Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Broadcast

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the word of God spread throughout all may know join is now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church located in Kernersville, North Carolina Jonah here comes to and he makes it.

It's a decision that I would like for all of us to make here at this church in the year 2014 verse one. If you will.

Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly and said I cried by reason of mine affliction of the Lord and he heard me out of the belly of hell cried. I am thou hardest my voice, for thou hast cast me into the deep in the midst of the seas, and the floods come past me about all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight, not just think about that phrase were going to talk about it here just a minute. I am cast out, of thy sight, Jonah. The hero says I don't even think that you can see me anymore yet. I will look again toward thy holy temple yet. I will look again toward thy holy temple father, we need you this morning and I Lord some how would you allow us to let our hearts in the heart of Jonah here, who literally wrote this book himself was honest about his failures was honest about his feelings. Lord I pray that we would be able to somehow put ourselves in his position.

Lord I pray that you would help each of us this morning to recommit our lives once again to serving you, Lord.

Many of us have found ourselves in some difficult positions in these last months Lord in the middle of this, even times were we feel that we, to the best of our ability couldn't seem to break pray through breakthrough cried through whatever the case might be Lord I pray that we would come to the realization yet even still, I will look again toward thy holy temple. Lord help us to look again this morning in your name we pray. Amen just for quick points are really only dealing with verse for today and I think today is to be little bit different than any of these other installments. I guess in this series I think today is the most personal day the most personal message out of the series 1 just for things I want to show you from this verse number one. I want you to see that Jonah's disappointment was painful. His disappointment was painful.

No notice this, he says in verse four I am cast out thy sight. If you notice in verse two he uses the word affliction and he uses the word belly of hell.

You see for the first time in Jonah's life.

He literally felt that he was out God's watch.

He felt that he was literally out of God's sight that now listen to me.

We all oftentimes complain about God's chastening. Preachers will get up and I have gotten up and will tell you and be honest with you about the fact that you not gone through anything till God chastens you and I'm letting you know dear friend that you cannot do whatever you want to do and go your own way and live your own life and participate in everything that God says not to do and then get mad at his chastening because the Bible says that if you if he loves you and you're his child.

You will be chastened and if you're not then you're not his child, and so if you're involved in lifestyles and things that are totally contrary to God's word and you have all the right of the world to do that in God's not chastening you there might be a problem.

I will talk about how hard God's chastening is in our heart. It is what God chastens you're looking at a preacher that is felt God chastening. I have dealt with that I have felt that I have experienced it and and and needle.

I came here at the age of you believe this I came here the age of 20.

As your assistant pastor that's hard to believe isn't some you like on the back and it was horrible. I know I came in green and and you know I've been in ministry my entire life.

I grew up in it and I think in some ways I was ministry smart, but in other ways. I was people done common sense things and just how you treat people and thanked God above that he brought me to work under Joe Myers and he's the best people person you'll ever meet, and to this day I I'm scared of the future little bit because over the years people got mad at Joe Myers and talk bad about Joe Myers and I think is nice and patient and kind as he is. People get mad at him.

What chance, and worldwide have been thinking about him. I travel I have felt God chastening. I know some of you have look at me, but there is something worse than God's chastening.

That's when God leaves you alone, you know for and there is a time where you say no to God one too many times there is a point where you run from him a little too long and he the Bible says the goodness of God lead us us to repentance and he tries and he tries and he loves you back if he does everything he could do wasn't to be different, but there will come a day when that will end Jonah literally felt I have reached that point I am cast out your site until he for the first time in his life.

I believe it least is ministry.

At least his adult life of serving God and he had been Amanda God and I believe that God would've asked him to go preach to these people. If he wasn't a capable man that Amanda had loved God, but he was just scared of God's will and he just wanted do it and you can't blame him one bit.

But listen to me dear friend to the point that he could feel the presence of God.

It literally took not feeling the presence of God to appreciate the presence of God.

It took not seen God work to appreciate what God did work. How many times the presence of God is gone out of the service of God out of the church is gone out of an individual's life and we all of a sudden realize that it's gone we don't know why this reason, here is the same reason.

For us, God Jonah. Jonah left God Jonah from the presence of the Lord. Chapter 1 tells us dear friend I'm here to tell you that often times the presence of God is gone and we don't even realize it's saying but the day will come when you and you'll realize it's gone gone for a while but I don't know why you get to the point that you need God now and you need his help and you need miracles and you need is what you need is ministry you need is grace and his mercy.

Why is he not like he always was different. I'm here to tell you the presence of God is not something that is owed to you and I something that's a gift. Friday night was a hard night for me. I think I was studying for the message and working on it is normally when I that's what I do my studying. When I finally have time to do much study and brother Biddle today often times when I email out lines for PowerPoint 2 different things. Sometimes 12, some from 1230s until 1 o'clock at night. I begin to think about Jonah stuffed into that belly of that fish in a miserable condition and yet the worst part about it was the fact that he could not feel the presence of God. The worst part about that fish wasn't all that waves that were above him and and the weeds that were wrapped around him and and and I'm sure the discomfort I'm sure even the pain and I'm sure even the suffering seen what bothered Joan of the most was not even the fact that he was stuck in that fish. What bothered bothered him was that he, God ought to be what bothers us the most. I will be honest with you and be personal with you briefly. You all many of you have lost loved ones. You understand, not here to talk about my suffering and the things I go through but I can't even probably describe the transition for a year since my mom has died.

You all know I was close my mom my mom's close to me will know that that's not a mama's boy and I'm proud of it and you don't like it don't talk to me afterwards will take care of the role be in a mama's boy. By the way, Jesus was a mama's boy. He took care of his mother on hit on the cross were the last things he did was make sure that his mother's taken care of. Friday night I had a hard time. I try not to think about it a lot. I just don't think about it I just a busy I don't have time to think about it.

My wife says I don't really know how you feel about you don't really talk at distal talk about him talk about it since the funeral, I just don't. I have my moments and I have my times. Friday night was one of those times when I got up and left the bedroom with felt somewhere that I could just be me and I had my moment, but I know only to see my mom again one day. I know she's in heaven. I know she was saved. I know I'm saved. I know a mama would have look at me and I know I'm good. Enjoy her presence. One day, but it hurts me that I can't see her this day.

I know it's coming in the future, but it hurts that I can't talk to her call her on the phone in the present difference.

I believe with all my heart. Jonah knew I would see God one day but I wanted feeling now going to see them now. I've made so many mistakes I can't believe I made these decisions. I can't believe I'm gone down this road and it took literally, not feeling the presence of God not having it like it always had. All of a sudden now realizing how wonderful it was amazing how trials will make you reassess your priorities. It's amazing how him being brought to this condition made him realize how all his decisions had been.

I find that Jonah mentions. More specifically, how he was suffering spiritually. Then he ever mentioned how he was suffering physically.

The worst part about it wasn't his physical pain. The worst part about it was the spiritual meaning he was in that I was blessed with closeness with God and I ran from. I believe that Jonah here had thought literally thought that God had quite forsaken him.

Maybe he even thought that God would never return to him and mercy nor show him kindness again. I don't know.

I do know this and you what you think about this with me as Jonah was stuck in that fish for those three days.

It was a little bit low on illustrations of how God had brought people through something like this.

There wasn't a whole lot of individuals that you could say swallowed by fish for three days and then they came out and serve God. Nobody had ever been in this position before. Now Jonah knew his Bible and I believe that he probably did. He knew about the story of Job out. He was laying on the dunghill. The Bible says that had lost everything and he knew the story about how Joseph had been in the end and sold into slavery and got in the jail and prison and all that stuff and how God had used him and surely you probably know about what David was in the cave and I was running away for his life until everybody turned their backs on and yet if you look at all that none of them seem to measure up with what Jonah was going through. And Jonah didn't have a whole lot of things to look at and say God brought them through that he'll bring me through this was uncharted territory different. Little did Jonah know that he was a picture of what Christ would go through one day for us uncharted territory. No perfect man had ever lived. No perfect man had ever been killed. No man had ever been put in the grave for three days and came out alive and be death. But Jesus did that for us, his disappointment was painful what you know to secondly this morning that his determination was powerful. There's reasons for that. Look at verse four.

If you would.

Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight, yet that means this, although everything stacked against me. Although I probably this is good to do one thing to help. Now, although that the case is probably too far gone. Although that maybe this is not good to do any good is not to change anything in my life yet. I will look again toward thy holy temple was very adjusting things to say about this.

He is saying here that I have to look again because I've lost sight of a few things. The fact that Jonah said I will look again toward thy holy temple implies the fact that he had stopped looking at God's holy temple implies that there had been a time where he was close to God at a time where he had obeyed God at a time where he had gone and done what God had asked him to do things to change in focus had changed and now Jonah's well had gotten in the way.

And now Jonah stuck in that fish in the belly of that well realize is where his will, took him and that's exactly where your will and my will will take us nowhere. Look at me folks and he says this I will look again.

I've blown it. I stopped. I quit keeping my eyes on God I got away from that in the Bible says we are to stay focused on God to keep our focus on other things of God and not on things on the earth. The Bible says it tells us all that, but somehow Jonah had let his focus get away from God and got on people brought him to the fish's belly at a manageable condition thinking God was done with him and he said well the only thing I have left to do is if it doesn't do any good. I'm going to get right with God and I'm going to put my focus back to where it needs to be with the two other things had taken his attention the whole time he should've been looking towards God's holy temple. The whole time. The things of God should have been his focus, but the fact that Jonah disobeyed God and ran tells us that there was some things going on inside of him label for God ever asked him to go to different you look at me teenagers, though all of a sudden up and rebel one day.

I don't care how good they acted for a long time it started a long time before that, in their heart limitation good church members don't just up and rebel and leave in a day and I don't do it because somebody says one little thing that hurts their feelings limitation of their stuff and going on for a long time. There is good separation going on for a long time in their heart. Their attention, their focus is not on the house of God. It's not on the things of God. They got other things in the world is more important to them and they're just looking for a good reason and a good excuse not to go to church not to come to church to go away from this church while I'm right about that preacher get up and preach exactly God laid on us heartily, will you not say whether this icon hurt my feelings in kind with a that's not what made them go. They had left a long time before that Jonah had left got a long time before God that he, Jonah, would you go to Nineveh look at me. Jonah had already drawn the line in the sand. Jonah had already said there something I'm willing to do for God and some things I'm not willing to do for God and if there's any limitation on your willingness then there's always good to be limitation on God's blessing. If you want God's blessing to be limitless then your willingness has to be limitless in the good amen preacher that's great. He had been focusing on other things more than the Lord. He'd been looking at people people looking at things he'd been looking at the world and those little things have been granted a hold him and he didn't even realize it. All of a sudden what God wanted him to up and let go of everything and let go of everything and leave everything behind and go serve him and do what God called him to do. The world had so much a hold on him, and the opinions of people not so much a hold on him and his fear of what people might say or do such a hold on him that he ran from the presence of the Lord dear friend that might very well be that some of us have done the exact same thing. Maybe Jonah got to this point that he realized he took it for granted. The first time. I bet you laying there that fish Jonah realize you know what I had it better when I was close to God.

I had better when am I not had as much of this might not have as much of that had a whole lot better if I wanted everything else and swallowing God, but it was much better when I was close to God. Now that I got everything I wanted.

Now look where I am. Maybe Jonah realize you know what when I spent time in God's house before there was more wonderful than I realize now that I'm stuck in this fish for these days and now I got time to think, I realize how much I miss the house of God that I look again toward thy holy temple. I will get burned again I will get excited again I will get my Bible will wake up on a Sunday morning I will go to church.

I don't care what happened. I don't care what ballgames on the night I'm going to church integrate this message timed on this day. Maybe later that fish Jonah realize I didn't appreciate it like I should. I did appreciate God's house like a ship. He's laying there literally being regurgitated in the fish you to give anything to been in God's holy temple. Give anything a bit in God's house to give anything to be able to walk up to the doors of the temple be able to go in for worship service and sit there and think and sing about how great God, live stock now, dear friend. It's sad that it takes getting to that point to realize how precious God's house. Maybe he didn't realize how blessed he had been while he was there. You see, it's easy to sit God's house or to sit in the things of God and give your life to the it's easy to sit and think everybody else has a better it's easy to sit here and think boy you know it. If you really want me preacher to get a really dedicate my life to got on that I have to not do this and I would have to not innovate up. This is about your rules focus on just say what God is a priority. Things change. They just do we know what you were a woman who is on the committee do this so that the change this and it looks like that would be great if that would be wonderful and you know what oftentimes we can send the house of God and not even realize how blessed we are here. I think the blessing so much grayer out there.

You go ahead and go down that road you enjoy for a while but one day you find yourself in a situation where you think you realize how great it was back then I will live long enough, I been a ministry long enough folks to see where some of those roads in my preaching too hard this morning and all of you right. I don't find it sting here that being in this fish skit quickly swept away all other priorities. It took away all of the focus. It took away all the attention on other things. Look at me. It's amazing what everything is gone. You realize how important God is that to prove how things get in the way of us in God because what all those things are gone, you find out they didn't do one thing for you.

Listen to me find interesting here that this is what Jonah said. He said yet I am cast out of thy sight, but when I make it out of here alive. I will look again toward thy holy temple didn't say that Diddy he said I am cast out of thy sight, yet that means this Jonah didn't say I'm going to wait for things to change before I get right with God.

What Jonah is saying is that somebody get right with God. Even if nothing changes. What got me dear friends, you'll sit there and wait to feel the presence of God for you to change you change so that you can feel the presence of God.

So many times we say will of God will do this and God will do that, then I will do honey, that's not the way it works. You make the first move you drawl, not a God heals all night.

His determination was powerful, as far as Jonah knew. I believe he did not even fully believe that this will make a difference but it didn't matter. He believe he does literally believe he was gonna die that fish, but he is determined that by dying this fish on the die right with God. I'm knocking to go down like this. This is not going to be the end of my life. It's not going to end like this. I'm not going to die in this state. I realize how I blown my selfishness and I don't care if I get out of this fish or not. I can't take one more second close to God. Oh dear friend, tell you what conviction is. Let me tell you what revival is when the God when God gets so heavy around the church that all of us to so determine I don't want to do another second close to God. I got out of the other day away from God. I want to get right now. I believe we have a whole church that determine I am going to look again towards a holy temple. I have let some things get in the way and I have let some things get my attention and none of these things are all none of these things are sinful.

It's not wrong get there in the air in your life. But when things start taking priority over God, where Israel so many things I want to say but what times quickly leaving find it interesting. Here, let me just say this for go to the next point at the pick and choose what I'm to say because I got too much to share. Look at me, find interesting. Here the humility of Jonah, that he said this, I am cast out of thy sight yet. I will look again toward thy holy temple. I find it interesting here that Jonah almost out of an admission of guilt almost out of an admission that I don't deserve it. He never said I'm going to dwell in the house of God.

He said I just want to see it reminds me of the prodigal son that when he came back to his father. He said father.

I recall that son just make me a hired servant mechanic.

I don't have to live in the house just let me live around the house and Jonah says I might not deserve even knowing the temple but would you at least let me look at it again. It was that precious to him. He didn't have all budgeted as well. God I'll come back if you do this. He said God would you just let me just look on your temple one more time what you notice.

Number three that his direction was prayerful. He said I will look again toward thy holy temple was in me. Dear friends, this is called repentance. It's when I'm looking one way and I determine you know what this is going to be a decision on it's just a Sunday morning service and not go on with life.

Jonah said this, I get a look toward your holy temple. This means that he was looking one way and heading one way and going the wrong direction in his life and he said I am going to turn around and I'm going to look toward thy holy temple. Jonah knew that this was a big decision. It was serious me some things are going to have to change that quickly brings in a number four.

His decision was personal. Thank you for listening. You received a blessing from our broadcast Baptist Church is located at 4520 Old Hollow Rd. in Kernersville, NC may also contact us by phone and 336-993-5119 or her when Baptist Church.com enjoy our services live all Armenian on her website and church.

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