Today's verse is Book of Jonah, chapter two and verse nine. It reads like this. When I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving, I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. Even if you do not remember the whole verse kindly remember these last five words, salvation is of the Lord. I'm sure the Lord will bless to us the reading of that verse. Let us bow for prayer. Our Father, we come to thee again, acknowledging thee as the God of our salvation. We acknowledge thee as a giver of every good and every perfect gift. And we pray thy blessing to rest upon every listener today. Ye remember thy people everywhere. Those that are in special need, that thou be pleased to meet their need and strengthen them in their faith. We also ask, O God, If someone has tuned in to this broadcast today who doesn't know the Seder, may this be the time in the life history when they'll come to know Jesus Christ, whom to know his life indeed. Hear us in these things. Honor thy beloved Son. Bring glory to thy name as we ask it, giving thanks in his precious and worthy name. I suppose the little book of Jonah has had to withstand more criticism than any other part of the Bible. I know that the critics of the Word of God have focused their attack on the book of Genesis from time to time, and some have attacked the book of Daniel. Others have tried to demolish the Book of the Revelation, but I suppose they have tried to make more fun of the Book of Jonah. The fact of the matter is that most of the people who level their attacks against the Bible and the truth of the Bible are people who never study it. On the other hand, it may be that they oppose the Bible, because as the Bible stands, it condemns them. Now, you know, the book of Jonah, just a little book of four chapters, only about forty-eight verses altogether in the complete book. Yet in this little book of four chapters, you'll find some outstanding truths. Now, here in the text we have chosen, the great truth is salvation is of the Lord. And Jonah, when he expressed this great truth, remember he was down in the very depths of despair. Jonah passed through a very trying experience, before that he learned this outstanding truth, that salvation is of the Lord. You know, it's a strange thing, this, that other people who have earned this truth have been people who have passed into the experience of deep conviction. In plain words, if everything is going well with a person... And they're having a great supply of the world's goods. They're having everything that's pleasant and prospering. It seems that they don't want God. They give no thought to God. And that reminds me of this, that when you come to study the great truth of salvation, you'll find a class of people who are absolutely indifferent to the truth of salvation. That is, they just couldn't care less. It's of no interest to them. They don't want to listen to anyone who talks about salvation or about the need of being saved. These people are just careless. and indifferent. It means nothing to them. But you'll find another class of people. And when it comes to the truth of salvation, there are those who are somewhat interested. Yes, they have an intelligent interest, perhaps. And they'll tell you they believe there's something to it. There must be something to it. because in their experience they have known of people whose lives have been changed, perhaps relatives of their own, and so they are in a measure interested. And perhaps they even express the fact that they desire to know a little more about it. I suggest it's a good thing. When a person reaches such a stage where they become interested in the matter of salvation, and in particular the matter of their own personal salvation. But there's another class of people, those who are included in this great salvation, the people who have experienced salvation, the people who rejoice and give thanks to God for this salvation. I wonder, my friend. As I mentioned these to you again, those who are indifferent and couldn't care less, then those who are interested and desire to know more, and then those who are included and rejoice and give thanks. Now then, which of these three groups would you be numbered with? Are you quite indifferent to your soul's salvation? You just don't care about these things. Or are you somewhat interested and would like to know more? Or am I speaking today to people who know something about salvation and they can say, I know whom I have believed in. And I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. In plain words, with Jonah you could say, salvation is of the Lord. Let me remind you again, Jonah learned this lesson when he was in the depths of despair. Jonah was beyond the help of man. No man could help him. Jonah was unable to effect his own salvation. That is his own deliverance. For after all, that is the basic meaning of salvation. It is deliverance. And Jonah learned here that if he was to be delivered, if he was to be saved, then God and God alone could save him. See, Jonah was in rebellion at this time. Oh, he had heard the word of the Lord, but instead of being obedient to the word of the Lord, he had ran away from God. He was trying to hide from God. And so therefore, being in rebellion against God, he found himself in the wrong place. He found himself traveling in the wrong direction. But you know, the God that was overlooking Jonah caused a great storm to arise. And Jonah found himself caught in a storm at sea. Things had gone against him. the tide had turned against him. And even the people who were travelling with him in the boat seemed to be against him. They rebuked him. And the outcome was that even they cast them out. And so the men who was in rebellion against God found himself rejected by his fellow man. And Jonah found himself down in the depths when all the waves and the billows were going over him. The waters compassed him about, even to the soul. The depths closed round about him. The weeds were wrapped about his head. He went down to the bottoms of the mountains. And so it was when he was at the depths of despair, when his soul fainted, that he remembered the Lord. You see, my friend, sometimes God has to allow us to go to what we might call the very end of the tether. God will permit us to go down into the very depths of despair. And then we begin to think. And Jonah began to think, and he began to think correctly. It was then that he thought, upon the Lord. I remembered the Lord, said Jonah. And he said, In my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. Even down in the very depths of despair, Jonah began to cry unto the Lord. And you know there's a Bible principle that we should all know and remember, and that is. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. No matter where we may be, no matter the circumstances in which we find ourselves, even when the storm has encompassed us, when the waves of adversity and the winds of adversity are against us, and we feel that vain is the help of man, There's no hand stretched forth to help, and we've been rejected by others. Remember it's then that God can come to our aid. You can turn to the Lord. And Jonah turned to the Lord, and he called upon the Lord. But he made this great confession. He said, salvation is of the Lord. Now I want to remind you again. that if you require, my friend, to understand something about this, and I'm taking it for granted now that there may be some listening to me who would be counted in with the second group of people that I mentioned, that is, those who are interested and desire to know more. Have you reached that stage yet, my friend? Have you come to the point in life where you realize that there is such a thing as salvation? There is such a thing as being saved and knowing it and being assured of it? And have you reached that stage and you say, well, I would like to know more about it. All right, here is the foundation truth for where you start. Salvation is of the Lord. If you are to be saved, my friend, you must be saved in God's way. Jonah learned that, that man couldn't save him in the awful predicament that he found himself. Neither could he save himself. And so therefore he said, if anything's to be done for me, if I am to be delivered, if I am to be saved, it'll have to be a work of God. Salvation is of the Lord. May I suggest to you that if you were to take your Bible and study through the whole plan of salvation as it is presented in the Word of God, that is the Bible, you would discover that the plan of salvation is of the Lord. See, throughout the Scriptures you'll discover this, that man has been tried in a variety of circumstances. Man was tried in a state of innocence and he failed. Man was tested and tried under the rule of conscience and he failed. The world became corrupt and full of violence when it was guided by conscience. Man was tried under law. And again he failed, for by the keeping of the law could no man be justified with God. The nation of Israel were under judges and kings, and they failed. Wherever man was tried, he failed. So therefore, if man was a failure under every circumstance, then God revealed his own plan. And God revealing the plan. could show that in his grace he could provide salvation for all who would believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. God's plan for salvation was bound up in a person of his beloved Son, who would die on Calvary's cross in order to save poor rebels. Now let us be very clear in our thinking with regards to the plan of salvation. If it had been left to fallen man, he could never have planned the way of salvation. It would never have met with God's approval. But it was God who saw the need, and God knew exactly what would meet with his own approval, and God planned the whole way of salvation. But remember this, not only is salvation of the Lord so far as the plan is concerned, but salvation is of the Lord so far as the provision is concerned. It required the Lord Jesus Christ to go to Calvary and shed His precious blood and give complete satisfaction to the claims of God's holy throne. before that salvation could be provided for poor fallen sinners. There on the cross the Lord Jesus Christ said, It is finished. That weren't the finish to God's entire satisfaction. It was finished to the satisfaction of the Lord Jesus Christ. I ask you, my friend, was it finished to your entire satisfaction? Are you satisfied with what God has provided? You see, not only do you have the provision recorded in the Word of God with regards to the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, that perfect sacrifice, but you have the preaching or the presentation of it in the message of the Gospel. For the Gospel message tells us how Christ died for sins according to the Scriptures, how He was buried, how He was raised again the third day according to the Scriptures. You see, the provision of salvation is all of the Lord. Salvation is of the Lord, not only as to the plan, but also as to the provision. It was God who gave His Son. Christ gave Himself. and the great work of Calvary has accomplished the great work whereby salvation can be presented. Then you have God the Holy Spirit who brings conviction to the heart. And when God the Spirit lays hold upon us and we're convicted of our sin and convicted of our needs. You see, Jonah was thoroughly convinced. that if anything was to be done for him then it must be from God. He couldn't deliver himself and no man could stretch forth a hand and deliver him. There was no work he could perform in order to effect his own salvation. So he threw himself entirely upon God. There was complete surrender to the power of God. My friend, listen, the reason why a lot of people don't get truly saved today is because they have never completely surrendered to God. They seem to imagine that they can still add something to the work that Christ has effected. And if you think that you can add anything to Christ's finished work, my friend, you'll never be saved. And you'll never have any assurance of salvation because you will never know when you've done the thing that will satisfy God. You see, you're looking at it from the wrong angle. Christ has finished the work. And when the Holy Spirit applies that truth to your heart and you submit to that, you see yourself as a non-done sinner, unable to effect your own salvation, and there's got to be complete surrender and commitment then to the Lord Jesus Christ. And Jonah cast himself upon God and says, salvation is of the Lord. And when a poor sinner comes to that point and realizes... under the power of the Holy Spirit, that he needs to be saved, and he throws himself upon God, then, of course, he also will be able to say, Salvation is of the Lord. So that there is that point where one is able to understand the truth, and one is able to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Orbit says, someone I would like to be saved, how I'd like to be a Christian. But you know, I don't think I'd be able to keep it up. Oh, that's an old excuse, my friend. You see, the God who plans salvation and the God who provided salvation is the God who can preserve us in our salvation and gives you the power to persevere in salvation, for it's all of the Lord. We cannot in our own strength save ourselves, and we cannot in our own strength continue in salvation. If we would hold out faithful to the end, remember this, we can't do it in our own strength. It's the strength of God, the new life that comes in, that gives us the power to overcome the trials and the temptations. You know, if we were left to ourselves, we could never hold out. But remember this, the God who saves us. is the God who keeps, and the God who keeps is able to keep your right to the very end. It sometimes takes people a long time to understand this, but listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote to some Christians in the city of Philippi. says, I am confident of this very thing, that he which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. You see, it's the God who commences salvation, who completes it, and keeps you right to the very end. And all things work together for good, to them that love the Lord, to them who are the called according to his promise. You see, God planned it, and God presents it, and He provides it, and it's this God who will perfect it at the very end, and He will not leave you until He lands you safe on the glory shore. Oh, my friend, salvation is of the Lord. I wonder how many of my listeners today have reached that point. in the life's history, who can look back to the time when they saw themselves as poor, dying sinners with no hope and no help except from the Lord. And you turn to the Lord and to use the words of another man of old, you said, Lord, save me. Or, like Jonah, you said, salvation is off the Lord. I ask you, my friend, will you right now trust the Savior just where you are and as you are and know something about this great salvation?