Preached by Jay Shelbrack, 3/22/2009

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Toddler Clings to Teddy Bear

We do all kinds of things to escape. People are always running. Fishing trips or video games, kids running away from home, husbands leaving their families. People are avoiding conflict, clinging to anger and fear and other things… and forfeiting the grace that could be theirs.

Jonah 1:1-3 People want to avoid conflict so they are always running.

Psalm 139:1-12 teaches that we can’t run from God.

Jonah 2:10, 3:1-10 Let’s hope God doesn’t have to do this to wake us up.

Jonah 4 Jonah converts 120,000 people in 40 days and he’s angry? Jonah wanted these people destroyed. He didn’t want to do a great thing for God, he wanted to play god. With the vine, God is trying to show Jonah that he’s not in control.

Jonah 2:8 At this point Jonah had been in the fish 3 days and he has realized that those who cling to worthless idols forfeit God’s grace. Jonah was clinging to anger and hatred. What are you clinging to? Unless we surrender to God, we’ll never be happy.

Matthew 16:19-24 What do you treasure?

Luke 9:23-25 If you’re going to have a relationship with God you have to let go of what you are clinging to. In a relationship with God we can’t be god, God is God!

Romans 12:9-13 These are the things we should cling to.

Homework: write down what you are clinging to and ask someone who will be honest with you what they think you are clinging to.

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