Jesse Tree Week 3 | Salvation Belongs to the Lord
December 17, 2023
Pastor Philip Harike
Sermon Notes
I. Warning Against Being Self-Centered
Jonah 2:1-9
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billow passed over me. Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!”
He must increase, but I must decrease.
II. Head Knowledge versus Heart Transformation
Jonah 1:9-10
And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
Faith in Jesus is the only way to experience true heart transformation.
III. Salvation Belongs to the Lord
Jonah 4:10
And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”
God did not save us to passively watch the wicked perish.
Next Steps
- I confess my sin and turn to Jesus as King for the first time.
- I desire to live out John 3:30 – He must increase, and I must decrease.
- I commit to engaging in missions; however, He leads.
Deep Dive
- What are ways you have received God’s mercy yet resist God’s mission of telling others the good news?
- How is Jesus transforming you to pray intentionally for the good of others with little to no access to the gospel?
- Is it possible to know about the character of God yet not show the compassion of God?
Springboards
- What is your most memorable Christmas gift? Why?
- Does giving and receiving gifts bring us joy? Is this a good or bad thing?
- How can we risk losing our joy when we take our eyes off Jesus?
