I want to continue on in my attempt at putting a Jiu Jitsu spin on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

It is easy, at least for me, to judge Jonah but today I am convicted with a different perspective.

 

Yes, he ran in the opposite direction of where God wanted him to go.

 

No, he did not want to bring deliverance to the Ninevites.

 

Yes, he “talked back” to God.

 

But we must ask ourselves:

  • Do I have a heart that is really that different than that of Jonah?
  • Do I want to see ALL people delivered or do I sometimes hold back on certain groups because of some personal conviction?
  • Do I have the ability, the relationship, where I am even able to talk to the Lord?….Do I know Him well enough to “talk back” to Him?

 

What the Lord asked Jonah to do was similar to Him asking a Jew to give the gospel to a leader at a Nazi concentration camp.  

They were the enemy of Israel.

 

Our cold reality is this:  We all start off as God’s enemy.

 

We are sinners….not because we sin.  Just the opposite:

We sin because WE ARE SINNERS.  From the moment a baby is born into this world—he or she is born with it.  Those of us who are parents know this….how many of us have asked our kids:  “Where did you learn that?”…..only to find out—-they did it all on their own.

 

And because we were His enemies He had to make a decision:

Punish….and give Justice

 

OR

 

Disregard….and give Mercy.

 

At the cross……He managed to meet the requirements of both.

 

And Jonah drops a word that we should never, ever, forget:

Jonah 4:2  ……. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.

 

We don’t hold some special “power” that no one else can have.  We hold a gift that God wants everyone to have.  Either He forgives all sin or He doesn’t forgive any sin.  This is so hard for us to comprehend and yet He draws a crystal clear picture for us in Matthew 20.  The owner shows up and pays the guy that worked from 5 pm to 6 pm THE SAME WAGE as the guy who worked all day……

 

What INJUSTICE!

 

But the reality is that WE ARE THE PERSON WHO SHOWED UP AT FIVE!

 

The Gospel is so rich.

 

And our God is so good.

 

The enemy has us whipped and defeated.  He has accused us and we are guilty of every accusation he makes.  Death is our destiny and punishment is our deserved paycheck.

 

And then Jesus shows up.

 

And He does the unthinkable……He pays the debt by punishing the perfect man as guilty so that the sinner can be set free.

 

How frustrating it must be to be the enemy of God…..just when you have your opponent pinned down and you get ready to pummel him……you end up a in a wrist lock—-and from the top of the pile—-you are in a submission hold that you cannot escape……

 

There is no victory in standing in opposition to the King of the Universe…….because even when His people are down—–

 

He Reigns Victorious!

And there is NOTHING anyone can do to change it.

 

The bigger the underdog……the greater the victory.

 

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

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Coach J