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[15.70 --> 16.92] is the story of Jonah.
[17.52 --> 24.70] And so over the next number of times when I'm here, I'm going to focus on each subsequent
[24.70 --> 26.54] chapter of Jonah.
[26.54 --> 34.14] It's not a very long book, I'm tempted almost to read the whole thing, but I'm only going
[34.14 --> 35.72] to read chapter one this morning.
[36.34 --> 40.94] But I'm going to invite you and those of you who are watching on live stream and who are
[40.94 --> 45.78] part of Emanuel Church to spend some time looking at the book of Jonah.
[45.90 --> 48.88] Don't just simply read the words.
[50.36 --> 51.40] Two challenges.
[52.10 --> 55.94] Take a look at its structure, how it is structured.
[55.94 --> 61.60] You'll find that chapters one and two have a parallel in chapters three and four.
[62.36 --> 63.46] And then here's the challenge.
[64.40 --> 69.28] And I will reveal the answer at some point if I don't forget, but I don't think I will.
[69.48 --> 70.34] But here's the challenge.
[70.48 --> 77.16] See if you can find in your mind and in your heart and in your experience a parallel story
[77.16 --> 79.28] out of the New Testament.
[79.28 --> 88.52] Just see if you can find in your heart and your mind a parallel story out of the New Testament.
[89.16 --> 95.26] The Hebrew writers of the Old Testament were very skilled.
[95.26 --> 98.80] They were thoughtful.
[98.80 --> 103.74] They were led by the Holy Spirit of God, but they were very skilled.
[104.26 --> 112.20] And when you read the book of Jonah, you need to remember that Jonah, who we presume to be
[112.20 --> 117.42] the author, was looking back at his experience.
[117.42 --> 121.02] He wasn't writing about it as it was happening.
[121.84 --> 124.06] He was looking back at it.
[124.20 --> 126.36] It was history for him.
[127.30 --> 129.76] And it becomes history for us.
[130.52 --> 134.30] And we need to try to find ourselves in the story.
[134.80 --> 138.10] So let me read from Jonah chapter one.
[138.10 --> 145.32] The word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amittai, go to the great city of Nineveh
[145.32 --> 150.86] and preach against it because its wickedness has come up before me.
[151.84 --> 158.34] But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.
[158.48 --> 162.04] He went down to Joppa where he found a ship bound for that port.
[162.04 --> 168.10] After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
[169.54 --> 175.42] Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea and such a violent storm arose that the ship
[175.42 --> 176.62] threatened to break up.
[178.50 --> 183.74] All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own God.
[184.78 --> 189.46] And they threw the cargo into the sea to begin to lighten the ship.
[189.46 --> 194.20] But Jonah had gone below deck where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
[195.60 --> 199.14] The captain went to him and said, how can you sleep?
[199.66 --> 201.66] Get up and call on your God.
[202.82 --> 207.44] Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.
[209.12 --> 215.50] Then the sailors said to each other, come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible
[215.50 --> 216.66] for this calamity.
[216.66 --> 220.68] They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.
[222.20 --> 227.04] And so they asked him, tell us who is responsible for making all this trouble for us?
[227.54 --> 230.04] What kind of work do you do?
[230.46 --> 231.52] Where do you come from?
[232.08 --> 233.04] What is your country?
[233.88 --> 235.46] From what people are you?
[236.80 --> 238.18] And he answered, I'm Hebrew.
[238.18 --> 244.64] And I worship the Lord, the God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.
[245.56 --> 246.90] This terrified them.
[246.98 --> 249.32] And they asked, what have you done?
[249.32 --> 256.28] They knew he was running away from the Lord because he had already told them so.
[257.24 --> 260.84] The sea was getting rougher and rougher.
[261.70 --> 266.40] So they asked him, what should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?
[267.46 --> 273.22] Pick me up and throw me into the sea, he replied, and it will become calm.
[273.22 --> 279.04] I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.
[279.88 --> 283.86] Instead, the men did their best to roll back to the land.
[284.74 --> 289.98] But they could not, for the sea was growing wilder than before.
[290.24 --> 296.72] Then they cried out to the Lord, please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man's life.
[296.72 --> 303.86] Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.
[305.08 --> 310.22] Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.
[311.34 --> 317.66] At this, the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.
[318.56 --> 325.92] Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days.
[326.72 --> 327.66] And three nights.
[328.22 --> 329.68] This is the word of the Lord.
[332.00 --> 335.24] So what have you been doing over the last number of months?
[336.36 --> 339.08] You've had time to do different things.
[339.72 --> 340.60] School has been out.
[340.60 --> 349.70] Perhaps if you have children at home, you had to do some homeschooling, and you discovered the challenging work of a teacher.
[349.70 --> 358.92] Or perhaps you've had to work from home, and you've discovered the importance of keeping a routine.
[360.70 --> 372.06] Or perhaps you have indulged ever more into social media, and you have become much more adept at finding your way around the internet.
[372.06 --> 377.78] Or perhaps you have been reading more.
[378.78 --> 383.90] The newspaper, magazines, books, fiction, and nonfiction.
[384.72 --> 389.20] What have you been doing over the last three months?
[390.84 --> 391.56] Complaining?
[393.18 --> 394.40] Binge-watching?
[394.40 --> 394.90] Binge-watching?
[395.30 --> 395.74] Binge-watching?
[396.36 --> 398.98] I've painted the interior of our house.
[400.72 --> 402.36] Our marriage is still together.
[403.98 --> 411.22] One of the things that happened is that this man died in the time.
[412.10 --> 414.72] His name is Ravi Zacharias.
[415.54 --> 421.96] Ravi Zacharias was born in India, converted to the Christian faith in his teenage years.
[421.96 --> 425.56] he was about 17, he had attempted to commit suicide.
[427.26 --> 431.00] And as a result of that attempt on his life,
[431.88 --> 436.66] he was confronted by the reality of who Jesus was,
[437.66 --> 440.78] and he committed his life to Christ
[440.78 --> 445.12] by the sovereign grace of God, working in his heart.
[446.32 --> 451.16] He moved to Canada, went to now what is Tyndale Seminary,
[451.96 --> 455.44] became part of the Christian Missionary Alliance Church,
[456.18 --> 459.94] and established a ministry of apologetics.
[459.94 --> 466.62] That is, he went around to people to defend the Christian faith.
[468.14 --> 471.76] He's been doing that for years and years, going to college campuses,
[471.76 --> 476.22] and has a whole ministry that is now based in the state of Georgia.
[476.22 --> 482.28] He was diagnosed with cancer earlier, or late last year, early this year,
[482.50 --> 486.20] and died rather quickly in May of this past year.
[486.20 --> 493.88] He had a blog and a radio program entitled,
[493.88 --> 498.00] Let My People Think.