{"id":3185,"date":"2017-06-25T09:30:32","date_gmt":"2017-06-25T13:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scbc2017.com\/scbcwpsite\/?post_type=ctc_sermon&#038;p=3185"},"modified":"2019-06-30T18:49:15","modified_gmt":"2019-06-30T22:49:15","slug":"the-god-who-works-miracles","status":"publish","type":"ctc_sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/sermons\/the-god-who-works-miracles\/","title":{"rendered":"The God Who Works Miracles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-gdm-google-drive-embedder-viewer\"><iframe width='100%' height='100' frameborder='0' scrolling='yes' src='https:\/\/drive.google.com\/a\/scbc.com\/file\/d\/1YNTDYdKWps90DhD3OXRuntpr8R8DI-OY\/preview?usp=drivesdk' allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-gdm-google-drive-embedder-viewer\"><p><span class=\"gdm-drivefile-embed\"><img src=\"https:\/\/drive-thirdparty.googleusercontent.com\/16\/type\/application\/pdf\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" \/> <a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/a\/scbc.com\/file\/d\/1VpHrxKEERO1JqmZpOkLUgD44EmclEUUy\/view?usp=drivesdk\" target=\"_blank\">View\/Download Sermon PowerPoint<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<p>Before we go much further into the book of Jonah I feel we need to address the elephant in the room, or in this case the fish. \u00a0There may be some people who are unable to hear the great message of Jonah because they cannot believe the miracle that is at the heart of the narrative. \u00a0In 1:17 we read that \u201cThe Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But if you read the book carefully you discover the fish is not the only miracle that is described. \u00a0There is a storm sent by God that threatened to break up the ship (1:4) but which grows calm as soon as Jonah is thrown overboard (1:15). \u00a0There is also a vine that the Lord \u201cmade to grow up\u201d to give shade to Jonah (4:6). \u00a0Then God \u201cprovides a worm\u201d to chew the vine (4:7). \u00a0And finally there is a \u201cscorching east wind\u201d that God again provides (4:8).<\/p>\n<p>It could be argued that each of these events are commonplace, there is nothing miraculous about them. \u00a0But think carefully, while storms on the sea are normal, there\u2019s nothing normal about storms that come and go instantaneously. \u00a0Sure, plants sprout and grow, but I\u2019ve never seen one mature overnight. \u00a0Yes, a worm will chew vegetation, but it will never eat a mature plant in 24 hours. \u00a0And it could be said that a giant fish can devour people but none of them sustain them in their belly and then vomit them onto dry land.<\/p>\n<p>All of these are miracles and for those of us who believe in a God who is active in the world they are easy to accept. \u00a0They are not coincidences but a demonstration of God\u2019s power.<\/p>\n<p>But there is a greater miracle at work in this text, the miracle of God\u2019s grace. \u00a0As one commentator points out, in these events \u201cGod is breaking into his ordered creation and literally moving heaven and earth to save his people. \u2026 God worked with all levels of his creation \u2013 sea creatures, vegetation, creeping things, and the wind \u2013 to deal with his servant Jonah\u201d1 and through Jonah to rescue a nation that turned its back on him.<\/p>\n<p>And that is a great miracle.<\/p>\n<p>You may ask, \u201cWhy would God care? \u00a0Why would God go to all the trouble? \u00a0Why would God save a rebellious people?\u201d And as you search Scripture you discover that God rescued the nation for the same reason that he provided a Saviour for you and for me through his one and only son.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is how God showed his love among us: \u00a0He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. \u00a0This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.\u201d \u00a0(1 John 4:10).<\/p>\n<p>The fish swallowing Jonah alive is a small matter. \u00a0The greater miracle is that God should love you and me and send his son to die for us. \u00a0\u00a0May that miracle truly capture our hearts and move us to wonder, love and praise.<\/p>\n<p>In thanksgiving for you, Tom.<\/p>\n<p><sup>1<\/sup> John R. Kohlenberger III, Jonah and Nahum, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984) 43.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jonah<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8517,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","ctc_sermon_topic":[],"ctc_sermon_book":[142],"ctc_sermon_series":[294],"ctc_sermon_speaker":[105],"ctc_sermon_tag":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon\/3185"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/ctc_sermon"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3185"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon\/3185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8531,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon\/3185\/revisions\/8531"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"ctc_sermon_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon_topic?post=3185"},{"taxonomy":"ctc_sermon_book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon_book?post=3185"},{"taxonomy":"ctc_sermon_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon_series?post=3185"},{"taxonomy":"ctc_sermon_speaker","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon_speaker?post=3185"},{"taxonomy":"ctc_sermon_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon_tag?post=3185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}