Talk—Dragos Nicoara
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Regarding our Father, thank you. Thanks for this opportunity.
Reminder that I love for us.
Continue pray for a clear message.
For the speaker and for a lesson that we can learn by word.
And for the remaining of the evening, I mean, we pray for Jesus again.
I was going to.
Read about Jonah tonight. In fact, there's two of us that I want to mention.
Let's turn the book of Jonah.
When my brother Raul asked me to have a word this morning.
I enjoyed Robert Ballard's statement.
That that the young man have to step up and take up the responsibility in the assembly.
And a young man doesn't doesn't have to be over 30 or over 20.
Of course, there's the work of the sisters also supporting prayer.
But we have a duty to go on. I remember it was like yesterday, and I'm not that old, when I was sitting at the bleachers and I thought, boy, so I'm actually behind here and I hope I'm never going to go behind that. Mike, here I am.
Well, the book of Jonah, I'm not going to read it for the sake of time, but just to bring it out a few things in history, Jonah was around and durable on time, durable on the 2nd. And this is before the Syrian empire got so big and so powerful. And we all know the story of Nineveh. And this is more of a message for those that are saved. But if you're not saved.
You better get saved and.
So what happened is that we see in Second Kings 14 that Jonah appears in the scene. So Jonah is a man of God. And So what happens is that?
God tells her to do something.
The word of the Lord Jonah wine, the word of the working and to Jonah the son of media saying go to nine, that's in Syria 911, which is kind of like almost.
Northeast from where he was at, For the wickedness has come up before me and I thought I wonder if they were more wicked than the society wearing today.
And Jonah said no problem Lord, I'll go and I can get on the 1St train and go up there.
And tell them about thee, says that Jonah rose up.
To flee.
To Tarsus, which is kind of like N straight up north. So you went on, got on the road in the Mediterranean, took up north and you think, man, this is a man of God. God asked him to do something and here he's taken off, you know, running the opposite direction. Remember I started out tonight saying I'm going to tell you a story of true Jonas and I'm one of them.
And you could be one of them too. And which is fine, you can be a journal.
Humanly speaking, we're afraid of responsibility, and that's the bottom line. And you know the Lord and you know each one of you in your hearts. You know a friend in school, you know your neighbor, you know somebody from work. You know that all I got to do is just open my mouth. You don't have to travel all the way to Nineveh.
Something interesting while I was reading this.
He's on the board.
And the people the Mariners in the boat is asking them.
What is an occupation? When is converse now? What is that country?
And what people are now.
In other words, they're saying, who are you?
Jonah And you know, in my life I often ask myself, who am I?
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We have a privilege that we, as you grow older and you get into life and you go out with the Lord, you realize.
Very simply, but with the sons of God.
And Jonah is not saying, oh, I'll tell you why. I'm a prophet. I'm a man of God. He keeps his mouth shut.
And just tell them I am a Hebrew.
And I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which made the sea and the dry land, but he doesn't tell him I'm a man of God. I got to deliver a message, but I'm a big chicken and I'm not going.
No, he doesn't say that. In fact, later on in the book we know exactly that. He knows the heart of God. He knows that God is so loving and gracious, but he doesn't agree with God's plan. I don't want those serious to be saved. No way. He wants things his own way. And that's how we are in life. Not too long ago by the young people, young people we had over in United States in Tennessee.
We looked at Neiman.
Where Naman wanted to be healed.
His own way. I want to jump in this film to the Jordan River.
Where is that guy that supposed to come out of the house and put his hands over me? So a lot of times in our lives, we wanna, we want things to go our own way. And if God can come in and kind of hover above us and help us out, fine. But I want this, this and that. And that's probably not how it works. And so we see that he gets thrown in the water. Throw me because otherwise they're gonna die. And he knew it's like, I don't want, I mean, here's this poor guy. He's and I don't want him to die. He's throw me in the water. He.
Zip so I can die. You can imagine the stubbornness that you have or rather die than just and you know, preach the message and that's how we feel. Sometimes it's like I'd rather die get you over my mouth enrichment. This guy might laugh at me if I tell him about the Lord and I said these are getting darker and Romanian issue Communist Romanian if you were to tell me your Christians or just laugh, laugh like crazy.
But it's nice because he is the man of God. He knows the God that he believed God trusted in chapter 2. And Jonah, remember his in the, I think he's in the storm swimming over there. And you know, here comes the fish and swallows him up and he's in the dark. And he prayed unto the Lord his God. So he owned God as his Lord.
And said.
I cry by the reason man affliction unto the Lord.
Do you hear me? Not with the belly, he cried.
And out of the belly of hell, you imagine it was like feeling like it was in hell. I cried. And that hurt is my voice. Now we got to remember who's telling this story. This is Jonah Big Rocky.
He's looking at what happened, at the situation.
But it says I've heard this, my voice.
A lot of times when you go into life, you think like we had rather cost today.
Is like a brick wall there's no way for me to go through.
But the wardrobe is providing.
Chapter 3. The word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time.
How many times did God speak with us and we just looked? The others pretended we didn't hear anything.
Look the other way, got busy with something else.
And so the Lord is saying, arise, go to nine of them.
The Gray City was like, let's try this again. I think that's what kind of like, what does this illustrate this again? And the Lord by his mercy picks us up. Let's do it again, let's try it again, let's try it again. Stop being stubborn.
You have a calling.
But this time, Jonah rose and went to the ball.
And we know what happened. He's going through the streets.
He's yelling out to repent.
And then verse down and God saw their works.
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That they turned from the evil way and God repented the evil way has said that He would do unto them.
And in chapter 4 it starts by saying.
And John was happy.
He doesn't say that.
Says it displeased Jonah immensely, exceedingly. Can you imagine? I mean, here you have an opportunity and you preach the love of God and the repentance. You tell people repent and they repent and instead of being happy, you're sad.
So we see the stubbornness and he's like, for one reason or another, obviously you've got the Syrian empire, he's a Jew.
It's like I don't want those guys. I want guys. We have to come on them but.
You know it just it just shows.
Sometimes I would say our character.
Is really easy is to just well yeah, Jonas Jonah that's why he's just stubborn guy but eventually you get it. But I have that no.
With the same.
Do this please. He makes you. He was very angry. A man of God should be very angry for so many people that got you might say spare it or say.
I'm sure that probably if God wants to tell Jonah, hey, go there, preach the gospel, and you're going to be so popular. People are going to love you and your obedience and everything, and they're going to read about you thousands of years from now and you'll be just an awesome popular guy. He'll say, sign me up. I'm going.
And so a lot of times with us, it might just seem like.
I don't understand God's plan. How can I do this thing without understanding? Don't send me there till I know exactly all the details. That's not what God wants for us. He wants us to really trust them.
So we know what happens.
With Jonah and and of course we know because he wrote the book of Jonah.
Energy Management.
Jonah, here you were, angry for the for the goer, the plant that was bringing you shade.
And you care more about that plan and you didn't care about the people that were going to be destroyed.
And of course you realize what we've got now that's kind of weird, so.
God is known and should I not spare Nineveh that grace you were there more than 64000 which is like 120,000 people. They cannot be served between the the right hand and the left hand and also much care. So we see the king of Nineveh and everybody just repented which is by the grace of God.
Let's turn to Matthew 1238.
That's worse.
Lord Jesus is talking about John, so we know exactly that it did happen. It wasn't a fairy tale. It wasn't a story. When the Lord Jesus speaks, he speaks. He is the truth. He speaks the truth.
Matthew 1238 Then certain of the scribes and the Pharisees answered, saying, Master.
We will see a sign. Give us a sign. How do we know your God?
Or the Messiah and the answer said. I'm sure though.
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And even adulterers generation seekers after the sign and there shall no sign be given which way?
Interesting.
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's barely soul, shall the Son of Man be 3 days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The men of men shall rise in judgment of this generation, shall condemn it, because they repented it at the preaching of Jonah. Behold, a greater than Jonah is here.
I'm sure the people of Nineveh.
We're happy.
And probably some of them wanted to thank Jordan for coming and doing God's.
Work, they have work and see if it arrives, but the Lord Jesus is saying there's a greater than Jonah here. So we need to be guide and rose again and we're all here because of the Lord Jesus.
You know.
Perhaps just.
All of you have heard how I got saved because they started out saying this true Jonas and I was one of them. Sometimes I can fall in that character character very fast.
But I remember I was 12 years, 11 years old, 12 years when we took out five economies.
He was a brother that kept, you know, Speaking of revelation. And I was afraid because I knew it was real and it was kind of judgment was kind of, you know, make sure.
And the time came. I was 12, went over to Daniel River.
Took over, took after Italy, went on the first plane. Pan amps flew over the Atlantic Ocean. Never thought about the deal I made, the promise I made. You got totally forgotten. Kind of like Jonah. Don't care. I'm going in the opposite direction.
And.
Time passed. It was about a year later.
I was in the Griffin Assembly. We just moved from California a year later.
In Washington state.
And guess what? The reading meeting was on in the Kirkland Assembly at the time.
Revelation, I was like, my goodness, I did not get away from that. Judgment is coming and I remember what am I doing? God held his part.
And God, by his grace, Jerry and I got saved.
And I was almost 13 at the time.
You know, I, I kind of feel like I kind of ran away. You know, of course Jonah was a man of God. I'm not saying that, you know, I was just a lost Sinner. If you're, if there's a lost Sinner and you're a lost Sinner tonight, don't wait. You'll never. What if the rapture happened before we landed in the United States?
I live in hidden arts The journey.
And if you are saying.
There's no one the opposite direction.
And don't let's not make God to play my own plans.
You know, sometimes we think I'm going to somehow see if God can be part of my plans. No, God wants us to be part of his plans. And he works in our lives in different circumstances that we may not understand, but ultimately.
His plans are still for our best interest for our plans.
And I was thinking.
When Jonah was writing the story about himself.
That's why we're thinking, boy, what was I thinking? Why would that suffer? Why the big whale or whatever the fish, why do they have to suffer so much because I was so stubborn?
Instead of just doing God's will.
Gospel is very simple.
And so I just.
Pray and urge, maybe, whether you're a girl or a boy or.
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We have a responsibility. God's judgment is coming.
And we got to step up and we, you know, the Lord doesn't say well, once you get your PhD.
Once you finish this school, once you get married, then you can do this work for me. Once you reach a certain age, no.
You know, God knew exactly was what Jonah was capable of. He knew he could make it too. He wasn't in a wheelchair. He knew he could make it a minute, but just fine.
And so we have to.
Just listen to God.
And let's step up.
You recognize our responsibility. We have a response. We have been given a talent. We know what we know. We know the truth. Let's not hide it. Time is short. Let's pray.
God, my Father, we give thanks for this thousands of years about Jonah, and we recognize that, each one of us.
Can see ourselves as a Jonah running from our responsibility.
Help each one of the young people and we may be a light fortress on the Hill. A testimony for the US world that is heading for judgment.
So we pray tonight again, if there's somebody that is.
Nasir.
The demeanor boroughs will work a deal with thee that they may see their condition and come to thee and recognize that there's a living Savior that is begging and knocking on each of our.
And for those that are believers, we pray that you will help us, Lord, to recognize our responsibility.
That we are to tell of that great love of mankind and what that has done and is doing in our lives.
In our in our precious name we pray, Lord Jesus, Amen.