John 3:16 Part Two

    

     "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."   (NIV)

     I received this story in my email a few days ago; it is supposed to be a true story. Whether it is or not, it is a great analogy for this well-known verse of scripture:




 After  a few of  the usual Sunday evening hymns,  the church's pastor slowly stood up, walked over to the pulpit and, before he gave his sermon for the evening, he briefly introduced a guest minister who was in the service that evening.  In the introduction, the pastor told the congregation that the guest minister was one of his dearest childhood friends and that he wanted him to have a few moments to greet the church and share whatever he felt would be appropriate for the service. With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit and began to speak:

 "A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific Coast", he began, "When a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to shore.  The waves were so high that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized."
The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in his story.

 The aged minister continued with his story, "Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life...To which boy would he throw the other end of the life line?  He had only seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian, and, he also knew that his son'd friend was not.  The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves as the father yelled out, 'I love you, son!' And,  he threw out the life line to his son's friend. By the time the father had pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells into the black of night. His body was never recovered."


 By this time, the two teenagers were sitting up straight in the pew, anxiously waiting for the next words to come out of the old minister's mouth... 'The father", he continued, "knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus and he could not bear the thought of his son'd friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore he sacrificed. his son to save the son'd friend. How great is the love of God that He should do the same for us. Our heavenly Father sacrifices His only begotten Son that we could be saved. . I  urge you to accept His offer to rescue you and take a hold of the life line He is throwing out to you in this service."
With that the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room.  The pastor again walked slowly to the pulpit and delivered a brief sermon with an invitation at the end.  However no one responded to the appeal.


Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old man's side. "That was a nice story", said one of them politely. "But I don't think it was very realistic for a father to give up his only son'd life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian."
" Well, you've got a point there", the old man replied.  Glancing down at his worn Bible, a big smile broadened his face, and he once again looked up at the teenage boys and said, " It sure isn't very realistic, is it?  But, I'm standing here today to tell you that story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His Son for me.  You see, I was that father and your pastor is my son's friend."


  I would rather live my life as if there  is a God and die  to find out there isn't, than live my  life as if there isn't and die to find out there is.

JONAH

               "But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish tree days
 and  three nights."   (Jonah 1:16  NIV)

    The story of Jonah and the great fish is a popular one.  The great fish topic is much-debated among scholars and scientists.  I have seen photos of big fish with human skeletons in them, so this story is not a myth!  Because its  uniqueness, it is often told in children's Sunday school classes.  But, aside from the fascination with the great fish, there are many lessons to be learned from the four brief chapters of Jonah.

     The unusual lesson that I glean from Jonah's story is that God is so awesome that He will even take our mistakes and use them for His    glory! Now, you might ask, "How did she come up with THAT  from reading about a man and a great big fish?"  Well, let's go back to the beginning of the story...


 The story begins with Jonah, a known prophet and man of God.  God instructed Jonah to go and preach to the people of Ninevah.  But, Jonah didn't want to go there. The people of Ninevah were enemies with Jonah's people, and he simply did not want to go.  So, Jonah disobeyed God.  (There's that obedience thing cropping up again!)  Jonah went in the opposite direction, trying to run away from God.  But, when God gives us a mission to fulfill, He expects us to work at it... not run from it.

courtesy, National Maritime Museum

  
     Jonah was the passenger on a boat - heading away from Ninevah - when God sent a violent storm onto the sea.  The boat was in grave danger.  Trying to save their ship, the sailors threw all the cargo overboard to lighten the load. All of these sailors were pagans, and they cried out to their various gods - in vain. Jonah said nothing, although he knew that the storm was the wrath of God and that it was aimed at him.  He went below board.  The captain went down, saw Jonah, reprimanded him, and implored him to call out to "his god", as the sailors were.
     When Jonah came back up on deck, the sailors were casting lots to see who was responsible for the situation.  The lot fell to Jonah.  They began to question Jonah, and he finally admitted that he worshiped the God of heaven, the Creator of the land and the sea. And he confessed that he was trying to run away from God.  The pagan sailors were terrified and asked Jonah what they should do to calm the sea.(Sadly, at this point, the pagan sailors showed more respect for the LORD than the "man of God" did!  Only after being reprimanded by the captain did Jonah join the sailors.  Until then he was too wrapped up in himself to consider their peril.  Jonah knew the storm was because of his disobedience, but didn't admit it until the casting of lots turned all eyes upon him.  Then, he FINALLY  acted like the man of God that he should have been in the first place!)

painting by Louise August

  
    Jonah told the pagans to throw him into the sea.  That bit of selflessness was what the LORD was asking of him in the first place when He told Jonah to go to Ninevah!  But, even in this Jonah wasn't very brave... Why did he expect the other men to throw him in?  Why not voluntarily jump in? We people sure do mess things up with our wrong attitudes, don't we?
     The pagan sailors showed more compassion for Jonah than he showed for them.  When he told them to throw him overboard, they refused.  Instead, they tried rowing even harder.  They tried to row back to land, but were unable to do so. Then, they cried out to God, asking for forgiveness for taking Jonah's life, and they threw him into the sea.
  

teddyallen.blogspot.com

  

       The sea grew calm, and the sailors made vows to God and greatly feared Him.
     God provided a great fish to swallow up Jonah.  After three days and three nights (which I am certain were filled with repentance, fear, and awe), Jonah was spewed onto land by the great fish.
     So, you see, even our mistakes can be turned around and used for God's glory. Once Jonah got honest with God, himself, and the sailors, he became a living testimony of God's power and mercy.  The once-pagan sailors now knew God..
  

my photo of the Sea of Galillee

     Often, admitting our past sins and mistakes can help lead another to God.  God is not looking for perfection.  None of us has perfection to offer.  God is looking for you and me - "as is" - because each of us has a story to tell.  What is your story?  You probably weren't swallowed by a great fish, but I'll bet there was some sort of storm involved... Share it.  Your testimony could help a "pagan sailor" or two...