Guest Speaker Adolfo: Jonah

Alright, alright, so it gives me great pleasure to introduce today's guest speaker.

He is no stranger to Haven City Church.

He is a faithful servant of God.

He is also a self-proclaimed cheap dog.

Let's um please help me welcome our guest speaker today, Pastor Dolfo.

It's always kind of weird coming up here.

I'm usually like to be level with everybody.

But so my name's Adolfo Ibarra.

Um praise the Lord.

Um I probably know most of you, and if not, we will eventually we'll get together and and hang out.

And so we got a blessing to have both churches come together.

The Spanish church, and then of course, you know, you guys is the English church, right?

So uh I'm gonna try to do the study bilingual, right?

Um so I'll have Christian uh read read it in Spanish after I read it, but uh um hopefully to uh to be able to bring out those points.

We're gonna be in Jonah, Jonah chapter one.

But before, while you guys are there, um I want to show a small video.

So the Lord uses us right now as a missionary.

A missionary is a soldier of God, all right?

And he just goes wherever the Lord says the back, the the the bag, bags are packed, and wherever he says, that's where we're going.

Alright?

If he says go, we're going.

It don't matter where, where, when, when, why, or how or what, he says go.

So the bags gotta be packed.

So um, I was out there in Mexico for two and a half years, and uh, this is kind of two and a half years crammed into five minutes.

Wasn't able to get everything, but I kind of walk you through it.

This is Puerto Vallarta.

If you guys are familiar, we went to skate parks, we went to nine schools.

Uh, if you know of the whosoever's, uh kind of reaching out to the kids, the juveniles, and just kind of get it like a concert setting.

This is Michoacán Morelia, where we started a Christian uh school.

This is pastor, a pastor there, and uh just kind of teaching them.

Uh this is Tomatlán Jalisco, kind of giving them something that they're not used to, so we made it kind of like a night of dessert, something that they're not used to, and just a few of the the members there.

We also did events, we got a uh a Christian rap group, clowns, and be able to give testimony, passed out clothes.

The Lord has opened the door to preach the word in a local radio station on Saturdays.

We also do different things like this.

Was we were teaching on the fruits of the Spirit, so we made a display of fruits, right?

This is Tijuana, uh um an orphanage, and going out there and teaching them, loving on them.

Also, we're out there cleaning the community as I we teach them to just like the Lord is cleaning our hearts, we also physically gotta clean the community.

So we had different classes, leadership classes with activities, and so we were able to do that there.

We also did PR, which is public relationships with the community, and we just kind of just different landmarks.

We would go and just upgrade it.

We also she wanted to get baptized, we found a little baby pool, and we got a baptism, right?

So it's not too far from the ocean, so we there took the kids out to do an activity for Mother's Day and picked up a lot of seashells.

Uh, we got connected with the community, did a basketball team, and be able to give them.

This is a Chapala Halisco, the different discipleship homes that we go to and we teach uh members that want to stop doing drugs and alcohol.

Uh we go to different radio stations and just kind of promote the events.

Like the focus is to glorify Jesus Christ.

So uh we had a the the juveniles, we we we we fixed this wall and we put a message in Jesus Christ there is, and everybody put joy, happiness, love, and so forth.

So they were able to help me.

We did a lot of drama plays with the kids, and we were able to perform in different churches and different uh events throughout the community there.

Uh Samaritan Purse, if you guys know aware of that, and that also was we we did that every year.

Playing with the kids, uh, you know, youth ministry there with the kids, different activities.

We would take them out, play basketball, volleyball, eat pizza, as you can see, uh things that they're not accustomed to.

Teach them how to play volleyball and basketball and just different things.

We also went to Sonora Hermosillo, we got a church, we got a community, we gave out backpacks and uh gave them Jesus.

This is León Guanajuato, a different ministry that we're part of.

It's just different areas.

Uh, this is Guadalajara Jalisco, where we go to hospitals where the kids have cancer, and we go give them uh joy, you know, with different different ways, you know.

That's Calvary Chapel, Guadalajara, and they have a feeding program that they feed the kids that are not are going to school.

Over their education is not a priority, and they do not get in trouble if they don't go to school.

So we try to give them.

I think it froze, Hayden.

Yeah?

No.

Can you fast forward it?

Go, go, go, go, go, go, go.

Oh, I think it cut it off right there, huh?

Yeah, for some reason.

Sorry about that.

We'll try to figure that out.

But, anyways, so it was tough to do two and a half years in five minutes, right?

But you get an idea of it's a constant go events.

Or not they're, you know, uh uh vacationing, or they're doing God's work.

Alright?

So every day there's something to do there.

And of course, you're dealing with the opposition.

You got cartel, you know, that's a whole different story as well.

All right?

So, but we know that greater is he who's in us than he who's in the world.

Right?

And I think that's the number one the fear, and it's very evident there.

Trust me, it's very evident.

But at the same time, we have to make a decision.

We gotta make a choice, right?

And then we choose to follow Jesus, and if he tells us go, we're going.

Amen.

So we're back, we've been here about a month, and um so we're we're helping out in any way, shape, or form.

And so helping out, we were here for three years, and so we're we're we're blessed to be back.

I consider this home.

I was born and raised in California all my life, and been out here on the East Coast since 2019, and I love it, you know, and I want to continue to keep keep coming back, all right?

And we're here for a good six months to a year, and then we'll see when the Lord says it's time to go.

Right?

But till then, we're here.

Amen.

So we're gonna go in the book of Jonah, Jonah chapter 1.

Jonah 1 · chapter mention

Okay, Jonah chapter 1.

Jonah 1 · chapter mention

So we're gonna read verses uh one to three.

I'm gonna read it and then I'll have Christian read in Spanish.

It says the Bible says as follows.

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amitai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.

But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

He went down to Jobah and found a ship going to Tarshish, so he paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

Christian, would let Uno al Tres?

Amen.

So we see that right here, we see Jonah flees or tries to flee the presence of the Lord, right?

And I think we all can relate to that.

Yes or no?

You know, in one way or another, we've been fleeing, we are fleeing, and be careful, we could be fleeing in the future tense, it's something, algo que debemos entender que Jonas piensa que puede correr fuera de la presencia del Señor.

And we see in verse one it says, Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah.

Versiculo 1, la palabra de Dios, or Jehová, vino a Jonas.

The question for me, you us, is what is that word for you today that the Lord is speaking to you?

Right?

Today the Lord will speak to you through his word, right?

Through others, through circumstances.

Right here clearly, the Lord is speaking to Jonah.

Jonah is a minor prophet, is known as a prophet or minor prophet in this time.

He says, the son of Amate.

Something that's very interesting in the Old Testament.

It's really uh they focus on the name and who's your dad.

Or who's your daddy?

Alright?

Why that?

Because understanding and knowing that is what is your inheritance, who are you representing?

Right?

Us as new believers, who's our daddy?

God, right?

So we would have to be representing him in that faithful matter.

Amen.

So it's something that the word of God gives us.

Okay?

So this is the question, or this is the response in verse 2.

It says, God told Jonah, arise, go to Nineveh, that great city.

So you might say, Well, what is Nineveh?

You know?

Today it's present-day Iraq.

Okay?

Just for you guys to kind of just put your mind to it.

In that time it was Nineveh.

Today it is Iraq.

Okay?

It says it was a great city.

Call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.

Okay?

Just a brief summary of Nineveh is described as a bloody, full of lies, always violent, and an evil city.

Okay?

Nineveh, or the empire of Assyria, when they would capture communities or areas, they would want to make a statement.

And the way they would do that statement, one of the ways, is they would like to skin their enemies, and they would put their uh that skin up on like a trophy, and it was a sense of fear us.

You know?

It was something that was in that time, we think about like, wow, you know, that's some Jeffrey Dahner stuff, you know, or some some crazy serial killer that we might think.

But in that time, it was very common because it was that fear tactic.

I'm gonna put that fear tactic, just like we see in Mexico, and not just in Mexico, in various places, does not that fear try to dominate us every day, one way or another.

But what does the Bible say?

The Bible's very clear in Timothy, it says God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a love, power, and a sound mind.

So we have to remember if if God doesn't give us that fear, the question is, who is then?

Because it's not God.

So we have to remember our identity in Jesus Christ.

Alright?

I'm human.

I'm not gonna say when I went to Mexico and things are happening, uh there was no fear in me because I would be lying to you.

There was that human fear inside of me, but I did not allow it to dictate what the Bible says, what the Lord has established.

Right?

It's something that we have to understand and we have to know.

And I know that I'm going on and on, and it's kind of hard to uh uh perdon a loss in espanhol, estoy predicando in English, pero perdón, it's medio duro.

What I told them is like I'm sorry that I'm not really um really uh um uh um translating what I'm saying, but I think most of them get the point.

Okay, so we see at this point Jonah gets a message.

Just like today, we will get a message from the Lord through his word to go.

The Bible says in verse 2, it says, arise, go to Nineveh.

So the word arise represents what?

It gives us the point of we have to be active, right?

To arise.

Right?

Today you got up, yes or no?

Praise the Lord, you're here, right?

The message came to the Lord.

I gotta be in service, right?

I gotta start the week off right.

Okay?

Arise, go to Haven City Church.

Right?

That was the message that you got today.

The question is, I remember in various churches in California, and maybe you've seen it, in the inside of the churches before you depart, it says, you are now entering your mission field.

Okay?

So right now we're getting fueled up.

We're at the gas station, Royal Farms, fueling up.

Alright?

And when we leave those doors, we are entering our mission field.

What is that mission field that the Lord has for you, for me, for us?

Amen.

Spread his word, right?

And it starts one soul at a time.

It starts thy neighbor, it starts thy block, it starts thy community.

We think that we need to go to Africa, we need to go to Mexico, we need to go to Hawaii.

No, we need to go here.

Our neighbor needs help.

Right?

And it's something that's very important that we're all missionaries to one point or extent or another.

Right?

But the question is, are we listening?

Because the Lord says, he told Jonah, arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, call against it, for their evil has come before me.

So we see verse 3, but Jonah arose to flee to what?

Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

In other words, what is the Bible telling us?

Say, for example, we're in Baltimore.

Okay?

Let's say Nineveh was New York City, and Tarshish is Florida.

So he's saying, go to New York, but where is he going?

He's going south.

Going against what the Lord has told him.

And I believe, I know I have, I have tried to flee the presence of the Lord many times for many years.

To be exact, 22 years.

I had 12 years in my filthiness with drugs, and then 10 years in prison.

So I know very clear of who Jonah, because I used to be that Jonah.

I used to be that Jonah.

Amen.

The Bible says whoever's in Christ is what?

A new creation.

The old man is gone, the new is what?

Here.

Alright?

So I don't identify myself on who I used to be.

The world still calls me who I used to be.

The world still says this and that.

But my father calls me by my name.

Says Adolpho, rise up and move forward.

Alright?

It's something, once again, our identity in Christ is very important.

So we see right now Jonah is rose up and going, fleeing contrary to where the Lord is sending them.

Okay?

It doesn't say why.

It just says that he's just rebelling.

And I think we all can associate to that.

Yes or no?

We've all rebelled.

We've all been Jane Dean.

Yes or no?

The rebel without a cause.

Alright?

Of one form or another.

Maybe right now we are in that state of rebellion right now.

Alright?

But praise the Lord that you're here and we're able to embrace what the Lord has for us.

Says verse uh 3.

It says, To Jobah and found a ship going to Tarshish, so he paid the fare and went what?

Down into it to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

So we see that he paid and he went down.

Think about this, family.

When we involve ourselves in sin, we pay the price, yes or no?

And what happens?

We go down.

Downtown Julie Brown.

Yes or no?

So it it we're understanding, and it's just opened up.

We're like, what Jonah is doing, of course, he will pay the price, and he is going down.

Okay?

And it says us away from the presence of the Lord.

One thing that we have to understand, Ramney, there is a phrase that says, sin will take you farther than you wanted to go.

Sin will keep you longer than you wanted to stay.

And sin will cost you more than you wanted to pay.

That's something, that alone, right there.

I at first just wanted to be a weekend warrior.

You know?

Hey man, I I I work 40 hours.

I work 60 hours.

I deserve me a little cold one.

I deserve me a little bit of a taste of whatever.

But that weekend took me further than I wanted to go.

And kept me longer than I wanted to stay.

Because when I just wanted Fridays and Saturdays, it turned into addiction where I was addicted for 22 years.

So I longer than I wanted to stay, correct?

Took me further because all I wanted to do was just drink a little bit, smoke a little bit of reefer.

And before I knew it, I was slamming heroin.

How is that?

What happened?

All I wanted is just have fun on the weekends.

And I paid more than I wanted to pay.

I paid 10 years of my life.

And not only that, I lost my wife.

I lost my kids.

I lost my house.

I lost everything.

It's something that we have to understand, family, familia.

Alright?

Verse 4.

It says, But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea.

And there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break.

Okay?

So they're in the ship.

Put yourself inside that story.

They're in the ship.

They're going.

They're on their way.

And all of a sudden, who?

It says the Lord hurled a great wind.

Okay?

It wasn't oopsie.

It wasn't Mother Nature.

It says it was the Lord.

That's what the Bible says.

Hurled a great wind upon the sea.

And there was a mighty tempest or violent storm on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.

Okay?

So here comes this the other day we were watching the perfect storm.

I don't know if you've seen that.

Alright?

The perfect storm.

It was violent, causing a lot of havoc.

Alright?

Or any movie of such?

At this point, there's a lot of panic.

Let's read verse 5.

Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his God, little G.

And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them.

But Jonah, where was he at?

Had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast what?

Asleep.

So that's very interesting.

When everyone's running around like a chicken without a head, I don't know if you've ever seen that.

The body keeps on running left and right.

Where's Jonah?

Right?

How is that possible?

Number one, well, that tells me that sin blinds you.

Sin puts you to sleep.

Sin, when we're involved in that sin, you're blinded to the reality.

But we see that the mariners were afraid.

I'm pretty sure it's not the first barbecue.

It's not the first out to see.

So it tells me that these mariners were such afraid because something about that storm.

Something about that storm.

Abnormal.

Think about that family.

Think about that family.

Think about those storms that come into your life sometimes.

Something strange about them.

It's abnormal.

Wow.

Maybe even we can put it in a sense where maybe it wasn't even the season for storms.

And all of a sudden you got this violent storm.

What is happening?

Their profession is mariners, fishermen.

So they know.

But we see that they're afraid.

They're afraid.

Before I came over here, I went deep sea fishing.

Out in San Diego Bay.

And of course, the brother, he's an avid deep sea fisher.

And he sees me, and I'm scared, man.

My knees are buckling.

You know?

Like, he's like, Are you having fun?

I'm like, yeah, yeah.

You know?

But I'm scared.

And he sees that.

He recognizes that.

He says, Adolpho, brother, I do this every weekend.

I'm the captain of this ship, bro.

If you see me panicking, then you better panic.

But till then, enjoy it.

Didn't help nothing.

But it was cool to.

I got his point, right?

You know, I got his point.

So we see that the mariners, the avid fishermen, there are panic in their lives.

What does it tell us?

Remember, observing the details in the text.

He says in verse 5, and each cried out to what?

His God, little G.

So what does that tell us?

They were not believers.

Okay?

They were not believers.

So they're crying out to different things, right?

However that is, whoever that was, but they weren't crying out to the all-powerful, the almighty.

That's for sure.

So what did they do?

It says in verse 5, they began to hurl the cargo that was in the ship to lighten the boat up, right?

Because we're sinking.

Right?

So whatever you think is heavy, you know, this is the problem.

So they would throw it out.

You know what?

It's the piano.

Come on, help me out real quick, Paul.

Let's throw this out of the boat.

This is what's gonna sink us.

This is the problem.

Right?

We're gonna come back to that right now, family.

Because think about it.

We represent that boat.

Okay?

And we always think, well, the type of piano is the problem.

If I take out this piano out of my boat, the boat's gonna lighten up.

Okay?

But we're gonna see something.

And I'm gonna highlight something right now when we get a little bit further.

So just hold that thought right there and let's keep going.

So it says, but Jonah had gone down.

Once again, sin is taking us down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down, was fast asleep.

Alright?

So think about that.

It's like his life is good, right?

Or so he thinks.

Verse 6 versiculous 6, si me están siguiendo.

So the captain came and said to him, so we see the captain, all right?

He's at panic.

He came and said to him, What do you mean, you sleeper?

Alright?

What do you mean, you sleeper?

Arise, call out to your God.

Perhaps the God will give uh give a thought to us so that we may not perish.

Remember, they said the story of the brother.

He says, if you see the captain freaking freaking out, right?

You better start panicking.

It's something that's very interesting because the captain, he's responsible for who?

For the whole ship.

And once you see family, we are that captain, that type of captain in your household.

Within your community, maybe organization, different locations.

You are the captain.

How are you leading that ship?

How are you leading it?

Family?

Because if you are panicking as a leader, guess what the other people are gonna do?

They're gonna panic as well.

So it's a great responsibility as a captain, yes or no?

When you lead your household as husbands, maybe single mothers, you are the lead of your home.

How are we leading our home?

Amen.

So we see the captain gets to him.

He says, What do you mean, you sleeper?

In other words, you should be up and atom, bro.

Call out to your God.

Why are you asleep?

Family, that's a cry out to us as well.

As a church, we need to be the light of what?

The world.

We cannot no longer be asleep.

We need to cry out.

We need to shout out, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

It's something in those areas.

I don't know how it is or where it is, but you do.

And of course the Lord does.

Because He's speaking to us every day.

It might be your neighbor, right?

Might be your co-worker.

So he says, call out.

What's going on?

Why are you asleep?

What does that tell us, family?

He's a non-believer.

What shameful thing.

Jonah is a prophet.

Sometimes the Lord uses unbelievers to put us in our place.

Yes or no?

Right?

When it should be the other way around, the world's actually putting us in our place.

And that's very shameful.

Because as soldiers of the Lord, our responsibility is to be light of the world.

Amen?

That's an encouragement.

But understand that that is the case here and possibly in our lives.

Amen?

We go.

Verse 6 says, and they said to one another, Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.

So they cast lots, and the lot fell on who?

Jonah.

I always think of casting lot as a spin the bottle.

You know, for some reason it always comes to mind.

You know, that's me, right?

And it landed on Jonah, like, ah, you're it, you know?

But we know that the casting of lot, of lots, it was a very common practice.

You know?

It was two rocks, a white rock and a black rock.

You know?

But they really focused on it.

Because they said, you know what?

We've tried everything.

Let's try this last thing here.

Let's try this, man.

Let's flip a coin, if you want to put it that way.

Let's draw draw straws.

Alright?

Possibly.

See who it lands on.

The Bible says in Proverbs 16.33, says man cast out lot, but it's the Lord that does the decision.

That's what Proverbs 20, Proverbs 16.33 says.

So it wasn't an oopsie that it landed on Jonah.

It was a direct command from the Lord.

Jonah, you have to face what you're being disobedient about.

Alright?

So the lot lands on Jonah.

Verse 8.

Then they said to him, Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us.

What is your occupation?

And where do you have come from?

Or where do you come from?

What is your country?

And of what people are you?

So he's being basically interrogating.

Right?

Tell us.

We need this information.

So it shows us that their faith or their casting of lot is something that they're depending on, they're trusting in.

So they're interrogating Jonah.

And verse 9, and Jonah says, and he said to them, I am a Hebrew, I fear the Lord, the God of heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.

Verse 10.

Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, What is that that you have done?

In other words, why are you doing this to us?

What did I do to you?

Why have you caused that upon us?

For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord because he had told them.

Okay?

So we see they're interrogating them there.

They're asking them an opportunity that we see Jonah is proclaiming what?

I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made sea in the dry land.

So he's basically proclaiming.

Proclaiming what the Lord has done in his life.

Okay?

Then the men were exceedingly afraid because of what he had told them.

Okay?

Verse 11.

Then they said to him, What shall we do to you that the sea may quiet down for us?

So they're asking, so what do we do from this point?

Okay?

For the sea grew more and more temptuous, right?

Because the Bible says that the storm was so violent that the ship was threatening to break down.

Alright?

I always tell everybody, it's kind of like my life.

Broken down, but I'm still moving.

Right?

Yes or no?

We're broken down one way or another, but we keep on trucking, as they say, right?

For the sea grew more and more temptuous, more violent.

Verse 12.

He said to them, Pick me up and hurl me into the sea, then the sea will quiet down for you.

For I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.

So let's think about, let's talk about a little bit of that.

Okay.

If I would tell you, or let me start with this question.

If Jonah knew that the reason why this violent storm was in their midst, and he knew that he was the target, the problem, why ask the mariners to throw them over the ship and not throw himself over?

So let me put it in my sense.

What if I tell you right now, church, hey guys, cartel's coming because they're looking for me?

And they're looking for me, but you know what?

They're gonna kill all of us.

Because I'm here.

What would you tell me?

Hey, bro, get out of here, brother.

You know what I mean?

Why are you putting us in the mix?

This doesn't make sense.

Adolpha, what do we do to you?

Why are you doing that to us?

Yeah, why the piano, right?

Throw the piano, because remember, they're throwing all the heavy stuff out the boat, yes or no?

What they thought was heavy.

Okay?

Question.

Family.

We see something very great here.

Is this that the Lord, even though Jonah's being disobedient, he's working through his life to get to the mariners.

Okay?

He's gonna take care of Jonah, but he's also taking care, loving on the mariners.

Okay?

So remember I told you we were coming to come back to how they were throwing away the stuff that would lighten up the ship, right?

Family, where that ship.

Okay?

And I'll put the example in my life.

In my life, I always made excuses that this is the problem.

If I throw this away, I'll be good.

Oh no, no.

If I throw this away, I'll be good.

No, no, you know what?

If I throw this away, I'll be good.

When the Lord all along is telling us, son, what is that type of Jonah in your ship that you need to throw away?

That's the problem.

The problem is here.

Right?

The problem is here.

We have to deal with us.

Now, of course, we see by faith, because we're gonna see something, the reaction or what they do, the mariners, is this that the Lord is also because their faith is in who?

They cried out to who?

They're false gods.

So the Lord is working in their lives.

Like I need to teach you who the real God is.

I need to break you from following those false gods and follow Jesus Christ.

Alright?

It's something that's very important in the mariners' lives.

So he Jonah tells them, Hey, throw me over and everything will calm down.

Alright?

Verse 13.

Nevertheless, the men rode hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more temptuous against them.

So, in other words, what do we see by the detail?

Is that those people were not were not believing Jonah.

They weren't killers, they're not gonna, dude, you're crazy, bro.

I'm not gonna throw you over the boat.

That's insane, brother.

Because think about it.

If they were quick to the trigger, they would have got Jonah and threw him out the boat.

Oh, is that it?

Okay, bam.

But they said, no, that's crazy talk.

Did you eat a bowl of Captain Crazy?

Because you're talking crazy right now.

Right?

So what do they do?

Come on, guys, one more.

One more hoorah.

If we work together, we could make it to dry land.

But who were they fighting?

They're fighting God.

How many times have we fought?

The Lord.

Thinking, if I try it this way, I'll get it.

No, no, if I try it this way, see, I learned better.

Let me try it this angle.

No, no, if I try this way, no, no, if I try this way, when in reality, brother, you can run, but you can't hide.

You know?

You're fighting the Lord.

That's who you're fighting.

So we have to understand that and see.

So they tried with their strength.

A lot of people say, Why can't I quit?

Because you're trying in your strength.

The Bible's very clear.

Zachariah 4, 6 says, Not by might nor by power, but it's by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.

My spirit.

Amen.

Not because a dolphin goes to the gym and he drinks protein shakes or whatever.

It's by the spirit.

You know?

It's something that we have to understand.

Who is our identity in?

Family, know where our strength comes from.

Amen.

Verse 14 says, Therefore they called out to the Lord, oh Lord.

Now who are they calling out to?

The Almighty.

Oh Lord, let us not perish for this man's life.

And nay not on us innocent blood.

For you, O Lord, have done as it pleases you.

So, verse 15.

So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea.

And the sea what?

Seized from its raging, violent storm.

It's like, so it was true what he said, right?

But it's by faith.

Think about that.

The Lord is working through those mariners.

Do you really believe me?

Adolfo, do you trust me?

But Lord, how am I going to survive in Mexico?

That's not even my nation.

I've been born and raised in California.

That's a whole different.

Do you trust me?

Do you trust me, Adolfo?

And I think we've all been to that fork in the road where the Lord's asked us the same thing.

Do you trust me?

Or is it something cliche that we say?

I trust the Lord.

But in reality, we don't.

Remember this, family.

Trust is a big word.

And if trust has been violated, it's because that person trusted in someone or something so much that once it got violated, that word went down the drain as well.

So when you say trust in the Lord, I know the Bible says that, but you got to understand, what if that person doesn't know how to trust?

It's simple, just trust.

We need to get taught how to trust.

We need to learn how to love again.

Yes or no?

When those things have been violated for whatever reason.

So just consider that.

That's all.

But what because for whatever is easy for us, simple for us, could be the hardest thing for thy neighbor.

Alright?

That's why the Bible says, know the condition of your flock.

Know the condition of your flock.

I have to get personal.

I don't have to know everything, but we have to get personal with one another, helping each other.

What are our strong points?

What are our weak points?

How can I come alongside you and lift you up?

Right?

That's where the Bible says, know the condition of what?

The flock.

So we see that they cried out to the Lord.

It says, Lord, what we're about to do, may this not be on us, man.

Alright?

In Jesus' name.

And they picked up Jonah and threw him out the boat.

And what happened?

The storm calmed down.

So he wasn't lying, right?

But the Lord a lot of times asks us things, it just doesn't make sense.

Like, son, you my ways are not your ways.

My thoughts are not your thoughts.

I'm not asking you to know everything, I'm asking you to be obedient.

Do you trust me?

Right?

And it's like, man, okay, Lord.

Teach me how to trust, Lord.

Teach me how to follow.

Because I don't.

And that's something that comes every day.

Every day.

Today we made that decision to be here, praise the Lord, and we're following his voice.

Alright?

It's something that we have to understand.

So verse 15.

So they picked up Jonah, hurled him into the sea, and the sea seized from its raging.

Verse 16.

Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made what?

Vows.

So, in other words, what happened to the mariners?

I believe.

I believe, right?

They got saved.

They sacrificed to the Lord.

They knew now.

The Lord at times needs to use events in our lives to catch our attention.

Yes or no?

Like, can you hear me now?

Like, Lord, but why?

It's like, son, that's the only way you're gonna hear me.

I try to talk to you, but you don't hear me.

Can you hear me now?

Right?

I don't know what that is, but the Lord is very clear.

The Bible says that my sheep hear my voice.

So it says, the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

Today we have offered a sacrifice.

You say, Well, Adolph, we're not in the Old Testament.

Well, you sacrificed one hour of your life, two hours of your life.

Yes or no?

Praise the Lord for that.

We're dedicating, glorifying who?

Jesus Christ.

That's the requirement.

Amen.

So that's something that's awesome.

And I thank you.

And then it says verse 17 to finish it up.

And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

So in other words, it wasn't the end of the day, it wasn't over for Jonah.

Alright?

There's still more to come.

So he saved Jonah, grace and mercy, and we see the grace and mercy in the mariners as well.

Alright?

So the question, family, that I have for you, for us, for me.

What is that type of Jonah in our lives that we need to throw out our boat?

That's causing that havoc, that's causing that violent storm in our lives.

I don't know.

I know what's that type of Jonah in my life.

And just so you know, there ain't no secrets in heaven.

I know, and Jesus Christ knows.

So there ain't no secret.

And he's the one that's gonna, he's the final authority, right?

That we have to look at.

It's something that we have to understand and know, family.

Think about the faith that these men did under their lives.

Just think about that.

What is that that action that the Lord is asking you to do today?

To take that leap of faith for him, to make that difference, to make that change.

And sometimes it's not that easy, of course, but it's not impossible.

Right?

The Bible says all things are possible with who?

In Jesus Christ, right?

Once again, it's the Lord.

The focus is Jesus Christ.

So, family, I beg, I ask, if we're in that moment of fleeing from the presence of the Lord, come back.

Come back.

Right?

Because today, what we're receiving is grace and mercy.

Think about that.

Many did not wake up today, family.

Many did not wake up today.

What did you do to wake up?

Did you pay anything?

Did you sacrifice anything?

Did you do anything to wake up?

Nothing.

It was the Lord who woke you up.

Keep that heart pumping.

Why?

For his love, his grace, and his mercy.

Many did not wake up today, family, but he did wake you up.

So let's go forward, glorifying his mighty name.

Amen.

Glory be to God.

Thank you.

I hope each and every one of you got a word, a verse, the message.

My prayer is that each and every one of you do not leave these doors the way you came in.

Why?

Because of the word of God.

Amen.

Praise the Lord.

Thank you.

God bless.