The Church Is Rebuked By The World
(Jonah 1:6)
Intro.
A heathen sailor is rebuking the prophet of God. It is the church of that day being rebuked by the world. And worse, it is not because he is acting carnally nor about his disobedience to God, for this they did not know about. He is being rebuked because he is not praying to his God.
“Arise wake up and pray” the world watches the church seeking to find fault with her. When they see her sin they laugh with scorn. They delight to tell the stories of the preacher who ran away with the deacon’s wife or vice-versa. Or how they saw a deacon coming out of a bar room. The world hates the church and loves to find fault with her.
What happens when the church sleeps and the storms of life blow? When the world is aware of the tempest and crying for mercy? Will the church be rebuked by the world? And well she should be. How horrible it is the church today sinned and fallen, indifferent to the will of God and the world must bring this to light. God will use the world to show the church how far she has fallen.
I. Jonah Deserved This Rebuke: for what he had failed to do;
1. He Was Not Bearing Testimony Of The Living God:
Here was a splendid opportunity to witness of the person and the power of the living God Jehovah. Here were lost men terrified of the storm, faering for their lives, for they knew not this great God of life and death. Jonah should have been standing as Paul did later as a lighthouse built upon the rocks of refuge.
But instead he was worn out from his own conflict with his conscience. He should have stood with the courage of God, derived from the peace of steady communion with his sovereign God.
When the question was thrown at him, “What meanest thou?” it would have been so much different if the world had meant, “How can you stand there in peace when heaven and earth seem to be dashed together?”
Then he might have answered from Psalms, “God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble; therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the seas; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled; though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.”
(Ps. 46:1-3)
That would have glorified God in his life. It would have been a testimony to the living God Jehovah. Oh how we often miss the opportunities that we have to testify of the strength and the mercies and the goodness of God. We should be seeking opportunities to exalt and magnify His holy name.
Matt 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Too often we are too busy trying to exalt ourselves.
II. Jonah Deserved The Rebuke: also for what he did do.
He was bringing reproach upon God; his life was a stumbling block. Although I don’t believe it’s fair to say Jonah slept because he did not care. No, I believe he slept because his energy had been drained in conflict with his convicted heart. He was in a sorrowful state, a fugitive from the Lord, falling wearily into sleep.
Yet, the pilot, could not judge what he saw, a Hebrew prophet, one who claimed to be the servant of the Divine Deity, that had created all here asleep seemingly not caring that death roared in the face of all aboard this ship.
Were he another heathen the pilot may have said he is a fearless man. Remember you will not be judged by the world as it judges it’s own. They’ll judge you much more harshly because of your relationship with God.
The world can cheat in business and on their taxes but if you make a mistake in business or on your taxes they will say, “Can you imagine, he calls himself a Christian.” But for those in the world thet just dub them as smart businessmen.
The church is calle by Jesus the light of the world and when the church is not giving light unto the world, then the world stumbles in confusion. Look how our nation has become, no longer do they say, “In God we trust.” When our nation was young our presidents were God fearing men, today they are just paid politicians.
Today our politicians will listen to Christ rejecting Muslims, or speak to the Pope rather than fall on their faces before God. (There is no hope in the Pope) and the Muslims and Islamics know not the living God revealed in Christ Jesus. The world hates God and seeks to consume it’s lust upon it’s own selfish desires.
Look how God can at any moment reveal our sins, or bring our conscience to a new awareness of our sins. Jonah had finally wrestled until he was weary and he fell asleep. Were God to leave him alone he would not repent, nor even acknowledge his sin. In 10000 ways without warning God can bring to remembrance our sins and show us how foolish we are. As God called Adam, “Where art thou Adam?” Here he is calling Jonah, “Look around you at the storm, the wind and the waves, the people who are near death, you wanted to run from me Jonah, now where art thou?”
If you are God’s child he will not allow you to sin and run away and forget what you have done. You’ll not find a safe place where you can slumber and forget. He’ll awaken you!
We are not to wait for God to awaken us by manifesting our sins to the world. Our Lord has already paid the penalty for each sin, we are to cry to the Lord. To take his hand and walk with him through God’s wrath.
1 Cor 11:31, For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
The Biblical principal is if we recognize our sins, confess, and repent unto God, we will have peace. But when God must expose our sins as he did Jonah’s, or as he did David’s. Nathan the prophet said, “Thou art the man.” We will experience the chastisment of his anger.
A heathen reproved the man who refused to carry reprovement to the heathens. His sin was made manifest. Oh that we might cry, “Lord what would thou have me to do?” or when he calls to say, “Here am I, Lord. Send Thou me.”
