoice even though they are grieved by various trials. Peter calls their joy “inexpressible and glorious” in verse 8 – this is a righteous joy; they are celebrating what is truly worth celebrating. These Christians have their priorities right when it comes to hope and joy. 

What is your hope and joy in? Our priorities can often get shuffled around by all the distractions of this world, so we should all ask ourselves “Do I have my priorities right?” Are you miserable and stressed out about lesser things while forgetting the things that are most important? 

This is a short letter but Peter paints some very vivid pictures for us in the next few verses (verses 10 to 12). Peter writes of the Old Testament prophets who prophesied about the coming Messiah, his suffering and the glory that would follow. These prophets spoke of the grace that was to come to these people saved by the Messiah. These prophets were so captivated by what had been revealed to them about this work of God that they longed and searched intently to find out the details. Christians can look back at the cross and see more details than the prophets knew, they can tell more of the wonderful story of what God has done, a story that involves us personally. 

Even angels, Peter says in verse 12, long to look into these things. Think about that for a moment. Angels long to see what God has done and is doing in you. Angels can see and behold God, his beauty unhidden, they worship him constantly, and yet what has happened and is happening and will happen to you, because of Jesus, has captured their attention so much! The word translated “long” here, used to described the angel’s longing to look into salvation, that word means “desire” and it is even sometimes translated “lust”, although the word in itself has neither good nor bad connotations. Picture that, angels craning their necks desiring to see the details of salvation, longing to see what God is doing with Christians, with you. This is because our gracious and merciful God is glorified by what he is doing in us. The transformation that takes place in a Christian is glorifying to God. It’s an understatement to say that this is a big deal! 

All who know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour have been given new life, a new relationship with God as their Father and a new and sure hope. That’s what we need in times of suffering: not just wishful thinking, but a sure hope. Something solid. In Christ we have that solid ground. An unshakable refuge in uncertain times. 

Jesus said it himself. John 10:27-30 

No matter what happens you are Christ’s. He lives and reigns and because of what Jesus has done you have new life and an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. If you belong to Christ, then nothing in this world can take you out of his hand. 

This was true of Peter, it was true of the Christians that he was writing to as they endured their trials, and it is true for us today. 

Today I want us to take a look at the overlooked. The things that don’t get much attention. When we think of New Testament letters and their impact we deservedly think of Paul’s letters. They are fascinating, brilliant. They explain so much of what Christ has accomplished for his people and what we are in this world. But as we focus on Paul and his letters, we can neglect the other letter writers of the New Testament. Peter often becomes overshadowed by Paul and we forget what a treasure Peter’s letters are too. 

When we think of the New Testament letters, we can also overlook an important part of those letters. The beginning. The opening verses of the letters usually follow some standard format and so we can often skim over them, taking them as any old “dear sir or madam”. But great thought was put into these verses, and more importantly, they are the word of God. So, I want today to look at just the two verses at the beginning of 1 Peter. 

Here one of the first church leaders, Peter one of the original twelve apostles, who had learned at the Master’s feet, who had been among Jesus’ very closest companions and friends even among the apostles, writes this circular letter to be passed around to a selection of churches in what is modern-day Turkey. Peter writes to encourage these Christians in the face of persecution and suffering, reminding them what a blessing they have and what a wonderful thing God is doing. These are a people who are feeling the cost of discipleship. They are exiles in this world. They are scattered about in a hostile land. Peter writes to remind them who they and who they belong to. 

This is a people out of step with the world they are living in. They are a not like the rest of the people where they live. The live in a world of false gods and idols. Although the early Christians were said to out-live, out-love and out-laugh their non-Christian neighbours there was friction. The Christians did not join in with the pagan festivals around them, they did not have idols, they did not make sacrifices, they did not visit the pagan shrines, they did not get drunk. So, the Christians were persecuted for their faith and the ways that that faith made a difference in their lives. 

And here they are. Scattered and different. That makes them feel isolated. Isolation can be a terrible thing. It’s gets wearisome. We’ve experienced a different kind of isolation these past few months because of COVID-19. We’ve had to isolate from each other. We’ve had to keep our distance. Even now, look at us. Some of us sitting far apart in a church building. No handshakes. No hugs. No huddling up for a chat. I can’t come down and interact with the children. Some of us at home waiting to return. Isolation is hard. Theirs was a different kind of isolation, but the feelings of stress and loneliness and “Why am I doing this anyway? Can’t things just be normal!” must have crept into their thoughts too. 

Aside from the pandemic, modern-day Christians still feel the same isolation that was around in the early church. Maybe not to such a great extent. We have the freedom to worship openly. We have a history in this place. But still, following Jesus will make you different and being different all the time, being the odd one out, can make things extremely hard and very lonely. There is a pressure to conform. To just get on with being normal and stop being awkward. 

Peter writes this letter to tell them what exactly it is that makes them different and what that means for their lives. He writes to give them courage and hope during their isolation and the persecution they experience. 

Peter calls them “God’s elect”. They were chosen by God. That’s what makes them different. 

Peter goes into greater detail: they are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. This isn’t an accident. The Father knows what he’s doing, and he chose them. They have not been overlooked or forgotten. They were chosen by the Father long ago and everything is going according to his plan. 

They were chosen through the sanctifying work of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God is who gives Christians life and makes us different. He transforms us. He makes us holy. He sets us apart. They are feeling the cost of being different, but Peter reminds them that this difference in them is the work of God. 

They were sprinkled with the blood of Jesus. Cleansed and purified by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Their sins atoned for.  

These people aren’t just a bunch of lonely sufferers, a collection of misfits and outsiders, picked on and bullied. These people are God’s elect, his chosen people,  and if they are different now it is because God has chosen them and made them different.  

Peter shows how the whole Trinity has been involved in making them into the new people they have become and are becoming. They were chosen according to foreknowledge of the Father, they are sanctified by the work of the Spirit and brought under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, cleansed and purified by the sprinkling of his blood, by his sacrifice. 

Knowing who and what you are is important. We’ve all heard of the story of the ugly duckling, right? He doesn’t look like his friends. He’s different. They call him ugly. They bully him. And it makes this poor little guy very sad. You know the end of the story. He grows up and discovers that he was never a duckling at all. He’s a swan. Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if he knew that when he was little? When the ducklings picked on the way he looked he could have just gone “Well, yeah of course I look different from you, I’m a swan and you’re ducks. I’m not supposed to look like you.” I think that would have made him feel a lot better about being different. 

Peter is telling these Christians why they are different. They’re not ugly ducklings. They’re not ducklings at all. Christians are chosen by God and made different by God. When the world makes you feel like the odd one out, and it will if you are committed to following Jesus, then know that you are supposed to be different. That’s the work of God in you. 

Do you ever feel like a misfit because of your faith? Do you ever feel lonely or laughed at? Are you tempted sometimes to downplay your identity as a follower of Christ to fit in with those who don’t know him and don’t follow him? Well if you know Jesus and belong to him you have no need to be ashamed or worry, God has made you his with his whole heart! All three persons of the Trinity were involved in bringing you to faith in Christ. You’ve been chosen by the Father, through the Spirit, for the Son. 

The church is not an ugly duckling. We are not just misfits. We are God’s chosen people.  

This morning we’re wrestling with doubt. That’s what this psalm is about. Specifically, it’s about the psalmist’s struggles through doubt caused by the injustice he sees around him and how that appears to contradict everything he believes about God. Doubt is a normal part of the Christian faith and, if we use it well, it can lead us to even stronger faith.

Every so often I’ll have a conversation with an atheist or agnostic and they will raise the issue of how anyone can believe in a good God when there is so much injustice and suffering in the world. I think the assumption that some people make is that, to be a Christian, you must just not think about all that stuff. As if I’ve never thought about the problem of suffering and injustice, or else I just close my eyes to it to live in a fantasy world where everything is nice.

I’d argue that the opposite is true: that a committed Christian is far more likely to think about the problem of injustice and how we can see it right in front of our faces or on the news, while at the same time believing that God is good and just and that he is in control over everything. The Christian is far more likely to wrestle with this than the unbeliever. Loving God and having a relationship with him doesn’t mean that you never wrestle with doubt.

We argue with people who are close to us more often than we argue with total strangers. And that’s because of our close relationship, not despite it. In the same way, my relationship with God makes me more likely to wrestle with him over things and more likely to have thought about the times when life seems to contradict the things I believe. I believe in God’s goodness. I believe that God is sovereign — that he is in control over all things. So when I see terrible injustice, the things I see seem to contradict the things I believe about a good and just God being in control. So, I wrestle with this. I wrestle with God. This is the stuff I think about on a regular basis, because of my faith, not despite it. The believer is far more likely to wrestle with God than the unbeliever.

One of the things I love about the Bible is that it doesn’t shy away from these difficult issues. It is the story of God reaching out to his people and how his people have reacted to this in very human ways. The psalms are full of this humanity. In this psalm we read the words of someone who wrestled with doubt.

Doubt isn’t something we need to be ashamed of. It’s not a sin. It’s not the mark of a fake Christian. Remember that these psalms are there to help the people of God worship him together. So if the word of God contains a psalm all about wrestling with doubt then doubt is a part of our faith.

The psalmist lays out his belief and the doubts he has when he looks around him and reality seemed to be telling a different story:

Our faith doesn’t hide or shy away from this kind of thinking, it doesn’t try and shield us from it. The Bible makes us think about these issues. We are encouraged to wrestle with God. God’s people were even called “Israel”, meaning “he wrestles with God”, reminding them of the time their ancestor Jacob, or Israel as he became known, actually wrestled with God, clinging on to him to receive a blessing from him. We’re supposed to engage with our doubts and bring them to God. We know he can handle it and we know he’s worth wrestling with. When you wrestle with God you will be changed. We’re not meant to live in a fantasy world of wishful thinking, but to wrestle with the tension of the truth of our faith in the justice, sovereignty and goodness of God and the reality that we live in a broken, fallen world.

You look at the injustice of the world and you might think “Well where is it then? Where is God’s goodness to those who are pure in heart?” It seems the other way around. Those with impure, wicked hearts are prospering while they trample on the weak.

The poor are valued less than the ability of the rich and powerful to make a profit so they can get even richer. Services are cut to the neediest to give tax breaks to the rich. The poor are disenfranchised, ignored, dismissed. And the result is that the poor, the sick, the vulnerable die.

People just like you and me have to bury their children, they have to run for their lives as their homes fall to ruin from the bombs dropped on their towns at the orders of people who live at ease and dress in fine suits. The rich and powerful devour the poor and vulnerable. And this is nothing new.

The author looked out at his world where those who hate God seem to be living a great life. They are rich and prosperous. They’re healthy and free from pain and trouble. They are proud, arrogant, and unashamedly violent. They are malicious and oppressive. They are bullies and it looks like they’re getting away with it.

Because of their success they’re praised by the people and they dare God to act, all the while getting richer and richer:

In the face of this injustice, the psalmist’s creed seems like a taunt or like sarcasm:

And yet, even faced with the injustice of this world, I believe this. I believe in the goodness and justice of God with all my heart. I believe that he cares much more than I do about the poor and the vulnerable. This psalm is a journey through its author’s own doubt to an even stronger treasuring of God who is good and just.

When the author’s doubting reaches its worst, he has a choice to make. He had begun to wonder what the point of it all was — in his life of trusting and obeying God (vv. 13 and 14):

Why bother being good? The wicked seem to be doing great and instead of a reward for his goodness he suffers while it looks as if the wicked, the greedy, the violent are rewarded for their wickedness.

But he stops here. He gets to this point in his complaints and then considers the effect it will have on others if he continues to complain publicly. He still knows deep down that there is truth in his belief that God is good, and he doesn’t want to have a negative impact on the faith of other people.

Since he has decided not to vent publicly any longer, what is he to do? He could keep it to himself and try to bear this burden alone, try to get to the bottom of what’s troubling him. Try to figure out by himself how to resolve this tension — How can there be a good God and so much injustice in the world? But that won’t do. This is an age-old question, something that people have been trying to figure out for millennia. It’s too much for the psalmist to resolve by himself. He says in verse 16:

The psalmist didn’t get through his doubt by fixating on the injustice and complaining. Nor was he able to resolve things by himself. He got through his doubt by taking it to God. Verse 17:

This tension between the injustice that the psalmist sees around him and his belief in the goodness of God can’t be resolved or understood on a merely academic level. You won’t get an answer that will satisfy you. Because God is not just another subject to be studied. The psalmist couldn’t get through his doubts until he sought God himself, instead of treating God like a mere subject to be speculated about.

If you have doubts and you want to get through those doubts then seek God himself, not just answers, not philosophy or theology. Those are fine fields of study, but you will not be satisfied until you seek God in the midst of your doubts.

There’s a part in the children’s book “The Magician’s Nephew”, part of C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. The main character, a young boy named Digory, has met Aslan the lion (who in these books is another incarnation of Jesus) and is telling Aslan about how his mother is dying and he’s begging him to heal her. And then he looks up at Aslan.

“Up till then, he had been looking at the Lion’s great feet and the huge claws on them; now in his despair, he looked up at his face. What he saw surprised him as much as anything in his whole life. For the tawny face was bent down near his own and (wonder of wonders) great shining tears stood in the Lion’s eyes. They were such big, bright tears compared to Digory’s own that for a moment he felt as if the Lion must really be sorrier about his mother than he was, himself”

When we take our doubts and bring them to God to wrestle with him and talk to him about what’s causing those doubts. When we bring our pain at the injustice of the world to God, we will find that he cares a lot more about these things than we do. That he mourns with us. That injustice angers him.

We will find a God who so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. We will find a God who weeps with the mourners, who suffered alongside us, who calls us to trust in him and follow him. We will find a God who willingly submitted to the violence and wickedness of this world to put an end to it. Jesus died on the cross to save us from our own wickedness. We will find a God who will make all things new one day as he wipes away every tear from our eyes.

When the psalmist sought God, he begun to be able to see things from God’s perspective, from an eternal perspective.

From an eternal perspective, the most prosperous, long, and healthy life here on earth is over in a moment. The wicked may have an easy life for a while but that time will come to an end for us all. The wicked may enjoy life for now, but the afterlife holds no joy for them.

Contrast this with the psalmist, who has put his faith in God. Who treasures God.

The psalmist may suffer for a time, but if God is his greatest treasure now in this life he will continue to go on with God and be received with honour that awaits all the faithful in heaven.

I don’t have a ready answer to all the questions you may have about the problem of evil and the doubts that may be causing in you. But what I do know is that God cares about this. What I do know is that we are very small, and sometimes we can’t see over the problem of evil and injustice. But I know that God is good, and things are different from his perspective, from the perspective of eternity.

The psalmist leaves this period of doubting with an even stronger faith because he sought God, not merely answers, but God himself.

He treasures God more than anything else in this world and he knows that God is with him forever.

I can’t give you an answer for every doubt you have. Maybe it’s a doubt that will lead you even closer to God and I believe it will if you take that doubt and wrestle with God over it. Seek God.

Last week we read of how Jonah finally obeyed God’s call. He went into the city of Nineveh and preached. Jonah’s preaching led to the whole city repenting and God did not punish them.

What a miracle! The whole city repents, even the cows! Preachers dream of getting a response like this. Of making such an impact on people. An entire city responded to God’s message and all Jonah did was utter the short warning that God gave him to say:

Just eight words in our English translation. Just five words in Hebrew. I strive and study and stay up way too late to write my sermons. I read over sentences asking myself if this is this the right thing to say. Is this faithful to God’s word? 

Jonah just mopes into Nineveh and says five words and he gets the kind of reaction that I can only dream of. God is glorified in this — a whole city, a great city, turning from its sin. The power of God’s word! What a display of mercy. Think about how God will be glorified in the lives of all these people who have turned from their sin. But Jonah… Jonah is angry.

Other prophets in the Bible did not have it so easy. Poor Jeremiah, the “weeping prophet” begged and pleaded for people to listen to him for years and he was persecuted for his efforts and for warning the people of God’s coming judgement. And this was in Jerusalem, the holy city! Jonah walks into a huge pagan city and says five words and it’s comical how effective it is! This is a complete success, something that should be a prophet’s dream come true. But again, in this strange story we’re confronted with the unexpected. Jonah is so angry and bitter that he says he wants to die. He sulks!

The grace and mercy that God showed to Nineveh offends Jonah. As we’ve been going through this book you may have noticed signs of Jonah’s pride. He really doesn’t want to go to Nineveh, a huge pagan city. When he gets swallowed by the fish, he still manages to have a little dig at the pagans while patting himself on the back for being one of the people who know how to worship God properly. He manages to do this while in the belly of a fish… after trying to flee from God. Well here in chapter four Jonah’s religious pride is on full show.

God’s mercy displeases and even angers him, and we find out here that this is the reason Jonah ran away from his call in the first place. Jonah didn’t run away because the job was too hard or scary, but because he knew that God is merciful, and he didn’t want the Ninevites to have the blessing of that mercy. He knew that God is merciful, the whole history of his people is full of stories of God’s mercy and faithfulness to them when they didn’t deserve it. What Jonah’s attitude now tells us is that he believed that he and his people were somehow worthy of God’s grace and mercy, while the Ninevites were not. It was okay for him to be blessed by God, but not the Ninevites, not the pagans.

Pride finds a way. We are desperate creatures looking for security. Looking for some way to feel safe, to feel like we have value and we’re worth something. Sometimes to make ourselves feel good we’ll pick someone else or some other group of people and just try to feel better than them.

Deep down Jonah knows that he and his people never earned or deserved God’s blessing — it’s grace, it’s mercy. But it is a hard thing to really accept grace because it means forgetting about yourself and we really don’t like doing that. The only way we’re ever going to find the security we need is in completely surrendering to the grace of God. Accepting it with empty hands, forgetting about any notion of paying for it or deserving it.

You’re not perfect. You don’t have to be. God loves you. You fail at things sometimes. Despite that, God loves you. You’re not as smart as you’d like to be. God loves you. You’re not as pretty as you’d like to be. God loves you. Or perhaps you really are highly successful, smart and oh so pretty. God loves you, but not because of any of those things. You’re not better than anyone else. God loves you; you don’t need to be.

Jonah’s having a hard time wrestling with the grace of God because he sees that it means he’s no better than these pagans. It means he’s no more deserving of all the ways God has blessed him. None of his religious practices have made him any more deserving of God’s love. 

Have you received God’s grace for the gift that it is? Or are you still trying to be good enough? Or pretend that the things in your life that you’re proud of somehow make you good enough?

Jonah wishes to die. Or at least he says he does. But God doesn’t kill him. Instead what we see in response to Jonah’s tantrum is another display of God’s amazing grace and mercy. 

What we saw happen to Nineveh was a spectacular display of mercy when a whole city was overwhelmed by the spirit of repentance so that they were not destroyed for all their sins. A spectacular display of God’s mercy. What we see after that, in God’s interactions with Jonah, is something also miraculous, but a quieter, more intimate, more personal display of God’s mercy as he reasons with Jonah. God stoops down and puts on a little show just for Jonah to draw Jonah away from his pride and hatred and awaken compassion in him.

Think of how God could have responded to Jonah. “Who are you to question me and my mercy!? You are angry with what I, God Almighty, have done?! Who do you think you are little man!?” Jonah the runaway prophet is angry that God is merciful, while at the same time having just been shown amazing mercy himself and while relying on that very same mercy for every breath in his lungs.

God doesn’t rebuke Jonah. God questions him:

God wants Jonah to come out of his anger and think. He is stooping down to meet Jonah where he is to draw him away from his hatred. Marvel at the patience of God dealing with this rebellious prophet sulking in response to God’s amazing mercy!

The question goes unanswered at first. Has Jonah ignored God and stomped off in a huff? Who does he think he is? He goes out of the city to watch and see if God will change his mind. As if his little tantrum would make God second-guess his mercy. Jonah must have a high opinion of himself.

So, God pursues Jonah. He’s after Jonah’s heart. And so, as we’ve seen before in this amazing little book, God who is in control of all things, pulls some more strings. In verses 6 to 8 we see God appoint a plant to grow and shelter Jonah. This makes Jonah incredibly happy. God then appoints a worm to eat away at the bush, then the hot wind and the sun make it wither away and Jonah is off sulking again. This incident with the bush and the worm is all just so God could show Jonah something. God made Jonah care about something. God awoke Jonah’s compassion. Over a plant!

God is trying to get through to Jonah to make a point. This time when God asks the question again Jonah answers.

Jonah is sulking again and this time it’s about something which was destroyed — his little plant that kept the sun off his head. This is all part of God’s plan, pulling strings to use this plant and the worm to make a point to Jonah:

You care so much about this bush which you had nothing to do with and which came and went and you object to me caring about this great city?

God is saying to Jonah that he cares about Nineveh. God knows exactly how many people live there. God knows them all by name. He has given them life. For every moment of every one of their lives, God has been there. He knit them together in the wombs of their mothers. He was there when they took their first steps and spoke their first words. Why shouldn’t God care about them when Jonah cares about a plant that sprung up overnight and which he did nothing to make grow? 

Nineveh matters to God. People matter to God. Animals matter to God. If God is sovereign — and we’ve been shown time and time again in this short story that God is indeed sovereign — then he gives life to all people everywhere. Every breath you’ve ever taken has been a gift to you from God. He has been there every moment of your existence. You matter to God. Your friends and neighbours matter to God and whether they know it or not, God has been there all along in their life.

Perhaps you do not know God. Could he be pulling the strings in your life to direct you so that you ended up hearing this message that you matter to God and that he is calling you to himself?

Our story of Jonah ends there, We’re not told what Jonah said in response. God just lets that question hang in the air like the final note of a piece of music. It sticks with you. Because Jonah doesn’t respond you’re left thinking about the question. It becomes a question directed towards you because Jonah’s not there to give his response. This is a short story, but it sucks you in and it makes this issue of mercy very personal. If God cares so much and shows mercy to those who hate and rebel against him, why should we be angry when he blesses our enemies. In fact, shouldn’t we be merciful. Shouldn’t we bless our enemies?

But perhaps underneath all the pride and all the ways that Jonah forgot that he too was depending so much on God’s mercy, perhaps underneath all that there was something good that led to his anger. And maybe you’ve been thinking of this too. I’ve been going on and on about grace and mercy and I make no apologies for that, but what about justice?

I mean this was a great city full of idol worshippers, full of sinners who turned their back on the living God. This people forgot about their creator and worshipped created things instead. What about justice, what about God’s honour? And I’ve been talking about loving our enemies, but what about all the hurt that our enemies have caused us? What about the people that have hurt you?

How do we worship a God who we believe is good and holy and pure, who cares about right and wrong — justice and injustice — while at the same time believing in his amazing grace and mercy, bigger than we can imagine?

God does care about justice and injustice; they matter to him. Sin matters to God. It can’t simply be waved aside. Sin matters to God because people matter to God. He cares about all the ways we hurt one another. Our Creator cares when his creations turn their back on him.

God has shown us how these two things — justice and grace — are held together. And we see that in Jesus, in the cross. Sin must be atoned for and it was atoned for. To atone for the sins of human beings a human being suffered not just rejection, not just hatred, not just torture and death, but separation from God. The debt was paid. The justice of God was satisfied when Jesus Christ stood in our place and paid our debt. And grace — that man who died was also God himself. Justice and grace meet at the cross, each perfectly fulfilled. God can show mercy and grace to those who have put their faith in the sacrifice of Jesus because the demands of justice have been satisfied. That grace is for you if you put your faith in Jesus. This is how grace and mercy meet — in the cross of Jesus Christ we see a righteous God who hates evil, but who is also a gracious and loving God who blesses his enemies. Put your faith in Jesus Christ and what he has done and peace with this righteous and gracious God is yours.

I am glad that God is merciful to his enemies because if he wasn’t, I would have no hope and neither would you. And reflecting on the cross and on God’s lingering question to Jonah shows us the kind of attitude we should have. We should love our enemies because God loved his. While Jesus was being killed, he prayed for the forgiveness of the people doing this to him. Who do you need to forgive? Who do you need to show mercy to? That’s what this short story is about. Although most people immediately think of the fish, that’s not the point. The point is mercy. God’s grace and mercy which is bigger than you can imagine. As we gladly receive that grace and mercy for ourselves, we must be careful not to let pride keep us from a kind of religious stinginess that makes us callous or cruel to those who are not like us. We’re no better, no more deserving. It’s a gift. A gift that we can share.

The story of Jonah is full of unexpected things. We’ve already encountered a prophet who runs away from God and pagan sailors who turn and worship God and here we have another twist. If someone is thrown overboard at sea, during a violent storm, what we expect to happen is that they will drown. But we read last week that when Jonah was thrown overboard, the sea grew calm, and then in verse 17 we have this great twist: 

Not only does Jonah not drown, he gets swallowed by a huge fish. He’s there for three days and three nights, alive in this fish, and while he’s there he prays this psalm, which is almost the entirety of chapter two. 

These things just don’t happen, do they? This is what you might call “unrealistic”. But the key thing in that verse, with its dramatic twist, is the beginning of the verse: 

This is a huge theme in Jonah – The sovereignty of God. God is in absolute control here. Later we’ll see even more remarkable things in this book and what’s behind all these very strange events is the total sovereignty of God. Don’t miss the sovereignty of God in this story by focussing on the giant fish. 

I said last week that this is not a story about a giant fish. It’s not. The fish is only mentioned in three verses (Jonah 1:17, 2:1, 2:10) and the author just writes about the fish in a very matter-of-fact style. There’s no physical description of the fish other than that it was huge. The author doesn’t dwell on it, because, although it was a huge fish, in terms of this story, it’s not a big deal. 

That said, I should probably still talk about this for a bit, because modern readers do get hung up on this. What are we to do with this story that involves such an unusual event? Ask any marine biologist and they will tell you that there is no species of fish that can swallow a grown man and then keep that man alive inside it for three days and three nights. Do we interpret this story as complete fantasy? Did this actually happen? 

You could say that this just didn’t happen because things like that don’t happen. However, then you have a problem with any miracle in the Bible. If you think that you can’t believe that this happened because it’s so unusual, what do you do with Jesus’ healings, what do you do with the feeding of the five thousand? What do you do with the gospel, which tells us that the Son of God was conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary, he lived a righteous life, performed great signs and wonders, died on the cross for our salvation and literally, really, physically rose from the dead and ascended into heaven? You can believe or disbelieve what you want, that’s your right, but I need to tell you that if you can’t accept that then you are not a Christian. At least not yet. If you can’t accept the miraculous then you can’t accept the gospel and if you can’t accept the gospel then, whatever it is you believe, it is outside of historical orthodox Christianity and you are not a Christian. 

Now, you could look at this big fish and decide that you don’t believe it happened like that for another reason. You could say that this story of Jonah is a satirical story and not every part of it is meant to be taken literally. The story mocks the pride of the prophet who begrudges others the mercy of God while simultaneously being thankful for that mercy when it comes to him. The story, through satire, confronts us with our own pride and the way we begrudge others the mercy and grace of God. It functions kind of like modern-day political cartoons, which have imagery in them that we’re not meant to take seriously, but nevertheless the cartoonist strives to communicate something real and true in an imaginative and powerful way. That kind of interpretation would still permit you to take other passages of the Bible, including miracles, and still believe in them because they belong to a different literary genre. I can respect that as a Christian interpretation. We need to interpret different types of literature differently. I don’t read comics the same way I read newspapers. 

The Holy Bible does contain irony and humour. So maybe that fish is there to get a laugh out of us. Jonah tries everything that he can think of to run away from God and his mission and just when he thinks he’ll finally be relieved of his duties by dying he gets caught by a fish. Very often when you get people to laugh you also get them to listen. 

Finally, there’s another way of interpreting this. The fish was real. Jonah was swallowed by a huge fish and kept there for three days and three nights, because that is what God Almighty brought about. Remember the key part of verse 17? 

This is the work of God. Is it impossible for God Almighty to do this? No! This is not a normal fish. It’s unusual. It’s unique! But so what? God can bring about whatever he wants. Now, that doesn’t deny the literary genius of this story or any of the humour or irony of this story. God has a sense of humour and not only can he inspire humorous satires of proud prophets, he can bring about real events that are, in their recounting, humorous. I mean, I know I’ve embarrassed myself before in real life and, reflecting on those embarrassing moments, I’ve thought to myself, maybe God is trying to tell me something here. Haven’t you? God doesn’t need to fabricate a story to deflate the pride of Jonah, he is powerful enough to create real life-changing events that can do that. 

If you’re interested, that’s my interpretation. Yes, it’s a very strange event. It’s unique. But so what? There are stranger things in the Bible than that… like the resurrection for example. I still think this is a satire, but it’s a real-life satire written by the Author of life. 

This fish was sent by God to bring Jonah back to the mission and Jonah stayed in the belly of the fish for 3 days and 3 nights. At this point in the story the genre changes to a psalm. A poetic prayer. Jonah’s psalm gives us an insight into his beliefs, his heart. We have this kind of thing in modern media too. You’ve maybe seen a play where one character breaks off, the spotlight focusses on them and they deliver a soliloquy, a monologue that lets you know what’s going on inside them. We also see this in musicals. Something will happen and the characters break into song and the point is to share the characters’ feelings with you. 

From the belly of the fish Jonah prays to God. From this prayer we get a glimpse into Jonah’s heart. It’s a very religious heart. It’s a heart thankful to God for rescuing him and he commits to sacrificing to God. But don’t think that just because this is a very religious heart that it means it’s a very good heart. Religion can be a very bad thing. Religion can keep us from loving God and from loving our neighbour, which is what God actually wants. In this prayer we see Jonah’s religion, there are good things, but also bad things. We see some of Jonah’s contempt for the pagans and some of his pride. So, Jonah grasps God’s grace and mercy, but just like us, it’s mingled with the sense that somehow, we deserve it more than ‘them’, whoever they might be. 

Jonah’s psalm is beautiful in the truth that it expresses. It’s a prayer of thankfulness and faith and hope in the Sovereign Lord and his salvation. Jonah recounts how he was drowning and attributes his salvation – rescue by fish – to God.  

The final verse of Jonah’s prayer sums his gratitude: 

That last phrase contains the key theme of this chapter and indeed the whole book of Jonah: “Salvation comes from the Lord.” It’s a beautiful truth and Jonah is enjoying one of the facets of that truth – His salvation comes from the Lord – while at the same time he has refused to bring that wonderful truth to the people of Nineveh. Jonah would rather run away. Jonah would rather die, than share this good news with the pagan people of Nineveh. This is like someone celebrating the amazing food that they’re eating, while at the same time not wanting someone else to eat that same food. 

You see Jonah’s very “local” idea of God in the heavy emphasis on God being in the temple. Look at verse 4:  

I said, “I have been banished 
from your sight; 
yet I will look again 
    towards your holy temple.” 

Also, notice the irony here of the runaway prophet saying “I have been banished”. 

And verse 7: 

‘When my life was ebbing away, 
    I remembered you, Lord, 
and my prayer rose to you, 
    to your holy temple. 

Jonah has just learned that he can’t run away from God’s presence even on the sea. He told the pagan sailors “I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” But still in his mind God is the God in the temple. Now yes, the temple in Jerusalem was a huge deal. A unique and truly holy place where God, in his mercy dwelt, in the midst of his people, but God is bigger than the temple. God called him to go to Nineveh. God cares about the people of Nineveh. He made them. He sustained them every day of their lives.  

Notice the things that aren’t said in this prayer. There is no mention of repentance. Jonah never says sorry for running away from God and refusing to be his prophet to the people of Nineveh. 

During this prayer Jonah also can’t resist having a dig at the pagans. You’d think it would be hard to be proud while squashed up in the belly of a fish, but pride finds a way. 

Jonah commits to making sacrifices to God, probably in the temple, but he says nothing about going to Nineveh and actually doing what he knows God wants him to do. God has explicitly told him to go to Nineveh. 

Jonah still has a local God and a partial grasp of God’s grace and mercy, but what this story teaches us is that God is bigger than we can imagine, and his grace and mercy are bigger than we can imagine. If we have been blessed to know God’s grace, then why should we begrudge anyone from experiencing the same thing.  

That’s why Christians pray “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” and it’s why Jesus warned his disciples that if they don’t forgive, they will not be forgiven. Why should God forgive you and not them? Are you better than them? If you think you are then you don’t know what grace is — it’s the undeserved, unearned love of God. Jonah forgot that. 

This is a beautiful prayer full of things that are good and true and yet this beautiful expression of religion is being used to avoid God. There’s not just a giant fish here, there’s an ‘elephant in the room’. We know it’s there. God knows it’s there. Jonah knows it’s there, but he’s not saying anything about it. Jonah says all this beautiful truth and yet manages to sidestep repentance and never addresses the mission he has been given from God. He says all this poetry and yet never just says “I’m sorry for not going to Nineveh, I know it’s what you want me to do. I will go and I will preach to the people there.” 

After a week when the world saw police forcibly clear peaceful demonstrators, including clergy, so that Donald Trump could stand in front of a church he does not attend and pose with a Bible he evidently does not read, it is clear that religious things can be used as props while we go on avoiding God. Racial injustice, the dehumanisation of black people, police brutality and corruption need to be addressed and waving around a Bible for a photoshoot won’t please God or help anyone. 

Here is God’s response, spoken through the prophet Isaiah, to a people who put on a religious show instead of addressing injustice: 

And what is God’s response to Jonah’s prayer. His very religious prayer that lacks any love for the people of Nineveh or confession of his sins. There might be a clue in the final verse: 

Religion without love is nauseating to say the least! 

Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh because the people there are not like his people. They are his enemies. And why should they have a chance to repent and turn to the Lord, his Lord? But as Jonah said, “Salvation comes from the Lord”. God saves. Not our nationality, or race, or good behaviour, but God. We are not saved by being the right kind of person from the right kind of place with the right kind of upbringing, we are saved by receiving the mercy and grace of God. We don’t get to take credit for it, no more than Jonah can take credit for surviving at sea. 

Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome: 

Talk about miraculous, unexpected things! God the Son died for his people! Not because we were righteous or good or beautiful, but while we were still sinners. Ungodly. This is God’s love and mercy. Not only did he set aside his glory and descend to be down here with us, he suffered on the cross for us, he died for us. The only correct response to such grace is to grasp it eagerly, thankfully, with both hands. To trust in the mercy and grace of God. And if we do that how can we ever begrudge anyone that same grace and mercy? 

Salvation comes from the Lord. That means we don’t get to take credit. It means we can’t look down on anyone. If we truly grasp the grace of God we will be gracious to others. We will want to share with others, not just some hollow religion, some rules of behaviour, some theories of the divine, but love. Our love and God’s love. 

Today we begin a new series on the book of Jonah. Another short but fascinating Old Testament book. Unlike Ruth, where much of the scenes are quiet, pastoral scenes, Jonah is full of big epic things. Unlike Ruth, if we were to make a film adaptation of Jonah, we’d need a good special effects budget. But I hope when we read this story, you’ll see that it’s just as relatable. It speaks to us and challenges us in our daily lives, even though those lives are free from any encounters with giant fish.

When it comes to Jonah everyone thinks of the fish. The truth is this is not a story about a giant fish. The story of Jonah is traditionally read every year in synagogues at the time of Yom Kippur, that is the Day of Atonement. It’s a day when people are reminded of their sins and of God’s mercy. This story is about something much bigger by far than some giant fish, it’s really about God’s mercy and that is something that we all need, something we all must recon with.

Let’s read Jonah, chapter 1 now. [Click here to read Jonah 1]

Despite this being grouped in among the ‘prophets’ section of the Hebrew Bible the book of Jonah stands out for a few reasons. The focus is on the story of Jonah and what happened to him, instead of the content of his prophecy. Very little is actually written about what Jonah said, what his prophecy was. In fact we’re just told one sentence. Jonah eventually walks into the middle of this great city Nineveh and says ‘Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, ‘Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.’ That’s all we’re told, and for all we know that may have been all Jonah said.

Another way this story stands out among the prophets is that its prophet, Jonah, doesn’t come out of this looking great. He’s not the hero of the story and, as we go through this short series, I don’t want you to think “be like Jonah”. Very often the message is more “don’t be like Jonah”.

Right from the start we see Jonah doing the opposite of what you’d expect a prophet of the Lord to do.

Jonah is called by God to go to Nineveh. A mission from God! And so, you’d expect this prophet of God to go and do what God says. You’d expect Jonah to fearlessly speak God’s truth to sinful people. To be brave. To be faithful. Because God has told him to go and be his messenger.

But Jonah runs away. In fact, Jonah runs as far away as he can:

We’re not sure where Tarshish was. There are a few suggestions: Tartesus in southern Spain, Carthage in Tunisia, and a town in Sardinia. Wherever it was it was in the opposite direction Jonah was called to go. Nineveh was to the east, Tarshish to the west. And if Tarshish was in southern Spain then it was as far away as it was possible for Jonah to sail to. Jonah is running away from his call and notice the phrase that’s repeated here: “from the Lord”. Jonah is fleeing to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Jonah is running away from God, (or at least he’s trying to). You don’t expect that from a prophet.

Here we begin to see that maybe Jonah has a small idea of God. I mean he knows deep down that God is the one who made all things and yet he’s operating in this moment as if God is some local, tribal deity that belongs to Israel and in Israel. Jonah thinks he’s getting further and further away from God as he sails away from Israel, further from the promised land, further from the temple. But God Almighty is right there, and he will not let Jonah run away from his mission.

Here on the sea we meet some other characters too. The sailors of this ship, caught up in this storm because of Jonah’s actions, are frightened and they call out to their pagan gods to save them. But none of these false gods can do anything to save them (v. 5). Meanwhile Jonah is sleeping, so they wake him up and tell him to call out to his god and maybe that will work. They’re desperate and they’re trying everything because they’re scared for their lives.

While these desperate sailors fear for their lives and call on false gods to save them, the one who knows the true God sleeps. In fact, this whole storm is because Jonah did not want to play his part in the mission to save pagans.

This is a little representation of what it’s like to ignore our calling. God called Jonah to preach to the pagans in Nineveh and he refused, and here he is sleeping while these pagans fear for their lives. God called the Israelites to be a people for his glory, to show the world what he is like, and are they sleeping on the job while the pagan world desperately calls out to false gods? Jesus commissioned his disciples to go and tell the world about him and make more disciples and today are we sleeping on the job while generation after generation of desperate people cry out in vain to false gods.

Let’s make it a bit more local. Are we — I mean me and you, Christian — sleeping on the job while our neighbours, our family, our friends and co-workers, look for salvation from false gods — from their jobs, their relationships, their money, their looks. We know the living God, we know salvation, we know true hope. We know the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have been saved by his sacrifice on our behalf, we know the way to peace with our Creator. We’re not meant to keep it to ourselves. I know I sleep on the job.

Let’s allow the words — from verse 6 — of the pagan captain of this ship to really sink in:

Do you call on God on behalf of your neighbours? Do you pray for them? Do you love them? Let’s get up, call on our God, and take part in his mission.

I think we fall asleep on the job, we forget our mission and calling because we can fall into the trap of believing in what I call “decorative holiness”. I think this happened to Jonah, I think it happened to God’s Old Testament people Israel, and I think it can and does happen to churches and I know it happens to me from time to time.

We understand that we are holy, that God has set us apart. That’s what holy means: special, set apart. That’s the amazing, wonderful truth of the gospel! If you are a Christian, if you have faith in Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on your behalf then you are holy! You are set apart, you are special. You are part of God’s holy people, you have been cleansed and forgiven of your sins and the Holy Spirit lives in you to make you more and more holy, to make you like Jesus. We understand that we’re holy, that we’ve been set apart and made special, but we can fall into the trap of thinking that God has set us apart just to have us, just to have this special people to just… be there, to be special, to be decorative like the good china that nobody ever eats off of, or the cushions that nobody sits on, or the decorative hand-towels that you are not allowed to dry your hands on.

We’re holy. But we are not merely decorative. Your holiness is not “decorative holiness”, it’s “functional holiness”. You’ve been set apart, made special, for a purpose, to do a job. Think of yourself less like the special china and more like an instrument in an orchestra or a special tool. We have a function. We have a role to play in God’s mission.

So, Jonah wakes up and they find out that he is the reason for this storm, because he was running away from God. The storm is continuing to rage and get even stronger. The solution is clear to Jonah: pick me up and throw me into the sea.

Has Jonah finally found some compassion for pagan people and now he’s willing to die so that they might live? If so, this is self-sacrificial love. The kind of love we need for mission. The kind of love we see brought to its fulfilment in Jesus Christ, who gave up his life so that we could be set free from sin and death.

Or is it the case that Jonah is so determined not to answer God’s call, that he would rather die or, risking death, allow God to punish him in the sea. It sounds a bit much, but there are some clues that this just might be the case further on in this story. In chapter two, Jonah’s psalm or prayer to God from the belly of the fish is conspicuously lacking in any repentance for running away from his mission. After he is vomited out by the fish, God calls Jonah again in chapter three and tell him again to go to Nineveh. And at the end of this, in chapter four, after Jonah has preached to Nineveh and the people all repent, Jonah is so angry and bitter that he just tells God to kill him.

When God called Jonah, Jonah knew that God was sending him to Nineveh as part of his plan to show mercy to this great pagan city. He didn’t want the people of Nineveh to experience God’s mercy and grace. Because God was his God. The God of his people, his race and his country. Why should those pagans be blessed by my God?!

Jonah has a small picture of God and his grace. But what this story shows us, what I hope you’ll see as we go through it, is that God is bigger than we can imagine, his grace and mercy and love are greater and more glorious than we can imagine.

Jonah’s idea of God is so tied to his people and his land that he thinks going far away from Israel is a way to flee from the presence of God. But God is not so small. God chose Israel to be his people, to reveal himself to them and to dwell amongst them, but he’s not confined there. God is the God of heaven and earth, the Creator and Sustainer of all things everywhere. This is a story about Jonah learning that lesson the hard way, so that we might learn it the easy way.

It’s plain that Jonah really disagrees with God showing mercy to the pagan people of Nineveh and really doesn’t want to go and be any part of this mercy mission. Would he rather die than see that happen? Is his hatred for the pagan nations so great? It’s not too difficult to imagine when we look at some of the hatred we see in the news and online. The grace and mercy of God shames and angers us human beings with all our hatred and prejudice.

This book is full of irony. Imagine reading this or hearing the story back in the day. If you were some kind of ancient Israelite-nationalist. You hear a story about an Israelite prophet of the Lord going to preach a warning to the pagans. After a while you’re going to feel a little uneasy, a little uncomfortable with this story. The only Israelite in it, the prophet who you thought would be a hero, is rebellious, disobedient, and selfish. Meanwhile, every pagan character you encounter is responsive to God. The sailors end up worshipping God, by the end of the story we read that the whole city of Nineveh, from its king to its cattle end up repenting. Jonah resents God’s mercy, but the pagans take it eagerly with both hands. But I’m running ahead. We’ll see more of that next week.

Look at your life and the people God has called you to. I don’t mean that you need to have heard a big booming voice from the clouds. God is sovereign. If you’re working in a place, or parenting a family, then that’s where God has put you. If you’re friends or neighbours with someone then this is someone God has brought into your life. Do they know God, or like the sailors do they grope around trying whatever might work whenever the storms of life come upon them? Do you pray for them? Are you ready to talk to them about how you know the God of heaven? Do you talk about God in your home, with your family? Are there people who you need to soften your heart towards, to wake up and pray for, to talk to about God and his mercy?