8/22/21 Arise, Go, And Cry Against It

We will be highlighting a series by Rev. Haak on the book of Jonah.

There is a special application in the command to Jonah to the church in our activities of evangelism. As the call of the Word of God is to spread the Word of God as a congregation and as churches in unity, to send forth that Word of God also through the means of sending out missionaries, preachers of the gospel, do not drag your feet. God says, “Proclaim My Word. Go forth and preach the Word of God. Arise, go, cry against it.” Why? “Because Nineveh’s wickedness is come up before me.”

Listen to the message here: https://reformedwitnesshour.org/broadcast/arise-go-and-cry-against-it/

9/24 The Prophet Who Ran Away

The Prophet Who Ran Away God’s will for our lives is holiness, obedience, and trust. But that will of God clashes with our sinful will. At times so strong is that clash that we deliberately set aside God’s will and then attempt to remove or get away from anything that would remind us of Him, whether that be in the family or in the church; whether that be parents or husband or wife; whether that be prayer or the Bible. At first it seems that everything is going to go well. But if you are God’s child, it will not be long before God begins to break your life up into little pieces. The question then is: Do you go God’s way, or do you try to run as Jonah ran? If you run, as a child of God, God will trouble your life. For God is committed that He shall do whatever it takes. He chastens us, corrects us, and teaches us the good of obeying His will. Listen to the message here: https://reformedwitnesshour.org/broadcast/the-prophet-who-ran-away/

10/1/21 The God Who Would Not Let Go

The way of restoration is hard. Do not abuse the doctrines of grace. Do not play with the seriousness of disobeying God. The way back for Jonah would be slow, hard, and would break him in pieces. The way of hell is easy. The way of grace, of restoration, is severe, though it be blessed. Jonah, in his disobedience, rebelled against God, and he involved others in his rebellion. Now the Lord is going to work and bring him back. He is going to restore him to obedience. Listen to the message here: https://reformedwitnesshour.org/…/the-god-who-did-not…/

10/15/21 Prayer From A Fish’s Belly

Jonah is brought very low. That was the purpose of God. God’s purpose was to show His grace and power. As we come to this prayer, you should note with me that this is not all that Jonah prayed. He was there for three days. And he prayed without ceasing. We have here only a summary of his prayer. Secondly, you should note that the prayer is not, perhaps, organized with divisions and sub-points. When you are in distress, you pour out your heart to God. But there are two things that come out in his prayer. First of all, his great distress and overwhelming fear. “I cried … from the belly of hell…. I am cast out of thy sight … water compasses me and brings me down … my soul faints within me.” Secondly, the prayer is characterized by faith in God’s mercy. “He heard me.” And that is before Jonah was delivered. He says, “He heard me … I will look toward Thy holy temple … I will remember the Lord … salvation is of the Lord.” Those two thoughts: Jonah’s great distress and his faith in God’s mercy leapfrog over each other until at last Jonah is restored to obedience. Listen to the message here: https://reformedwitnesshour.org/…/prayer-from-a-fishs…/

The Conversion of Pagan Sailors

As we turn our attention to these pagan sailors, we see a sub-plot tied with the very theme of the book itself — God’s sovereignty and mercy.  God would show mercy to the Ninevites out of His own eternal good pleasure.  The carnal attitude of Israel in that day was that God’s mercy somehow belonged to them.  Therefore Jonah, expressing that attitude, was unwilling to go to Nineveh lest God would show His mercy toward people that he did not consider worthy of that mercy.  So the book is to show God’s sovereign mercy. Listen to the message here: https://reformedwitnesshour.org/broadcast/the-conversion-of-the-pagan-sailors/