The New Normal – Walking in God’s Call
Pastor Phil Derstine 9-12-21
The Story of Jonah – Is read during the 10 Days of Awe (Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur)
· 4 Chapters – 4 Principles
1. God’s Call is upon your Life
· Jonah 1:1 “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai.”
· John 15:16 “You have not chosen me, I have chosen you…”
· Psalm 139:13 “…you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
· Matthew 20:16 “Many are called but few are chosen…”
· I Peter 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
· God uses the pressure of our problems to motivate us to walk in the Light of His Calling.
2. The Prayer of Thanksgiving
· Jonah 2:1 “Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly. (9) I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving.”
· Psalm 50:14-15 “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”
· Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
· I Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
o In the middle of everything!
o God shows up in the middle!
· Prayer with thanksgiving opens a Spiritual Gate to bring a Season change in your life!
3. The Depth of God’s Love and Forgiveness
· Jonah 3:1 “Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time. (10) When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened.”
· II Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not waiting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
· Proverbs 24:16 “For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.”
· Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
· God never gives up on you. His forgiveness is as far as the East is from the West (infinite).
4. The Danger of Self-Centeredness
· Jonah 4:1 “But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. (4) But the Lord replied, Have you any right to be angry?
· I Corinthians 6:19 “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God and ye are not your own? (20) For ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
· You belong to God. Honor Him in your spirit, soul, and body.
