A Sign to the nations

Jesus says in Luke 12 29-32 Jesus tells the people they are evil and seek for a sign. The only sign he says the people will get is the sign of Jonah. Looking at Jonah I see a rebellious prophet of the Lord running away from his duty and then while on the ship he is in the midst of a raging storm in life and what is he doing? Sleeping! Wow can this be a picture of the US? The pagans are rowing the boat and trying to stay alive they are fighting the evil storm coming against them and the servant of God is sleeping not praying. Dr. Richard Bennett in a message he preached a few years ago said, "You can't pray when your disobedient." A disobedient servants prayers are routine and smug and very self-centered. The men in the boat are asking why are we in this storm? It is easy for the follower of God to qwip, "Oh it's the pagan people, the pagan's are bringing the wrath of God." When in reality it is a disobediant servant of the Lord that is in the boat. Could the problems we are facing in reality be as a result or lack of our inactivity and disobedience?

Jesus Says look at the sign of Jonah. So when we look at the sign what happened? The Men didn't know what to do with Jonah..Jo said throw me overboard. The men said what are you talking about? You need some rest and take a sabbatical and we'll get you help. The world's solution is not God's solution and the storm got worse. If you seek the worlds answers to your problems chances are your storms will get worse. So they launch Jo over the bow. What happens to a servant of God reputation when they go overboard? The Rep goes with him. What about his stuff? It goes too. When we serve Christ we are not to be worried about what others will think we are to be obedient. That is what Jesus our real example did. The Bible says, "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: Phil 2:7. Jesus became lower than the angels to love a sinful humanity back to God. To the evil generation of Jesus day he pointed himself to identify with the prophet that went overboard and died to all that he represented.
The Sign over his life was I am a Hebrew and the list went on. He could tell them of all his accomplishments and yet when he went overboard that didn't matter. Jonah was a reputable prophet in the Bible 2Kings 14:25. They too lived under wicked leadership and political problems on every side. Yet it says in Kings v26 that no helper was found. In this evil time Jonah hears clearly to "Go to that great city of Nineveh and cry against it." A city more evil than his own. He wants God's wrath to fall on them. So Jonah get pickled in the belly of a Whale for his disobedience. Maybe your in a pickle and can's see a way out. What did Jonah do? He prayed. Not just any prayer but the words he used you can find every one in the Psalms. Psalm 120, 86, 42, 16, 18 all have the words Jonah used. He had the words in his head. But when he finally came to that place of surrender while in the storm; while in the sea; while in the belly of a stinky fish did the word of God finally get into his heart and he appropriated it for himself. It is easy to give others their medicine. It is easy to tell others what to do but for the majority of Christianity it is very hard to assimilate it for ourselves.

So Jesus points to Jonah to identify with as the sign to the evil generation. The sign is the 3 days an nights in the belly of the whale. That is what Jesus is known most for his death, burial, and resurrection. The sign was death to the flesh life. I look at Jonah and wonder what kind of sign am I to this generation? Am I dead to the world? Am I dead to my reputation (as if I have one)? Am I letting go of my possessions as I go overboard for Jesus? There are many signs that we look at each day some serious some funny some warn, some inform. What sign are you? I don't mean your astrological sign either. The sign Jesus identifies with is a man though he was disobedient went overboard for God and got the word of God into his heart and then obeyed. Can Jesus Identify with my signage? Hmm, I must admit I need to be thrown overboard.