Happiness is Lubbock in my Rearview Mirror

June 25, 2023 • Lyndol Loyd • Luke 15:11–24

The Truth in Country Music: Texas in My Rearview Mirror Luke 15:11-24 Good morning Church! We are continuing on in our series, “The Truth In Country Music” as we take the lyrics of famous country music songs and use them as a jumping off point to look at truth we find in God’s word on the same subject matter of the particular songs. This week’s song was a unanimous choice amongst our church staff. We knew that if we were going to do this series that it was a must for us to include this song. It comes to us from 1980 from Lubbock’s own, Mac Davis. It is the song, “Texas in My Rearview Mirror.” Here are some of the lyrics to the song: I thought happiness was Lubbock Texas in my rearview mirror My mama kept calling me home but I just did not want to hear her And the vision was getting clearer in my dream So I let out one night in June stoned on the glow of the Texas moon Humming an old Buddy Holly tune called Peggy Sue With my favorite jeans and a cheap guitar I ran off chasing a distant star If Buddy Holly could make it that far then I figured I could too I thought happiness was Lubbock Texas in my rearview mirror My mama kept calling me home but I just did not want to hear her If your experience with this song is like mine I have found that most people try to use the opening lyrics to the song as a way to take a swipe at life in Lubbock. But we all know that isn’t how the song ends. By the end of the song he changes his tune. The man I see was both wrong and right he's going home again I guessed happiness was Lubbock Texas in my rearview mirror But now happiness was Lubbock Texas growing nearer and dearer And the vision was getting clearer in my dream And I think I finally know just what it means And when I die you can bury me in Lubbock Texas in my jeans Following his explicit wishes that is exactly what happened to Mac Davis when he died in 2020. He was buried right here in Lubbock in the city cemetery in his jeans. Biblically speaking that song has always reminded me of a powerful story that Jesus told about a young man who decided that the lights were brighter outside of his hometown and that life would be better for him if he could get out from under the thumb of his father and away from his older brother. Many of you will know it as the story of the Prodigal Son. Luke 15:11-27 “To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’ “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began. “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ‘Your brother is back, ’he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return."' THE PRODIGAL SON & THE LOVING FATHER The younger son wanted to leave home. He wanted to see the world. He wanted his independence. He didn’t need anyone to make his decisions for him. He was a man. He was ready for life in the fast lane. Happiness he thought was his particular version of Lubbock, Texas in his rearview mirror. And truth be told, he probably wanted away from his older brother. He was tired of living in his shadow. He was tired of life as he knew it with his family. In his mind he thought there must be something better than what he was currently experiencing out there. But the father knowing that his son would probably leave no matter what he said or did allowed his youngest son to learn from what we might call “the school of hard knocks.” I feel quite sure that as we let this story sink in for a moment that each one of us hears it in a different way. Our family experiences affect how we view the situation. Whatever the dynamic was in your family of origin probably weighs heavily in how you absorb this story. When we hear about the suffering of the younger son, there is a vast spectrum of responses. —“He deserved what happened to him.” All the way to… —“It’s too bad he had to learn so much the hard way.” But no matter how you view the younger son, you cannot deny that he finally came to his senses. A common statement in 12 step recovery groups is that “sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better.” I think this is true for the prodigal son. He had to reach his very lowest point before he was able to look at his life objectively. Down and destitute, broke and busted and flat on his back he’s thinking, “What am I doing here? I know I blew it and it’s all my own fault but the people who work for my dad as servants, they live better than this.” So he says to himself, “I'm going to go back home and say, ‘Dad, I know that I blew it. I admit it. I wasted half the family inheritance. I do not deserve to be called your son. But just hire me as a slave, a servant, and I’ll work for you the rest of my life because even your servants live better than I'm living now.’” He found himself at such a low point that he desired to eat what the pigs were being fed. So he starts home not even hoping to be treated as a son. He just wanted to see if his father would take him on as a hired hand. Working as one of his father’s laborers would have to be better than the life he was living. Returning home he confesses to his father, “Father I have sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son ever again.” And then a most incredible thing happens. The father makes an amazing gesture. He welcomes him back home as his son. But even more than that, he celebrates his return. This response wasn’t something the son had even remotely considered happening. He had underestimated just how much his father loved him. The Bible says the father was loving and gracious, when he saw the son coming home from a long distance, he ran out to meet him. He gives him a giant bear hug and he kisses him and he smiles and he’s celebrating. “Go get the best robe in the house and bring it and we’re going to put it on this guy.” He doesn’t say, “Go clean up your act. Go get a bath. Repay me first.” He doesn’t scold him. He doesn’t lecture him. He doesn’t give him a sermon. “Get everything in shape and then I’ll talk to you.” He just hugs him, loves him unconditionally and says, “Bring out the best robe. Put it on his back. Bring the ring we’re going to put on his finger. Kill the calf we’re going to bar-b-que. We are going to party! My lost son has been found.” GOD DOESN’T PLAY FAVORITES That same grace is available to everyone. What does that mean? God doesn’t play favorites. Regardless of your status, regardless of your background, regardless of the sins you have committed God loves you. Unconditionally. And God has His grace that’s available for you. No matter who you are and no matter what you’ve done – God loves you, He wants you to come home to Him. He wants to shower His grace on you. He wants to throw a party for you when you return. It is available to everyone. You can’t understand what it means to have a relationship with God without understanding grace because it’s the only way you can have one. Without it you don’t have any relationship with God. It is the heart of Christianity. It is the heart of following Christ and being a believer. No matter what you’ve done and no matter who you are, God’s grace is available to you. I don’t know how to say it any clearer than this. There is nothing that you will ever do, that you could ever possibly do that will make God love you more than He does right now. You can’t make God love you more. His love for you is unchanging. And there is nothing you could ever do that will ever make God love you any less than He does right now. Why? Because God’s love is not based on your performance. It’s based on His promise of grace. Not on your merit but on His mercy. Not on your goodness but on His grace. If you ever grasp this, it will change your life. You will not be running from God all the time worrying about what He thinks. Instead you’ll run to Him every time you fall. What are you most ashamed of? What is that secret sin, that skeleton in the closet, those choices you made that you wish you’d never made and you hope nobody ever finds out about? They probably came to mind the moment I started talking about it. And you can feel yourself tensing up just a little bit even thinking. Some of you are caught in a lifestyle that you can’t get on with but you can’t get out of either. God wants to take the things that you are most ashamed of in your life and He wants to forgive them and wipe them out and wash them away and give you a fresh start because your past is not your present. You don’t have to be the same anymore. You can start over. A new life, a new look, a new love with the Lord. It’s all available not by earning it or working for it. It’s just a gift if you will accept it. The Bible says in Isaiah 30:18 “The Lord longs to be gracious to you.” He’s waiting for you to accept His gift. He enjoys being gracious. He is not mad at you. He’s not sitting there ready to scold you. He’s saying, “Come home!” Some of you have held off because you’re afraid of being rejected. But there is one person who will never reject you and His name is Jesus Christ. He’s saying, “Come home.” You’ve been secretly overwhelmed by that shame in your life. You can get rid of it today. You can walk out of here with a clear conscious. The more you understand the grace of God, the more you fall in love with God, the more you want to draw closer to Jesus. Because it’s almost impossible to not love somebody who loves you that much. We are called to be a church where people can come and experience the grace of God. Won’t you experience it this morning? The Older Brother I would love to stop our story here. At this point it would make an incredible, feel good, movie. I mean, how much better could it get than to see a family reunited? But our final player in this drama hasn’t yet emerged. Luke 15:28-32 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’ “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’” It all comes down to the issue of forgiveness. The father’s heart is full of it for his son, but the older brother’s is not. Resentment, anger and hurt have built a barrier of pain around him. We don’t know anything more about this story that Jesus told, but we do know this. The father and the older brother were both faced with a choice, the choice to forgive or not to forgive the younger brother. At this very moment some of you are thinking about a family member that has caused you a great deal of suffering, hurt and pain. And because of the scars that this person has placed upon your life you find it incredibly difficult to forgive him or her. You can pull your frustration with this person up at a moment’s notice. For some of you the person isn’t even living anymore. When unforgiveness is allowed to take root in our lives, it can paralyze us. It keeps us from knowing God’s peace and joy in our lives today. It robs us of God’s best for our lives by trapping us in a past moment in time. Forgiveness is the necessary element before a broken relationship can be restored. Relationships simply cannot heal without forgiveness. We can try other approaches, but forgiveness will always be the key to restoration. Colossians 3:13 says, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” For far too many of us there is nothing more difficult than the thought of forgiving someone who has hurt us and caused us pain. But it is exactly what scripture tells us we are supposed to do. It isn’t easy, but it is something the love of Christ compels us to do. Knowing how much that God has forgiven us how can we not extend the same grace and forgiveness to those who are around us?

I Need a Favor

July 16, 2023 • Lyndol Loyd • Luke 18:9–14

The Truth in Country Music: I Need a Favor Luke 18:9-14 Good morning Church! This morning we are wrapping up our series, The Truth in Country Music. We’ve been using some classic country music songs as inspiration to look at what God’s Word has to say to us on the same subject matters found in each of the songs. When we were doing the planning for this series the youngest member of our church staff was complaining that he didn’t know any of the songs that we were considering. Now I won’t tell you who this was, but his initials are Sergio Maul. I had to explain that I can’t help it if all of the good music was written before he was born, but that I would be willing to see if there are any songs that are currently on the country music charts that we could use for a little inspiration because that’s just the kind of guy I am. I discovered an artist called Jelly Roll that I had never heard of before. His real name is Jason DeFord. He is one interesting dude. He is heavily tatted up and has multiple piercings as you can see from his picture. As a teenager he was exposed to running the streets and dealing drugs. He was arrested on multiple accounts of possession of marijuana and attempted robbery and that’s only a small part of his story. Before he took on country music he launched his career in hip hop. His first number one song came from his album “Ballads of the Broken” and was the song, “Son of a Sinner.” When I read the title of his first country album and his first number one song I was fascinated with him. His current chart topping hit is “Need a Favor” and when I read the lyrics I knew this was the song we needed to use. Just in case you are familiar with the song please don’t worry I’ve done some minor edits to keep it appropriate for church: I only talk to God, when I need a favor And I only pray, when I ain't got a prayer So, who am I? Who am I, to expect a savior? If I only talk to God, when I need a favor? But God, I need a favor I know Amazing Grace But, I ain't been livin' them words Swear, I spend more Sundays Drunk, than I have in church Hardcover King James Only been savin' dust, on the nightstand And I don't know what to say By the time I fold my hands I only talk to God, when I need a favor And I only pray, when I ain't got a prayer So, who am I? Who am I, to expect a savior? If I only talk to God, when I need a favor? But God, I need a favor Amen, amen How many times do we only come to God when we are in need of a favor? Jelly Roll made quite a confession about the state of his faith in that song. I have to tell you that the one thing I appreciate about his song is his honesty, his transparency. I was immediately reminded of a story that Jesus told about a couple of people who found themselves at the temple praying to God. One of the two prays an incredibly humble prayer of his own. We find it in Luke 18:9-14: “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers- -or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." The Players: The first to enter our stage for this tale of two prayers is the Pharisee. Who were the Pharisees? Today, we have a prejudice against the Pharisees. We’ve heard so many stories about them that we immediately cast them as the bad guy. But that’s not the way they were seen when Jesus spoke about them. Pharisees were well respected and honored members of their community. They were lay people, not priests. They were dedicated to studying and diligently following the law. And that was no small law. A Pharisee knew the law as the Torah, the Mishna, and the Talmud. The Torah is roughly the first five books of the Bible. The Mishna contains the detailed instructions necessary for following the rules that were written in the Torah. The Mishna can have several chapters dedicated to a single verse of scripture in the Torah. Then there is the commentary on the Mishna, called the Talmud. The Talmud has entire books to explain a single chapter in the Mishna. And to make things even more interesting, the Mishna and Talmud were mostly oral traditions. They had to be committed to memory, not written down. Our Pharisee knew and followed all of this law very carefully. He wanted to make sure God knew of his righteousness. Of course, he didn’t sin like others did – robbers, evildoers, adulterers. He was so righteous that he even went beyond the requirements of the law. The law only required one fast a year. He fasted twice a week. The law only required a tithe on certain parts of one’s income. He tithed on all he received. He was the best of the best, most certainly a credit to God and deserving of a place in the kingdom or at least in his own eyes. Our other player in this tale is the tax collector. There was no doubt in the minds of those listening to Jesus that this was the bad guy in the story. A tax collector worked for Rome – the empire that had taken control of the Promised Land. Yet most tax collectors were Jews themselves and because of this were thought of as traitors. A tax collector was assigned a certain amount that he was to raise from the territory assigned to him. He was free to collect whatever he could. If he could get more than the amount required by Rome, he could keep the excess. So he would also be seen as an extortionist. This is a story where the good guy and the bad guy don’t conform to the Hollywood western image where the good guys wear the white hats and the bad guys wear the black. Jesus is turning the assumptions of his audience on their ears. The Two Prayers: So what are the prayers spoken by our two characters? First, let’s examine the Pharisee’s prayer. The Pharisee stands while praying. This was a typical posture for prayer. Standing, with head looking up to heaven and arms outstretched. Then Jesus says he prays about himself or, in some translations, to himself. That’s the first indication of trouble. Prayers are offered to one greater than yourself. But this Pharisee thought so highly of himself that he could pray to himself. He addresses God, but is speaking to himself, building himself up by putting others down. Thank you that I am not like others – robbers and evildoers and adulterers – and especially that I am not like that tax collector standing over there. I fast more than everyone else and I give you more money than everyone else. I’m a great guy – look at me. Let me digress a second. Have you ever been to a theme park and seen an artist that draws caricatures? You know, these funny drawings with a huge head and a tiny body, usually doing something silly? What makes them funny is usually a small detail blown way out of proportion. Political cartoonists do the same thing when drawing famous people. Joe Biden would have lots of wrinkles. Donald Trump’s comb over is emphasized; Bill Clinton usually has a really big nose. George Bush has ears out to here. They’re funny because the truth is made bigger than life. Jesus is doing the same thing with the Pharisee’s prayer. The fault with this prayer is in the caricature. It’s blown out of proportion to make it easy to see and to make it a little funny. Listen to the prayer again … It’s a funny prayer. No one would really pray like that, would they? But we do pray like that all too often. Listen carefully to prayers – especially the “thanks” part of prayers. How many times do we thank God for things that we have done and not for what He has done. How often are we thanking God for who we are rather than for who He is? It’s an easy trap to fall into, and it has a name – idolatry. When we start making this mistake, we’re worshipping ourselves rather than God. We put our own efforts above God’s. We become idolaters – just like this Pharisee. First having become convinced of his own righteousness, he has come to depend upon himself. He is self-possessed, able at least in his own mind to live honorably before God and yet quite apart from God’s mercy. How then should we pray? Look at the tax collector’s prayer. He stood at a distance, in the shadows, out of the limelight. He wasn’t there for everyone else to see him. He didn’t raise his hands up or look up toward heaven so that others would know he was praying. He was there to pour his heart out to God. He came with a burden of sin that he could no longer bear. The tax collector’s prayer isn’t long and eloquent. It isn’t heaped up with big words and beautiful phrases. Its seven short words – only two of them with more than one syllable. It’s short, simple, and sincere. “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” No trips to a dictionary needed to figure out what he is saying. No expert training in theology needed to discern subtleties. Just the simple request of a man who sees his own guilt. “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” - Seven powerful words that move heaven more than years of hot air from the Pharisee ever will. The Bottom Line What’s the end of our story, this tale of two prayers? How do things turn out? This isn’t exactly a mystery novel, or a tale of suspense. You can already see what’s going to happen. Jesus tells us the tax collector went home justified before God, not the Pharisee. The bad guy, in spite of all he has done, is reconciled with God. The good guy, despite all of his good works, leaves without ever making contact with God. The lesson, like so many in the Bible, is that God treats us backwards from how the world does. In the world, the one who humbles himself or herself is left in the dust. He’s passed over for promotions, ignored, forgotten, discarded. In the world, the one who exalts himself or herself is noticed by others. He or she is praised, remembered, elected to office. But God is different. God exalts the humble and humbles the proud. God raises up those the world has forgotten and gives them a place of honor. He adds no glory to those who are proud of their own accomplishments. Humility Jesus is trying to teach the value of humility by telling this story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. It isn’t hard to see that both of these guys were sincere and devout. The Pharisee seemingly had everything, everything but the one essential thing he needed. The Tax Collector on the other hand had nothing except for the one essential quality he needed – which is a sense of his own unworthiness and his need for God’s grace. Our opinion of ourselves reflects who we think God is. When the Pharisee said, “I’m not like other men; I fast; I give tithes” seemed to see God as a big corporation in which he owned a large block of stock. I’m sure he felt he would one day have enough stock to be a director in the corporation. The tax collector saw God as unmerited grace, burning love, and endless forgiveness. He was awed by the God he knew and it showed in his humble attitude. You must approach God in humility if you want to receive His forgiveness. You can’t strut into His presence bragging about how nice you are. In Bethlehem, The Church of the Holy Nativity is built over the place believed to be Jesus’ birthplace. It is a huge stone complex, but it only has one tiny door through which people can enter. It’s called the door of humility and it is less than 48" high. Originally, there was a larger door, but when the Muslims first conquered Bethlehem, the soldiers rode their horses into the church to defile it. So the monks reduced the size of the door so only a person can enter. And every person must stoop and bow and enter alone. What a lesson! The doorway of salvation is open to each one of us today, but it is a door of humility as well. You can’t approach God on the basis of your parents’ or grandparents’ salvation. You can’t even get by on the merits of your spouse –you must do it alone. And to receive His mercy and forgiveness you must humble yourself and bow down before Him. Would you like to find God’s mercy and cleansing? Will you humble yourself and admit you are a sinner? 3,000 years ago, another man needed God’s cleansing and forgiveness. Even though he was a good, religious guy, he made a huge mistake. He was guilty of adultery and murder. If you need mercy, try praying the same prayer King David prayed in Psalm 51:1-2, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me.”

Take This Job and Shove It

July 9, 2023 • Lyndol Loyd • Jonah 1:3

The Truth in Country Music: Take This Job and Shove It Good morning Church! This morning we are continuing in our series, The Truth in Country Music. Each week we take a famous country music song and use it as a jumping off point to look at the truth we find in God’s word. Today’s song comes to us from 1977— “Take This Job and Shove It”, made famous by Johnny Paycheck Take this job and shove it, I ain't working here no more My woman done left and took all the reason I was working for You better not try to stand in my way As I'm a-walkin' out the door Take this job and shove it I ain't working here no more The song was a huge #1 hit for Paycheck because anyone who has ever had a job they didn’t want to do or a boss they didn’t like or were in a situation they felt was unfair could relate to the idea of wanting to say, “Take this job and shove it!” If you were here with us last Sunday then you know that we used the song, “All My Exes Live in Texas” by George Straight. We talked about how it was a song about a guy who was running away from situations that he didn’t want to be in. We then used it as a way of approaching the Old Testament story of Jonah chapter one, where Jonah found himself in a situation he didn’t want to be in. God had called him to go to Nineveh and preach repentance to the Ninevites, but he didn’t want to do it so he ran in the opposite direction. This morning we are picking back up with Jonah’s story because at one point in his life he becomes so fed up with God that he could have sung the words to “Take This Job and Shove It”. So Jonah 1 is all about Jonah’s attempt to run away. Many of you are familiar with Jonah 2, where after being thrown overboard the boat he was on he gets swallowed up by a great fish and he ends up in time out until his attitude changes. I highly recommend that you take the opportunity to read that part of the story for yourself. I want to pick up with Jonah 3 and I promise that before we are finished you will understand why today’s song is “Take This Job and Shove It.” “Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.” This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all. On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow. When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in burlap and sat on a heap of ashes. Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city: “No one, not even the animals from your herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything at all. People and animals alike must wear garments of mourning, and everyone must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence. Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change his mind and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us.” When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.” Jonah 3:1-10 One Chance To Get It Right There are a number of things we do in life in which we have only one chance to get it right. Today, I have one chance to deliver the message that God has given me this week. What if, after I finished preaching this morning, I were to say, "Folks, I think I can do better. Why don’t we all stay an extra 30 minutes and let me preach this message again?" How do you think that idea would go over? How many would stay? Since we came in two vehicles this morning, my wife might even leave. Everyone pretty much expects me to get it right the first time, if I don’t you shake my hand, smile on the way out and say it was good to be here. There are many situations in life in which we have only one chance, and even if you needed a second chance you had one shot, you blew it, and that’s all there is to it and there’s nothing you can do about it. The good news is that with God, it works differently. With him, we get a second chance. We don’t deserve a second chance, but we get one. Jonah’s Second Chance Jonah 3:1 “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time.” Jonah got a second chance from God—even though he didn’t deserve it. This is God’s mercy at work---Even if we blow it the first time---God gives us a chance to try again. Without exception, we all need a second chance from time to time. There’s only one way to interpret Jonah’s behavior---He sinned. God said, "Go to Nineveh" and Jonah said, "No." It boils down to the fact that Jonah didn’t want to do what God told him to do, and he ran away God could have given up on Jonah—some may even say God should have given up on Jonah—but God was merciful to Jonah...he gave him a second chance. God’s mercy is greater than our sin, and there are simply some things our sin cannot change. It is God’s nature to give a second chance. He forgives and lets us try again. Your boss may not give you a second chance. Your spouse may not give you a second chance. But God will—he is the God of the second chance. His mercy is greater than our sin. We make the mistake of thinking that once we have blown it, we can never get back on track—God can never use us again. If you have been running from God, and you are now ready to come back, God is willing to pick up where you left off. If you have blown it once, it doesn’t mean you’ve blown it forever. God’s mercy is greater than your sin; he will bring you back to the place he wants you to be, and he will forgive those sins. Period. They become part of the past. There are some things your past sin doesn’t change. 1. Your Past Sin Doesn’t Change God’s Plans Jonah 3:1-2 “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: "Go to the great city of Ninevah and proclaim to it the message I give you." God told Jonah to do the same thing in chapter three that he said in chapter one: Go to Nineveh and preach. Jonah’s disobedience didn’t change God’s plans. Ninevah still needed to hear the word of God, and Jonah was still God’s man for the job. Once Jonah dealt with his sin, God was ready to put his plan back into action. Repeatedly throughout scripture we see how God was able to use people even after they committed "major" sins.  Abraham tried to get his wife to commit adultery, and God still used Abraham.  Moses committed murder, and God still used him.  King David committed adultery and murder, and God used him again. You may try to run away from God at some point in your life--- but once you stop running, God’s plan for your life goes back into effect. Some of you may have felt called by God when you were younger to serve him in a special way, and instead of pursuing that call you let your life take a different course, and now it’s time to pick up where you left off and pursue the plan God has for you. One of the really interesting things about seminary was that all around me in the classroom were former doctors, attorneys, accountants – you name the career choices and someone used to have it. In many cases their story went something like, “I knew that God was calling me to be in some type of ministry and I ignored it. I’m here now to get back on track with what I’ve always known God wanted me to do.” God gives second chances. 2. Your Past Sin Doesn’t Change God’s Power Jonah went to Ninevah and did as he was supposed to do. He walked through the streets of Ninevah and proclaimed the word of God. As a result... Jonah 3:5 “The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.” Just because Jonah disobeyed God didn’t mean God’s word lost its power. Once he got back into the place God wanted him to be and began pursuing God’s plan for his life he was able to experience God’s power. It is the story of Jonah and it is the same with us. Just because we have failed God in some area of life doesn’t mean we have forever lost the ability to experience God’s power. Mercy Jonah found that running from God was not a pleasant experience: - He wound up in the belly of a fish---Not a pretty sight. - He was puked up by a fish---Even worse. But when he came back to God he saw the power of God working through him. He saw God keep his promise. He learned that when you have run from God it doesn’t mean God is finished with you. When you’re ready to stop running, God will help you pick up where you left off. God’s mercy is greater than your sin. It isn’t based on what you deserve to receive; it’s based on what God is willing to give. That’s why it’s called "Radical Mercy." When we repent, our sin is forgiven, and those sins become part of the past. Micah 7:19 puts it this way, “Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! If you’ve ever run from God, please listen closely to me. The word of God is coming to you a second time. Please, hear it and respond with your heart. Jonah 4 - Jonah’s Last Chapter If Jonah’s story ended at this point, he would go down in history as one of the greatest prophets of all time. He preached one very short sermon and all kinds of people repented and believed in God. So dramatic was the response on the part of the Ninevites that God changed His mind. The problem is that this really upset Jonah. This is where the whole “Take This Job and Shove It” attitude shows up in Jonah’s story. “This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.” The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?” Then Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see what would happen to the city. And the Lord God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But God also arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away. And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than living like this!” he exclaimed. Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?” “Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!” Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?” Jonah 4 While Jonah had given in to the will of God to go to Nineveh and preach, his heart remained unchanged in his feelings for the Ninevites. He still wanted to see them wiped out. He didn’t want to see God be gracious with them and he told God so. Jonah wanted God to be gracious with him. He just didn’t want to see him respond the same way to the people he didn’t like. Several years ago I heard a speaker who challenged his audience to think of the people who had caused them the greatest pain in life. When I was asked to do so I had no problem coming up with some names. Their faces appeared immediately in my mind’s eye. Then the speaker challenged each of us by asking if we would be willing to pray that God would make that person or persons our neighbors for eternity in Heaven. It quickly becomes an uncomfortable proposition. The side of me that cries out for justice and vindication says, “No, I’m not about to do that.” And at the same time the sinner in me knows all that I have done and how I stand in need of grace. The final lesson of Jonah’s story for us is that God’s grace is available to us all – not just to the people we pick and choose. The question then becomes are we willing to live by that principle? Jonah made his choice and had to learn yet another hard lesson. It is our choice how we will respond when faced with the same reality.

All My Exes Live in Texas

July 2, 2023 • Lyndol Loyd • Jonah 1

The Truth in Country Music: All My Exes Live in Texas Good morning Church! We are continuing on in our series, “The Truth In Country Music” as we take the lyrics of famous country music songs and use them as a jumping off point to look at truth we find in God’s word on the same subject matter of the particular songs. This week’s song comes to us from 1987. It is the George Strait chart topping hit, All My Exes Live in Texas. It famously states: “All my exes live in Texas, and Texas is a place I dearly love to be. But all my exes live in Texas, that’s why I hang my hat in Tennessee.” Throughout the clever lyrics, the narrator of the song explains his failed relationships in Texas. Due to the fact that all of his old flames live in the Lone Star State, he moves to Tennessee to get away from them. He chooses to go in the opposite direction from Texas. Right about now some of you are wondering, “How on earth is he going to connect this song to the Bible?” Well, I’m glad you asked. In the Old Testament we find the story of Jonah, a prophet that God calls to go to Nineveh, but because Jonah doesn’t like the people who live there he decides that he will hang his hat in Tarshish, his version of Tennessee. “The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. Then the LORD sent a great wind 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 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. The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish." Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?" He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.) The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?" "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried to the LORD, "O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased. "Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah 1:1-17 Seeing Yourself In The Story Whenever you read a story or watch a movie, chances are that whether you are aware of it or not you experience the story by seeing yourself as part of what is taking place. In some way you relate to one of the characters. You think of yourself as the hero, or possibly the villain. You share a common experience with a character. You wonder what it would be like to walk in a character’s shoes for a while. Scripture is no different for us. When we read scripture we ask ourselves almost unconsciously how we relate to those who are part of the story. We look at how our life stories become part of the Story of God. We can start out as spectators, but quite soon we start to become part of the action. I think that is one of the reasons people like the Old Testament story of the prophet Jonah. You read his story and quickly you are drawn into the story of his life. Paying The Price For Disobedience The story begins in chapter one by telling us that the word of the Lord came to Jonah. What a privilege! Right? We must never forget that it is a privilege to hear from the Lord. So Jonah hears from God about what he is supposed to do and he is terribly excited, right? Wrong. How many people make statements along the lines of, “If I just knew what God wanted me to do” or “If I just knew what God’s will is for my life.” Be careful about what you wish or pray for when it comes to God’s will for your life, because God’s funny about those kinds of requests. He likes to answer them. Jonah's response to the call of God was to take off in the opposite direction. His determination to avoid doing God's will led him to extremes. He actually paid to get away from God's presence in verse 3. What a fruitless effort. Yet somehow Jonah really believed that he could get away from God. Paying to get away from the Lord might sound funny but it's not that uncommon. We always pay the price of disobedience. It’s when we… • Know exactly what God wants us to do, but we thumb our noses at him. • Bargain with God by telling him we will do something else if he just won’t ask this of us. • Pretend that we don’t know what God is asking of us as if we might somehow be able to fool him. How often have we put our time and effort into other things simply to avoid obeying the Lord's prompting in our heart? Jonah never really had a chance of getting away from God. Walking away from the Lord's presence, at least in Jonah's case, was merely an act of defiance and disobedience. The reality is that no matter where we go, or what we do, we cannot escape the ever-present eye of the Lord. We may try to deny His presence or even His existence, completely ignore Him and shut Him out from our day to day activities, but our lives are always open to Him. Spiritually Asleep So Jonah hops on a boat in the opposite direction from Nineveh thinking his problems are solved, but now they are only just beginning. A storm begins to brew — a big storm. What does Jonah do? He goes down below and sleeps. Jonah sleeps through the storm while the other men on the ship call on their "gods". Jonah's ability to sleep should come as no surprise. He had obviously hardened his heart against doing God's will. His choice of the lowest part of the ship as the place for his slumber highlights his determination to get as far away from the Lord as possible. It took the captain of the ship to wake Jonah. Jonah's seemingly remarkable calm, or should we say slumber, in the midst of a storm should not be mistaken as faith, but rather as the condition of a runaway heart. He had successfully cut himself off from the activities of God around him. Jonah's sleep can only be a picture of the "spiritual sleep" many of us choose to engage in today. Spiritual sleep is being so unconscious of the leading of the Holy Spirit that we allow sin and the lure of our flesh to take us away from God's will without even realizing it. We become oblivious to the desire of God. We enter into spiritual sleep when we become so wrapped up and concerned with the affairs of this world, that the things of God have no priority in our lives any more. In verses 7-17 we see that it was clear the ship was going down so those on the boat had to do something to figure out who was causing this mess. So they decided to cast lots. The casting of lots was a common means of discovering "the cause of a matter". Jonah knew he was the cause of their dilemma, but kept quiet until discovered. He must have thought he really could escape from God. It is sort of like burying our heads in the sand hoping that our wrong will never be discovered? All wrong doings are eventually exposed. Jonah was asked several penetrating questions. His ambitions of keeping his identity and wrong doing secret were completely gone now. Jonah eventually came to terms with the gravity of his disobedience. He offered to be thrown into the sea to save the men's life in verse 12. We can't accuse him of lacking courage and compassion. His earlier disobedience had simply overruled them. It's amazing what the depths of sin disobedience can lead us into. The men, God love them, ignored Jonah and attempted rowing harder to overcome the obstacle of the storm. They had good intentions and tender hearts. They were doing all they could to avoid throwing a fellow man overboard. But they had no idea what they were up against. Finally the fear of losing their own lives made them ask for forgiveness before reluctantly throwing Jonah overboard. This resulted in the raging storm ceasing. Do We Really Want To Draw Near? In an article for ‘Christianity Today’ magazine, Pastor Mark Buchanan wrote, “For years, I've read devotional books, gone on retreats and to conferences designed to deepen my life in God. I have an entire shelf of books just on prayer—its purposes, its nature, its aims. I have gleaned a litany of techniques for praying with focus and passion. I have learned what to relinquish and what to embrace as I approach prayer and practice it. Reading these books has been an apprenticeship to masters. But I'm not praying much better. After I had read many of these books, I realized something. The books mostly assumed, and so did I, that I really wanted to get closer to God. The basic conviction behind those who write such books, and those who read them, is that every Christian's primary stance toward God is Isaiah-like: "Here I am. Send me!" But that is not my primary stance. Nor is it probably yours. My primary stance—and yours perhaps—is Jonah-like: "But Jonah set out to flee…from the presence of the Lord.” Why Did Jonah Do That? Jonah had good historical reasons, good personal reasons, for not wanting to go to Nineveh. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. Assyrians were cruel with blood thirsty and calculated in doing evil. Their specialty was sacking and burning. They were not good people. Think of someone who has hurt you, betrayed you. Think, if you can, of someone you hate, or have good reason to. That's an Assyrian. Jonah was sent to their capital. The story of Jonah confirms a dark suspicion we have about God. The suspicion is, God will always ask me to do the thing I least want to do, go to the very last place I desire to go. If I say I won't go to Africa, God will send me there. If I tell him I hate someone, that's exactly to whom he'll send me. Let's state the suspicion in theological terms: God is a hard taskmaster, harvesting where he has not sown, gathering where he has not scattered seed. Maybe, in our bones, most of us fear God in the way we fear tornadoes or snakes: not a wisdom-giving fear, but a skittish, nervesheering fright. God is out to get us. God wants to send us to the hellish Ninevites. Yonggi Cho’s Story In the Spring of 1998 Joni and I had the chance to go to Seoul, South Korea and visit the world’s largest church, the Yoido Full Gospel Church. They have over 850,000 members in one congregation. One of the highlights was that we had the opportunity to meet with David Yonggi Cho, their senior pastor for about 45 minutes. It was incredible to have that kind of time with a man whom God had used to build such a great church. Several years ago, as Cho’s ministry was becoming international, he told God, "I will go anywhere to preach the gospelexcept Japan." He hated the Japanese with gut-deep loathing because of what Japanese troops had done to the Korean people, and to members of Yonggi Cho's own family, during World War II. The Japanese were his Ninevites. But God called him to preach in Japan. He went, but he went bitter. The first speaking engagement was to a conference of 1,000 Japanese pastors. He stood up to speak, and what came out of his mouth was this: "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you." And then he broke and wept. He was full of hatred. At first one, then two, then all 1,000 pastors stood up. One by one they walked up to Yonggi Cho, knelt at his feet, and asked forgiveness for what they and their people had done to him and to his people. As this went on, God changed Yonggi Cho. The Lord put a single message in his heart and mouth: "I love you, I love you, I love you." God does not look on the outward appearances. He looks at the heart. And sometimes, he calls us to a work we do not want to do in order to reveal our heart—to reveal what we really believe, our deepest yearnings. As we launch into the story of Jonah today what is God revealing to you about your heart? • Where is God calling you? • What is God asking you to do? • What if anything prevents you from saying “Yes”?