24th May 2025

24th May 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Jonah 4)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


The late great Marvin Hagler was the world middleweight boxing champion for seven years and although he made boxing look easy, he understood that success was always accompanied by challenge. He once famously stated that it was hard to get up at 5am to run the roads when you were sleeping in silk pyjamas. I think this wisdom applies to the Christian walk as well - many of us are so comfortable we don’t want to do the hard work of sanctification.


Jonah had seen significant sanctification is his life. He had run from God because he knew rightly that the Lord would accept the repentance of the Ninevites. Even so, from the belly of the great fish Jonah called out to the Lord with the prayer of a sanctified man. His preaching was miraculously effective and the entire city of Nineveh had come to believe the Gospel. It therefore might surprise you to discover that Jonah finished his story camped outside the city angry about the death of a plant.


Before we jump to condemn Jonah, I want to stress that I am no stranger to grumping outside the city walls. Let me be clear, sanctification is happening in everyone who has truly trusted Christ. The progress may be excruciatingly slow but the Lord is at work in His children. Even so, the children of God are often incredibly reluctant when it comes to the things of God.


What is heard more regularly at church - praises or grumblings? What captures the hearts of Christians more frequently - the plight of the lost or the fact that we don’t like some aspect of our church experience? If I’m pointing a finger today I’m pointing it at myself. At times it feels as if the Lord is dragging me kicking and screaming to heaven - when I should be inside the city rejoicing, I find myself outside the city wishing to die.


Brothers and sisters, I offer you no easy solution to our plight. We are wretched and always doing the things which we don’t want to do. I admit today that my progress in sanctification is often slow and an accurate description of my walk is that I am frequently a reluctant disciple. We don’t see Jonah again in the Scriptures and his final words express his wish to die. I sometimes wonder what happened to him - did he eventually come to his senses or did he spend the rest of his days stamping his feet? I will not speculate when Scripture is silent but I will spend time examining the condition of my own heart.


The Gospel is exceedingly wonderful and worthy of our full attention. Jesus never wore silk pyjamas nor did he flee from the work that was His to do. May the Lord have mercy on His reluctant children and make us as holy as pardoned sinners can be.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC


Q92 What is a Sacrament? A Sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ; wherein, by sensible signs, Christ and the benefits of the new covenant are represented, sealed, and applied to believers.
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