The luxury steamship RMS Titanic sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912, off the coast of Newfoundland in the North Atlantic after sideswiping an iceberg during its maiden voyage. On board were some of the wealthiest people in the world and many emigrants on their way to start a new life in America. Of the 2,240 passengers and crew on board only 710 survived due to the inadequate number and quality of the lifeboats.
The Titanic was huge, 269m long, 10 decks high with massive engines and an electrical plant capable of producing more power than an average city power station. It was a monument to human invention but it smacked of pride. Inviting disaster, it is claimed someone heard the ship Captain Edward John Smith say "Even God himself couldn't sink this ship."The facts are that the Titanic received 6 warnings of ice in the area over a period of 13.5 hours but continued full steam ahead for to reach it’s New York destination on time in what can only be described as delusional foolhardiness.
Titanic’s story continues to horrify us as a cautionary tale about the perils of human pride.
Recap from last week
- Pride is something the Lord hates
- Pride is being self-reliant putting our security in worldly things
- Pride is self-absorbed unable to think of others
- Pride is delusional
- Pride and fear go together
- Pride comes before a fall
- The modern definition of pride is positive rather than negative
- Pride will be rampant in the last days
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Matthew 23:12
The big fish had swallowed Jonah. Would Jonah swallow his pride and take his medicine?
Pray
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish: “In my great trouble I cried to the Lord and he answered me; from the depths of death I called, and Lord, you heard me! You threw me into the ocean depths; I sank down into the floods of waters and was covered by your wild and stormy waves. Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have rejected me and cast me away. How shall I ever again see your holy Temple?’ “I sank beneath the waves, and death was very near. The waters closed above me; the seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains that rise from the ocean floor. I was locked out of life and imprisoned in the land of death. But, O Lord my God, you have snatched me from the yawning jaws of death! “When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the Lord. And my earnest prayer went to you in your holy Temple. (Those who worship false gods have turned their backs on all the mercies waiting for them from the Lord!) “I will never worship anyone but you! For how can I thank you enough for all you have done? I will surely fulfill my promises. For my deliverance comes from the Lord alone.” Jonah 2
The first part of the prescription is a healthy dose of prayer.
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14
It's like God is giving us the keys to heaven with this verse. I can’t think of another people that are called by God’s name than Christians, this verse is for us!
- Praying means admitting our need of God
- The proud don’t bother to pray but the humble do
- Remember the humble have God’s attention
- Fasting was often part of humbling yourself
The good news is that the Holy Spirit will help us. It’s like the Nurse who is on hand ready to administer the medicine!
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
Romans 8:26
In fact the people of Ninevah humbled themselves and fasted
For when the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne, laid aside his royal robes, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And the king and his nobles sent this message throughout the city: “Let no one, not even the animals, eat anything at all, nor even drink any water. Everyone must wear sackcloth and cry mightily to God, and let everyone turn from his evil ways, from his violence and robbing. Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will decide to let us live and will hold back his fierce anger from destroying us.”
Jonah 3:6-9
See how the wicked people of Nineveh upstaged the people called by God’s name - they prayed, they fasted, they sought God’s face and they turned from their wicked ways. What a great miracle Jonah was witnessing!
Repentance is the start of obedience. The Grace of God isn’t so we can continue on with our sin, it is so we can be free to obey and do good.
Obey
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.
Jonah 3:1-3
The Lord speaks to Jonah a second time but it’s the same word as before! His repentance didn’t let Jonah off the hook 😊 True repentance always involves obedience. In a crisis, a lot of people make promises to God but then after God has answered their prayer and things return to normal they go back to the way they were. They didn't truly repent.
I re-read the story of the fall of King Saul in 1 Samuel 15:10-23 and saw that at the heart of it was his pride. When Samuel found him, he discovered that Saul had disobeyed the Lord and done his own thing. Saul had built a monument to himself (v12) and didn't repent when challenged by Samuel about his disobedience.
Samuel replied, “Has the Lord as much pleasure in your burnt offerings and sacrifices as in your obedience? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. He is much more interested in your listening to him than in your offering the fat of rams to him. For rebellion is as bad as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as bad as worshiping idols. And now because you have rejected the word of Jehovah, he has rejected you from being king.”
1 Samuel 15:22-23
Saul’s pride lead to his disobedience - he thought he knew better
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.
Isaiah 5:21
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
James 3:13
Jonah's Message
God didn’t ask Jonah to tell the people to repent. He told him to tell them that destruction is coming!
Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”
Jonah 3:4
Jonah didn’t have to tell them to repent - that was their response because they believed.
This generation is open to an explanation of why destruction is coming. The young believe the science behind global warming and they are prepared to take action.
Will we explain scientifically, with facts with history the reason why destruction is coming because of all the sin in the world - the pornography, the prostitution, not getting married, the breakdown of family, the corporate and personal greed, the gambling; drinking and drugs are leading the World to ruin.
Clothe yourself with humility
In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.”
1 Peter 5:5
There is this choice we make to take on humility in our character, of putting on a coat and stooping down low. We shouldn't be delivering a message like Jonah's from up on our high horse. We need to get down real low.
While I was in England from 2000-2002, I learnt what this meant through my Home Group Leader Mark Baster, a very humble guy. It was Christmas and snowing and we went out to sing carols and so I was wearing my coat. And I had this thought of wearing my coat and stooping down really low that’s how I can best describe it. And so when we went out singing, I didn’t feel we were preaching but just bringing something good to people which they were free to accept or reject.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
Yes, choose the low road
“Ye take the high the high road and I’ll take the low road and I’ll be in Scotland afore ye.” Remember Jesus said
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Matthew 20:16
The first 3 béatitudes at least are for the humble;
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:3-5
There are plenty of great promises for the humble!
Gratitude Jonah did not have an attitude of gratitude.
But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord , when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city.
Jonah 4:1-5
Find yourself disagreeing with the Lord over what he has done? Jonah was upset when the thing he had warned didn’t happen - that was his pride.
Our pride makes it difficult to see things clearly. Jonah should have been grateful instead. Ninevah, that great enemy of Israel had repented, there was an opportunity for peace!
Have we failed to see the good in something that didn’t go the way we hoped and given thanks for it? Have we failed to see the opportunity? If Jonah had carried the Good News back to Israel, perhaps there could have been peace made instead of years later when the Assyrians invaded Israel at the time of Nahum.
So Jonah went out and sat sulking on the east side of the city, and he made a leafy shelter to shade him as he waited there to see if anything would happen to the city. And when the leaves of the shelter withered in the heat, the Lord arranged for a vine to grow up quickly and spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head to shade him. This made him comfortable and very grateful. But God also prepared a worm! The next morning the worm ate through the stem of the plant, so that it withered away and died. Then when the sun was hot, God ordered a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah, and the sun beat down upon his head until he grew faint and wished to die. For he said, “Death is better than this!” And God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?” “Yes,” Jonah said, “it is; it is right for me to be angry enough to die!” Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry for yourself when your shelter is destroyed, though you did no work to put it there, and it is, at best, short-lived. And why shouldn’t I feel sorry for a great city like Nineveh with its 120,000 people in utter spiritual darkness and all its cattle?”
Jonah 4:5-11
Jonah needed to see the situation from Heaven’s perspective and be thankful instead.
Trust in the Lord - Faith trumps fear
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
This is the doctors prescriptions for pride to be mixed together in the right doses; -
- Pray
- Obey
- Clothe yourself with humility
- Gratitude
- Trust in the Lord
If we turn around then just like with Ninevah, God will also turn around!
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