Always be one, always be with me. And from my heart you stand for me. Always be with me. We are happy to greet you in the name of our wonderful Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Since we have come to know him as Lord and Savior, he is the source of all our enjoyment. And what greater privilege could we have than to proclaim the wonders of his matchless grace? We love him because he first loved us and shed his blood to redeem us. We ask you to listen as we sing his praises and proclaim his word. This is Welcome, Deathwiler speaking. This world of joy and joy, we need not to hear what I have seen, God of pleasure. meaning of the everlasting heart. Meaning of the kingdom, believing of the kingdom, faith and the truth shall fall alive. Meaning of the kingdom, believing of the kingdom, believing of the everlasting heart. to Jesus, just in Jesus, just to take him at his word, just to rest upon his promise, just to know the Spirit of the Lord, just to keep on the light of the Lord, just to keep on the light before and before. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, hope for grace with God. It is the day my Lord will hear, I love to sing His word, His house my music is my music. Will you bow with us in prayer? Our gracious Father, we thank thee for the Lord Jesus Christ, and we thank thee that those of us who have trusted him have found everything that our longing hearts desire in that blessed one. We ask that thou will bless thy word in the singing of these hymns, that some who have never trusted him may do so. We ask it in the Savior's precious name. Amen. I know of the world that is not in shame, where hearts are plagued and died. For I know of a need, of precious faith, like it says that word, It comes his way, his letters made. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh The soul is heard, in the day thy birth. Thy flow on the name of Christ. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh In the melody ringing, my own heart singing, I know of the day the precious day, In Jesus. Save your life, darling, Lord, I'll give them to thee. Lord, should I always know, My soul will bow, my heart. Give me a faithful heart, like there to be. That I need be part in there, dear Lord, may be. Not my works can earn salvation, nor my efforts set me free, lost, what act of mine could save me? nothing I can do or be. Grace of God and love of Jesus, these have done it all for me. Not my gold can buy salvation, from its debt my soul to free, not can purchase my redemption, priceless still that gift must be. By his blood on Calvary flowing, Jesus paid it all for me. Not my penance wins salvation, nor avails to set me free. Not that I can bear or suffer, though my body burns should be. Penalties my sin demanded, Christ has borne them all for me. When I take his great salvation, then from sin he keeps me free, and he comes to dwell within me, all my life henceforth to be. Since he rose or death triumphant, As he died, he lived for me. On the cross, the work was finished, all I need to make me free. For my sin to gain my pardon, my substitute was peace. Not my dying, not my living, but his death, his life for me. hearing the angel bread. Oh, come and I will give you rest. And with your excellent peace is high, for I am thee, the glory is high. For I am and I will be your Lord, and I will be your friend. He and me, for every day I come to meet you thee. but you have heard the words of me, of thee. For my own deceit me, and my prayer is mine. For my own deceit me, and my prayer is mine. I care that I will find, that I will find, how that I will find, how that I will get So tenderly, my favorite and still be calling, come to me, and we shall find redemption to your soul, and we shall find redemption and I will give you praise. on you and there and girl of thee of thee for my yoke is thee and my prayer does thy cry for my yoke is thee and my prayer does thy prayer And now just before the message, a little chorus, Lord I believe. Lord I believe. Lord I believe. There's a very well-known Bible story found among the less known minor prophets of the Old Testament that I call to your attention. It's the story of Jonah. The record of his life is summed up in four short chapters that can be read in a few minutes. Jonah was a prophet, and as such a great responsibility was resting upon his shoulders. Prophets are men to whom God reveals his purposes, and they are expected to carry out God's instructions. But we must ever keep in mind that prophets are still only men. Sometimes they are disobedient, and the first chapter of Jonah describes a disobedient prophet. God spoke to Jonah giving to him a message to present to the people of Nineveh, a great Gentile city far to the northeast in the land of Assyria. It was one of the greatest cities of the old times. But, as is often the case of big cities, Nineveh was an exceeding wicked city. God spoke to the prophet Jonah saying, Arise, go to Nineveh that great city and cry against it for their wickedness has come up before me. Jonah knew that the preaching of judgment would be an unwanted, unwelcome message, for men do not like to be reminded of their sins, and the announcement that punishment will follow is the last thing that men want to hear. As then, so now, the preacher who will dare to remind men and women that judgment is coming will never be a popular man, but rather a despised man. The men of Jonah's day were just like the men of today. So he rose up to flee from the presence of the Lord. He hurried to Joppa, a seaport city. There he found a ship ready to sail to a far country. Of course he had to pay the fare. Perhaps a one-way ticket, and he wasn't able to use all of that. This business of running away from the Lord is rather expensive. You have to pay a lot of fares, and you usually don't arrive where you intend to arrive. Like many runaways, Jonah went down into the sides of the ship as soon as he got on board. His body was tired and exhausted, for running away from God takes a heavy toll even from the body. Much of the weariness that men endure is caused by attempting to get away from the voice of God. While Jonah is sleeping, God has not forgotten him, nor did he intend to have the messenger fail. A storm is sent by divine interposition. Waves run high. The sailors who have weathered many former storms are all trembling. They are praying to their idols for help. It's a case where God causes circumstances to reach a fleeing man. He still uses circumstances to bring unsaved persons to Christ. He may allow storms to come into the personal life, perhaps ill health. sometimes he allows the storm to come into the home life in order to get the hearts of the Christ-neglectors to pay attention. In this case, the sailors try to remedy the precarious situation by tossing some of the cargo overboard. But it seems as though all human maneuvers fail. At last the master of the ship awakens the sleeping Jonah and demands that he too must pray to his God. The sailors are suspicious that there is some definite cause for the unusual fierce storm, and they cast lots. Jonah's sin is found out. At once they overwhelm him with questions, trying to find a reason for the tempest. Jonah tells all who he is and how he is trying to run away from the presence of the Lord. His plans are spoiled, and he is exposed. I may have someone in my listening audience who is right now at the very place we find Jonah. You have been doing a pretty good job of running away from the voice of God, from the tender pleadings of the Savior, but finally your strategy has come to an end. It's about time to give up and tell the truth. The stormy sea you have encountered recently, you have brought upon yourself. and there's nothing left but to confess that you can't run away from God much longer. It would be good if this very hour you would confess to God, I'm guilty, I'm wrong, I'm lost, I need to be saved. That's where God loves to meet men when they come to the end of themselves. That's where God met Jonah. He is through. At his own request he is cast into the sea. He is utterly helpless, and that's where God steps in to display the riches of his grace. Jonah deserves nothing. He should pay in a watery grave for his deliberate disobedience. But God seems to see in this moment an opportune time to be gracious. A number of things happen at once. The wind ceases. The sea is calm, and the sailors offer a sacrifice to Jonah's gods. the Lord sent the storm to accomplish a definite purpose, to bring Jonah to his knees in confession. After that purpose is accomplished, the adverse circumstances are no longer needed, but God begins to deal in grace. He prepared a great fish to take care of Jonah, and he who prepared the great fish had perfect control, and he steered that great submarine right to the dry land. Just as Jonah's life was sacrificed for the safety and deliverance of the sailors, so the life of the Lord Jesus Christ was forfeited on Calvary's rugged cross. He laid down his life in order to procure eternal life for undeserving sinners. He had no sins of his own, but he voluntarily died for your sins and mine. As God in grace prepared a great fish to become Jonah's Savior, So in infinite grace he has prepared a great Savior to meet us at the point of our extremity. That's where I found him, and that's where you will have to meet him. All who have already been delivered love to sing. I was sinking deep in sin far from the peaceful shore, very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more. But the master of the sea heard my despairing cry and from the waters lifted me. Now safe am I. Souls in danger, look above. Jesus completely saves. He will lift you by his love out of the angry wave. He's the master of the sea. Villows his will obey. He, your Savior, wants to be, be saved today. If you are still unsaved, God puts you in the place of responsibility. He offers a full and a free salvation, and it's up to you to receive or to reject that offer. He will force no one to be saved. He simply offers to do it. And all who are wise will receive that salvation and begin to love and serve the Savior. Don't miss this greatest of all opportunities, for there will come a day when no salvation will be offered. Your begging for mercy will then be in vain. Jonah learned a very important lesson through this experience. He learned that salvation from start to finish is of the Lord. Salvation cannot be obtained through good behavior. It is not of works lest any man should boast. It is always by grace through faith. Have you learned this all-important truth that you cannot earn God's salvation? It is not a reward, but rather a gift that must be received. Salvation is of the Lord. God thought it. The Savior bought it, the Spirit taught it, and since it's from God, from start to finish, the redeemed in heaven will ascribe their worship and praise altogether to the Son of God, who loved us and loosed us from our sins in his own blood. How sad would be the story of Jonah if he had not been rescued. such will be your sad history if you will not trust the patient Savior who stands ready to receive guilty sinners. I trust you will recognize this very hour that you are running away from God, that God is offering to you something that is for your eternal blessing, and because you are running away from him, you are bringing misery to yourself and to your friends. I trust you'll do as Jonah did. You will confess that you are wrong, that you will turn to the loving Savior who is ready to receive you, that you will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thus become the possessor of everlasting life. Spirit in our hearts is risen in our hearts. The Christ, the church of Christ, proclaims to all His children come. And the Spirit and the Christ they come. And the Spirit and the Christ they come. And let him stand, hear him say, Come, and let him that is absurd, Come, come, come, and do the wills wills wills wills wills wills wills wills Let it take the water of life. Let it take the water of life. Breathing, breathing, breathing. Let him then hear his way to all around him come. Let him then thirst for righteousness to Christ upon him come. And the Spirit and the Christ they come. And the Spirit and the Christ they come. And then hear and then hear its way and come And the hymn that is absurd, come, come, come And to the world will so ever will, and to the world so ever will, and to the world so ever will Let him take the water of life. Let him take the water of life. Breathing, breathing, breathing. Our gracious Father, we ask now thy blessing upon thy precious word, especially to those who need to be saved. We pray that we see the wisdom of opening the heart's door and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We ask thy blessing in Jesus' name. Amen. Oh, so are you weary and troubled. No light in the darkness you see, live light for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and free. Lord Paul in his wonderful faith And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of his glory and grace His word shall not fail you, he promised Believe him and all will be well Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. look for in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely