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Welcome to the Southside Church Podcast. Weekly content that inspires all of us to follow Jesus. Join us each week for a message from one of our fantastic communicators that provide practical ways to grow our faith, challenge ourselves, and to love others more. And now, this week's message.

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Running carries a price. Carries a price. And there are often things in our lives that we know that we should do, we could consider doing. We believe that it's the right thing to do, but for whatever reason or not, we don't do it. There are several things in our lives that fit into this category, and let's start with this one. Um, the dentist. I mean, really, it's the most invasive place ever. Who wants to go sit with their mouths open for an hour and have them use tools from the 60s? Like who who wants to do that? Except for when you've eaten too much popcorn, it feels good to get those kernels out. Um, what about this one? Going to the doctor. Right? We know we should do it, but we kind of wait to do it, we procrastinate, we hold it off, we run from doing it because well, because we're not sure what the results will be. And often, if we're honest, we'll try to get in the best shape of our lives before we go to the doctor so that so that they don't tell us some things that we don't want to hear. What about this one? Folding laundry or doing laundry. I beg to, I beg to I beg to offer or I beg to say that um for many of us, it's not the washing and the drying, it's the folding them. I could I could say uh well, okay, here we go. I was gonna ask everyone to raise their hands, but by their response, I know that some of us have unfolded clothes in laundry baskets right now in our closet. Yeah, me too. Um this one speaks for itself. Right, I mean, right? Even with a dishwasher, some of us, right? The last one, creating a budget. It would just be easy for us to just know that we have money in our accounts and not have to tell it where to go and make a plan for it. Right, we could just spend it and then all of a sudden it's more that just pops up. That would be awesome. But here's the thing: because we don't want to do either of these things, sometimes we procrastinate or we simply turn and run. As I said at the beginning of our conversation, running, it carries a price. Running carries a price. We can run from the dentists, we can run from the doctors, we can run from creating a budget, we can run from doing laundry, we can run from washing dishes. But that doesn't mean those things will go away. We can run from the doctor, we can run from the distance, we can run from the heart conversation, but the heart conversation is still there. The heart conversation doesn't go away. Today, and over the next few weeks, we're going to have a conversation about a guy named Jonah. And here's what we think when we when we hear the word Jonah. We think of the story, Jonah, we think of this. But here's what the story of Jonah is it's a mirror. It's a mirror for us, and more importantly, it expresses and explains and shows us God's character. It also it also tells us what it's like when our plans collide with God's call. And here's what the story isn't. Or the better, better way to say this, the fish is not the point. So, over the next couple of weeks, don't get so distracted about the fish. The big whale. Don't get distracted by it. I know you're gonna want to, you're gonna want to go. Okay, wait a minute. Did Jonah and the whale, what is it 100% true? Is it legit? Here's what I need you to know the morals, the principles, the values that we can gain, and the wisdom that we can gain from this story, now that's 100% true. So the question we're aren't we we aren't gonna answer today is did this really happen? It's not the question we're gonna answer over the next couple of weeks. But rather, what does this story mean? Because essentially that's the point. That's what's really important. And there's a little bit of Jonah in each and every one of us. And I'm gonna tell us how in Jonah 1. So let's go. I'm gonna introduce Jonah really quick for you. Jonah, um, if we were to take a look throughout the Old Testament scripture, we'd find what we consider the heroes of our faith. People like David, like Abraham, like Isaac, like we'd find David, we'd find Esther, we'd find Ruth, all of them we'd consider heroes of our faith. And if we were to go down Hebrews 11, they'd list a ton of those heroes. But Jonah isn't one of them. Jonah wasn't a hero. In fact, Jonah, he's a prophet. And a prophet was taxed with hearing from God and speaking for God. But what Jonah does, it leads him down the wrong direction. So we're gonna pick up in Jonah 1, and if you've got your Bibles, I'd love for you to bring them out. If you've got your phones, you can read it along with me. If you've got neither of those, it'll be right here on both screens. Okay, so let's go. Jonah 1, the word of the Lord came to Jonah, son of Amateh, go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me. But Jonah, Jonah went away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Jobah, where he found a ship bound for that port. And after paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. Now let me just give you a little bit of geographical context here. Um there's an Nineveh, there's Jobah, and there's Tarshish. So he decided that he would, he wanted to run from being obedient to God's call. He would instead of going here, he goes here, and he wants to travel all the way to Tarshish. Now, now, before we throw shade and boo Jonah, right, for being disobedient, let uh there's a little bit of Jonah in each and every one of us. And here's how I know this to be true. How many times have you ran from God? How many times have you found yourself running from God? Let's go back to those examples. Um, going to the dentist, going to the doctor, um folding clothes or doing laundry, all those things. Those may not be unbiblical, right? But but what about choosing not to forgive? What about choosing not to reconcile? What about choosing the habit that no one knows is a habit because it's something that you do in secret and in quiet when no one's looking? What about choosing to harbor anger? What about choosing not to have the conversation that you know is the right conversation and it's the right time to have the conversation, but you choose not to have it. And here's what I need each and every one of us to know that there is an opportunity for each and every one of us to run. I mean, really think about it. There's a Tarshish for each and every one of us, something that seems easy for us to do. It seems like a way out, a way for us not to do the thing that we have been called to do. The thing that we know is right, the thing that is considered obedience. Let's go back to Jonah. So, Jonah, he boards this boat and he's headed in the opposite direction of God's calling. But here's the beauty of God is that God just doesn't let him go. And here's where this story gets even more interesting. And as we said earlier, I need you to remember this. Running from God always, always has a price tag. And I want you to consider some ways in which you've been running from God. Over the rest of our conversation and over the next couple of weeks, I want you to consider, okay, where have I been running from God? Where have I made an excuse that I'm too old to do the thing that I'm taxed with doing? Where have I made an excuse where this just doesn't feel comfortable, where I've allowed comfortability to get in the way of me being obedient? So let's pick up in verse 4. Then the Lord sent a great land on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own God. And then they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. Now I think this is important. While we were reading this, uh I beg to assume that many of you sort of stopped at this verse, the beginning of this verse. Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea. And you started to think, okay, wait a minute, wait a minute. So does God create all the storms we experience? I think this deserves a little bit more time. Let's spend a little bit more time here for just a moment. Obviously, this happens. Storms happen in our life, but this is a deeper conversation. And there are four types of storms. All right, here's number one storms of a broken world. We see it in Genesis, um the sin that caused the separation between God and all of the other things that came along with that. We see it in Romans 8, Luke 13, John 9. The world is fallen. Part things happen with no hidden verdict attached. Okay, storms of consequence.

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Our own reaping, some of the things that we do. We see this in Galatians 6. Or being caught in someone else's wake. We'll talk about this a little bit more later. Um, the sailors are experiencing this exact type of storm in Jonah's story. All right, storms of testing or opposition. We see this in Job. If you haven't had a chance to read the book of Job, even if you're not a follower of Jesus, I want to, I just want to recommend that you take a moment over the summer to read the book of Job. But we see this in Job and we see this in Mark 4 with the disciples. And the last one: storms, God sends. Discipline or pursuit is one of the reasons sometimes God sends these storms. We see this in Jonah, and we see this in Hebrews 12. And I think it's really important for us to know that these storms that God sends, they're redemptive. They're often used for discipline, or they're often, there's a clear, clear sign of disobedience. And so God doesn't use these storms necessarily to just hurt us, no, to break us, no, to bend us, no. He uses so these storms to get our attention. I need you to imagine that God, I need you to imagine, and I really need you to know this, that when God sends these types of storms to us, they're for us. They're meant to form us and shape us into becoming more like Jesus. And the story of Jonah is built on this type of storm. Storm that God sends. Now let's go back to Jonah. Jonah's is on this ship. He's boarded the ship, and the whole ship is in crisis. The sailors are trying to figure out what to do. They are so terrified right now because this violent storm, as you can imagine, is probably rocking the boat left and right, and they're probably yelling all kinds of words that we probably wouldn't say here in church this morning. They are probably terrified and upset. I mean, just some of us, when people run a stop sign, we say some things that are, woo, right? But but you know, um, the whole ship is in crisis. And they're trying to figure out, okay, what to do. And here's what Jonah's doing. Jonah's in the lower deck, and he's sleeping. He's oblivious to what's happening around him, what's happening on the ship. He is sleeping. Now remember when I started our conversation simply by saying that this story has significant meaning for our lives. Well, Jonah is sleeping is an example of us. Of us being unaware of the impact of our decisions. Us being aware of what's really going on when we decide to be disobedient or we decide to not do the thing that we know that God is asking us to do when we decide not to do the right next thing. He doesn't even know what's going on. He's asleep, he's unconscious to it. He's unaware of the impact of his decisions. And here's the thing: the cost of disobedience is often paid by more people than just the one who made the choice. There is a ripple effect to all of our decisions. Every single one of them, whether we like to admit it or not, there is a ripple effect, and it doesn't just affect you. Your decision alone just doesn't affect you. That ripple effect, it goes out to the people that you love most, the people that you care about, your friends, your family members, your coworkers. It goes, it goes beyond just your immediate decision. It goes to your kids, and more importantly, it also goes to your future. It affects every single area of your lives and even the people, and here's the thing: the people that you don't know. I mean, just think about it. Jonah doesn't necessarily know these sailors. He doesn't know what's what's happening, he doesn't know them. They're not friends. As a matter of fact, they're pagan outsiders. He would not have been caught next to them at all. But while he's downstairs, down in the lower deck, and he's just sleeping, they are losing it. And they're praying to every single God possible to figure out how can we get this storm to come. So they decide to go down to Jonah and say, hey Jonah, like who are you? Because before, if they looked at the weather reports, they probably didn't have those back then, but they didn't expect the storm to come. They were probably doing what they normally would do. So they go down and talk to Jonah and they say, hey Jonah, who are you? What have you done? And Jonah finally wakes up. And he tells them every single thing. And then, y'all, he offers something that is, well, that is extremely strange, if I may say so myself. This is what he says. He goes, hey, pick me up and throw me into the sea. He replied, and it, the sea, right, it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you. This is really important because this is the first time Jonah finally owns it. I mean, God had given him clear instructions, and instead of being obedient, he decides to try and find a way to run away from what he was called to do. And I need you to understand why this is so significant, because he's going into, he was called to go into Nineveh, which is an Assyrian empire. I mean, they are the most violent in the ancient world. I mean, I'm gonna give you context just a little bit. The 12 tribes, there are 12 tribes that make up Israel at this time. Israel, the the chosen people that God uh wanted to reflect his image to the world around him. They killed 10 of those tribes. So rightfully so, he doesn't want to go there. He doesn't want to be obedient. He would rather be thrown into the water than to obey God. But here in this moment, he finally owns it. He goes, hey, it's my fault. I did it, I'm the reason why this is happening. But that's just the minimum. That's the beginning of everything getting better. And here's what I need you to know is that what goes acknowledged goes unchanged. So the habit that no one knows about, that you know you want to change it, that you've been instructed to change, goes unchanged until you acknowledge it. The anger that you've been harboring, it goes unchanged until you acknowledge it. The unforgiveness that you've been harboring, it goes unchanged until you acknowledge it. And here's the thing. God will allow you to run. But he will chase you. And he may even create a storm to get your attention. I mean, because think about it, Jonah says, it's my fault, I'm the reason why this is happening. But stating it and still wanting to be thrown in the sea shows us that Jonah was willing to die than to be obedient. And here's what's important for each and every one of us to know. And I need to get your attention because I'm going to be honest, this is something I struggle with too. Um, can I get your eyes for a second? Jonah being willing to die than obey God demonstrates to us how far our stubborn hearts will take us. But again, the beauty of God's unconditional love, the beauty of God's grace and mercy, the beauty of God's character is that God will allow you to run. Well, He'll chase you. And He'll even create a moment to get your attention. He'll create a storm to get your attention. So let's go back to Jonah's story for just a moment. I know for many of us, we can think that, well, well, maybe, yes, God will run to chase us, but maybe we've done too much in our past. Maybe we've had too many mistakes. Maybe we've had too much failure. Maybe there's too much damage around us. There's a wreck that has caused so much pain for so many people that we are so far gone from ever experiencing God's unconditional love again. And if that's you, I want to say, I'm so glad you're here. And I want you to lean into the rest of this story. Because Jonah. Jonah wants to be thrown into the sea. The sailors are trying to do everything but that. And then they end up running out of options. So they they toss Jonah into the sea. And immediately the storm calms. And these pagan outsiders, guess what they do next? They start worshiping God. And the pagan outsiders, they worshiped every God because they had a God for every single thing. But but these guys, they they start to worship the one true God. And I think that's a great testament and example of God's unconditional love for us and his ability to use our wreckage and our damage to do something amazing in the lives of people who we deem impossible to love. Or we deem that God is ignoring them. No, he does something amazing through them. And this is the God. That we see here. A God who can take our worst moments, a God who can take our failures, a God who can take our disappointments and do something beautiful and amazing with them. And often in spite of us. I love how Max Lakato says this. He says, God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus. And just like Jonah, we play a role in this. For many of us, there is something that we've been running from. That has been keeping us from being obedient to God and becoming more like Jesus. And again, I need you to know what goes unacknowledged will go unchanged. So here's what I need you to do. I need you to name it. Name the thing that has been getting in the way of you being obedient to God. Now maybe for you, it's not going to another city and being a prophet and telling them to repent and turn from their wicked ways. No, maybe that's not for you, but maybe is it a conversation that you need to have? I need you to identify. Identify what you've been running from. I want you to write it down. Take time this week or later today. Write down the thing that you've been running from. If you don't know, uh if you don't know what it is or you can't quite figure it out just yet, um, I want you to pray earnestly about it. And for those of you who are new to faith or new to church, prayer is just one of the ways that we can communicate to God. And here's a question for you to process. What is the one thing I keep putting off that I know God keeps bringing back? And for some, it may be a conversation. For some, it may be a step of simple obedience, sending a text. For some, it may be a habit. For some, it may be asking for help after you name it. And after you name it, I need you to check your boat. Because again, the ribble effect of our lack of obedience, the ribble effect of our decisions, has the ability to cause damage and hurt and pain to the people in our boat, the people in our circles, the people in our family, our marriages, our kids, our friendships. So the question for you is after you name it, check your boat. Who is affected by the thing you've been running from? Is it your spouse? Is it your son? Is it your daughter? Is it your parent? Who is it? Who's caught in the wake of it? I want you to name them. And then I want you to do something that Jonah did. Well, Jonah said, it's my fault. I want you to tell someone. I think for many of us, it is easy for us to consider doing life by ourselves. So when we have moments where we need to confide in someone, well, who do we turn to? I want you to find that one person and I want you to tell them. Tell them the thing that you've been running from. Say it out loud. Tell them. And then lastly, I want you to take one step. Now, maybe for you, it's not jumping on a boat and headed to Tarshish. Maybe that's not what you need to do. And maybe it's not a full turn in a different direction. Maybe it's just a step. What's your one step? Is your one step a conversation? Is your one step deciding that, hey, today is the day that I am going to consider following Jesus? Is your one step getting in community? Finding one person to have coffee or lunch with? Is your one step deciding that every single day at five o'clock in the morning or 12 in the afternoon that you're going to open up a passage of scripture and you're going to read it? Or maybe your one step is just saying out loud, I relinquish control. What's your one step? So I want you to name it. Then check your boat. Tell someone about it, and take one step. And I want you to respond to God as if he's already turned the boat in your direction. As if he's already turned the boat around to come and get you. Because remember, if you continue to run, it's going to cost you. You'll pay a price. And here's where we're going to land today. Because at the beginning of our story, here's what we learn. Running from God costs more than obeying God ever would. And I want you to think about some of the things in your life where you know that it should have been you making a decision to be obedient. And often we can spend so much time running and running and running and running from God that we're burning more energy than actually being obedient would. Because the goal, y'all, the goal of the disruption is never destruction. It's always return. So the storm that God sends your way is it's never, it's never destruction. But it's always return. Return to his arms. Return to his unconditional love for you. And let's be honest. Some of you are in a storm right now. Hear this. God may be pursuing you. He may be pursuing you in it. The God who loves you is disrupting your detour and asking you just to turn around. I'm not done with you yet. The God who loves you. God who knows you. Disrupting what's comfortable for you. Turn around. I'm not done with you yet. Now here's the thing. The fish is coming next week. But before the fish, there's the storm. There's the storm. So I'm gonna ask you. For those of you who've been following Jesus for some time now, what storm happened in your life? And what was your response to that storm? Because maybe you remembering that can help the person who's new to faith, who's new to following Jesus, navigate their storm. So if you're new to faith, if you're new to following Jesus, and if you're in a storm today, I want to encourage you to find someone who can help you navigate the storm that you're in. Because sometimes the storm is the most merciful thing that God can do. I'd love to pray for us. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, um You know the storms that people are navigating right now? Um the things that's holding their attention? You know the things that they are distracted by. You know all the habits that they're a part of, the habits that have been keeping their attention from being on you. I'm praying that today, in some way, we'll help them navigate the storm. I'm praying that they would find the courage to tell someone about it, to name the thing, to really name it. And to consider checking their boat. Because our decision, they do so much more damage to the people around us than we could ever know, the people that we've forgotten about or the people that we don't even know yet. So, God, I pray that we would, that we would make the decision to simply be obedient to your call, to slow down enough during the week to hear your voice, and to get an understanding of what you're asking us to do. And be okay not knowing the why. But making the decision to trust in you. So let us this week do life a little bit differently. To take one small step in your direction. Because you're chasing us, you're constantly running after us with our open arms waiting to receive us, waiting for us to turn around and jump into your arms. So let that be our heart's posture this week. You're good, good Father. And we love you so much. It is in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.