God Is Not The One With The Problem

Gtcotr/ss101225 

Jonah was a prophet who lived around 750BC. You probably remember the account of Jonah and the great fish. God spoke to Jonah and told him to “go to Nineveh and announce judgment against the city.”Jonah did not want to obey God, so he went instead to the port city of Joppa and purchased a ticket to sail on a ship that was headed to Turkey. 

God caused a great storm to arise on the Mediterranean that endangered the ship, the sailors and the cargo. When the crew found out Jonah was running from God and was ultimately the cause of their problems, they tried everything to keep the ship afloat. Finally Jonah convinced them to throw him overboard. They reluctantly complied and the storm ceased. 

The account continues by recording how God had already prepared a great fish which swallowed Jonah alive. Jonah lived in the belly of that fish for three days. It was then Jonah cried out to the Lord and began to pray and worship. Jonah finally recommitted his life to God’s service, and with that, the Lord caused that great fish to vomit Jonah up on dry ground.  

The story of Jonah teaches several great lessons of life. Like, “You will never catch God unprepared for what you are going to do.” The 3rd chapter of Jonah refocuses our attention on the heart of God and His message to the people of Nineveh. After Jonah got out of his personal hell:  

Jonah 3 NLT 

1 ¶  Then the LORD spoke to Jonah a second time: 

• · Everyone say: “Thank God for a second time!”
  
• · Jesus came to save us from an eternity in hell and from the hell of this life … even the hell we often cause ourselves. 

2  “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.” 

• · Have you noticed when God speaks: The second time sounds a whole lot like the first time. 

3  This time Jonah obeyed the LORD’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all. 

• · The next time does not have to look like the last time.  
  
• · The last time Jonah ended up: 
  
• o Wasting time and money;  
  
• o Running from God; 
  
• o Caused bad things to happen to good people; 
  
• o Was thrown overboard; 
  
• o Spent 3 days in the hell; 
  
• o He finally prayed, repented and was given a second chance. 
  
• · What made this time different than last time? 
  
• o Obedience to God’s Word. 
  
• · If Jonah would not have obeyed God, no doubt God would have revoked probation and then there would have been a third time. 

4  On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” 

5 ¶  The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow. 

• · Most people, just like the Ninevites, just need a chance. 
  
• · It’s amazing what an honest word from God can accomplish in the hearts and minds of men and women.  
  
• · Even the leaders hearts were touched and changed … 

6  When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in burlap and sat on a heap of ashes. 

7  Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city:     “No one, not even the animals from your herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything at all. 

8  People and animals alike must wear garments of mourning, and everyone must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence. 

9  Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change His mind and hold back His fierce anger from destroying us.” 

• · There’s always a chance. 
  
• · God is in the second chance business. 
  
• · God will give anyone another chance. 
  
• · Any time you earnestly ask Him for one … 

10  When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, He changed His mind and did not carry out the destruction He had threatened. 

The next verse takes us into chapter 4. The mood and the message of the story changes from God dealing with the Ninevites back to God dealing with Jonah. We won’t read the whole chapter but let’s cover the first 2 verses to confirm our word for today. God changed His mind about destroying Nineveh at this time. God gave them another chance because they sincerely ask for one.

Jonah 4 NLT 

1 ¶  This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. 

2  So he complained to the LORD about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, LORD? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.” 

Jonah gives us candid looks at both God and man. 

I am so thankful I serve a God of second chances. History tells us that the Ninevites finally returned to their previous sinful wicked acts of violence and ultimately the city was destroyed about 138 years later, in 612BC, as prophesied by the OT prophet Nahum. It lies in ruins today along the eastern shore of the Tigris River outside the modern-day city of Mosul, Iraq. However, that’s not God’s fault. (Jonah 750BC; Nahum 713BC) 

Neither was Jonah’s attitude God’s fault. Jonah, like the people of Nineveh, had a choice. Jonah recognized God as a merciful and compassionate God who was slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. Jonah recognized God was eager to turn back from destroying people … only Jonah did not appreciate that quality of life. But God was not the one with the problem. 

Jonah was a harsh, critical, judgmental type of person, much like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. People with whom there is no second chance, no compassion, and no appreciation for unfailing love. 

Jonah, who one of the most successful servants in the Bible, lived and died an angry, critical, depressed life. Jonah obeyed God when he had to, but he never appreciated or agreed with God, and he never expressed compassion for others … especially people he did not like. 

This morning I want to encourage you to be thankful and be appreciative of God’s unfailing love. Let God judge others while you strive to be content with whatever He decides. You can trust God, and you should agree with Him. He is aware of the situation and the circumstances surrounding you. He is committed to fixing your problem, even though He didn’t cause it.  

Malachi 3 NKJV 

13 ¶  “Your words have been harsh against Me,” Says the LORD, “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ 

14  You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, And that we have walked as mourners Before the LORD of hosts? 

15  So now we call the proud blessed, For those who do wickedness are raised up; They even tempt God and go free.’ ” 

16  Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name. 

17  “They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.” 

18  Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him. 

I thank God for being the God of another chance … for me and for others. He will not forget about your labor of love! You will be rewarded.

Complete in Christ: The Book of Colossians Part 2 — The Supremacy of Christ

(Colossians 1:15–23) 

SERIES REVIEW              

Part 1 — Rooted in the Gospel 

• • The roots of our faith as believers are only strong when they are founded in Christ. 
  
• • Our faith must be rooted in the gospel, because the same message that saves us is the one that continues to grow and sustain us. 
  
• • We are called to be rooted in God’s Word, allowing Scripture to fill us with wisdom and keep us anchored in truth. 
  
• • We must be rooted in our relationship with God, drawing strength, patience, and joy from His power, not our own. 
  
• • When our roots are deep in Christ, our lives produce the fruit of faith, love, and hope. 
  
• • Ultimately, your roots determine your fruit—so make sure your life is planted firmly in Christ. 
  

PART 2:  SUPREMACY OF CHRIST          

I was driving to a church once, and my GPS said, “You have arrived at your destination.” The only problem was… I was in the middle of a cow pasture. 

I looked around and thought, “Well, this must be the country campus!” 

It’s amazing how you can follow directions that sound right, look right, and even feel right but still end up in the wrong place. 

That’s exactly what was happening in the church at Colossae. They thought they were following the truth concerning Jesus, but somewhere along the way, they were led them off course. While they weren’t 

necessarily rejecting Jesus, but they were allowing other people to redefine who Him. 

This is still happening in our world today. 

We live in a culture that has redefined and created its own versions of Jesus: 

• • Feel-Good Jesus: Wants you to be happy, never confronts sin or challenge your lifestyle, and exists to make you feel better. 
  
  
• • Political Jesus: This Jesus always votes like we do, He always takes our side and supports our political platform, and people use this Jesus to justify their own  agenda. 
  
  
• • Convenient Jesus: The Jesus people follow when life gets hard but is okay if you never make a commitment. This Jesus is savior on Sunday but is okay with you living how you want during the rest of the week. 
  

If we are not careful, we will allow culture to redefine who Jesus is in our life as well. We too can allow culture to put the wrong address in the GPS of our life, and lead us to the wrong destination: a Jesus that can’t save us. 

This is why verses 15-23 in chapter one are so important. It shows us exactly who Jesus truly is: LORD OVER ALL.

So let’s dive into Colossians today and see what it means that Christ is supreme over all. 

• 1. Lord over All Creation
  15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  
  16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.  
  17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
  
  
• • “He is the image of the invisible God…”

• • Jesus is the visible image of God—the exact representation of who God is. All that God is can be found in Jesus. 
  
  
• • “Firstborn over all creation…”
  
• • Firstborn over all creation: Jesus is the rightful heir to all things. Meaning, He is the ruler of everything that God made. This means that Jesus is not part of creation or just another spiritual being.  
  
• • He is ruler over all of creation 
  
  
• • “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and on earth…”
  
• • By Him = In Him → Everything was created “in Christ” 
  
• • All power and all governing principles that guide the process of creation reside in Christ. 
  
• • Everything that is visible came from Jesus 
  
• • Everything invisible came from Jesus 
  
• • That includes the spiritual realm! They all have their rank, but they all fall under the lordship of Jesus Christ! 
  
  
• • “And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”
  
• • Everything was created through Him and for Him 
  
• • All things are being held together by the sustaining power of Jesus 
  
  
• 2. Lord over the Church
  18 And He is the head of the body, the church… 
  
• • The church is described in the Bible as a body; many members working together for one common goal. Every body has a head on it— from the head comes leadership and direction. 
  
• • Paul says that Jesus the head of the church. Meaning that He rules and reigns over the body of Christ; He has full authority! 
  
• • The Body of Christ gets direction from the head, Jesus!

• • We all take are cues from Jesus Himself. He is Lord over the Church! 
  
  
• 3. Lord over Redemption
  19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,  
  20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 
  
• • In Jesus, the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. 
  
• - Everything that makes God who he is — His nature, His character, His power, His presence — lives completely in Jesus. 
  
• - Fullness = Total completeness, nothing lacking 
  
• - So Jesus is not partly God, not just a reflection of God, Jesus is fully God in human form! 
  
• • Through His death and resurrection, He reconciled everything to Himself. 
  
• • We were alienated from God, but through the cross we are now brought near. 
  
• - Jesus beat sin, death, hell, and the grave and one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. It will all be said and done! 
  
• • The same One who created all things also will redeem all things. 
  
  
• 4. Lord over Your Life
  “21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard…”
  
• • If Jesus is Lord over creation, the church, and redemption—then He has earned the right to be Lord over your life as well. 
  
• • He made you, saved you, and sustains you. That means He owns every part of your life. 
  
• • Lord = Master, Ruler, Owner 

• • When we call Jesus “Lord” we are saying, “You are in charge.” It means that you have surrendered control of your life to Him. 
  
• • The question is, have you made Him Lord? 
  
• • It’s one thing to say that Jesus is Lord, it is another thing to live it. 
  
• • Submitting to Jesus as savior as the One who saves you is different from submitting to Him as Lord (the One who leads you). 
  
• • Who makes the final decision in your life? Jesus or You? 
  
• • He has proven that He has earned the right to be Lord in our life! 
  
• • However, making Him Lord involves laying down our pride in order to say “not my will but your will be done…” 
  
• • Make Jesus Lord over your life today and you will NOT be disappointed. 

Takeaways: 

• I. Make Jesus the Lord of your life 
  
  
• II. Keep Jesus first in your life 
  
  
• III. Do not allow culture to redefine who Jesus is in your life

Unbroken Hope

Gtcotr/ss100525 

Things to remember this week: 

• · The Field Trip for KELC Children, Nakuru 
  
• · The Women’s Sunday School Class next Sunday @ 9:30am 
  
• · Water Baptism Sunday @ 10:30am, October 19th – 30 people 
  
• · “Every Drop Counts” Drinking Water Initiative in Wamba, Kenya 
  
  

Have you noticed? There is a great revival currently taking place in the United States and in nation after nation all over the world. Teenagers, young families, middle-aged couples and older men and women are turning to the Bible and to Church for answers and the result is, they are inviting Jesus Christ to come into their hearts and save their souls.  

It is evident we live in a broken world with broken hearts, broken homes, broken promises and broken governments all around us. The love of many had waxed cold and the light of hope had almost gone out … but God! God in His infinite mercy … God who poured out His unfailing love at the Cross … God who offers forgiveness and salvation to lost and hurting sinners, almighty God stirred the heavens once again and sent a fresh wind of His Holy Spirit to wrap His loving arms around this broken world. 

God so loved the world … even the wicked … He has an unbroken hope. 

Ezekiel 33:11  “Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die…?” 

Seeing everything God has seen man capable of in the past, I don’t understand how or why He still has hope for the sinner … but He does. Jesus tried to explain how heaven feels when He was talking to a group of tax collectors and sinners, along with the Pharisees and the scribes who were complaining about Him spending His time with those they considered to be undesirables. 

Let’s read about it in:

Luke 15 NKJV 

7  “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” 

Have you ever considered what makes heaven happy? You do! 

10  “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” 

Jesus explains … 

11 ¶  Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 

12  “And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 

13  “And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 

14  “But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 

15  “Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 

16  “And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. 

17  “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 

The New Living Translation says: “But when he came to his senses …” 

This young man finally stopped to think and applied simple logic to what he saw. The simplest answers are often the best answers. He just took a good look at himself and the situation around him.  

Changing his mind and changing his direction was going to take some humility and a lot of courage on his part. However his personal situation was not going to get any better on its own. 

Nothing changes until something changes. Yesterday’s bus is going to bring you right back to where you are today. Most often it’s not the things around you that need to change … it’s you! There is no such thing as a greener grass fix or a geographical cure. 

Let’s continue … 

17  “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 

18  ‘I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 

19  “and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ 

20  “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 

This is the very thing we are seeing around the nation and the world today. Ten’s of thousands are turning and coming to Christ and the Church or coming back to Christ and the Church. We are in the greatest revival of my lifetime thus far. Genuine repentance and acceptance. Unbroken hope! 

As soon as he turned … God, the Father, ran to meet him … 

21  “And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 

The prodigal son had a good plan, but it required follow through. He had to work the plan. In order for a plan to work … you’ve got to work the plan. 

22  “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 

23  ‘And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 

24  ‘for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. 

The Father saw it for what it was. He didn’t say, “You hurt me!” “Are you sure you’re not going to do it again?” “Where’s my money?” The Father wasn’t worried about what others would think … his boy was home! 

25  “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 

This was a good son, not a bad son. He was a good son but hurt and disappointed. He was a good son but maybe not as good a brother … 

26  “So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 

27  “And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ 

28  “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 

Now how can a person get mad about someone coming to their senses? Even if he wasn’t happy with his brother and didn’t trust him, at least he could have been happy for his father. His father was a good father. The older son should have looked past his personal pain and preferences and looked at the parent. God is happy when His children repent … how about you? 

The older brother may not have had any hope or maybe he had broken hope … but the father was getting everything for which he had hoped. His boy was alive and well and had come home a changed man. The father was thankful for the first step.  

If you can’t be happy for yourself … at least be happy for someone else. 

29  “So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 

30  ‘But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ 

31  “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.

32  ‘It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ” 

Like the prophet prophesied:  

Ezekiel 18: 32  “For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn and live!”

Turn and live!  

Have you noticed the Holy Spirit nudging you and others around you to get closer to God? The safest place is always beside our Father God. Any other place is at best, second best.  

Let’s be like the angels and be happy for all the good things to come and for all the prayer answered instead of seeing all the bad and hurtful things of the past. 

Conclusion:  

• · The Father didn’t let time destroy His hope. 
  
• · God looks to the horizon, waiting to embrace the repentant. 
  
• · We should be conscious and considerate of the Father’s love and celebrate along with Him and the angels in heaven.