The High Cost of Disobedience

Introduction: My dad and I have a lot of things in common and one of those is that we are both dog lovers! The very first memories I have are of two dogs we owned when we lived in an old farmhouse in North Carolina. I was just a little boy, but I remember our Chihuahua named Queenie and our black lab named Sam. Queenie met a poodle and as a result had a couple of puppies, one of which we kept. Someone gave her the name Fifi and she lived for well over 12 years. At some point we got another outdoor dog named Tibby, who was my dad’s best friend. When Michelle and I got married we had various dogs on and off through the years, but one of my favorites was Oscar. Oscar was a black and tan, long haired dachshund. Oscar and I became great friends. Unfortunately Oscar was a little stubborn and often when we would let him outside to do his business he would wander. I recall one time, when we were living in the country he would find his way into the cow pasture across the street. Whenever he knew he was caught he would get as low to the ground as he possibly could and try to hide in the grass or behind a bush. Yes, Oscar was my buddy and he could play dead better than any dog we’ve ever had.

One afternoon we were moving some furniture in and out of our house and we had propped the door open. At some point, when we weren’t looking Oscar snuck out. Later that afternoon we realized he was missing and looked EVERYWHERE! Then it dawned on me that maybe he snuck out when we weren’t looking. We went outside and called and called his name to no avail. Then, out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw something lying by the road. In my heart I knew it was him, but I had to go and check to make sure. I scooped up his lifeless body, and amid the cries and screams of heartbroken children I buried him in our backyard.

Oscar paid a high price for his disobedience. He didn’t understand the rules and boundaries I had set for him were for his own good. He didn’t comprehend that the boundaries I had put in place were to protect him, not to keep him from having fun.

If that is true for a doggy and his owner, how much more is it true for us and a loving, caring, generous God who knows what is best for His creation and His children and gives us instructions accordingly? He gives us boundaries in our lives, not to destroy us, or to rob us of joy, but rather to protect us because HE knows what is lurking on the other side of the fence. He is aware of the scars that will come as a result of our rebellion.

He also knew that Jonah needed Nineveh as much as Nineveh needed Jonah. But unfortunately Jonah chose to run from the center of God’s will and plan for his life and run in the opposite direction. . .

Scripture Introduction: Last week, near the end of my message I shared this quote with you:

You may find your ship, and it may sail right on time. But if you are en route to Tarshish when God has called you to Nineveh, I want you to know something: There’s a storm brewing on the horizon. And before long you’ll go overboard. Why? Because God loves you, and He’s not going to allow His child to go astray without pursuing you. (Laurie, p. 29)

This is exactly where we find Jonah today. He is in a boat headed to Tarshish to try to get away from God and God’s will for his life and there is a storm brewing. God doesn’t just strike Jonah dead or let him get hit by a stray chariot. Instead, God in his mercy love and grace SENDS A STORM into Jonah’s life. You know we all have storms in our lives. Some storms are of our own making, like Jonah’s was, and some storms aren’t, but one thing is for sure...

Storms Are Sure to Come

Notice vv. 4-5 . . .

Explanation

Before anyone misunderstands this statement, I want to say this again. I want it to be crystal clear that storms come to EVERYONE’s life regardless of whether or not they are running from God. As a matter of fact storms come to the lives of people who know Christ and to people who don’t know Christ. Storms come to those who are in the center of God’s will and to those who are running from God’s will, as Jonah was. There are different types of storms and I want to explore two with you today. The first type of storm we will look at is the type of storm Jonah was experiencing. It is what I like to call a “correcting storm.”

Correcting Storms

God does not just overlook rebellion in the lives of His children. The Lord can use a storm to wreak havoc and wreck our plans when we rebel against Him. Greg Laurie says this about a correcting storm:

Hebrews 12:6–8 ESV

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

“A correcting storm is one we usually bring upon ourselves. We reap what we sow, experiencing the consequences of our own actions…This was a storm intended to get Jonah’s attention. As a child of God, Jonah was experiencing God’s hand of discipline, or chastening. It was a reminder to Jonah that the Lord loved him and still wanted to use him…Because Jonah was God’s loved child, he was disciplined. The Lord sent him into a great storm and crisis to remind him that he was loved. God was saying to him, ‘I’m not finished with you yet, Jonah.’” (Laurie, p. 36, 38)

The other type of storm I want to briefly mention is what I like to call a “perfecting storm”:

Perfecting Storms

This type of storm came into Joseph’s life. He was betrayed and sold into slavery by his brothers. He was falsely accused of rape and wrongly imprisoned. Over and over and over again he faced storms. However, “God was in the midst of refining Joseph’s character, molding him into the man He wanted him to be…Joseph, the son of a sheep rancher, would become the second most powerful man in all of the world…

Sometimes God places us right in the middle of one of those perfecting storms. God uses these storms to stretch, deepen, and refine our character.

While there may be a few “storms” we could talk about, today we will just focus on these two. Notice what God’s Word has to say about these storms:

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for instance talks about God’s “correcting storms.”

Hebrews 12:6–8 ESV

Did you hear that verse. Just let that sink in for just a moment. God is going to lovingly correct and discipline His children!

also talks about God’s “correcting storm”

Psalm 119:67 ESV

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.

God’s children are not going to live in rebellion and disobedience without grabbing the attention of a loving Heavenly Father who cares about them, their wellbeing, their testimony and their spiritual growth and let them continue to live that way and do nothing about it. He is going to DISCIPLINE His children because He loves His children. He’s going to chastise those who belong to Him! Hebrews makes it perfectly clear . . . if YOU can live in rebellion and disobedience without God’s discipline and chastisement, it is a CLEAR indication YOU don’t belong to Him!

I do want to say another word about God’s “perfecting storms.” Because some of you are going through a perfecting storm right now. You are not going to through discipline and chastisement because you have done something wrong, but rather you are going through difficulties and struggles and problems because God may be preparing you, or shaping you, or developing you, or purifying you. I mentioned Joseph earlier. God used some difficult storms in Joseph’s life, but in the end, there was a beautiful rainbow that appeared on the horizon and Joseph understood that the storm his brothers meant for evil, was actually a storm that God meant for good.

Now let’s turn to the New Testament and see how Jesus used storms in the lives of the disciples. On two particular occasions Jesus allowed them to find themselves right in the middle of a violent, raging storm, while they were in a boat! Some of these disciples were experienced fishermen who had spent their lives on boats and had faced many storms, and even they were afraid for their lives! Why on earth would Jesus allow the disciples to find themselves in the middle of a storm? Why didn’t He warn them and tell them to wait. Why did He allow them to face the storm? These storms were not intended to correct, but rather to perfect them.

Note these two occasions:

Matthew 8:23–27 ESV

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Matthew 14:22–33 ESV

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Application

It is vitally important to understand that God allows “storms” to come into our lives for a variety of reasons. Some people assume, like Job’s friends, that storms come because of disobedience and some assume that storms because of a lack of faith. However, that is not always true. Sometimes storms come to draw us closer to God, to make us more like Christ or to give God an opportunity to show His power and glory in personal and unique ways.

However, if we, as Christ followers, chose to rebel, we should expect God’s loving, disciplining hand to send a storm of correction. He will appoint a storm, if necessary, to blow us back on course! He can and will, if necessary, send a storm upon our income, our dreams, or whatever else it might take to get us to return to Him and His will for our lives. You see, “To reject God’s purpose is to reject our best purpose” (CCE, Exalting Jesus in Jonah, p. 10).

Not only will disobedience lead to “correcting storms” but we also see...

Spiritual Drowsiness May Soon Follow

See verses 5-6

Explanation

We find in verse 5 that Jonah had gone down into the ship and fell asleep. Not only had he fallen asleep, but as the intensity of the storm increased, he stayed asleep! The mariners are working hard doing whatever necessary to keep the ship afloat. They are throwing their precious cargo overboard. They don’t understand, God doesn’t want their cargo, God wants the obedience of His child! But where is Jonah? Jonah, the only one who has the means of escape is SLEEPING! Jonah had to be awakedned and asked to pray for “his God” to intervene in the situation so they wouldn’t all die (v. 6).

Jonah had not only become physically drowsy, but I believe he had also become “spiritually drowsy.” In his book, “A Fresh Look at the Book of Jonah,” Greg Laurie says this:

“…sometimes older, more mature Christians may be in spiritual cruise control…As a result, they doze off in their spiritual lives and place themselves and their loved ones at great risk…Jonah was a living, breathing prophet and spokesman for the living God of Israel. Even Jesus acknowledged that. Yet there he was, in a time of great crisis and need, sleeping when he should have been praying.” (Laurie, pp. 42-43)

Scripture, of course, warns us of this spiritual drowsiness. For instance

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Romans 13:11–12 ESV

1 Thessalonians 5:2 ESV

For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

2 Peter 3:10 ESV

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

1 Thessalonians 5:6 ESV

So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.

Romans 13:11–13 ESV

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.

Application

I am concerned that too many of us, are spiritually drowsy. We need to be awakened to God’s call, we need to be awakened to the urgency of the moment, we need to be awakened to the fact there are people are around us that are facing eternity without Christ and ultimately God’s judgement!

However, I’m afraid the more we justify our disobedience to God’s call and the Great Commission, the less sensitive we become to the raging storms all around us! It’s time to WAKE UP and seriously take our responsibilities as His children and do what He has left us here to do!

You see, Jonah, by sleeping was putting these men’s lives and their eternity at risk. He is denying these men an opportunity for the hope of the Lord’s salvation. One commentary said, “All around him are people who want a solution to escape death, but Jonah is trying to flee from the presence of the SOLUTION” (CCE, p. 11).

Testimonies are Damaged

See verses 7-10

Explanation

These sailors came to the end of themselves and they realized they weren’t going to be saved by “self-effort.” They needed divine intervention and they knew it and they had asked Jonah to pray. Sadly, as Greg Laurie notes: “Jonah had lost his power, and these pagan seamen were calling him out on it. The one person on the whole ship who had the right God wasn’t in fellowship with Him and couldn’t help them in their great crisis… (Laurie, p. 45)

Illustration

Illustration & Application

Once again I quote Greg Laurie:

In the same way, I think the church today has too many decaf disciples. We’re losing our power and our authenticity. We are cheap imitations of what we really ought to be in Christ. Jonah found himself confronted by some angry, terrified sailors who knew he was a prophet on the run and were calling him out on it. Sometimes I think nonbelievers have a better idea of how a believer should behave than a believer has” (Laurie, pp. 45-46)

God Still Uses Flawed People

See verses 9-14

Explanation

Salvation Was Only Made Possible Through a Sacrifice

After they draw straws (cast lots) to determine WHO is the cause of this great calamity and after they get Jonah awake (vv. 7-8) they begin to ask some questions. Casting lots was connected with idolatry. They are still turing to their idols to help. One commentary says this about casting lots:

…casting lots consisted of tossing rocks of multiple colors…If a certain color fell toward someonebody or if all the colors but one fell toward everybody else, they would say, “Aha! That’s the person whom the gods (or God) has picked for what we’re asking. (CCE, p. 17)

They want to know WHO is responsible for this calamity. They want to know WHAT Jonah’s occupation is. They want to know WHERE Jonah is from. In verse 9 Jonah confesses that he is a Hebrew and that he is a man who fears the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe—the Lord God of Heaven.

Even though Jonah’s testimony is severely damaged, he hasn’t forgotten WHO he belongs to! He admits that He is a worshipper of the One, True God. This fact causes the sailors to be even more afraid. They begin to realize that Jonah has offended the very ONE who hold their lives in His hands. They realize that he is not just running from a powerless idol, but Jonah is running from the ALL-POWERFUL, sovereign God of the universe.

God Works Through Flawed People

Jonah reveals to them what he had done and now he reveals to them what they need to do (see verses 11-12). After trying to come up with another solution they bedgrudgingly throw him overboard and the Bible says: “Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows!”

God used a flawed prophet, to share His truth and as a result the sailors turned to God!

Illustration

Before You Say You’re Not Qualified…

In 2013 Jim Daly, now the leader of Focus on the Family wrote this in an article entitled...

Before You Say You’re Not Qualified…

ABRAHAM was too old. ISAAC was a daydreamer. JACOB lied. LEAH was ugly. JOSEPH was abused. MOSES was a couldn’t talk well. GIDEON was afraid. RAHAB was a prostitute. JEREMIAH and TIMOTHY were too young. DAVID was an adulterer. ELIJAH was suicidal. ISAIAH preached naked. JONAH ran from God. NAOMI was a widow. JOB went bankrupt. JOHN THE BAPTIST ate bugs. PETER denied Christ. The DISCIPLES fell asleep while praying. MARTHA worried about everything. MARY MAGDLENE was demon possessed. The SAMARITAN WOMAN was divorced…more than once…ZACCHEUS was too small. PAUL was a murderer. TIMOTHY had an ulcer and LAZARUS was dead!

ABRAHAM was too old.

ISAAC was a daydreamer.

JACOB lied.

LEAH was ugly.

JOSEPH was abused.

MOSES was a murderer and couldn’t talk.

GIDEON was afraid.

SAMSON had long hair and was afraid.

RAHAB was a prostitute.

JEREMIAH and TIMOTHY were too young.

DAVID was an adulterer.

ELIJAH was suicidal.

ISAIAH preached naked.

JONAH ran from God.

NAOMI was a widow.

JOB went bankrupt.

JOHN THE BAPTIST ate bugs.

PETER denied Christ.

The DISCIPLES fell asleep while praying.

MARTHA worried about everything.

MARY MAGDLENE was demon possessed.

The SAMARITAN WOMAN was divorced…more than once…

ZACCHEUS was too small.

PAUL was a murderer.

TIMOTHY had an ulcer.

and LAZARUS was dead!

Remember the words of the apostle Paul in

2 Corinthians 4:6–7 ESV

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

1 Corinthians 4:6–7 ESV

I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (

Application

If God only used perfect people, then none of us would qualify. This is not to try to justify our sin or our rebellion. This just means that God can even redeem our past mistakes for His glory. Never forget WHOSE you are and WHO you are. If you have been born again you BELONG to the One True God! If you have mistakes in your life, and we ALL do, don’t justify them or excuse them, CONFESS them and FORSAKE them and move forward! God can and will use you, no matter how flawed you have been.

You can’t use past mistakes or flaws to justify why God is not using you now!

Finally we see in verses 15-17...

A Sacrifice Satisfied God’s Wrath

Explanation

As they had this conversation with Jonah the storm continued to rage. Realizing Jonah was a prophet of God—a flawed prophet—but a prophet nonetheless, they asked him what needed to be done to end the dizzying storm. Without hesitation Jonah said, “Throw me overboard.” If someone was going to have to die it should be him. He was the guilty one and God had sent a storm of correction Jonah’s way and these sailors just happened to be paying the price too. While the storm seemed to be a bad thing, an awful thing, it had given this wayward prophet an opportunity to speak truth to these men who had been idolators, but now they are beginning to recognize who the God of the universe is.

They didn’t want to be guilty of Jonah’s death, so they continue to try to beat the storm on their own. But they could not, so as a last resort, and with a prayer of sorrow on their lips, they threw Jonah overboard, assuming he would perish in the watery grave.

Verse 15 tells us as soon as Jonah was hurled into the sea the “sea ceased from its raging.” God’s wrath was satisfied.

Illustration

There is another scene I want you to think about that happened 2,000 years ago. God’s wrath upon sin was swirling and raging and it had been for 4,000 years because God is a God of wrath and holiness, just as much as He is a God of love and mercy. The storm of God’s wrath upon sin was brewing on the horizon. Mankind had repeatedly broken God’s law, spit in God’s face and rebelled against God’s best. Mankind was under the storm of God’s judgement. Just like the sailors on the boat man had done a lot of things to try to overcome the storm, but to no avail. So God, in His love and in His mercy, robed Himself in humanity, lived a perfect life and met the requirements of the Law. Although mankind was weighed in God’s balancing scales and was found to be lacking, Jesus offered to become our substitute and took upon Himself the wrath that our sins had earned.

Application

The moment we trust Christ as our Lord and Savior and accept His sacrifice on our behalf. the raging seas of God’s judgment against us, become a crystal sea of peace and tranquility. Dear friend you can try to calm the storm by being a “good” person, by trying to row to shore with your good works, by depending upon some faulty life preserver, but nothing, absolutely nothing will satisfy God’s wrath beside the all sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Himself!

Conclusion

Verse 17 lets us in on a little secret . . . God wasn’t finished with Jonah. He still had a job to do . . . after all Nineveh needed Jonah and Jonah needed Nineveh. Jonah had an appointment so to aid in Jonah keeping this appointment, God appointed a “great fish” to swallow up Jonah and God was going to supernaturally preserve him alive for 3 days and 3 nights.

So what can you and I learn from today’s message?

Final Applications

When You Face Storms in Life, Determine if it is a Correcting Storm or a Perfecting Storm and Respond Accordingly

If it is a correcting storm because there is sin and rebellion in your life, stop your running from God and His best and then confess the sin and rebellion and REPENT (turn from it). God has boundaries, not because He hates you, but because He LOVES you! If you don’t repent He can speak even louder if necessary!

There are others who need you and God can use you in spite of your flaws

Guard Your Testimony

Trust Jesus, and Jesus Alone to Deliver You From the Storm of God’s Judgment

In closing I want you to be reminded of a couple of things that finally dawned on these sailors:

They became aware of their own INABILITY to save themselves! They quit calling on their gods, they quit rowing, they quit throwing their cargo overboard and they CALL ON THE NAME OF YAHWEH!

They recognize they will be held accountable for the prophet’s blood and turn to God to free them from that guilt.

They see they must do things in a way that pleases God

Their works and their prayers to false gods had done NOTHING to change God’s wrath, but the moment they express faith in Yahweh by throwing Jonah overboard, the sea becomes like glass. That is the difference between “works and faith.”

One commentary says, this is “real conversion.” Listen to what one commentator notes about this scenario:

They hear that they need a substitute to die—in their case, Jonah—so that they don’t have to die for their idolatry and self-effort…They place their faith in the death of the prophet to stop God’s wrath…If the Lord did not smash the idols of their self-efforts, they would not have seen the only true solution and they would not have experienced conversion.

YOU do not need to work to get rid of the wrath of God or His discipline. If you try to rely on your work, all you will do is die in the waters of the storm around you. Your only hope lies in a fountain—one that is “filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins!” Sinners hurl themselves into that blood so they can lose all their guilty stains. (pp. 22, 24)

HOW WILL YOU RESPOND TO THE STORMS IN YOUR LIFE?

How will you respond to the “perfecting storms” God sends your way? He wants to use them to make you more like Jesus so that when He looks at you, He sees your reflection. He may be allowing you to go through the fires of testing to remove various things that hinder you from being all that He wants you to be. TRUST Him today in the “perfecting storms.”

How will you respond to the “correcting storms”? Will you rebel and invite more storms or will you confess and submit to Him and throw the rebellion out of your life?

How will you respond to the “storm of God’s judgment.” Oh dear friend, there is only ONE who can rescue you from this storm and His name is Jesus! He was already cast out of the city and died in your place. The storm of God’s wrath was already poured out upon Him in your place and today you only need to throw yourself into Him and His blood that can remove ALL your guilty stains!

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