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Deep holes,
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pits,
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the fish belly and salvation
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in Christ.
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There's so much to
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say about Jonah.
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If you look at popular
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commentaries,
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jonah is given an emotional
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title he's called the
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Nasty Prophet.
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He was mean and offensive.
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He didn't like God's will and
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didn't care for those
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Ninevites. Well,
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this is a new criteria for me to
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consider the validation
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of a prophet.
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Should we now disregard Peter?
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Should we minimize the
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deep hurt of Thomas,
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who was in despair and
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in deep doubt?
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And what of Paul,
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the great apostle?
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He spoke in rather terse
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language concerning the
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circumcision party as recorded
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in Galatians.
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And what of the Lord Christ?
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Do we throw out now passages
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where Jesus speaks in anger
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at the people's,
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unbelief his sadness at the
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death of Lazarus? No,
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these are real,
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unauthetic people who have had
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experiences that bear to
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our own salvation.
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They navigated through the
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difficult challenges of life.
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And as in the case of
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the Lord Christ,
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we are given salvation through
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his act on the cross.
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Jonah was a man of faith.
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This book teaches us about the
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challenges of being a prophet of
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God and points to the ministry
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of Jesus, his death,
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his time in the tomb,
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and the resurrection.
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Jesus alludes to Jonah
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about himself.
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So much is made about Jonah
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and Jesus. I mean,
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how humiliating for the prophet
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go to a foreign land and preach
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God's words of repentance and
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forgiveness and wonderment and
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beauty to a bunch of barbaric
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vagabonds. Those Ninevites.
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Reminds me of a friend,
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a fellow classmate here
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at the seminary,
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a Chicago Cubs fan.
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It was humiliating for him to
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attend the Seminary in St.
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Louis.
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And aside for preparing
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for the Holy Ministry,
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it became his mission to convert
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many to the Cubs.
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He did not succeed.
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Consider now the humiliation of
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Jesus to come in the form
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of a finite man,
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to suffer for humanity and
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die on a cross for
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those who are intentionally
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enemies of God and his will.
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Jesus wants you to see
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that connection.
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Learn that connection.
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Take it to heart. Teach it.
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Consider where Jonah dwelled
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for those three days.
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Not a place of comfort.
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The belly of a great
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fish dark,
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hot,
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cramped,
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smelly,
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lonely,
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fearful.
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I'll stop the description of
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being in the belly of a fish.
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I do this out of consideration
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for those who may suffer
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from claustrophobia.
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This points to Christ.
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For Jesus said,
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an evil and adulterous
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generation seeks after a sign,
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and no sign will be given except
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a sign of the prophet Jonah.
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For as Jonah was three days and
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three nights in the belly
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of the great fish,
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so will a Son of Man be three
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days and three nights in the
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heart of the earth. After
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his death on the cross,
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Jesus body laid in the
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tomb for three days.
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Having said all that,
00:04:17.772 --> 00:04:19.090
there's one key component
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missing in the Jonah Jesus
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event, and that's you,
00:04:25.290 --> 00:04:26.998
those that are studying for the
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Holy ministry here at
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Concordia Seminary.
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I want to talk to you in
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the context of Jonah.
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The poetic text of Jonah, two,
00:04:37.840 --> 00:04:40.654
is a literal how to when
00:04:40.692 --> 00:04:42.409
navigating through tragedy,
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crisis, loss,
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all under the loving embrace of
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Jesus death on the cross and
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called into ministry.
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I do not anticipate anyone here
00:04:54.360 --> 00:04:56.850
being swallowed by a great fish,
00:04:57.190 --> 00:04:58.706
especially in the context of
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going up against a clear plan of
00:05:00.568 --> 00:05:03.266
God to proclaim His Word to a
00:05:03.288 --> 00:05:05.334
people desperate for the good
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news and the need
00:05:06.700 --> 00:05:07.830
for repentance.
00:05:08.650 --> 00:05:10.470
You who seek ministry,
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you're also human and you
00:05:14.876 --> 00:05:16.760
live in a fallen world.
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And your challenges in ministry
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may feel just as difficult
00:05:21.967 --> 00:05:23.610
as that of Jonah.
00:05:23.950 --> 00:05:24.986
And many of you know
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this already,
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but the average person faces
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a crisis that is,
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everything goes sideways,
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everything stops.
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They can do nothing.
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Everyone the average person,
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every five years.
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When I share that statistic,
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some would object and claim that
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it's in fact every three years
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or two. And so this is average.
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You will have loved ones die.
00:05:54.130 --> 00:05:55.734
You will be struck with
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devastating disappointments
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of those closest to you.
00:06:01.028 --> 00:06:02.314
You may feel abandoned
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for the sake and on behalf
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of the word of God.
00:06:06.050 --> 00:06:08.030
You will be challenged.
00:06:08.530 --> 00:06:11.390
But don't be anxious.
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Don't be afraid.
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You will persevere.
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It is often when times are so
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desperate that the Lord God
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does wondrous things.
00:06:24.450 --> 00:06:24.886
Once,
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serving as a chaplain
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in a war zone,
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I experienced that. The heat of
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the Saudi desert in August
00:06:31.506 --> 00:06:33.346
is almost unbearable.
00:06:33.538 --> 00:06:35.446
The refrigeration system and
00:06:35.468 --> 00:06:37.914
HVAC structures sent to us were
00:06:37.952 --> 00:06:39.254
designed for the European
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theater of operation and did not
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work in the blistering Saudi
00:06:43.542 --> 00:06:45.510
desert. The heat,
00:06:45.670 --> 00:06:48.106
the dust were too much for the
00:06:48.128 --> 00:06:50.366
systems and they failed. Now,
00:06:50.388 --> 00:06:51.422
the right equipment did
00:06:51.476 --> 00:06:53.360
eventually catch up to us.
00:06:53.730 --> 00:06:54.874
During our deployment,
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the food was the same,
00:06:57.570 --> 00:06:59.562
prepared and prepackaged,
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stored years and years
00:07:01.300 --> 00:07:03.860
ago and sent to us.
00:07:04.550 --> 00:07:06.830
Tobacco sauce becomes
00:07:06.909 --> 00:07:08.100
your best friend.
00:07:09.909 --> 00:07:13.154
Humor helps as well. Then,
00:07:13.192 --> 00:07:13.602
of course,
00:07:13.656 --> 00:07:15.686
there is fighting boredom in
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addition to the constant threat
00:07:17.138 --> 00:07:18.226
of missile attacks.
00:07:18.258 --> 00:07:20.262
And by the way, years later,
00:07:20.316 --> 00:07:21.014
in a different war,
00:07:21.052 --> 00:07:22.966
I was in Afghanistan and my
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position was rocketed.
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They missed lousy shots.
00:07:30.170 --> 00:07:31.354
In the desert during
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that war long ago,
00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:33.834
we knew we were going
00:07:33.952 --> 00:07:34.854
on a powerful,
00:07:34.902 --> 00:07:36.246
overwhelming offensive.
00:07:36.358 --> 00:07:37.782
It was going to be a massive
00:07:37.846 --> 00:07:40.134
attack force and we did not
00:07:40.192 --> 00:07:42.938
know when anxiety builds.
00:07:43.114 --> 00:07:43.978
As a chaplain,
00:07:43.994 --> 00:07:44.766
you have to come up with
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innovative Bible study sermons,
00:07:47.002 --> 00:07:48.858
create and encourage choirs,
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have events to keep smart
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soldiers from going crazy.
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In this, you are not alone.
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In my case,
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a group of engineers using spare
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wood and on their own initiative
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built an altar for me, a pulpit,
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pews and a cross made out of
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leftover materials such
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as wood and steel.
00:08:09.810 --> 00:08:11.346
They offered the largest covered
00:08:11.378 --> 00:08:12.822
structure in our containment area
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to have church. Although busy,
00:08:16.018 --> 00:08:17.526
loneliness creeps in.
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You are always dirty.
00:08:19.330 --> 00:08:21.610
You learn the value of a shower,
00:08:22.030 --> 00:08:23.850
clean, dry clothes.
00:08:24.590 --> 00:08:26.634
And I got through it.
00:08:26.752 --> 00:08:28.682
And as I reflect back on my time
00:08:28.736 --> 00:08:30.610
in the belly of that fish,
00:08:30.789 --> 00:08:32.234
it was the most productive
00:08:32.282 --> 00:08:34.270
ministry of my 35 years
00:08:34.340 --> 00:08:35.630
as a pastor.
00:08:36.289 --> 00:08:38.842
You will be placed into a pit.
00:08:38.986 --> 00:08:41.309
This cannot be avoided.
00:08:41.730 --> 00:08:43.726
You will be thrown down,
00:08:43.908 --> 00:08:46.090
crushed, devastated,
00:08:46.250 --> 00:08:48.174
where all the tools you have
00:08:48.292 --> 00:08:50.090
intellect, finance,
00:08:50.170 --> 00:08:53.600
health will not get you out.
00:08:54.050 --> 00:08:55.720
It happens to every one.
00:08:56.250 --> 00:08:59.090
Luther had the phrase anfechtung.
00:09:00.090 --> 00:09:01.438
Cut to the heart
00:09:01.604 --> 00:09:04.282
experience. A work of the devil
00:09:04.426 --> 00:09:07.578
in our fallen sinful flesh.
00:09:07.754 --> 00:09:09.294
So what does one do when
00:09:09.332 --> 00:09:11.370
dwelling in the belly of a fish?
00:09:11.530 --> 00:09:12.814
There are things we learn from
00:09:12.852 --> 00:09:15.520
Jonah, who points to Christ.
00:09:15.890 --> 00:09:18.154
Consider the prayer of Jonah.
00:09:18.282 --> 00:09:19.966
I called out to the Lord out of
00:09:19.988 --> 00:09:23.486
my distress, and he answered me.
00:09:23.668 --> 00:09:25.106
Jonah says you don't
00:09:25.178 --> 00:09:26.402
do it alone,
00:09:26.546 --> 00:09:27.846
that through the power of the
00:09:27.868 --> 00:09:29.270
Holy Spirit, our God,
00:09:29.340 --> 00:09:31.094
our gracious and loving God,
00:09:31.212 --> 00:09:32.694
is still with us.
00:09:32.812 --> 00:09:34.646
Even though Jonah was not in
00:09:34.668 --> 00:09:36.870
a good place, he was there.
00:09:37.020 --> 00:09:38.214
So don't deny it
00:09:38.252 --> 00:09:39.658
when you're in an anfechtung or
00:09:39.664 --> 00:09:41.126
in the belly of a fish.
00:09:41.238 --> 00:09:43.226
Do not reason your way out of
00:09:43.248 --> 00:09:45.510
it. Don't self medicate.
00:09:45.670 --> 00:09:47.686
Do not further isolate,
00:09:47.878 --> 00:09:49.402
but acknowledge it.
00:09:49.536 --> 00:09:51.422
Lift it up in prayer to the God
00:09:51.476 --> 00:09:52.894
of all mercy and the
00:09:52.932 --> 00:09:54.298
God of all comfort.
00:09:54.394 --> 00:09:56.990
And Jonah continues I went down
00:09:57.060 --> 00:09:59.194
to the land whose bars closed
00:09:59.242 --> 00:10:01.470
upon me forever,
00:10:02.130 --> 00:10:03.986
yet you brought up my life from
00:10:04.008 --> 00:10:06.580
the pit, O Lord my God,
00:10:06.950 --> 00:10:08.850
when life was fainting away,
00:10:09.000 --> 00:10:10.478
I remembered the Lord,
00:10:10.574 --> 00:10:13.010
and my prayer came to you into
00:10:13.080 --> 00:10:16.338
your holy temple. On place in the
00:10:16.344 --> 00:10:18.786
pit remember you are not alone.
00:10:18.978 --> 00:10:21.270
God goes with you.
00:10:21.420 --> 00:10:23.206
Also think of Godly men who are
00:10:23.228 --> 00:10:24.774
thrown into a pit as well.
00:10:24.892 --> 00:10:27.622
Joseph Genesis Chapter 37.
00:10:27.756 --> 00:10:28.594
Jeremiah,
00:10:28.642 --> 00:10:29.786
as recorded in his book,
00:10:29.808 --> 00:10:31.834
the 38th chapter. Of course,
00:10:31.872 --> 00:10:33.226
there's Daniel. Oh,
00:10:33.248 --> 00:10:34.054
he wasn't alone.
00:10:34.102 --> 00:10:35.750
He had a pride of hungry lions
00:10:35.830 --> 00:10:37.100
to keep him company.
00:10:37.790 --> 00:10:40.814
Daniel also had the shield of
00:10:40.852 --> 00:10:43.440
the Almighty protecting him.
00:10:44.130 --> 00:10:45.390
Horrible pits,
00:10:45.730 --> 00:10:47.418
dark holes of despair,
00:10:47.594 --> 00:10:49.246
suffocating confines in
00:10:49.268 --> 00:10:50.586
the belly of a fish,
00:10:50.698 --> 00:10:53.614
sinful condition, life, drama,
00:10:53.742 --> 00:10:56.590
loss and loneliness and trauma
00:10:56.750 --> 00:11:02.114
point us to Christ and we run to
00:11:02.152 --> 00:11:05.038
him. Jonah points to Christ.
00:11:05.224 --> 00:11:07.126
This is the Easter event of
00:11:07.148 --> 00:11:08.834
the resurrection, Lord.
00:11:08.962 --> 00:11:10.034
He defeated death,
00:11:10.082 --> 00:11:11.554
hell and the grave,
00:11:11.682 --> 00:11:13.026
the pits of despair,
00:11:13.138 --> 00:11:14.434
the prison of the fish
00:11:14.482 --> 00:11:16.440
belly and all things.
00:11:17.450 --> 00:11:18.938
The closing prayer of Jonah is
00:11:18.944 --> 00:11:21.210
an expression then of great joy.
00:11:21.630 --> 00:11:23.734
Those who pay regard to vain
00:11:23.782 --> 00:11:25.914
idols forsake their hope of
00:11:25.952 --> 00:11:28.202
steadfast love. But I,
00:11:28.256 --> 00:11:29.494
with the voice of thanksgiving,
00:11:29.542 --> 00:11:31.486
will sacrifice to you what
00:11:31.508 --> 00:11:33.726
I have vowed I will pay.
00:11:33.908 --> 00:11:36.590
Salvation comes to the Lord.
00:11:37.330 --> 00:11:40.458
We are not alone in our trauma,
00:11:40.554 --> 00:11:43.069
in our loneliness and isolation.
00:11:43.410 --> 00:11:44.206
Remember,
00:11:44.388 --> 00:11:47.040
trauma happens all the time,
00:11:47.410 --> 00:11:49.374
but grace abounds and
00:11:49.412 --> 00:11:50.366
overcomes it.
00:11:50.468 --> 00:11:51.754
We grow from our trauma
00:11:51.802 --> 00:11:53.406
experiences and thus can be of
00:11:53.428 --> 00:11:55.990
great help to others who suffer.
00:11:56.330 --> 00:11:57.698
You bring a healing component
00:11:57.714 --> 00:11:58.498
to trauma.
00:11:58.594 --> 00:11:59.810
The power of the resurrected.
00:12:00.170 --> 00:12:01.946
Christ, received by faith,
00:12:02.058 --> 00:12:04.410
given through the Holy Spirit.
00:12:04.570 --> 00:12:06.394
Be an expert in trauma.
00:12:06.522 --> 00:12:08.394
Learn and acquire skills.
00:12:08.522 --> 00:12:09.742
Even more so
00:12:09.796 --> 00:12:11.690
be a student of God's precious
00:12:11.770 --> 00:12:14.410
word of comfort and consolation,
00:12:14.570 --> 00:12:16.510
even when in a deep pit.
00:12:16.930 --> 00:12:18.320
Take care of your family.
00:12:18.770 --> 00:12:20.000
Take care of yourself.
00:12:20.450 --> 00:12:22.526
Listen to Jonah as even in
00:12:22.548 --> 00:12:24.950
despair, who points to the
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Resurrected Christ.
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In Jesus name.
00:12:29.530 --> 00:12:30.498
Amen.