This sermon emphasizes the importance of surrendering to God, focusing on the story of Jonah in the Old Testament. It highlights the need for surrendered saints in a time of spiritual dryness, urging believers to yield to God's will and speak His truth with courage and love. The message calls for a return to mercy, a readiness to stand for Christ in a perishing world, and a deep reliance on God's grace and power to impact lives for His glory.

Praise God. If you'll go in the Old Testament please to the book of Jonah chapter 2. That book is about six books from Ezekiel, go forward or eight back from Matthew and find the book of Jonah chapter 2. Oh Jesus, oh God, I ask for an anointing from heaven. Lord you have to come and you've got to take me much deeper than I can go. You've got to give me grace, you've got to help me understand and grant to me the power to live what you've put in my heart to speak. The hour is late Lord and I pray God Almighty that your word find its course into every heart. The Holy Spirit I'm asking you to anoint this word because if you don't it will have no effect. You've got to come with an anointing power and you've got to make this word live. I ask you for it in Jesus name. Amen. I'm going to speak this morning about surrendered saints on dry land. The greatest need of our hour believe it or not is for surrendered saints on dry land and you'll understand this when we get to the end of this message. Jonah chapter 2. Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly and said I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord and he heard me out of the belly of hell cried I and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep in the midst of the seas and the floods compassed me about and all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said I'm cast out of thy sight yet will I look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about even to the soul the depth closed me round about the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains the earth with her bars was about me forever yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption O Lord my God. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord and my prayer came in unto thee in thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy but I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving I will pay that which I have vowed salvation is of the Lord. And the Lord speak unto the fish and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. Now Jonah is a type I'm going to be preaching about the life of Jonah in type. Now when I say type it's it's a shadow play of something else that the Holy Spirit wants to speak into our generation. He wants to speak it into your life. If we strictly always look at the scripture from a historical context we don't learn from it. For the Bible clearly says in Timothy that all the scripture is inspired by God is profitable for doctrine for reproof for instruction and righteousness. And so if we are able to see the scripture in that light this morning it will help us to grow in the grace that God wants us to grow in. Now Jonah is the type of a man who doesn't want the relationship with both God and with man to which he was called. Folks you can't have one without the other as a Christian. A relationship with God will ultimately reflect itself in your and my interpersonal dealings with men and women and children of our generation. And so Jonah not wanting this relationship took what he thought to be an easier journey. A journey as far away as possible from that which he was called to by God himself. Verse 1 says in chapter 1 the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying arise go to Nineveh. Let's say New York instead of Nineveh. Arise go to New York that great city and cry against it for their wickedness has come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord and went down to Joppa and he found a ship going to Tarshish so he paid the fare and went down into it to go with them on to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Now he joined a group of people that are going in the opposite direction to what God has been speaking and where God is calling him. The scripture says he paid the fare. Folks there's always a price when we're unwilling to follow the plan of God for our lives. Pay a price and sometimes it seems to be an easier journey and I fear for this generation because I feel that much of what is called to be the testimony of Christ has paid the fare as it is and has taken a much easier journey than the place that God has truly called us to. There's always a price. Listen to what the Prophet Zechariah says in chapter 11 verse 17. He says woe to the idle shepherd that leaves the flock. The sword shall be upon his arm and upon his right eye. His arm shall be up clean dried up and his right eye shall be utterly darkened. Now here's the price. The price is a loss of strength and a loss of vision. Folks if you understand that strength and vision that comes from God only comes when we're in the will of God and when we're obeying God then the opposite happens when we're moving in the wrong direction. There's a loss of strength, the spiritual strength begins to dry up and a loss of spiritual vision. A clear lack of discernment, a clear lack of understanding of not only the time we're living in but personal direction where we're to go. And in this condition says in verse 5, well verse 4 tells us a storm entered and so violent that people began to be afraid that what they had trusted in on their journey was was breaking up. Is it possible folks, I'll throw it out just as a question, is it possible we're witnessing this again today in our world? Is it is it possible that things that we've come to trust in I'm talking about as a society at large is starting to break up and fear is coming to the hearts of men and women again just as the scripture says it would when societies turn away from God and when this world begins to mount its last and incredible rebellion against the truth of God. The scripture says the mariners were afraid verse 5 and cried every man to his God and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea to lighten it of them. Now there's this incredible storm going on above Jonah's head really because he'd gone down that the Bible tells us into the belly of the ship and really he was only concerned about his own comfort. It's it's the type of a Christian who comes to God and has a very clear definitive call and a specific purpose that God has for that person's life but instead of yielding to that purpose they go down into the the belly of the ship as it is and everything is going on above their head but they're not aware of it. Society can be in all kinds of peril but as long as they're personally comfortable they really don't care. Talks about this in one of the Old Testament prophets it talks about a religion that lays on beds of ivory anoints itself with the chiefest of ointments consumes the finest of wines and sings to musical instruments and has no concern whatsoever for the affliction of Joseph has no concern for the his brother or her brother that is in all kinds of trouble and turmoil that has put this out of his mind. The prophet says this type of religion will be the first that goes into captivity. Jonah verse 5 says was gone down into the sides of the ship and he lay and was fast asleep. Now he's Jonah's in a sleepy form of religion he's in which he became both largely unaware and unconcerned about the hour in which he was living he's not aware of it folks and the scripture clearly says there's going to be an attitude in the last days it says well where's the promise of his coming anyway all things carry on just as they always are there's always been prophets or so called that are raised up that say we're living in the last hour and some of them were a hundred years ago we're still here all things are carrying on just the way they are he's fast asleep he's largely unconcerned about this storm this storm that is breaking up this vessel that he's chosen to travel on. A call to prayer comes in verse 6 it says the ship master came to him and says what means thou o sleeper arise and call upon thy God if so be that God will think upon us that we perish not. Now he's called to prayer and folks there's a call to prayer in the nation today there's there's a call to prayer I don't care if it's on that if it's being advertised on the internet or there's a call in an inward call and everybody knows who's called by the name of Christ that this is a time that we should be praying we should be seeking God like never before but there's no evidence at this point in his life he could respond to this call he could probably pass it on to the next guy but himself he couldn't respond to it and I'll tell you why he couldn't respond to it because the moment he would begin to pray he'd go right back to verse 1 in chapter 1 where the Lord came to him and said this is what I'm calling you to do he's not willing to do what God's called him to do so therefore he can't pray that's why many people can't pray they'll go to prayer meetings and they'll get on their knees and it'll look holy they'll put their face down in their chair and watch their watch and hope for the whole thing to be over shortly they can't truly go into the heart of God because when they go into the heart of God there's a call that's on their life there's something that God is asking them to do something that they are being called by the Holy Spirit to speak and they're unwilling to do it and therefore they can't pray and folks I do believe that is the root of prayerlessness in our nation today there's if truly the people of God begin to pray in this generation the church would be transformed almost overnight men and women would be coming out of places all over called the house of God and they would be going into the marketplace and they would be doing the very thing that God calls them to do they'd be living in the manner that God's calling them to live and I do believe there'd be a great effect happen on our society today Jonah might have been the only one on board this particular vessel that truly knew the Lord think about your workplace think about your apartment building think about the floor you live on think about your street you might be it's possible the only one who truly knows God but he was living in such a self-induced and self-seeking slumber that only divine intervention could rouse him God knew he had a man in that ship but how does he get a hold of him what does the Holy Spirit have to do to wake this man up how does God do this folks we're living in a time when I fully believe if I'm hearing anything from God God is going to wake his church up in America one more time he's going to rouse his church there are many many people are living in this kind of a condition they've chosen an easy route they put away the hard parts of the Word of God and they've gravitated to the promises and they're walking and in this slumber they're beneath all of the storms and as long as I'm comfortable as long as I'm happy let everything break apart all around me let people cast all of their concerns and cares into the sea as long as everything for me is comfortable and he couldn't be roused but God is about to rouse this man and he's about to rouse the church in our time now you ask me how is it going to happen is it going to come in a dream is it going to be just a momentary quickening it's possible God can do these things but if we learn anything from Scripture we see something of the pattern of God in this story verses 7 to 10 it's incredible what happened in this particular story is that the Lord gave a form of spiritual awakening it's not a true spiritual awakening but it's a form of an awakening to the people around to the lost that were on the same journey they became aware that because of this man Jonah's light-seeking and following of God because of this their world was now falling apart and they said everyone to his fellow verse 7 come let us cast lots that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us so they cast lots and the lot fell upon Jonah society is quickly coming to a point where they're going to say where why is this trouble upon us and of course everybody's always looking for somebody to blame they said to him tell us we pray they for for cause this evil is upon us now that all of a sudden the whole ship turns to this man who's just been sleeping down in the bottom of it he's not been part of trying to take it out of the storm he's not doing anything much but just taking a journey but all of a sudden sovereignly the whole of that society on that ship is focused on him and they begin to ask him some questions what is your occupation where are you coming from what is your country and to what people do you belong amazing all of a sudden they're looking at this man and they have a sense in their heart there's something about him that is causing or allowing this storm to go on a bait and he said to them I'm a Hebrew and I fear the Lord which is not exactly quite true if he truly feared God he would not be on this ship if he feared God he'd be in Nineveh where he was called to go I fear the God of heaven which made sea and the dry land the only thing he forgot his man which made man to as well and he's not very concerned about this then the scripture says the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him why have you done this for the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord because he told them and there's something in the heart of men looking at churches on every corner that is going to wake up and say why have you not told us about this day why have you not told us if you know God where is God explain God to us why have you been running from God what is the word of the Lord we're in the midst our whole everything we trusted in is spilling over and unraveling now now where's the word that you're supposed to have if you really do belong to God tell us what does the future hold where are we going 9-11 was a class a textbook example of this when there was a flood of people after the towers were attacked coming into churches all over the country only to find there was no word there there was no explanation there and statistically some have said that after 9-11 there are less people attended the church there was less confidence in the church than before the towers were attacked they came in and they began to look for answers but they ran into this casual social gospel that has nothing from God has no word for troubled times because it doesn't really seek God doesn't really want to walk in the ways of God oh but the men said nevertheless and they said to him they said what do we have to do that the sea might be calm to us and he said to them take me up and throw me into the sea and the sea shall be calm in other words you you've got to get rid of this soft religion if you want stability you got to throw soft seeking of God overboard because that's really what Jonah was that's what he represented and I bring a word today to this whole country if you want to get through in the coming days you've got to throw this soft seeking self-serving religion overboard you've got to get rid of it got to get rid of all of it got to throw it oh but you see men so loved their soft religion verse 13 says nevertheless the men rode hard to bring it to land but they could not for the sea wrought and was tempestuous against them oh they don't want to let it go nobody wants to let their soft religion go you can really grow to love soft religion down in the belly of the ship rocking back and forth to sleep while everyone above your head is perishing and terrified men can grow to deeply love their soft religion and they try everything they can to bring this problem about to a resolution but they couldn't and finally nothing is left to them but to take this concept of God as it is and throw it overboard take this off seeking it throw it over the rail and the scripture says so they took up Jonah they cast him into the sea and the sea ceased from her raging then verse 16 the men feared the Lord exceedingly and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord and and made vows Oh folks there's a day coming Isaiah said it this way they're going to go into the holes of the rocks and the cage of the earth for the fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty when he arises to shake terribly the earth verse 20 says in that day a man will cast his idols of silver in his idols of gold which they have made from himself to worship to the moles and to the bats there's a day coming folks when soft self-seeking religion is going to be thrown away in its entirety thanks be to God and only that which is Christ is going to remain Hebrews 12 26 as God says yet once more I shake not the earth only but also heaven verse 27 and this word yet once more signifying the removing of those things that are shaken as of things that are made that means man-made that those things which cannot be shaken may remain beloved everyone that professes to be of Christ is going to be severely tried in the last days you are going to be tried I am going to be tried Mordecai came to Esther when there was difficulty in the land in the book of Ruth and he said don't think for a moment that you're going to escape because you live right now in a place of safety don't think you're going to escape folks there's trouble coming to the whole world and so you don't have to be a prophet just read the newspaper now you don't have to know even know this book the book makes it very clear that we're living in the last days and the last days are going to bring all kinds of trouble into the earth a shaking is coming it's even begun that only that which cannot be shaken might remain the only thing that cannot be shaken is that which is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ the coming trials are going to be so deep that only that which truly finds its life source in Jesus Christ will have the ability to live and to speak for God it's going to be a hard day folks you don't have any idea how I fight to get up and preach this I would I would love to go into some book of the Bible and just get up and talk about when Paul and Silas sang in the prisons shook but I've got to obey God I've got to stand in this pulpit and speak what the Holy Spirit is speaking if I don't warn you if I don't stand here as your pastor and make a certain sound how will you prepare yourself for the coming days how will you be made ready for the battle and thanks be to God I believe everyone who attends this church and many others like this church you will not have to stand in the last days and run back to this house and say pastor why didn't you tell us why didn't you warn us about the days that were coming our way why didn't you you prepare us to be strong why didn't you wake us up out of spiritual slumber and move our hearts to seek God again while he still might be found the Lord prepared a trial for Jonah we would say now what happens to the people now what happens to the prodigal son as it is who's taken the gifting of God and gone far away from the heart of his father what happens to this Jonah that men throw overboard nice I see a time coming when society is going to throw overboard it's already happening now much of the professing Church of Jesus Christ you see the judgment is already beginning and it's going to be thrown overboard by the masses of society is that going to be the end of these people is there no mercy for them I Jonah had Jonah move beyond mercy in verse 17 of chapter 1 the scripture says now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights now you see Jesus said in Matthew chapter 16 in verse 4 there will be no sign given to a wicked and adulterous generation but the sign of the Prophet Jonas now what this scripture tells me is that God brought this man into a type of the suffering of Christ but he doesn't leave us there he is the one who purifies his church he is the one who calls that which is called by his name other places where we shouldn't be thinking things we shouldn't think living in a manner we shouldn't be living and whenever the voice of God is calling he calls us in mercy thanks be to God he took Jonah out and brought him in as it is to a type of the sufferings of Christ where Christ was three days in a grave going down as it is into the lower parts of the earth but at the end of three days he lived again as Christ has lived again Jonah lived again and I do see many people in our time coming back in the power of Christ I see people have walked far far away from God and they're not living in the manner they should they're not seeking God they're not walking in obedience to God and they have embraced some soft form of religion and yes the world and society in general will write it off in the coming trials as irrelevant but I see many of these men and women coming back as the prodigal son did down the road again they're coming back they've gone into trial and in this trial they found something of the life of Christ Jesus says I will live again and those who follow me will enter into the miraculous power of my resurrection life because it's the only life that can sustain men in times of crisis there's nothing else that cannot be shaken apart from the life of Christ and you don't find this life apart from sometimes having to go into the trials of Christ whereas the Apostle Paul you and I say I am I have a sentence of death in myself I can't get myself out of this trial I thought I could breeze through this life and into the kingdom of God but all of a sudden I'm finding myself in a crisis that's so deep that nothing but the power of God can get me out of it and Jonah found himself in this difficult time in chapter 2 verse 6 he says I went down to the bottom of the mountains the earth with their bars was about me and but yet thou's brought up my life from corruption oh Lord my God I went down to the bottom and some of you here this morning you are on your way to the bottom right now and you know it you're you're if you're wise you're throwing the soft seeking heart overboard yourself not waiting for somebody else to do it the most intelligent move you can make today if you don't have a relationship with God that causes you to say Lord what will you have me to do you should throw that heart overboard let it go down to the bottom where it belongs in this position he says my soul fainted within me verse 7 I remembered the Lord and my prayer came into thee into thine holy temple this is where Jonah began to finally pray I began to pray and folks if you're in a crisis that's causing you to pray this morning you're in a good place you might think you're in a bad place but ironically you're in a good place because if God has allowed something into your life that's causing you to begin to cry out to him like never before you should be thanking him with all of your heart you should be saying God thank you that you're not letting my heart remain complacent in the crisis times in which we're living in today thank you mighty God that you are the one who is guiding me to a place where my life will be used for your glory verse 8 Jonah says they that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy lying vanities 2nd Kings 17 15 talks about Israel when they backslid against God it says they followed vanity and they went after the heathen that were round about them they that observed these things they that attempt to be part of the journey of a society that is perishing they that joined the rebellion against the love of God they that move away from following the will of Christ forsake their own mercy now this is a revelation Jonah says God you've got mercy for me you have had nothing but mercy for me from the beginning if I'd only followed you when you'd called me I would have known your mercy and your mercy would have flowed through my life and other people would have been brought into this mercy of God and in chapter 2 verse 9 he says I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving I will pay that that I have vowed salvation is of the Lord in other words it is God's choice it is his path alone it's his right to save whomever whenever and however he chooses salvation is of the Lord we do not choose our own salvation we do not make our own salvation we do not chart our own salvation salvation is of the Lord beloved when you and I were called of Christ and when our minds and hearts open to his mercy the scripture says he bought us with a price he paid for us with his own blood therefore we are called to glorify God with our mind a heart our body everything in us is called to bring glory to his name we are not called to live our own way anymore we are called to walk with the Savior we're called to speak what he calls us to speak we're called to stand in the strength of God where he calls us to stand salvation is of the Lord we're living in a generation where men have tried to create another salvation in order to do so they've created another Christ who never challenges sin does not talk about the cross does not call people to obey his will offers no punishment for wrongdoing created a completely different Christ that allows men to fall asleep in the midst of the storms that are brewing all around us but my God is calling his church in these times to awaken again to the righteousness of Christ the power of Christ the life of Christ the glory of Christ that we might stand in this generation as Paul stood on the deck of a perishing ship with a word of God in our mouth and our feet planted firmly when everyone else is walking in terror we know who we are we know where we're going Jonas says my life is his and his mercy will save me and keep me and so too I will let this expression of mercy flow through my life to others folks it's only in trial that you discover mercy it's only in failure that you fully begin to understand grace don't let the devil tell you you can't come back don't let him tell you it's all over don't let him tell you that you're too far gone for God to be able to use your life no that's where grace is found when you fall in the deepest when you've gone to the bottom and finally start crying out to God this is sometimes the moment that God's able to use your life in the purpose that he intended for it right in the beginning when Jonah began to cry out to God when he'd gotten down as far as he could go he said that weeds were wrapped around my head that's the memories perhaps of what he should have done the mistakes that he had made I was compassed about with waters these are the accusations of the devil and perhaps even the enemy using scripture to try to cause this man not to rise again depths closed around me I went to the bottom of the mountains the earth with their bars was about me forever he said yet you have brought up my life from corruption Oh Lord my God when my soul faded within me I remembered the Lord and my prayer came into the into thine holy temple he said when everyone else and everything even in my own heart was saying it's all over God Almighty I remember that you are merciful I remember that you called me to preach mercy I remember that you sent me to a place I didn't want to go did it was to call men and women and children out of darkness and into the marvelous light of the mercy of God I didn't want to go I didn't want to walk this way but Lord I know that's who you are I know you are merciful Oh God let me experience your mercy you can't preach it till you experience it you can't know it till you need it blessed be God don't let the devil keep you asleep and once you wake up don't let him condemn you you have the right to rise up in the life of Christ as the Church of Jesus Christ you have the right to stand in the grace of God and in the glory of God hallelujah and the Lord spake to the fish that's the trial that's this place of death that's this place of despair and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land Jonah is now surrendered he has now yielded his life to the purposes of God and the moment he did he was thrown out of his trial back to where he began in the first place I'm all struck at the mercy of God the unspeakable grace of God we can fail him a thousand times yet he is still there still calling still willing to restore the enemy in our own hearts say it's all over it's finished you've gone too far you've blown it too often no one says no you're now ready to be used by me you're now ready you're in a place when the prodigal son came home and found himself no more worthy he had disgraced the father's name it was at that point that he began to understand the grace of God it was at that point he was given a robe and a ring and shoes it was at that point he could represent his father because he was no longer full of religion he was full of mercy now he knew the grace of God he was walking in the grace of God I see Jonah standing on dry land now on a solid footing saying I will by God's grace stand where he places me and I'll not be led by the air of those who are journeying away from his presence I will stand where he's called me to stand for many here today it starts in your marriage it starts with your own children I will stand I'll be a righteous man I'll be a righteous woman I'll put things away that should be put away I'll talk the way a man of God should talk I'll read only what men of God or women of God should read in business practices I will not cheat I will not backstab I will not lie I will not assassinate people to climb the ladder I will stand as a testimony of the grace of God let everyone else take this journey into oblivion where they're going to be casting everything they've trusted in into the moles and bats of the earth but I will stand on the dry land of the grace of Almighty God hallelujah listen to what David says the psalmist let me just read it to you for time's sake in Psalm 40 I waited patiently for the Lord and he inclined to me and heard my cry he brought me up out of a horrible pit out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings he has put a new song in my mouth even praise to our God and many shall see it and fear and so trusted the Lord blessed is the man that makes the Lord his trust and respects not the proud nor such as turn his side to lies many O Lord my God are they wonderful works which that has done and they thoughts which are to us word they cannot be wrecked up in order unto thee I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be numbered sacrifice in offering that it's not desire mine ears has now opened burnt offering and sin offering as I'm not required then I said lo I come in the volume of the book it is written of me I'd like to do thy will oh my God yea thy laws within my heart I have preached righteousness in the great congregation law I've not refrained my lips O Lord thou knowest I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart I've declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation I have not concealed thy loving-kindness and thy truth from the great congregation David says God you took me out of a place where I was sinking and you planted my feet on a rock and you put something in my mouth it was a constant song of praise concerning your mercy and concerning your grace and concerning your goodness I didn't stand as the judge of any man I stood as the one who is imploring them on the behalf of God to turn to God before the judgment comes mercy triumphs over judgment David says I knew this and I've not failed to preach your righteousness in the great congregation it didn't matter how many people were listening it didn't matter where I went or who you sent me to God I've not kept this thing silent within my heart he says in the volume of your book it is written to be I'd like to do your will oh my God he set my feet upon a rock and put a new song within my heart a song that could be seen it doesn't have to be heard it can be seen and men will see it and turn to God folks it's time it's time now that we wake up from every place of spiritual slumber and when we walk in to the marketplace begin to realize that men women and children are soon going to perish in their sin without God we have to stand with confidence in our hearts and confidence in our voices in this generation not moved by the afflictions that will soon be evident all around us again in Jonah chapter 3 in verse 2 he says now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time aren't you thankful for the second time aren't you thankful you could have blown it for 40 years but in your heart to begin to be stirred and the word of the Lord comes the second time thanks be to God for his mercy folks that's what we preach we preach mercy we talk mercy we teach mercy we live mercy we sing about mercy he says go to that great city and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee Jude the last writer before the book of Revelation it says in verse 22 and verse 23 of some have compassion and others say with fear there's a time to talk about love there's a time to talk about hell preach what I bid you speak what I tell you to speak there are some people in the workplace that need to be loved into the kingdom of God and there's others that need to be warned that a day of justice is coming but the Holy Spirit will tell you if the fear of man is not the governing force of your life the Holy Spirit will tell you what to say and when to see it thanks be to God thanks be to God thanks be to God I remember one time I was brought into an office when I was working before I was in ministry and I was very severely threatened by a man who didn't like the fact that I was standing for Christ and he was he was so mad that he looked like he was going to explode the other side of the desk and he was pointing his finger at me and he was warning me telling me what I ought not to do and this is not a church and we're not an evangelistic organization and you're a cop and all the rest of this stuff and he said what do you have to say about this he was so mad at me and I looked right at him I said you need God in your life and he was so mad and he said why do you say that and I said because the Bible says in Proverbs today a man who has no control over his own spirit is like a city that's broken down without walls and I said you have no control over your own spirit you know that man started going to church he and his wife a Bible-believing born-again Church God says if you'll if you will stand if you will stand I'll give you the words to speak there are times to speak and there are times not to there are times to speak of love there are times to speak of judgment but the Holy Spirit will give the courage to stand in the midst of a perishing generation that is looking now for an answer many many people are looking for an answer that's why young people are flooding into this church now you look at three o'clock and there's the youthfulness in this sanctuary is incredible youth meetings are on Friday night are almost going right to the back of the Lord's sanctuary now young people are coming in they're not looking for a soft journey folks they're looking for the truth they're looking for what does it mean to be a Christian who is this Christ what does it mean to be saved what does he require of me and they're not afraid of the commitment the cry that God is putting in my heart for this church and for my own life in this last moments of time is to have the courage to stand in these times and speak to all men what the Holy Spirit tells you they need to hear Jonah didn't want to do it for various reasons I'm not going to get into his own reasoning but he didn't want to do it but when he finally obeyed God and started walking into this great city and it was a three-day journey to walk through the city the scripture says and he started just calling out turn from your sin repent in other words turn from sin in 40 days this place is going to be judged it was a short season and he knew it and judgment was coming and he began to call out and all of a sudden the scripture tells us that hearts began to turn people this these people were grave enemies of Israel and you would you would think their hearts would be so hard and the people believe God the scripture says and they proclaimed a fast this is something that Jonah hadn't done for a long time and they put on sackcloth from the greatest of them to the least the word came to the king of Nineveh and he rose from his throne and laid his robe from before him and covered him with sackcloth and sat in ashes and he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the kings and the nobles saying let neither man nor beast herd nor flock taste anything let them not feed nor drink water who can tell if God will turn and repent and turn away from his fierce anger that we perish not and verse 10 says that God saw their works that they turned from their evil way and God repented from the evil he changed his mind that he had said that he would do to them and he did it not can you see a moment when New York City comes under this conviction but let me tell you it won't come without a voice speaking for God it won't come from a people asleep in the sides of the ship this voice only comes when there are people who have the courage in spite of their failure to stand in the finished victory of Christ and to speak what God has called us to speak the hour is late and God is calling many the Holy Spirit is calling us now folks I don't know how long New York City has but I know the Lord is calling us I know he's calling us to himself and this is not something where you walk into the workplace and you start you know raving like some lunatic about justice and judgment it's a confidence remember in Isaiah he said confidence and quietness would have been your strength but you wouldn't come it's it's a it's a right standing as it is in the sight of God and Jonah walks in and says turn from your sin God will be merciful turn he didn't want to do this in the beginning he'd rather join the comfort crowd but the reality is the judgment was coming the reality folks that we have to deal with today is that we are on the edge we have tempted God far beyond where we should have there needs to be a voice that's everything that God has given me to speak on this morning there needs to be a voice on the day of Pentecost a voice for God stepped into the marketplace and began to declare God's faithfulness began to declare what he will do and how he will forgive and make men into something they could never hope to be in their own strength and that day 3000 turned isn't it funny how do we get to thinking that we have to create a message a palatable Christ as it is and think that everybody is just going to move towards that when always through history it's been the message of turn from your sin and God will receive you and forgive you that's been the message of the cross how did we ever get so deluded that we had thought that could be changed and our society would somehow be blessed through it God help us to get back to the simplicity of preaching and believing Christ today is the Holy Spirit is gripping your heart and you'd like to ask God for the courage to stand that's really what God put on my heart it's the courage to stand maybe you're in a trial this morning because you've been unwilling to hear what God is wanting to speak to you but today if you will yield remember the moment Jonah yielded he was placed right back in the place he should have been in the beginning it can happen that quickly God may be speaking to your heart this morning there has to be a testimony for Christ in these times folks let's you and I stand for him as we're standing and we're going to worship for a little while if the Holy Spirit is drawing you you'd like to be that person now some would say I can't do it because I've been I'm struggling with too much sin in my own life well one of the reasons you might be struggling is because you're fighting against the will of God for your life I want to suggest that you should come put those things aside receive your forgiveness and ask the Holy Spirit what he would have you to do now ask God for the strength that you need let's all stand together if God is speaking to your heart as we begin to worship the annex you can step up between the screens if you will main sanctuary to slip out please make your way to this altar and the balcony can go to either exit we'll meet here and we'll pray together courage to stand courage to stand at a very darkened time thank you Jesus just join these that are coming and we'll pray together momentarily but we're going to take some time to worship seriously consider this today while we've been worshipping I've just been praying for the Holy Spirit to give me a word for those that have responded whether it's physically at an altar today or if you've responded in your heart here's what I feel the Holy Spirit speaking to me firstly this message is about mercy it's about the incredible mercy of God in spite of where we've all come from what we've either done or not done he remains merciful his mercy is everlasting and you need to have that very deep within your heart this is a call to mercy not a call to any judgment on you but it's a call for to receive God's mercy and as Jonah went into the city prepared now to do what God was telling him to do as you go into the city prepared to speak what God calls you to speak that's where the miraculous begins that's where you begin to know the miraculous words of knowledge come you begin to operate in the giftings of the Holy Spirit you will sometimes know instinctively what to speak to a stranger even that you meet you'll see that this is a supernatural kingdom and then you begin to see men's hearts begin to turn because God is using you as a vessel to call them to mercy that's what happened through Jonah went into a place where the scripture says they didn't know their right hand from their left hand they were completely spiritually ignorant but through one man that was standing in the right place God began to call them to mercy and that's what the Lord will do through your life you'll call your people that you work with to mercy you'll call people you meet to mercy it's not the judgment it's to mercy and you'll begin to know this miraculous power of God bless God you you have to have that deep within your heart folks don't come don't walk out of here feeling compelled to stand on a box somewhere and start preaching if God calls you to do it by all means but you'll you will know it there be giftings come to you you'll know exactly what to speak and you'll know when to speak it hallelujah father I pray now for a baptism of your love Lord if we don't have your love Paul says if we're nothing even if we can move mountains we're nothing if we're not motivated by the fact that you love men women and children around us you love this city you love the people in it you love our enemies God I pray for a baptism of the love of Almighty God in Christ Jesus that will cast out all fear that will cast out the fear of rejection the fear of failure the fear of hard looks Lord that we will love men I pray God with all my heart right now for those who have responded an anointing a baptism of your love God that we will have the power because our hearts are towards men and women to see them brought to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ that we don't want to see people lost or judged God we want to see them free alive and praising you oh God we pray now I pray as a pastor of this church Lord that through this body as well as others in the city that you begin to infuse the blessing of God into these streets Lord all you had was one man in Nineveh and you turned this city and averted judgment for many many years I pray God how many here today do you have Lord that can be sent out and judgment can be averted for a season I pray God avert the judgment that is coming on the whole of this city in the whole world Lord until every man woman and child has had a chance to receive Christ as Savior I pray for an infusion of the mercy of God into the streets into the marketplace into every dwelling place every place God that you send your people let there be an infusion of the love of God and the presence of the knowledge of Christ God forgive us for our sleepy Christianity forgive us God for every place that we've gone to where we've fallen asleep we've forgotten the hour that we're living in thank you Lord for waking us up thank you God for coming and calling us back to prayer again and calling us Lord to obedience we thank you for this God with everything in us today oh Jesus Lord plant us on a rock and put us this new song within us that people can see and fear and begin to turn to God I thank you Lord for stability there would be the knowledge of these times of God I pray we've not be found among the doomsayers of this generation but we'd be a people of God that have a word of comfort and assurance and direction and instruction Oh God in this hour that we're living in father I thank you Lord I thank you God thank you Lord thank you Jesus for putting something in us that can't be thrown overboard my God thank you Lord thank you for the knowledge of Christ the life of Christ thank you God for that which is tested and proven and stood against all opposition and won the battle Oh God thank you for this life of Christ within us we give you praise and all the glory for this we are more than conquerors through him that loved us we believe in God with all our hearts hallelujah thank you Jesus thank you Lord thank you God thank you Jesus now I'm going to leave you today with the same admonition that the Lord gave Jonah go into the city and only speak that which I tell you to hallelujah blessed be God have the courage have a heart full of love let's go rejoicing today let's thank God for his goodness in this house the Lord is good his mercy endures forever