The Idols We Call Identity - Jonah 1: 7-10

You're listening to the Christ Our Cornerstone

podcast, a ministry of Christ Our Cornerstone

Church in O 'Neill, Nebraska. I'm Pastor Logan

Merrick, and it's our prayer that this message

strengthens your faith and draws you closer to

Christ. Let's dive in. Cool. Well, with that

being said, let's go ahead and dive in if nobody's

got any questions. Today, we're going to be,

the title of my sermon is, Who Are You? Because

we're going to, you're going to see, oh, Noah.

Your Bible son You left it up here so Go ahead

and open to Jonah while you're opening to Jonah

You we're gonna see in the text that where we're

at. So we left off where Jonah is asleep in the

boat and There's more that we're gonna unpack

with that. By the way, there's there's a reason

why Jonah goes into the the ship but He's now

been awakened, right? And we talked about last

week, if you weren't here, how the chaos of the

storm, typically we are the ones that do it to

ourselves, right? Like usually, now life just

happens because we live in a fallen world, right?

But typically when we find ourselves in a chaotic

mess, it's usually because of decisions we've

made, right? And so I talked about how But when

you make those decisions, you are typically impacting

not just yourself, but those in your boat, those

that are around you. It's not just yourself.

I mean, how many times have I heard secular people

say, the decisions I make are me. Like if I'm

hurting myself, it's not hurting anybody else.

So what does it matter? No, you're hurting the

people around you too, because there are people

that care about you, right? Or if you're a parent,

the decisions that you make affect your children

and your spouse if you have one, right? And so

we unpacked that, and so now we leave off, we

left off where we're gonna dive into, there's

some questions that begin to get asked, but let

me ask you like this. When you first meet somebody,

all right, as an adult, typically, because as

kids, you just find out like, oh man, you like

Nintendo, I like Nintendo, right? But as an adult,

when you meet somebody, what are the first things

you do? What's the first things, let's do it

like this. Sue, you and I are meeting for the

first time, okay? Hey, I'm Logan. You are? Sue.

Sue, nice to meet you. What typically, if we're

just exchanging just pleasantries and maybe we're

at an Easter lunch like we were before at, you

know, over with Mary Lynn and Scott, what typically

are some conversational things that you're gonna

ask? And I'm going to ask. Where you live. Yep.

Good. What you do. What you do. Good. Anything

else? Those are kind of the primary things, right?

Yeah. And then more stuff kind of comes out of

that, right? So typically, we're going to ask

the question, where are you from? What do you

do? What do those things revolve around? Right,

but like what does it begin to tell us about

the person like if I'm asking the question sue

Hey, where are you from? What do you do? What

am I what am I ultimately doing in my own mind?

Right, but I'm also you about to say somebody

Yes, I'm trying to place them into like a category

right I'm trying to, in the word that my wife

just used, identify, I'm trying to identify them,

right? It becomes our identity. Like, the first

time I ever met Anita, you wanna know how she

introduced herself? Do you know how you introduced

yourself? She's like, terrified now. The crazy

cow lady. And the first couple times she texted

me was, hey, this is the crazy cow lady. And

so I know her as the crazy cow lady. That's how

she sees herself, that's how I see her, right?

And so, you know, as I was getting to know Matt

and he made fun of my makeshift 12 -year -old

mustache and beard, he said he's had a beard

since he was five. I now know him as the hairy

bear man, right? So, you know, last week I saw

him back there and I could see the hair from

his back and I was like, man, that's got to be

awful to deal with. And I wanted to ask Keely,

but I was like, I want to be like, hey, what's

it like to snuggle with a literal bear? But I

did it. Anyway, getting off track. So we ask

questions, right? Well, we're going to see now

in our text, this is where the sailors go, specifically

the captain. So let's dive in. So we're going

to be starting in verse seven. We left off at

verse six. Verse seven, come on. The sailors

said to each other, let's cast lots, then we'll

know who is to blame for this trouble we're in.

So they cast lots and the lot singled out Jonah.

Then they said to him, tell us who is to blame

for this trouble we're in. What is your business?

Where are you from? What is your country? and

what people are you from? Do you see those questions?

What are they trying to figure out in this moment?

If they're casting lots, so to cast lots, if

you don't know, it's kind of like drawing straws,

but doing it like kind of with dice, if you will.

And so they would always do this, by the way,

and God, you see the disciples actually do this

in the book of Acts. And so God would permit

it at times. when they were trying to figure

out what it is they were supposed to do, the

will of God. And so what I find really interesting,

though, is that even atheist Roman leaders would

cast lots, even though it was illegal, by the

way, not to be an atheist in those times because

they had so many gods. But there are certain

philosophers who were atheist and they discussed.

how they would cast lots to figure out what it

is they were to do. And so this is a very common

practice where they're going, all right, well,

I don't know what we're supposed to do. So we're

going to do this. We're going to draw straws.

And so they're saying, whose fault is it that

this is happening? This obviously has to be somebody's

sin. And so they believed these sailors, they

believe in multiple gods, but they specifically

believe in a God of the, the sea. And so they're

casting lots, trying to figure out whose fault

is it. And it lands on Jonah. So then they're

like, Oh, so you're the troublemaker. So who

are you? What do you do? Where are you from?

Okay. Then what does Jonah say? So he says in

verse nine, and he answered them, I am a Hebrew.

That's important that you notice that, by the

way. Briefly, why didn't he say, I'm from Israel

or I'm Israeli or I'm an Israelite? Any ideas?

Why does he say he's a Hebrew instead of I'm

an Israelite? Well, first off, because to other

nations, they weren't Israelites, they were Hebrew

people. They didn't know them as it was only

within The Israelite nation that Israelites consider

themselves Israelites because it comes from the

name whose name got changed to Israel Jacob so

to other surrounding nations That's why he wouldn't

say I am an Israelite and again the reason why

I'm pointing this out is because it's it's important

and so He says I'm Hebrew. I Worship the Lord

the God of heavens who made the sea and dry land

All right Then the men were seized by great fear

and said to him, what is this you've done? And

the men knew that he was fleeing the Lord's presence

because he told them. So tell me what, what do

you see in the text? Like what just pops off

by the way, like immediately, if we're looking

at identity, okay, that's what we're talking

about. If we're talking about identity and we're

answering these questions that he's answering.

What do you notice about the way that Jonah responds?

Okay, good, he identifies his God, what else?

How does he identify his God, by the way, Doug?

Yeah, he is the God, right? What else? What's

that? What about the order with which he says

his answers? Right, but how does he answer first?

What's the first thing that comes out of his

mouth? Says he's a Hebrew, right? Then he says,

I worship the Lord. Is he not a prophet? You

may be like, I don't understand where you're

going with this. His national identity mattered

more to him than who he got his identity from.

That's important that you see that. So when we

look at the fact that yes, he is a prophet. He

literally is a mouthpiece for God. He sees it

as a job, not a calling. And that's secondary

to his identity because what is first to his

identity to him is his ethnicity and his nationality.

I'm going to go ahead and say something that

is very, very controversial. It is not It's not

beating around the bush. So we have an entire

culture problem with you see yourself by your

race or by your family lineage or your heritage

before you see yourself with anything else. That's

a problem. That's a problem. And it doesn't matter

what race or nationality you are, white, black,

Hispanic, Indian it doesn't matter if that is

the first and foremost thing of your makeup and

you call yourself a Christian You are just like

Jonah in this moment You're made in the image

of God You are an image bearer. So it's important

that you understand that first and foremost in

your identity It's him okay, this is so much

of the problem in our culture is because We don't

see ourselves as image bearers or we don't have

him first in our identity. And I'm going to go

back and say something too. There are a lot of

pastors who have the role of pastor and see themselves

as pastors before they see themselves as sons

of the living God. They don't, they see it as

a job. They don't see it as a call. And now you

see why there's a lot of dead churches, right?

So, all right, let's get going. Diving in first

in the first Point that I have is Purpose. So

the first thing they ask is what are you doing

here? Okay, and they're asking what is your purpose?

What's the reason you're here? Why are you in

this boat right now? And so why is he in the

boat? He's running from God right running from

his mission He has a mission And he's running

from it. And so here's what I want you all to

know. And you need to write this down, because

this is important. This is a lot of the reasons

why we as Christian families are so, we play

defense instead of offense. And here's why I

say that. God gives each of us a mission, a reason

for being that is tied to our gifts, responsibilities,

and opportunities. Avoiding it limits our impact

and robs us of fulfillment. Do you hear that?

Did you hear what I said? All of us have a mission.

It's not just Pastor Logan. It's not just because

Pastor Logan is a pastor or missionaries or whatever.

All of us have a purpose and a mission that God

has given us. Every single one. My wife has a

crucial mission. She homeschools She helps raise

up our kids and she would tell you that She also

had to unfortunately Turn me into a godly man

because before that I was just a little boy who

had no idea what it was to be a godly man and

so But she has a mission that is crucial because

as you guys have heard me say before when the

Psalms talk about that Blessed is the man whose

quiver is full of arrows, talking about children.

What do arrows do? They hit their mark, right?

And so if you are a godly parent in this room

and grandparent, you should see your children

as arrows going to pierce darkness. Are you raising

them up in a purposeful way? That is part of

your mission. What is your gift sets? What are

the things that God has given you? What has God

placed around you? What are the opportunities?

All of these things are a part of your mission.

Scott, in the military, would the military be

kind of aimless and useless if we didn't have

a mission and we were all just kind of like making

it up as we went along? We wouldn't be a very

good military, right? And so, but yet there's

a lot of families, a lot of Christians. who are

like an aimless military. You're just kind of

existing. You're fighting fights that don't need

to be fought. God doesn't need you to do that.

He needs you over here engaged in a spiritual

battle. And instead, we're too busy arguing on

Facebook about how many colors were in the code

of many colors. You see what I'm saying? Does

that make sense? So I want you to imagine The

parable of the talents. Where servants were entrusted

with different amounts of gold, the servant who

buried his talent missed out on a chance to grow,

while the others invested wisely and multiplied

what they were given. Our purpose is to recognize

the gifts God has bestowed upon us, not hide

them in fear, but to actively use them for His

glory. When we embrace our God -given mission,

we step into a life rich with potential. Just

like those servants who sought to multiply their

master's wealth. So my question to you right

now is what is your mission? Husbands and wives

you should be getting together praying through

going. All right We're in specific phases. We're

in different phases of life the phase that Christie

and Derek are in are in a lot different phase

than Tracy and I are in and the the phase that

Tracy and I are in in life and a lot different

phase than what Trudy and Gene are in, right?

All of us are in different phases of life. The

problem is, is when we get to a different phase

of life, we start to relax a little bit more.

And senior adults in this room, I love you, but

many times you guys are thinking with a westernized

mindset that says, it's about retirement age.

And you start kind of like, tapering back on

things and you're not too active. And then you

start saying things like, well, I can't be engaged

with youth and helping in youth ministry or children's

ministry or doing this or that because, well,

they don't want to hear from me or, you know,

I just, it's time for me just to enjoy my life.

I've worked my, nah, you don't see retirement

in the scriptures anywhere. You don't. Okay.

So. What does it look like then? Well, the Levites,

the priest, they would, as they got older, they

had younger priests coming in. What did they

do? They sowed into them and they made way for

them and they continued on. And so here's what

I'm saying. You should each, no matter your age,

no matter if you're married or single, no matter

if you've got kids or grandkids, all of you,

all of you, all of you should be gathered and

trying to figure out and pray through what is

the mission God has called us to in this moment.

Right now where we are, what does that look like?

What is our mission? The mission we have as a

family right now is to one, homeschool each one

of our kids, raise them up, get them ready for

life to go pierce darkness. We also, our mission

is to help love this church and disciple and

send out. And then to love our neighbors that

are around us and those who God has placed within

our influence, that is our family mission right

now. Will it change? Absolutely, it'll change.

As my kids begin to go out, they get married,

have grandkids, Tracy and I will then pivot.

All right, God, what is it that you want from

us now? Does that make, am I, you guys following?

I want you to hear this and I think I have a

slide for it. It's a quote from John Calvin.

Is there, is it on there? I hope so. Okay, cool.

You should write this down John Calvin French

reformer All who are ignorant of the purpose

for which they live are fools and madmen Dude

that is a punch in the face John Calvin saying

if you are ignorant of your purpose and mission,

then you are nothing more than a fool So here

Just as Jonah was called to Nineveh, God has

a mission for each of us. As I've said, this

isn't only for pastors, it's for every person

in our workplaces, homes, and communities. Purpose

gives us direction and meaning to life. To give

you an idea, and this is part of an identity

issue in myself. Too many times I have, because

we as men, by the way, We put our identity in

what we do. Women tend to put their identity

in parenting, in taking care of the home. We

have, and that's because those things are innately

put into us. You see that in the creation narrative.

God created Adam to work and he created Eve to

be a helpmate and to come alongside and they

live together. One is nurturing, right? So, but

we as men, We put our identity in what we do.

And so when that identity is stripped from us,

we tend to wander. And so there was a time when

different times in my life where I growing up,

I was like, man, I'm going to be a professional

baseball player and playing, you know, and doing

all these things. And then when I get hurt and

I get stripped from me, I have no idea who I

am. And then I'm like, oh, I know who I am. I'm

I'm. I want to be a famous drummer and I want

to be a rock star. And it's like all those things

begin to happen. That gets stripped away. Then

I have no idea who I am. And then it's like I

put all my effort into being a pastor. God takes

that away from me for a season. I am depressed

and have no idea who I am apart from pastoring.

And so why? because I feel like I'm purposeless.

I feel like I have no meaning to my life, but

what God had to show me is ultimately He is the

purpose and meaning to my life. I have to get

things right in my identity order, and then once

I've got things right in order, then I can go

back to my purpose and meaning. Your mission

isn't just for you. It impacts your family, your

friends, and community. Actively embracing your

calling blesses others and multiplies your influence.

As I already said about the parable of the talents,

the servants were entrusted with resources that

they need to steward. So I wanna ask you, are

you stewarding the gifts that God has given you

well? Don't run from God in fear and in disobedience

because you're just like, I can't do that or

I'm too old for that or my body's too broken

for that. If God's telling you to do something,

you should do it. And if you're wandering through

life without a mission, You're a madman. So I

want you to recognize the gifts that God has

given you, the spiritual gifts, the relational

gifts, the practical gifts, and use them intentionally.

Purpose is expressed in action, not just intention.

So I want to go back. Jennifer, you said, and

Trudy, you said, I really appreciate the devotions

that you're doing. And multiple of you guys,

like I said, have told me that it's been very

meaningful. I have noticed, and I was telling

Tracy this, writing was not a natural gift that

God had given to me. I have terrible grammar,

but it has been an exercise and something that

I've enjoyed doing. And I've noticed that the

more that I do it, one, the better I get, but

two, I begin to see God working through it. And

so it wasn't a natural gift that was already

there. It was something I had to learn to do.

My question is, we can't just have just intention

of, oh, I'd like to do that. It's no, I may not

be good at it. It's no, like maybe I need to

work at it. Does that make sense? Um, so when

we embrace our God given mission, we step into

a full life of potential just as the faithful

servants multiply their talents. Like Jonah,

avoiding our purpose can create confusion. it

can harm others and diminish our witness. Point

number two. People, who are you with? Who are

you with? God gives us relationships and communities,

but when we rely on them to define our worth,

our identity, they become virtual gods. Replacing

God as the source of significance, Jonah leaned

on his Hebrew identity, treating it as the ultimate

marker of value rather than letting his obedience

to God define him. I'm gonna put it to you like

this. I told you when I decided I wanted to be

a rock star, I put all of my effort into it.

And so when I had the chance to tour, what's

up, Gus? When I had the chance to tour all over

the country and play and and when I began to

Meet people that I grew up. So just kind of give

you guys a little window into young Logan I was

so enamored with with CDs and tapes and records.

So I was that kid that Maybe you guys don't get

this but like if I got a tape or a CD or anything

and I love records to this day because I love

I love the tangibleness of feeling stuff. I miss

being able to go and rent a movie at Blockbuster,

okay? Like I hate the fact that I love the easy

use of streaming stuff, but I love the experience

of art. And so when I was a kid, I would get

the CDs or the tape jackets out and I would read

all the lyrics. I'd look at all the pictures

and I would look at who produced and who wrote

and all these things. And so I was a nerd about

those things. So whenever I began to, God began

to open the doors for me to meet people of, of

bands and stuff that I loved, getting to meet

people that influenced me, getting to meet record

producers that I had read their name in a CD

jacket and different writers, like it kind of

puffed me up. And then you'd begin to like name

drop in a conversation for the, you know, have

you guys ever met name droppers or it's like,

yeah, you know, Blah, blah, blah. Yeah, when

we were hanging out, having lunch the other day,

and Coffee was asking me what I thought, and

I told him what I thought. You know what I mean?

You know what I'm talking about? You guys know

those name droppers. So you begin to name drop,

because you start feeling very self -important,

and you're like, yeah, I'm rubbing elbows. I'm

touring with this person, and I'm getting to

know this person, and I've got this person's

number in my phone. And I actually just random.

I put in a fake phone number and I took a picture

of Tom Brady and I put it in my phone just to

tell my kids and Micah forever thought I really

had Tom Brady's phone number. So but it really

made him in his eyes. His dad was really cool

then. But when God stripped me of those things.

And let me tell you, when you are no longer a

musician in the Christian music industry, OK,

if you no longer have a use to them, you're gone.

You're no longer in the in crowd, all right?

And when it was like, I would comment on somebody

who I had become friends with, the next thing

I know, I'm deleted and I'm no longer a friend

with them. And I'm like, what just happened?

It's like a whiplash effect, right? And then

I begin to melt down. Why? Because my entire

identity was based on those who were around me

and what I did. And so when our identity becomes

about Who are you with and what are you about?

And it can be your family. When those things

become bigger than God, it will crumble. Family

members, jobs, money, all of these things are

terrible gods. They will never fulfill. They

will always let you down and they will always

be slave drivers. You can never work enough.

You can never do enough. Does that make sense?

So everyone gets their identity. We all say to

ourselves, I'm significant because of this or

I'm acceptable because of I'm welcomed by them

or because I'm hanging out with them. It could

be family, a social group, it can be culture

or achievements. But all of those things, if

you've ever found yourself saying, I'm significant

to yourself. I'm significant because of this,

or I'm acceptable because of that. I'm telling

you right now that is idolatry. It's only going

to break you. These are all false gods in disguise.

When identity people or approval become our ultimate

source of significance, they start to dictate

our choices. We protect them at all costs, sometimes

even over God's call. And I'm telling you right

now, God will absolutely break you to get you

to a place to see that he is the ultimate God.

Jonah's example, as Jonah leaned into, leaned

on being a Hebrew as his claim of value, it gave

him comfort, but it blinded him to God's mission

and truth. His identity became a crutch and in

effect, a rival God. What do I mean by that?

Why did Jonah not want to go to Nineveh? Why

didn't he want to go to Nineveh? He hated them.

Couldn't stand them. He saw them as evil. They

were the arch rival to his own nation state.

So of course, if you put your identity in your

nationality, then those other people become your

rival. And your nationality is your God, not

God. So let's reflect for a second. What or who

in your life have you elevated to ultimate importance?

When relationships, reputation, or cultural labels

control you, you're worshiping them instead of

God. True freedom comes from finding identity

in Christ. And so God calls us to let him define

our significance, not the people around us. Only

when our identity is rooted in Him, can we embrace

purpose, obey His call, and live faithfully,

regardless of cultural, familial, and social

pressures. Now, before I go into the next thing,

something I was thinking about when I was driving

up here Wednesday was the verse, and I wish I

would have written it down, but it's just popping

in my head now. There's a verse in Psalms that

says, Something along the lines of, they exchanged

the glory of God for an ox. Okay. That line,

they exchanged the glory of God for an ox. And

I was like, exchange the glory of God. And you're

like, yeah, okay, there's a... Of course, like

they're worshiping a false idol, but it's like,

no, there's something else there. And as I began

to drill down and drill down, it hit me. Like

the Lord, the Holy Spirit was like, ah, it's

right here. When he says they exchanged the glory

of God, and when you read in Romans, it kind

of says something similar. They exchanged, right,

who they were for something false, and God gave

them over to it. Who are we made in the image

of? God. When you begin to put your identity

into something else, that thing becomes your

God, right? So you're exchanging the glory of

God for that thing. Now follow me. The glory

of God is infinitely valuable. Okay? When you

put your identity in that thing or that person

or whatever it is, that role, you devalue the

glory of God. And thus, when you devalue the

glory of God, you devalue yourself. Your value

is then gone because you were made in His image

in which He, by the way, came and died for you.

You are devaluing yourself and Him by worshiping

something false that cannot provide. Does that

make sense? And so what is it? What's the thing?

that you are putting all of your time, your energy,

your money, all of you into this that has stolen

the glory of God and ultimately devalued you.

Next, place. Where do you come from? The places

we occupy physically, socially, and spiritually

reveal what really matters to us. Jonah tried

to position himself far from the people God had

called him to reach, and his choices revealed

that his heritage and self -interest mattered

more than God's obedience. So remember when I

said, this hit me this week whenever I was preparing,

when I said that Jonah went into the bowels of

the boat, right? And I've always just thought,

okay, I've always just thought, well, yeah, because

it says he went to sleep, just tired. He's trying

to like shut everything off. He's trying to ignore

everything. And as I was preparing, I'm like,

Oh my Lord. No, he does that. He does that on

purpose, not just to go to sleep. But who are

on the boat? Who's on the boat with him? Sailors.

Are sailors Israelites? Do they worship the God

of heaven and earth? So that makes them pagan.

Who was Jonah running from? Pagans. Jonah was

so self -important to himself that he was like,

oh, I can't, like, yeah, I'm going to get on

this boat because I'm running from God and I'm

only going to use you guys as a tool with which

to run, but I don't even want to be near you.

You're unclean. You see that? In all aspects

of what Jonah is doing and what he, like what

he spouts, he says he believes, because he says

it, that he does believe in the God of heaven

and earth, right? He says he's a Hebrew. Like

all of these things that he espouses, he doesn't

actually believe. And so he shows it. The way

he occupies space, where he puts himself physically

in the boat. And so we use distance as a shield

just like Jonah. Jonah physically isolates himself

on the ship trying to escape the pagan sailors

and symbolically the mission that God had given

him. Avoidance becomes a strategy. We all do

that. We allow avoidance to become the strategy

to keep us from the mission of God. Jonah is

arrogant, he's self -righteous, and he's bigoted,

yet completely unaware of it all. Like many of

us, he's not self -reflective until confronted

by external pressure, casting lots. Okay, so

when I say what I'm about to say, just know Pastor

Logan is preaching to himself. My wife will tell

you, she's gonna shake her head, I know she is,

in agreement. Your pastor. is not very good at

knowing himself. I am the most, one of the most

emotionally unintelligent people in this room,

I can assure you. My wife will be like, what's

the matter with you? I'm like, what do you mean?

Something's wrong. No, I'm fine. No, something

is wrong because you're just kind of like angry

a little bit and... You're stressed about something.

I'm like, I'm totally fine. I'm totally good.

Two days later, after I've blown up and it's

like, I go, oh, hey, remember when I said nothing

was wrong the other day? Yeah, there was something

wrong. I just didn't realize it. And she's like,

yeah, I know. You just distract yourself all

the time with stuff. And so there's so many people

in the world, and I'm sure there are many people

in this room. We are not very self -reflective

to know who we are and what we're about. It's

very easy to say what you're about, but do you

really live out what you're about? Are you really

looking inside and going, ah, are there things,

am I avoiding God? Am I avoiding a specific person?

Am I avoiding my mission? Am I like, why am I,

why am I upset? Why am I? because we're not very

self -reflective. And it takes God getting in

the way and smacking you upside the face and

going, wake up. And for Jonah, it was casting

lots. Jonah's like, I'm going to act like Jonah

is so self -righteous and arrogant, he was willing

to die and let everyone else die around him than

say who he was and where he was from. And to

have God tell him, go back. Am I wrong? And so

God's like, okay, all right, well, I'm gonna

use their superstition to point you out and shine

a gigantic light on you to say, you're the problem.

And so there's some of you guys, and I said it

last week, and I'm pointing at myself. We can

be going, what's the issue? Why is my life the

way that it is? What is going on? Why is it always

kind of in chaos? Why is it that I'm always mad

at people? And then it's like, It's got to be

all the other people. Like, it's got to be my

job. It's got to be my coworker. It's got to

be my neighbor. It's definitely my spouse. And

then it's like, God's like, hey, you're the problem,

bud. You're the issue. And so we need to self

-reflect and go, where do I come from? What's

going on? What's the place? So Jonah declares,

I'm a Hebrew, this is where I come from, before

acknowledging I worship the God of heaven. His

ethnicity, his lineage and heritage take precedence

over obedience. Race and nationality in his mind

are more significant than his God -given calling.

And so he has excuse over obedience. Jonah's

attachment to his identity becomes an excuse

to flee God's mission. His sense of place where

he belongs culturally and physically is self

-serving, masking his lack of conviction and

deflecting responsibility. So I want to read

this quote to you. I think I have it here too.

This is a quote from a sermon from Charles Spurgeon.

Go ahead and let this punch you in the face like

it did me. Let them get home to their knees and

pray God to give them manliness enough, at least

to be damned honestly, and not to go down to

perdition wearing the name of Christian when

Christians, they are not. Do you guys get that?

You guys get what he's saying? We pull a Jonah.

We're Christian by name, by title only, because

our actions and who we are and what we're about

are completely different than what we say. And

so Charles Spurgeon says, hey, let them go home

and pray and pray that they would be manly enough

and honest enough to if they're going to go down

to hell, let them go down to hell understanding

that they were not a Christian. And they were

willing to admit that. That's a hard core Hardcore,

quote. And so ask yourself, do the places you

occupy, the groups you cling to, or the roles

you play dictate your actions more than God's

calling? True faith may require moving beyond

comfort, cultural norms, and personal privilege

to embrace God's mission. And so just as Jonah's

sense of place and heritage kept him from obedience,

we too let geography We let culture or our social

circles dictate our faithfulness. God calls us

to root our place in Him, not in the comforts

or labels put that surround us. Last one, the

last P word, perception. How your choices affect

your witness. Now, Dustin, if you would pull

up our verse of the week, please. I will bless

those who bless you. I will curse anyone who

treats you with contempt and What's that next

word it says and? All the people's on earth will

be blessed through you Oof Oof Jonah my brother

You missed that one bud is he being a blessing

to the sailors on the boat No, they're literally

about to die Because of his own disobedience

oh Man, I just got water all over myself. I promise

I didn't yeah, okay Our obedience or disobedience

doesn't just impact us. It shapes how others

see God, and whether we are a blessing or a curse

in the lives around us. Jonah's flight endangered

the sailors and misrepresented God, turning it

into a stumbling block rather than a witness.

by complete disobedience, He causes a storm that

almost kills men, and instead of being a blessing,

He is a curse to these men. So Genesis 12 .3

says that they are a blessing. God, if God blesses

them, He will bless others, and those they curse,

He will curse. and Abraham and the Hebrew people

were called to be a blessing to the nations.

It does not say just to Israelites, did it? It

said all peoples. Our faith is relational. It

affects the world around us. And so instead of

being a blessing, Jonah's avoidance and selfishness

put the sailors in danger. His disobedience created

turmoil and suffering, distorting the witness

of God he claimed to serve. I want to give you

guys, I'm going to give you guys a personal failure

time of me where I basically lived this out and

I lived it out in a way that was very public

and very personal and it still affects us today

as a family. I coached Micah in 9U travel baseball.

The name of our team is the ambassadors. We have

a cross on our sleeves. We are known as a Christian

team, even though not all the players or families

are on our team, we're Christians. And all of

our coaching staff and all of our parents knew

that I was a pastor. Okay? I tried very hard

to not take winning Like, we were bad, really

bad, okay? We only won two games out of 30. So

needless to say, I didn't get any calls to go,

you know, up to AAA or anything. And I didn't

we had a lot like we're playing nine you but

we had seven year olds on our team and like I

got thrown into coaching because I wasn't supposed

to and just it's a big mess, but I never took

losing personally never I never cared I wanted

kids to learn the fundamentals Okay, and my dad

was brutal to me growing up just really brutal

And so I was like I'm not gonna do that to my

son never gonna be that dad well, we go to a

tournament in Omaha and the the opposing coach

We have to come out and introduce ourselves and

whatever and do all the stuff that you do beforehand.

Talk about the rules, all that stuff. Well, the

guy was an absolute jerk. Massive jerk. The only

coach that I legitimately was like, after the

game, if he just happens to be in a dark alley

somewhere, he and I are gonna go at it. Because

I wanted the kids to have fun. This was a tournament.

But I was like, hey, do you mind if once you

bat through your lineup, if we don't have three

outs that we just change? And he said, no, this

is a tournament. We're not playing Little League.

I'm like, well, technically it is Little League,

but whatever. And so he was just a huge jerk

about it because it literally, I'm not joking,

guys. There was one tournament. It took us an

hour and a half to get three outs. An hour and

a half, and it's a two hour game. We were bad.

So I'm just like, hey man, all right, whatever.

So he was just a massive jerk. And so I'm like,

so I go back to our team and I'm like, boys,

I have never begged so hard for a win in my life.

But that dude over there needs to be kicked in

the teeth, fellas. So this is what we're gonna

do. Well, I wanted to win so bad. Here's my son.

By the way, I'm not saying this because he's

my son, but he's legitimately, he was the best

player on our team. And so. But I never tried

to put any pressure on him. Well, he gets a hit,

he's running, he gets to second base. Great,

we gotta double, we gotta run in, we're on the

board, all right? Well then, there's a pop -up,

and if anybody's ever played baseball, when there's

less than two outs and there's a pop -up, you

do not run, all right? My son knows this. What

does he do? He runs, because he, in his mind,

he's like... Dad wants to win. I'm scoring, baby.

He takes off. They catch the ball. They tag him

out. Three outs. I come unglued. Brothers and

sisters, I come unglued. I run out onto the field.

I grab him by the arm. I'm like, what is the

matter with you? There's less than two outs.

Are you kidding me? You know better than that.

He looks at me. And he never cries, ever. And

he just crumbles. And we've got fans from both

the opposing teams and everybody knows that I'm

a pastor. And I'm like, and here we got the cross

on our jerseys and I am livid. And he goes back

and I said, don't you cry, suck it up, get the

catcher's gear on and get out there. Dude, daddy

woke up mama bear. She comes storming into that

dugout. Listen, pastor, who do you think you

are? That's my son. And a reminder, that's your

son. We're going home. I said, it's only the

first sentence. She says, I don't care. You need

to get your crap together, sir. She snatches

my cup. She gets in all the rest of my kids,

all right? This was the look I got. I'm standing

in the dugout. As they make their way to the

vehicle, these are all the rest of my kids. And

in that moment, I'm like, oh my gosh. This has

been two years ago, people. I have not lived

this down. I have apologized to my son. I apologize

to the team. I apologize to the parents. still

wanted to kick that dude across the face that

was over on the other side. But I felt about

that big as I drove home by myself in the car

from Omaha back to Lincoln. And I'm like, and

still to this day, go up to Mike and be like,

who's the worst coach you've ever had? He'll

go, there's only really one. I've had some bad

ones, but there's one that tops the list. And

I share that story because of this. We wear the

cross. Everybody knows me as a pastor. We're

the ambassadors of the gospel. And here I am

acting a fool on a nine -year -old game that

I couldn't even tell you who won that tournament.

Couldn't tell you. We won two games the entire

year. Did that one game really matter? Nope.

But what is forever cemented in my kid's mind?

How I acted a fool and not like his dad. And

so Jonah is acting a fool, and I'm asking you,

when have you acted a fool? Many of us fail to

be a blessing in our spheres. Instead of a blessing

to my son, I was absolutely a failure to him.

Our family, our work, our neighborhoods, through

selfishness, negativity, or avoidance of responsibility,

Our attitude, our words, and our choices can

either point others to God or push them away.

Are your actions encouraging? Are they uplifting?

Are they pointing to God or are they creating

friction and confusion? Our lives are a living

testimony. Being faithful in small daily obedience

blesses others and honors God. Anybody can write

a thousand dollar check and one or a thousand

dollar tip to a waitress and feel good for a

moment. But it takes a lot, a lot of just dying

to self to be faithful every single day and just

small little obedience is. One momentary lapse

of fallenness can ruin your entire testimony.

Our perception is built on not on titles or intentions.

but on what others experienced through us. Jonah's

story warns us that failing to live rightly,

even in small ways can misrepresent God and hinder

his work through us. True faith flows outward

as a blessing, not friction. Men in the room.

I'm going to say this. If you did not get a book

from me, I will order more if you would like

one, but I passed out a book. Can I borrow? So

I passed out a book, and I'm going to get more.

But I passed out this book to the men in the

room, How to Exasperate Your Wife. And this book,

I just absolutely. loved, and one of the things

that it says in there, because you know you're

not supposed to exasperate your wife, that's

why it's a funny take, but there's a title of

one of the chapters on how to exasperate your

wife, and one of the things that Doug Wilson

says in it is, make sure to comment on her body

daily and tell her how she doesn't add up to

the other women in your life. Comment on her

cooking and how your mom's was better. Single

guys in the room, don't do those things. If you

want to go on living or to procreate, you will

not do those things. But the reason why I'm bringing

this up and what we just talked about, husbands,

you are crucial, crucial, crucial, crucial to

the spiritual lifeblood of your family. How you

treat your wife, how you treat your kids will

ultimately either make much of Jesus or it will

diminish him. It will rob him of his glory by

the way that you talk to her, the way that you

love her. After I read that book, I called Tracy

on the phone and I said, I'm sorry. She goes,

for what? I said, because one of the things he

talks about it in there is, though God has placed

you as the spiritual head of your home. You are

responsible, okay? But God has given your wife,

the ladies in this room, the dominion and authority

in your home. Not that she is placed over you,

she is to be the homemaker and you are to come

alongside and help. And if mama says, take your

shoes off at the door, Take your shoes off at

the door. Because if you don't, the sons and

the daughters that you have that are walking

behind, they won't either. And here's what I

had to apologize for. He says, when she makes

a meal and it's not something you really want

or it's leftovers, you weren't the one that made

it. She was. So you say thank you and you eat

it with a smile on your face and be thankful

that she made it for you. And it's not poisoned.

That would be the other part. And so, I'm handing

that out because men in this room, what we say

about what we believe and who we are, we can

either be disobedient Jonas, who see ourselves

as self -important and arrogant, or we can see

ourselves as servants of Christ who love our

spouse, who love our kids, and die daily to ourselves.

Because if we live that way, I promise you, the

world would be a lot better place. Let's pray.