Death To Self-Will Part 2

Looking to Jesus was determined to avoid doing a distasteful job reaching they might repent rather hit the road until the minimize judgments could be averted today. God locks his escape route from the Moody Church in Chicago. This is going to win this clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line after Luther. It seems we as believers can do quite a lot frustrate God's will update if you're talking about being disobedient to God.

Absolutely, we are able to do that as a matter of fact, all of us have done that Jonah was running. Of course, from the will of God because he didn't like the Ninevites, probably because of racism. You know what I find interesting is that where Nineveh once was running to win is now available.

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Click on the endurance partner button or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 help us get the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Middle East and now we think of Jonah, who was disobedient, but eventually he did obey what a story, and what lessons he has to teach us and anything he says cast me into the sea. They don't know we don't want to do that we've cast the cargo into this even that they're praying to God, a nursing one possible device that tossed me over tossed me over.

But let me die by talking about stubbornness here and so eventually they say all right. We have no option or else all of us are going to drown. So, so they cast them into the sea.

Now we come to the third lesson that we learn when we run God confronts us. The Bible says in verse 17 and the Lord appointed not just prepared but appointed.

This is God appointing a fish to swallow up Jonah. Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights out so God says to this fish we don't know what kind of fish. It was we as Christians don't have to measure the gullet of a whale to see whether a man can get in and I'm sorry I'm not sorry to have to say this, but I'm sorry for you if you don't believe the story because Jesus apparently did. But what happens is that in the text. Here is some God says to this big fish you see that man over there. Go swallow up now when a man swallows a bad fish. I think it's called botulism but I don't know what word to use when a fish swallows the bad man. Not sure exactly what the word is, but God finally says to Jonah.

Jonah, guess what you and I are going to need. I'm preparing a meeting place and were going to get this business of your rebellion ironed out and I now have your undivided attention. As we shall see in the message. Next week, but lest you think well the sermons over. He only preached 1520 minutes today. No, not quite, because I have some additional lesson.

First, I began with two that I had three that I have for that.

I have five the Lord if you keep if you keep showing me things in the texture. These people are gonna be here for a long long time so I reduced them to four some additional lessons today. First of all, you cannot permanently you cannot permanently obstruct God's will, God intended that the Ninevites repent and God said that's gonna happen. Even if your rebellious Jonah. I'm going to get you back on track and if I can't use you if eventually you go out into the night being incredibly stubborn. I will choose somebody else.

But those Ninevites those Ninevites are going to repent, you can't permanently obstruct God's will for a time. Jonah obstructed it because the Ninevites should really repented earlier, I suppose, but but you can't you can't permanently fight against God and think that his purposes are going to collapse because of your disobedience. They won't. I have a friend was fired from the church. So the big church in another state and he was fired from the church over a disagreement and the church had its version of the story.

He had his version of the story, and he was absolutely convinced he had been done and injustice. He told me that when he left the church.

He literally stomped the dust off his shoes from the step up the church condemning it to God's judgment, then he also told me 15 years after this event that since he left.

God has done nothing but cause this church to flourish. Got more staff, more money, more ministry than it ever had before. I should wake you up shipment you think that your petty little injustices going to thwart the will and the purposes of the sovereign God who intends the people be saved and that ministries be blessed. Of course we should be straightening out these things that we can. Sometimes we But the simple fact is that that the purposes of God are bigger than our own rebellion, God has so many options to accomplish his will that if we are not going to become a part of his will is will will be accomplished one way or another that wonderful.

I hope that those of you who didn't clap also agree that if first summary lesson here is that we cannot permanently obstruct God's will. Second, God's will is a living relationship to living relationship. You know some people think that the will of God is so difficult to find. That should you ever slide off on one side or another.

Everything is lost. It's entirely hopeless, because all that you need to do is to try to find this elusive elusive needle in a haystack. People are seeking it. When in point of fact, there may not even be a needle in the haystack lesson here is a prophet who heard God's word clearly. When you love to hear from heaven, and tell you to do ABC I could be any clearer go to and then cry against the fun we wouldn't give for that kind of guidance and in the face of that kind of guidance. You have a prophet who rebels against God.

The rebels against God and goes the opposite direction.

You think God would say enough of that, and I'm done with you here God works with him. If God is willing to take a rebellious prophet who knew his will exact lay God is willing to work with a guy like that. How much more is he willing to work with those of us who really do desire his will, as we lay our lives before him, he will guide us because he's interested in where we end up in is also interested in getting were supposed to go if we lay our plans before him. He's in the guiding process. In fact, what's interesting in the text is and don't make too much of this now, but what's interesting in the text is that God even used a rate well is backslidden profit in his backslidden state. God used them in the lives of these sailors as these sailors you know they when things go bad in the storm comes, the Bible says that each began to call upon his God for his many different God's representatives. They were sailors. I belong to this God, I belong to that God you know this is my got a real everybody holler to your own God. Okay, well after Joan explains to them the living and the true God. It says in verse 14. Therefore, they called out to the Lord, old Lord, let us not perish for this man's life and lean not on us, innocent blood, you old Lord have done is it please do so. They picked up Jonah and hurled them into the sea and the sea ceased from its raging then the men fear the Lord exceedingly and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows may be these pagans are going to be in the heaven because they came to know the true God through backslidden profit who is running as fast as he could from God's will and God great wonderful so don't ever think that you have to be put on the shelf because you know somewhere along the line you made a bad move.

First of all, if you desire to seek God's will. That's a different story. But even in our rebellion sometime God will actually use. As I mean, he is so incredibly jet gracious that it's almost hard to comprehend such the second lesson the third lesson is that our disobedience has wider consequences are disobedience always has wider consequences when Jonah left, you know, he thought to himself what you know this is all just about me.

I'm going to be rebellious against God, but is not going to affect anybody else. Oh yeah, yeah, I did affect other people. These pagans, for one thing, through their cargo overboard.

Listen, the cargo was their livelihood had everything that they don't so you know Jonah paid his fare to go to Tarsus. Couple of shekels.

Listen. These sailors paid a much higher fare for his disobedience because whenever you and I disobey were always taking other people with us. Our impact is such that it is not possible for us to simply say will is is just about me notes about your family. It's about your church. It's about other people. It's about. It's about the impact that God has in your life and intends to happen. I mean it's it's got repercussions here. The man that I began this message talking about, he can say what you know this is just about me having found this other woman yeah yeah is just about you, but look at your family that's being destroyed. Look at your testimony that's being destroyed. I mean, you can't tell me that you can just somehow be disobedient in a narrow kind of way and and not take others in your disobedience. Listen the issues that you have in your life and there are many ways to run from God as I'll be explaining in another mess, but the issues that you have in your life are issues that if you do not give it will in fact other people.

It will have a negative effect in terms of your attitude in terms of your actions and what you have and you can't just disobey a lawn. The Ninevites were affected by his disobedience.

The sailors were the Ninevites were affected by his disobedience to because supposedly they should have been repenting a lot sooner.

So Jonah teaches us that are disobedience always has wider consequences. But there's 1/4 lesson, and that is that it's always best to hurry back to the father always best to hurry back to the father wouldn't a bit of been wonderful if instead of telling the sailors throw me into the sea would not have been wonderful if Jonah had said yes I'm running from the presence of God. God sent the storm. He has my attention. I repent right now and I'm going to take the first ship I can back because as soon as I get back I'm going to actually go and begin to minister to the Ninevites time to do it with joy because God has broken me and my stubborn self will. When a vitamin wonderful, but he doesn't do that know he's harder than that. He's more stubborn than that. And so what he says is I'm guilty but just throw me in the sea, and I'd rather drown then do this distasteful thing called the will of God. It is always better.

We hurry back to the father always better always better because the affair that were going to pay will only increase. We will only keep going down down down down down, the longer we put off repent and obedience.

The longer we deceive the longer we muscle God's will and say I will not do it. It's always better to hurry back to the father and for those of you who've never trusted Christ as Savior. It's always better for you to come to him quickly, as is the Holy Spirit of God speaks to you about your need for a Savior. It is always better for you to be quick to say I will obey. I will do God's will. I will come and I will accept Christ is always better to do it quickly, than to just prolong the agony as God continues to work and obstruct us and make it difficult for us and create fish for us so that eventually, he bends us and brings us right down to the death sentences now will you do my will, and finally at the end of a person's life.

Sometimes people finally safe will now that I'm about ready to die. And I've done all the damage yes now I'm willing to obey how God gets us to say yes. So what issues do you have in your life. How are you running from God. Those of us who are believers, we quote Galatians chapter 2 verse 20 I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ lives in me and the life that I now live. I live by faith of the son of God loved me and gave himself for me. I I go on that cross and in faith. I've been crucified with Christ. I have no future.

I have no plans except to die to self will, but Christ might live. Let's pray so where are you right now spiritually what ship are you taking to God knows where and what resistance of the blessed Holy Spirit. Have you been able to muster because you find God's will so distasteful you talk to God right now because he's listening father or some people listening who need hours moments to come into your presence and finally lay down the weapons of a rebel to say I give it all to you everything everything everything all the issues all the self-justification all the reasons all the noble reasons all the petty reasons. Just give them to you and say father take over work mightily to bring that about father because we are so helpless and so stubborn that we will not give up until you corner us teaches father in Jesus name. Well here friend, this is Pastor Luther and it looks as if we are being cornered, doesn't it. When you look at the political scene in America when you think of our moral and spiritual freefall. Never before has it been more important for us to obey God and like Jonah eventually go back to Nineveh. But how do we do that I've written a new book entitled Christians politics and the cross. What I tried to do in this book to show the relationship of obedience to the flag nationalism versus patriotism all kinds of issues that we are facing today and in the midst of that, of course, always keeping the main thing the main thing showing how the cross of Jesus Christ has been in God's heart from the beginning of all eternity.

It's a book hopefully of instruction. Also, Hope also a reminder that historically the church has always had struggles with the government and freedom for gift of any amount. This book can be yours. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for the book Christians politics and the cross. Thanks in advance for your generosity.

We hear it running to win are dependent upon you were dependent upon your prayers, your gifts, your support you are holding up our hands as we share the gospel with many that phone number again 1-888-218-9337 or RTW offer.com it's time now for another chance for you to ask Pastor Luther a question about the Bible or the Christian life Pastor Luther. In these tough economic times. Christians want to be faithful in their giving, but they also want to watch every penny as the government takes an ever larger tax bite. This has motivated Samuel to ask a question, are we to tithe 10% of our net income or our gross income will Samuel of course a very simple answer to your question is this. Do you want to be blessed on the net or do you want to be blessed on the gross. That's a simple answer to your question, but I also need to point out Samuel that the New Testament does not insist on tithing, the Old Testament, tithing was something like a tax that people paid as a matter of fact there were several different ties when we get to the New Testament era and we no longer live in the land in a theocracy. God does not specify the amount he talks about being generous givers.

He talks about giving as God has prospered us and he allows us to make the decision.

Now, on the one hand there are people who say well if you tell people that then they won't give very much, well, on the other hand, I also believe in the prompting of the Holy Spirit that if you ask the Lord how much you should give in different ways he might make it plain to you. Also, what the New Testament would want us to understand is that when we are generous. God does reward us. The Bible speaks for example of the reward of righteousness.

I don't believe as some TV preachers seem to imply that we can give our way to prosperity. I give God lots he has to give me more back but it is true that God does bless generous givers, so having said all that, I think it is fine to tithe and I would certainly prefer that you tithe on the gross as long as you do not see it as an obligation of what you must do, but as a benchmark of what you want to do if you see it as part of your generous giving and when you look at it that way when God begins to prosper you that 10% can go a lot higher in eyes. My wife and I have gotten older and our children are out of the home and they have their own families. We've discovered that we can continually increase the percentage that we give.

I hope that that will be true of you as well seek the Lord and he will guide you. But above all, be generous because God loves generous givers. Thank you, Samuel, and thank you Dr. listserv for that wise counsel if you'd like to hear your question answered. Go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask Pastor Luther or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us at running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 when God wants to get the attention of one of his servants. He has many creative options.

In the case of Jonah God took extreme measures the belly of the great fish is hardly the Holiday Inn and here Jonah got the message.

Next time I'm going to win. Sir continues his series on brokenness, God gives us to say yes will turn to Jonah chapter 2 and go underwater as we hear about death, self-reliance for Dr. Erwin loser this is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the teacher