Sometimes You Have To Be Thrown

Sometimes You Have To Be Thrown

6/11/18

Jonah, Judas, and Jesus, a trio and combination that many may have never thought about before, and one in which I have to be included.  But these three men share a combined purpose and direction that serve our lives today both a shape our eternal futures all while establishing the importance of how separating ourselves from the world should be represented.  God has never once said that living for Him would be easy and that sometimes having to make difficult decisions would never occur, but these instances all depend on how committed we are to either the world or to God and the results of such beliefs shall determine our eternal status.  We in the West cannot deny that our lives have been made easy through the blessings of God but at some point, those close associations with God will cost us deeply and then the question remains how far will we need to go in order to separate us from the world or from God.

Have you ever made a drastic change in your life?  Being a pastor’s kid it is common for our families to move around and while the kids were usually the last to know about the upcoming move, the process was not totally kept from us.  However, there was one time where dad did not really confer with mom or the church board about his resignation.  I was not very old at the time and really did not find out about those drastic details until I was older, but evidently dad just up and resigned one Sunday without letting mom or anyone else know what was going on.  The church we were at was a fairly large one and had many opportunities in front of her, but dad heard from God and did what God said to do.  Yes, it was a huge shock and one that took many by surprise but it was in obedience and trust in God that led my father and mother in their ministry even when it meant up and leaving suddenly.

While my father’s resignation could in no way be compared to the act that Jonah did when he told the mariners of the boat to throw him overboard, it does resemble the sudden and drastic action that we all need to be willing to complete if God says to obey.  Sometimes we fail to recognize God’s voice when He speaks to us and it is these times of inaction that cost us many blessings for the Kingdom of God.  It must be asked of ourselves if we purposefully become spiritually deaf in order to keep our stable environment intact and our bubble safely circled around us, or are we willing to allow God to speak to our lives at all times?  I know all of have regretted some of the decisions in our past and have looked back and only then realized that the voice we heard was God’s but believed in a lie instead.  Would this setting be ignored because we did not have our hearts in total compliance with God and continually willing to do what He says for us to do?  It is this example that God brings to us in this message today, for we can no longer ignore the fact that He wants His Church to drop the world and completely take a hold of His voice so that we can advance His Kingdom again.  This continuum of Jonah will be taking an unusual turn as we include Judas into the mix, an unlikely character here but we must remember that the times of repentance is short and we must make decisions now.

One of the sticking points that many have with the Bible is the numerous accounts of people choosing to make seemingly harsh or almost irrational choices in their decisions that they claim to come from God.  God, Himself does not ever back down from the truth and sometimes, due to the cruelty and death march that the world offers can only be separated by drastic measures.  It is through these types of examples that God uses in order to grab our attention of just how important it is to live for His Ways and to abandon the ways of the world.  It takes real courage to leave your worldly lifestyle and place all of your faith, hope, and trust into a Being that you have never put your eyes upon, but it is this trust and represents God and who He is to our existence.  If we do not have enough faith and trust in God to completely live for Him and to circumcise our hearts from the world, then why were we even created and why would we even want to change any of our ways?

In the previous article in this series about Jonah, we learned that Jonah had offered himself up as the reason why the storm was raging around the boat and that things would not settle down and return to normal until the issue at hand, him, was thrown overboard.  This act of Jonah seems like an impossible one to make and can be easily ignored or rendered as a fabrication or an embellishment in order to make a point.  However, when we take into consideration how much the world and the spirit it incorporates controls our lives and the daily decisions we make, it cannot be dismissed as an act of fiction.  The common denominator in the Book of Jonah and in today’s society is the human being and as long as the human mind is operable not many items can be disregarded when it comes to human acts.  So when the Bible says that Jonah knew what to do I believe that he did hear from God and completely understood that he needed to change his ways in order to make things right with God.

In most cases, one does not easily or readily jump off of a ship or asked to be thrown overboard even when a storm is lurking about.  The tendency for humans in such situations is to try their best to keep steady and to stay within the confines of the safety zone and while this type of human activity would be believable, God has never asked us to be normal and to just accept our current conditions and do nothing.  Jonah had no doubts that the issues facing him and the other occupants in the boat were ongoing because of what he did not do after God gave him the orders for Nineveh.  Jonah chose the spirit of the world over the advancement of God’s Kingdom even though Jonah understood both sides of the issue at hand.  We must ask ourselves how many times have we not completed what God wanted us to do for whatever reason?

At some point in the story of Jonah, while he was splashing about, he had the “brilliant” idea that he needed to really repent and to change his heart about the truth of the mission that God had given him to complete.  Jonah knew that his actions were wrong and that what he did was disobedience to God on the highest level, but for a certain amount of time, he chose to ignore such command and to continue to live and do things in his own manner.  It is this lack of obedience that placed Jonah and those around him in jeopardy.  The only thing God cares about is spending eternity with each and every child of His and if it means that He must create a storm and rock your boat in order for us to get the job done, He shall do it.  But the important issue here is that Jonah had a change of heart and even though he already knew the importance of his mission, it became real to him through the example that God was providing around him that changed his heart.  It was at this point that Jonah realized the severity of the mission that God had chosen for him to complete and he also understood that a drastic move needed to occur in order for his repentance to be defined.

The act of repentance is a severe and final act, not one that has any type of room for maybe.  It is a complete act and one that takes a stand and defines a new line of inquiry and path for that individual.  In no way, will a person define this act about themselves if they do not firmly and completely believe in changing because if any other action besides complete stoppage of infractions, true repentance cannot be stated.  In the case of Jonah, when he accepted the sin that he committed against God he became willing to correct and to change whatever necessary in order for the conditions surrounding them in the boat to subside; to make things right.  Even though the men tossed him overboard and the storm and waves ceased, Jonah’s story is not over for as we shall see shortly the consequences of such actions by Jonah still had to be carried out; remember, God is a complete God and His Truth must be and will be projected at all times.

Jonah chose the correct thing to do and to accept God as his Savior by correcting his wrongs through repentance.  This took a bold move and one that cannot be argued as logical, but it served its message even for the people in the boat that stayed out of the water.  The consequences of disobedience are death and we learned this fact back in the beginning chapters of Genesis, we also learned that this pattern cannot be physically changed and that at some point in our lives we shall all face the consequences of humanity’s disobedience to our infinite Creator.  But Jonah placed himself at the mercies of God with this bold step of his and demonstrated to those in the boat and to us today that it takes a hard decision to separate oneself from the world once we have tightly woven our lives into its grasp.  It is not an easy decision and it is one that may even cost us our physical life, but it serves as the foundation of why God gave humanity a reason to choose Him over the world and that is because of His offering of eternal life.  So, I can hear you asking, where do Judas and Jesus fit into this setting?

Now we come to Judas and how his life and choices come into play in this unusual trio of well-known people in this topic.  Judas, as we all know, is one of the disciples of Jesus and had spent much time with Him while He was on the earth.  Judas saw the glory of God being advanced through the numerous miracles while Jesus walked the earth and he was able to witness the other side of the aisle when demons were manifested and then cast out as well.  One cannot say that Judas did not understand what was going on when Jesus did the things He did, nor could anyone say that Judas was in his correct mind and heart when he betrayed Jesus either, so why would one voluntarily choose the world and its master over the eternal blessings of complete freedom.  In truth, this is not an uncommon theme for it is played out each and every day not only by those who have attended church all their lives but leaders of the Church as well.

Judas lived more than three years with Jesus during His ministry.  Judas was present at many of the locations where great things and wonderful sermons occurred and were presented.  Yet, Judas presented himself to the Jewish leaders as one who was not fully committed or at least was willing to entertain the idea that what Jesus was presenting to the people was not the absolute truth.  In other words, doubt had creped into Judas’ heart and it was so noticeable that the Jewish leaders harked upon this evidence.  The question can be raised about how did Judas not truly know and understand that what Jesus was doing was pushing back the darkness that mankind had allowed to enter so long ago and most importantly was fulfilling prophecy of the Scriptures concerning every Law God gave to humanity.  But, on the other hand, it is just as easy to see where he would not understand this truth because just like you and me Judas was human and thus subject to being tricked, and it was this tricking process that he gave into through a third party that cost him his eternal life.

It is the choice that Judas made that is of the important detail here for this topic.  Judas had every opportunity in the world to stop and repent after he had agreed to betray Jesus.  Just as Jonah had an opportunity to make a final choice before it was too late, so did Judas.  The difference is that unlike Jonah, Judas chose to follow through with the worldly decision that he made instead of stopping and repenting and delaying the inevitable.  Is it fair to be harsh on Judas?  Yes, it is for he was a human being just like you and I and had every, and the same opportunity to change his heart before the act was committed.  Judas decided for himself to set the standard for many church members of the future Church including members of today’s Church, and follow the ways of the world instead of the complete Truth of God and His Word. 

This statement should not come as a surprise to anyone, but it will because of the condition of the hearts of God’s people.  Judas chose, voluntarily chose, to keep the plan of the religious establishment intact instead of choosing the ultimate life plan of God through Jesus.  However, through this choice of Judas God received ALL of the glory because His eternal plan which was set into motion by humans back in the Garden of Eden came to fruition; thus, further frustrating Satan and his loser mentality and life even more.  When it came time for Judas to listen to God’s voice or to the voice of the world, he chose to listen to the world.  He did not follow in the footsteps of Jonah and allow himself to be thrown overboard but chose to stay in the boat and ride out the storm.  We see that this decision haunted him for the short remainder of his life.  While this may not seem like too much of a big deal, the actions of Judas actually define what lies within the heart of the Church today and will result in the exact same scenario as Judas’ demise if we do not change our hearts completely.  It is for this reason that Judas is included into this topic so that we get a clear picture and knowledge of just how drastic our choice for God can be and should be.

This choice of Judas’ is the difference between the one Jonah made from his, for Jonah saw what was going to happen to people if he did not repent and obey what God had told him to complete.  Judas understood what Jesus was supposed to do but failed to comply with the Holy Order of Jesus’ words; instead, when he was presented with the opportunity to see the world through, the established authority, he took it.  Through this action of his he ignored the people the life of Christ for a longer period of time, thus unknowingly both harmed them and helped them at the same time.  For a long period of time, the Catholic Church had it out for the Jews for this process and killed a great number of Jews for this reason alone, but in doing so advanced the wrong kingdom by selfish gains instead of truly understanding what the Word of God says concerning who our enemy is.  It is impossible to know exactly how many lives the Church has destroyed in the name of God for incorrect reasons, just as it was for Judas’ actions as well but we do know that the masses still follow in each of these footsteps and have never truly repented for such eternal crimes.

One could argue the fact that what Judas did result in God’s ultimate plan for all humanity with the eternal sacrifice being completed.  While that is a valid point and is a correct statement, the detailed event of Judas and the choice he made brings up the importance of his life alone and the eternal destination of his eternal setting and position.  Jesus loved Judas just as much as He does you and I and would have come to this earth and completed His mission for just Judas.  The importance of life to God does not and is not measured in groups or levels but as one level of consistency that covers all life which means that Judas was just as important to God and Jesus as you and I are to God and Jesus.  The choice that Judas made and the ultimate demise of his life still was in question right up to the minute he committed the most selfish act, and I have no doubt that if Judas would have asked for forgiveness from Jesus, Jesus would have forgiven him without any hesitation and for this reason it all boils down to whether or not we choose to allow ourselves to be thrown overboard or not.  As stated above, Judas chose to stay in the boat and accept the fate along with the others, squarely placing his faith and trust in the world and not with God.

Lastly, but most importantly, we come to Jesus and his decision about whether or not He should follow through with His physical life or live in complete eternal obedience to His Father.  It is evident that many people do not take into consideration the humanness of Jesus in that there was a reason why He prayed to God in the Garden of Gethsemane concerning His option of not dying.  At no time while Jesus was walking this earth did He ever question His mission or anything that His Father had for Him to complete.  I find a very intriguing detail about His prayer to God that evening and it concerns Jesus asking whether or not it was God’s Will for the cup of death to leave Him at this time. 

The human aspect of this prayer means that Jesus even though He was the Son of God was still subject to His Father in all ways yet even having this status Jesus still did not know the Will of God and the overall plan of God so He still had to ask.  In addition, Jesus wanted to ensure that the events that were about to unfold, even though He understood that at some point they would be completed, were doing so at the appropriate time, which is to say the time of God.  Overall, it can be assured that Jesus was in complete repentance when He prayed that evening and was willing to allow God His Will for mankind.  There can be no other higher example of trust in God than what Jesus allowed Himself to endure for He understood that what was about to occur to Him was totally a voluntary act on His part, but He was willing without hesitation to allow Himself to die for all mankind. 

When you place all three of these men into a single category of obedience, one can easily conclude that they have not much in common but when you place the word of obedience into the picture all of them play a significant part in this topic.  Jonah disobeyed at first then repented and then allowed himself to be in the mercy of God.  Judas was with Jesus on a personal and daily level yet decided to choose and to stand up for the world and thus end his life according to what only the world can provide.  Jesus is the perfect sign of obedience in all areas of our lives and should be deemed as such by those who cannot live up to such standards both physically and spiritually.  The common core question that remains is which Kingdom you will choose to stand out from and be the example of said Kingdom and while this may seem to be an odd continuum of the series about Jonah it is completely relevant to what we face today.

Of course, it is evident that if one chooses the world it may be considered a popular decision for when Judas chose this act the leaders of the Jewish community were well pleased and took all labels off of Judas and his presence.  To have a traitor amongst the most troublesome man of that day to their power and recognition would be a weapon an enemy can have, and it was achieved in such story of Judas.  How many times have we allowed such a Judas into our lives to act as a traitor to our lives?  This traitor does not have to be just a physical presence alone but a spiritual one that will have the same effect on our lives if allowed to continue to grow and complete its mission.  It is this question that must be posed to the Christians of today’s world for it is evident that we are currently living in the rebellion and disobedient aspects of Jonah and Judas’ lives.  It is this question that has the answer that not only the world needs but for the people who consider them to be Christians, and that is we need to be thrown overboard.  It is not going to be easy to accomplish because we first need to acknowledge that we are not living with Christ and under God’s Covenant Laws, a step that is a huge one for it denies the self-aspect of our identity and forces us from the driver’s seat.  When we repent, it is a stoppage of the current status of what we are following and then makes a complete turnaround and change, it does not just mean we are sorry and ask for forgiveness.

Sadly, it is obvious that the Church and many of those who call or consider themselves Christians, have forgotten the truth about what it means to be separated and to stand out from the world.  Believing that a single holy person from history can have the authority to absolve every wrongdoing that every created human being has ever done along with a Father who has no beginning is something that is extraordinary and to many is foolish, but it is this type of belief that caused Jonah to be thrown overboard, it caused Judas to choose the world instead of God, and it reinforced the truth that God loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us so that we may have eternal life.  It is this type of drastic motions that we should be studying then portraying what the Bible says to do for those who do not know God.  It does not matter what part one plays in the spreading of the Gospel of Christ but it does matter that we do it as Jesus has commanded us to do.

The common aspects of Jonah and Jesus occur when Jonah told the men to throw him overboard and when Jesus allowed the world to take him with a betrayal kiss.  Both of these men did exactly what each one of us need to do each day and should not do anything less.  This measure is a drastic step but it is one that fulfills the mission that God set forth in the Garden of Eden and it is the mission that Jesus commanded to His Church.  It is not easy and persecutions, ridicules, hatred, and pure evil shall be thrown at you when you accomplish such warfare, and it is of the utmost importance that this warfare is spiritual and NOT physical.  Church, we need to be willing for us to be thrown because if we do not our status within the world will be considered a friend and we are no friend to the world on any level.  The choices are clear and precise, either we will be a Jonah or a Judas in order to choose Jesus or not.  The fate of our lives, country, world, and eternity that is at stake, we have a job to do and it is time that we repent and allow ourselves to be thrown.  If we allow ourselves to be totally trusted in God it will be amazing to watch the waves of the world become calm.

DLB