There’s a tendency in God to chase us and give us life, not because of something beautiful in us; but because of something beautiful in Him. That’s the thing about a gift. Whether you feel worthy or not doesn’t matter. God’s love is not motivated by or contingent upon your worthiness, after all, grace is when undeserving people receive an unbelievable gift from an unobligated giver. In part two of our series on Jonah, Ben Stuart walks us through the gift that is the grace of God and how we can honor Him by enjoying the gift.
Key Takeaway
No matter where you are, you can cry out to Jesus for salvation. He will rescue you. The means of grace isn't always comfortable, but you can be thankful for it.
What do you do when you've been given a gift?
1) Express gratitude.
2) You honor the giver by enjoying it.
God's love for us is not motivated nor contingent on our loveliness. It's sourced in Him. Grace is when an undeserving people receive an unbelievable gift. The response to this is joy and gratitude.
We see this in Jonah's poem. He expresses gratitude over being brought from his lowest point. He was lost at sea, and it was his own fault. He ran from God, and God let him have what he wanted. He was getting what he deserved. He knew he wasn't worthy of rescuing, but he called out to God anyway. God, in His grace, rescued him.
Grace isn't karma, where it's all dependent on us and what we put out into the world. C.S. Lewis said that in Christianity, the blessing of God does not come after we've done the good and avoided the bad; the blessing comes first.
John Newton made an absolute mess of his life. He made horrible decisions after horrible decisions, ruining his own life and so many others. He was actively a part of the slave trade. Eventually, God grabbed a hold of his heart, and he came to know and accept the grace God had offered him. Now, he is known for 1) becoming a pastor, 2) working tirelessly to abolish slavery in Europe, and 3) writing the hymn, Amazing Grace.
Two groups of people hear the story of Jonah, and while the action needed is the same, the path there is different.
Group 1- Not a Christian, never put your faith in Jesus
You have still been created in the image of God.
Romans 3:23- you have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God
Isaiah 59- the problem is sin has separated you from God
Jonah 2:4-7- you can cry out to God, and He will save you
Group 2- I've placed my faith in Jesus
You still have a tendency to run from God. Sometimes this can cause even more shame because you feel like you should know better
You've been saved from the penalty of sin, but you need you be saved from the power of sin still at work in your life. It can look like insecurity, depression, pornography, etc.
You need to cry out to Jesus
When Jonah cried out, God didn't instantaneously place his feet down on a coastal beach. He sent a fish, and he had to be in the fish for 3 days. The means of rescue was uncomfortable.
God saved Jonah through the body of a fish, God saves us through the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is an instrument of grace and healing. It doesn't save you in the sense of how Jesus saved you through what He purchased for you on the Cross, but it does give you a healthy place to have accountability, love, and a safe place to land.
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"Grace. She takes the blame. She covers the shame. Removes the stain. It could be her name...She travels outside of karma...Grace makes beauty out of ugly things."
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U2
Discussion Questions
What is the best way to respond to a gift that's been given to you?
For this message, what was the definition that Ben gave for grace?
Why did Jonah sing? Why did he feel he could call upon God when he had gotten himself into this situation to begin with?
How did the idea of karma become so pervasive in our society? How is grace completely different?
What does Romans 3:21-25 say? How does this tie into the Temple that Jonah keeps mentioning in Jonah 2:5, 7?
If someone hasn't put their faith in Jesus, how would you explain salvation to them using the example of Jonah and connecting it to Jesus?
If you are a believer, in what area do you still try to run from God?
What did Ben mean when he said you have been saved from the penalty of sin, but need saving from the power of sin still in your life?
God sent a fish as His means of rescuing, not the most comfortable or pleasant mode. In what ways has God rescued you, but it was uncomfortable?
How has the Body of Christ been a means of grace and healing for you? If it hasn't been, what can you do to change that in the future for someone who needs it?
Scripture References
2 In Hebrew texts 2:1 is numbered 1:17, and 2:1-10 is numbered 2:2-11.1.From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2.He said:“In my distress I called to the Lord,and he answered me.From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,and you listened to my cry.3.You hurled me into the depths,into the very heart of the seas,and the currents swirled about me;all your waves and breakersswept over me.4.I said, ‘I have been banishedfrom your sight;yet I will look againtoward your holy temple.’5.The engulfing waters threatened me,2:5 Or waters were at my throatthe deep surrounded me;seaweed was wrapped around my head.6.To the roots of the mountains I sank down;the earth beneath barred me in forever.But you, Lord my God,brought my life up from the pit.7.“When my life was ebbing away,I remembered you, Lord,and my prayer rose to you,to your holy temple.8.“Those who cling to worthless idolsturn away from God’s love for them.9.But I, with shouts of grateful praise,will sacrifice to you.What I have vowed I will make good.I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’ ”10.And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
God’s Faithfulness1.What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2.Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.3.What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? 4.Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written:“So that you may be proved right when you speakand prevail when you judge.”3:4 Psalm 51:45.But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6.Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7.Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” 8.Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just!No One Is Righteous9.What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10.As it is written:“There is no one righteous, not even one;11.there is no one who understands;there is no one who seeks God.12.All have turned away,they have together become worthless;there is no one who does good,not even one.”3:12 Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Eccles. 7:2013.“Their throats are open graves;their tongues practice deceit.”3:13 Psalm 5:9“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”3:13 Psalm 140:314.“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”3:14 Psalm 10:7 (see Septuagint)15.“Their feet are swift to shed blood;16.ruin and misery mark their ways,17.and the way of peace they do not know.”3:17 Isaiah 59:7,818.“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”3:18 Psalm 36:119.Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20.Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.Righteousness Through Faith21.But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22.This righteousness is given through faith in3:22 Or through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23.for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24.and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25.God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,3:25 The Greek for sacrifice of atonement refers to the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant (see Lev. 16:15,16). through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26.he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.27.Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28.For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29.Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30.since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31.Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
