If you're happy you're saved this morning, would you say amen? Hey, I want you to help me preach a little bit this morning, all right? When you help me, it lets me know that you're with me, amen? And when I know you're with me, I don't have to hang out as long at certain points, amen? Amen. All right. I heard that. So help me this morning. We are going to be over the next several weeks preparing our hearts and minds for Missions Conference. And again, this is a very intentional thing that we do because we genuinely believe that there is a significance to the work that God has left his church to do. One might even say church matters. Amen. And so how many of us recognize, though, that it's easy To fall into a rhythm or a rut in life and kind of lose sight of the point. Kind of lose sight of the higher purpose. Lose perspective. Now, we're going to talk a little bit this morning about the idea of familiarity. Familiarity, it seems like it'd be a good thing, amen? I want to be familiar, I want to be comfortable. But I want you to think through this with me as we start today. Familiarity is rarely the friend of intentionality. How many of us drive without giving a whole lot of thought to what we do? Yeah, right? It's a scary world out there, people. Right? I remember when I started driving, I mean, every mirror, every this, every that, check, check, check, check, check. Now it's like, I think the kids are all the way in and here we go, right? I mean, away we go. Familiarity is rarely the friend of intentionality. Familiarity rarely leads us to give the needed thoughtfulness or appropriate emphasis. Boy, we have to push back on that in our family life, don't we? The more familiar we get with one another, oh boy, At a certain point, we're not given the thoughtfulness or emphasis that we once did, right? What about this? Familiarity in that same line is the enemy of intimacy. By the way, this doesn't just hold true with our driving or with our familial relationships. This holds true for our relationship with the Lord and His Word. You know, sometimes we become so familiar with these things, you know, they're a little bit old hat. But this morning, I want us to consider the potentially dangerous familiarity with a very familiar account from Scripture. And this familiar account, I think, will help us provide an illustration of the danger here. So there are a lot of accounts that we think we know pretty well, right? So fill in the blank with me. Adam and Eve. There you go. Noah and the? David and Goliath, Daniel and the lion's den, Jonah and the whale. The problem is that in our familiarity we have missed the point. This book is not about Jonah and a great big fish or a whale. No, in fact, when you actually look at this book, This book has 54 verses, and in those 54 verses, the whale is only mentioned four times. You see, sometimes in our familiarity, we fail to see the true significance. Let me tell you some of the significance of this book right here. You know, the book of Jonah describes one of the greatest revivals on record and one of the shortest sermons ever preached. Dude had one sentence in eight words and turned a whole nation upside down. Jonah was really one of the very first missionaries that God sent out to other nations. That's pretty significant. But I'm going to tell you most significantly, Jonah is the signature Old Testament type and picture of Jesus. His death, burial, and resurrection after three days. There is so much significance to this book. Can I tell you above all, this book of Jonah, Like everything else in this book, and like everything else in this world, it's not about a big fish. But it's about a great God. I mentioned there are 54 verses in this book. In those 54 verses, God is mentioned 38 times. You want to know the significance of this story? It's about God's grace and mercy. It's about God's relationship with people. It's about God's power over creation. It's about God. I'm going to tell you, the sad thing is, in our familiarity, we miss God for a fish. And I mean, I like whales and fishes as much as the next guy. But church, we can't afford to miss God. So I want to look at this very familiar passage of Scripture. One might say we're fishing in familiar waters this morning. But asking God to give us fresh faith. Jonah chapter one, verse number one. Read it with me in unison together. The Bible says, Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah, the son of Amittai, saying, Number one this morning, I want us to see a clear call. Nothing earth shattering today. All of this is very familiar. But asking God to help us to see it with fresh faith. I think Jonah chapter 1 and verse number 1 is really one of the greatest miracles of this book that nobody talks about. That the word of the Lord came unto Jonah. Church, we cannot afford to get over the fact that God would care enough to call to us and would care enough to reveal himself to us. You know, I think sometimes we forget in our familiarity with God how far beneath him we really are. You know, I really don't care if your dog knows who I am. I just don't. I mean, I'm sure your dog is great. But I don't care. I don't care if your dog ever learns who Alan Holmes is. I promise you this, your cat doesn't want to learn who Alan Holmes is. I promise you that. I don't care whether or not the worms in our garden ever come to an understanding of who Alan Holmes is. I just don't care. But what a marvel that God in heaven would care enough to reveal Himself to us. that he would condescend enough that the word of the Lord would come to Jonah and come to us. I'm going to tell you, church, we need a fresh appreciation for the call of God. We talk about God calling us, and God speaking to us, and God moving in our lives. I'm not talking about hocus pocus. You know, some people get the idea of, oh, I just, I get this feeling, or I get that feeling, and oh, that's just God. No, it's not some hocus pocus. The older I get, maybe, help me out, maybe I need to go talk to a doctor, but the older I get, the weirder my dreams get. Anybody with me on that one, or am I all by myself? I'm all by myself, John said. All right. Sometimes I just wake up and I go, what in the world was that? See, the problem is some people wake up and go, Lord, was that you? No, it was probably the pizza you ate, okay? You shouldn't have sprung from meat lovers. I'm not talking about hocus-focus, but I am talking about the fact that the Word of the Lord has come to us just as the Word of the Lord has come to Jonah. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3 in verse 16 that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. It is breathed out, the very words of this book, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. When you open this book, the heart and mind of God are open to you. This book is alive. Hebrews 4.12 says that it is quick, that means living or alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. This book is the living Word of God. Every time we open this book, God is speaking to us. It doesn't matter if it's a man behind a pulpit or a teacher behind a lectern. It doesn't matter if it's you sitting on your couch. It doesn't matter if it's somebody you're watching on YouTube. Every time this book is opened, God is speaking to you through His Word. 2 Peter 1.19 reminds us that this book is a more sure word of prophecy. It's more sure than your experience, than your feelings, than your intuition. It's this book right here. God has revealed Himself. He speaks to us through His Word. He has spoken to us through His Son. Hebrews 1.1 and 2 remind us of that. God calls and often leads His children through the Holy Spirit. John 16.13 tells us this. John 16.13, how be it when He, The Spirit of truth has come. He will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come. I'm going to tell you, church, if you're a born-again believer, you've got the Holy Spirit of God living within you. Never forget it. You know, He is with you for a reason. And not just to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He is with you to lead you and to guide you and direct you and help you understand the word. Brother Charles mentioned it this morning and I've said it often and it's a question that bears repeating. It is not whether or not God is calling, but whether or not we are listening and answering. You see, sometimes I think we treat God like an unwanted telemarketer. We get that tug of the Holy Spirit and we say, eh. And we just push it away. You see, sometimes I think when God talks, you know, we tell God it's not a good time. Now sometimes, it's not a good time for your phone to ring, amen? It amazes me how often phones go off in church. I mean, okay, I'm not being all judgy, but you know you hear it too, amen? By the way, how many of you recognize the devil never makes your phone ring until we're given the gospel? Or until we're ready to move into the invitation? Yeah, anyways, that's another talk for another time. Sometimes we look at it and we just ask, it's not a good time, we're too busy. Some of us potentially have even set God to do not disturb. Yet God is calling, God is speaking, God is moving. The Word of the Lord has come to Jonah. The Word of the Lord has come to us. God is calling us personally and presently. Let me mention this to you, get you thinking a little bit. God's call is for today. God's plans are for today. Some of us have been at it a long time. Some of you have been at it longer than I've been alive. Not a judgment, just fact. Can I encourage you this morning, past success does not exempt you from present service. Consider the man Jonah. Jonah had had some historical success. You see, the book of Jonah is not the only place we find Jonah. In 2 Kings 14 and verse number 25, we see another instance of the book of Jonah, how God restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath into the Sea of the Plain according to the word of the Lord God of Israel. Look what it says, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah. You see, Jonah had already had a pretty public and profitable preaching ministry among God's people, but past success and past participation does not exempt one from present participation. God was not done with Jonah. Here's the thing. God is calling. God is speaking. Are we listening? That's fantastic. That's fantastic. Oh, man. God was not done, amen? Roles change. Responsibilities change. Your usefulness to God does not change. I love this verse, the great miracle of the beginning. The word of the Lord came unto Jonah. I'm going to tell you, church, the word of the Lord has come to us. Amen. The word of the Lord has come to you. The problem is if in our familiarity we are not actively hearing the call, then we are at best passively drifting away. We cannot allow our familiarity with God's Word and the precious Holy Spirit of God keep us from hearing the clear call of God this morning. He is speaking. Amen. Are you listening? We see here a clear call, but that's not all we see. Verse number 1, Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Read verse 2 in unison, everybody. Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness is come up before me. So we see not only a clear call, but we see secondly a compelling commission. A compelling commission. Jonah was called to go and to confront those who were far from God and call them to repentance. We see this happen in chapter number 3 in a marvelous, miraculous way. I want to pause right here for a minute. This book teaches that God desires all to be saved. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Who would have all men to come to the knowledge of truth? God desires all to turn to Him and be saved. Now, let me put a caveat in here. The Ninevites were bad dudes. I mean, they weren't like bad dudes like, you know, the mean person down the street who lets the air out of your tires and eggs your house and all that stuff. That's not what we're talking about, bad dudes. Listen about the Ninevites a little bit. Nineveh was the capital of the nation of Assyria. In Nahum chapter 3, verse number 1, addressing Nineveh, it says, Woe to the bloody city! all full of lies and robbery, and the prey departeth not." You know, history tells us some things about the Assyrian Empire. They were demon-worshiping, immoral, brutal, unmerciful, perverse people. In their histories, they bragged about dismemberment of other nations. They would parade the severed heads of their enemies before the next city that they were gonna go conquer. I mean, probably a pretty effective tactic, right? I mean, somebody walk around with heads on poles around Clyde City Hall, we'd sit up and take notice, amen? They bragged about dismemberment of others. They paraded several heads. They would stack heads for sport. One of the things that they did was they had learned to use ropes to stretch their prisoner of wars, to stretch them out in order to more easily skin them alive. They were known to regularly burn women and children. These are what we would call today, these were terrorists. And yet it was to these terrorists that God said to Jonah, go, go to the capital city and cry against it for their wickedness has come up before me. God desires all to come to repentance. Friend, I don't know who you are, but it doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter what you've done. It doesn't matter where you've been. Friend, I want to tell you in love this morning, what matters is not so much what you have done, but what God has done for you. You see, we're all sinners. And our sin has separated us from God. And yet God loved us so much that since we couldn't go to Him, He came to us. God loved us so much that since the penalty of my sin is death, He died on an old rugged cross. He took my death. He was buried and rose again so that He could offer me His life. Friend, I want you to know this morning the good news is that God loves you. The good news is that Jesus died for you. The good news is that Jesus rose again for you. The good news is that forgiveness and eternal life is not something you earn. It is something that you receive by faith. Putting your faith in Jesus Christ, who he is and what he's done. Romans chapter 1 and verse number 16, Paul said, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believe it. To the Jew first and also to the Greek. But friend, the gospel is only good news to those who receive it. If you're here this morning listening, maybe even by way of Facebook or radio, and you're not sure that if you died today you'd go to heaven, it's not about going to the right church, it's not about earning or keeping certain things, it's about Jesus Christ and what he's done for you. And friend, if you don't know where you stand with God, in just a few minutes we're gonna have a time of invitation. Find me, find someone, let us take this book and show you how you can receive God's gift of eternal life and be saved today. Jonah was called to confront those who were far from God and call them to repentance. But I'm gonna tell you, church, here, this compelling commission, Jonah's commission was unmistakable. Verse number two, God said, arise. In other words, get up out of your complacency. He said, go to Nineveh. You know, I noticed there that in that commission, God said go, but he never actually promised that Jonah would make it back home safe. You notice that? I mean, to get called to go to the capital city and wag your finger in the face of people who lop off their enemies' heads for sport, that was an uncomfortable thing. He was called to arise, to go, to cry out. Think with me this morning. As difficult as that command was to maybe accomplish, it wasn't difficult to understand, was it? Jonah didn't have to run back to his study and look up what these words meant in his Bible dictionary. He didn't have to pray it through to really know, boy, God, what do you want me to do with this? No, it was pretty simple. Arise, go to Nineveh, cry out against their wickedness. It was pretty unmistakable. You know, church, this morning, we don't have to wonder too hard what God is calling us to do. You know, a very similar verbiage, I think, to Jonah 1 verse 2 is what we find throughout the various manifestations of what we would call the Great Commission. Here, Jonah is told to arise, to go, to cry out. In the Great Commission, we're told, Matthew 28, we'll read those. Jesus spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Look what he said. Go ye therefore, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. We are to arise, we are to go, and we are to cry out. Yes, to follow Jesus personally, but also to bear His name and share His message. You realize every aspect of our existence incorporates our commission? Think about your marriage, husband and wife. Your marriage is to be a reflection of the relationship between Christ and His church. Your marriage, my marriage, is meant to be a reflection of gospel love and truth. Think about our job as parents. We're to bring up our children what? To just be good citizens? To be fiscally responsible people? No, we're to bring them up in what? In the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Think about our responsibility with our friends in society. Matthew 5, 16 reminds us that we are to let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven. Every aspect of our existence incorporates our commission to make him known in all the earth, amen? And it's a common theme of late, but church, We ought never get over, we ought never become too familiar with the incredible reality that through Christ, God has given us a place in his family and that God has given us a part in his kingdom. I'm telling you, if I were looking to adopt a puppy, right? I wouldn't pick the one that was like Alan Holmes. And yet God looked down on us and He offers us a place in His family. Not as His pets, but as His sons and daughters. And He gives us a place in His kingdom. We are to go. Go next door. Church, we ought to be praying all the time. It ought to be on our daily prayer list. Lord, lay some soul upon my heart. You know, we're going to talk a lot in the missions conference about giving. Why? Because our commission is to preach the gospel to every creature. But I'm stuck in Clyde. Amen? So are you. I can't go to Timbuktu. I can't go to India. I can't go to Uganda. I can't go to China. I can't go to Taiwan. I can't go to Mongolia. I can't go to Russia. I can't go to Iraq. But you know what? I can be a part of helping other people go there. And so yeah, we're going to talk about going and we're going to talk about giving because it's all a part of the commission that God has given us. Till all the world has heard that worthy is the lamb that was slain. Boy, we're so familiar with this. But I think in our familiarity, it's so easy to get unfocused because we get so wrapped up in our everyday that we lose sight of our eternal duty. And so we are praying today, God, freshen our focus. Give me fresh faith to see eternal souls at the supermarket, to see them at the restaurant, to see Him at the neighborhood, to see Him at the ball field. Help me to see eternal souls. Help me to see relationships from a gospel lens. Help me to move from the busy of my everyday life to being burdened about sharing eternal life. Because at the end of the day, church, let me ask you, what matters more than eternity in heaven or hell? You know, I really can't think of anything. And so today we pray, Lord, give me fresh focus of faith. Fresh faith to hear the clear call of God. Fresh faith to understand the compelling commission that's been given to us. Our lives are commissioned to make Him known. But you know, then every one of us, like Jonah, is left with a critical choice we have to make. Did you notice verse number 3? Read it in unison with me, alright? But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa, and he found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare thereof and went down into it to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. You see, we have a clear call, we have a compelling commission, but we also have a critical choice we have to make. We can choose to, number one, follow the call and commission given to us, or we can choose, number two, to flee and run from God. You'll note here Jonah chose the latter. In essence, what Jonah did was he resigned his commission as a prophet, he turned in his prophet's badge and hospital pass, he took the WWJD sticker off the back of his chariot, he gave all the manuscripts that he owned to a younger prophet, and he headed to the coast. Jonah ran from God. I mean, we can... see his rationale. I mean, who wants to go to Nineveh? I mean, we can see the fear. I mean, who wants to cry out against them? I mean, we can see all of these things, but it's really very simple. The contradiction is something you can't get around. God said go, but Jonah said no. And I will tell you very often, a contradiction like that we would never make with our lips, but we live out with our lives on a regular basis. The convenience. Jonah found a boat going the opposite way. You know the devil will always be ready to facilitate your disobedience to God. The devil will always be ready to facilitate your rejection of God's call. But we also note the cost. And if you know anything about the story of Jonah, the sin of rejecting God took Jonah farther than he wanted to go, kept him longer than he wanted to stay, and cost him more than he wanted to pay. That boat didn't make it to Tarshish with Jonah on board. Note Jonah chapter 1 verse 17 reminds us the Lord, after the storm, Jonah was thrown overboard and the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Can you imagine sloshing around in the digestive system of that whale? The stomach acid and all of those things stinking your being, bleaching your skin. I imagine after three days in that, probably most of his hair had fallen off. This dude was a sight to behold when the fish barfed him on shore a chapter later. I'm going to tell you, running from God didn't work out how Jonah thought it would. It doesn't work out how we think it will either. In fact, the most miserable people, I am convinced that the most miserable people in all the world are the ones who are running from God. David said this of such a season in his life in Psalm 32 beginning in verse number 3. He said, when I kept silence, he said, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. Look what he says, for day and night thy hand was heavy upon me. My moisture is turned to the drought of summer sela. David here describes the physical toll that it took when he was not willing to acknowledge his sin to God and answer the call of God. I'm convinced the most miserable person is the one who is running from God. So we can choose to flee. But friend, that didn't work out for Jonah. And in love, I need you to know this morning, you're not the exception to the rule. That it's not going to work out for you either. So we can choose to flee or we can choose to follow. How many times did Jesus say in His ministry, Mark 4 and verse 23, He said, if any man have ears to hear, let him hear. We see it over again in the Gospels. We see it over again in Revelation. If you have ears to hear, hear. We're called to listen. We are called to arise, to go, to receive the call and commission. Luke 9, 23, Jesus reminds us, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me. we can choose to follow. You say, well, preacher, I think maybe I've missed it. I think maybe I've messed up. Like, I've not answered the call. I've put God on do not disturb. My life has been a whale of a fail. You know, the great thing about our God is He is a God of great grace. And our God of great grace will meet you right where you are. Let me show you this thing full circle. So Jonah, three days, three nights in the belly of the whale, barfed him up on shore. Jonah chapter 3, verse number 1, look what it says. Oh, read it with me. And the word of the Lord... Oh, come on, you've got to help me this morning. We're almost done. We're so close, all right? And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah. What is it? The second time. The second time. You say, you know what preacher, I missed it, I messed up. You know what? Every day you wake up is a day that you can choose to answer the call. Every day you wake up is a day you can choose to live the commission. This moment right here, this moment right here, regardless of what the past has been, this moment is an opportunity for you to say yes to God. So I have to ask this morning, who here needs to stop running from God today? Ask Jonah. It doesn't work out like you think it will. Who needs to stop running from God this morning? I'm going to tell you God is calling. Who here this morning needs to come to God for salvation? He came to you. He died for you. He rose for you. who here this morning needs to stop running from God and simply give their heart and life to Christ. Or Christian, let me ask you this, maybe you're not running from God, maybe you just need to take him off a do not disturb and start listening again. Man, maybe it's been a really long time since you felt that still small voice in your heart. Since you felt the Holy Spirit move and work in you in a special way, maybe this morning you just need to take Him off a do not disturb and start listening again. Friend, when we seek Him, the Bible says we will find Him when we search with all our hearts. Our prayer today is God, give me fresh faith. I don't want to live with the dullness, the rut of the familiar. God, give me fresh faith. God, give me a fresh burden. God, give me a fresh perspective. God, give me fresh power. God, give me fresh opportunities. And I'm gonna tell you, If that's truly the prayer of your heart this morning, just like he did in Jonah's life, your great God is gonna show up in a great way for you.