by Robin Turner

My husband told me I should open with this joke, so here goes:

What does a steak and Jesus have in common?

They both died for you!

Pastor John is always joking that Jesus like his believers well done! So let’s look at that passage of scripture

Matthew 25:21 & 23 (same things)

21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

This is in the parable of the servants with the talents. We know the story well, one got 5 one got 3 and the last had just 1, the first two invested in the talents, if monetary terms this means they saved it, invested it, and it made interest. In terms of this being gifts, as in spiritual gives (talents) – it means that they “invested” in their talents, they used them, studied and researched how to do them better, and brought a more excellent talent back to the Master. The one servant did none of these things, he likely complained, Ugh, why would the master give me this talent, so much responsibility. Doesn’t he know I just want to live a mediocre life and play xbox and eat chips all day? Maybe watch my favorite tv show, survivor? Maybe GoT, or walking dead, ooh yeah I love walking dead!

Of we are all the smart servants who invest in their talents!

Now, let’s look at how we get well done. If we’re the steak, and Jesus likes us well done, how do we get there? Just like the fatted calf, and bulls that were offered up to God. SACRIFICE!

Romans 12:1 (KJV)

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

What is this talking about? Paul is begging the Romans – PLEASE do what God has called you to do, PLEASE use those talents that he gave you. – be a living sacrifice.

Do you know what being a living sacrifice means?

It’s what Pastor Karen says: don’t say that thing that you REALLY want to say.

It’s what Pastor John talked about Sunday Morning – you love and you SHOW love no matter what the situation is.

It’s putting down the remote control in order to spend a few moments in His presence, even though you really want to watch your favorite show, that will be one Netflix in 3 months.

Galatians 2:20

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me

I want to talk to you about an undead steak that we call Jonah. I say undead, because if something is dead, such as us when we are crucified with Christ, and then we take it back, doesn’t that make us undead?

I’ll recap the story:

Jonah 1:1-3

Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

We always talk about how Jonah ran from his calling. He ran from God.

Jonah 1:17 (KJV)

17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

In Dakes his commentary states that Jonah actually died when he was swallowed up by the first. Which I get, that could make sense. He was in the belly of the fish for three days and was vomited up on the 3rd, symbolizing the death burial and resurrection of Christ. If we call Jonah a steak and he was inside a fish, you realize that God served himself up some Surf N Turf? Right?

Jonah chapter 2 he prayed while he was in the belly of the fish. I’m pretty sure some the “waters” he’s speaking of are digestive juices, let’s face it, that fish has some good lunch and it was digesting.

Look at V. 8-9

Jonah 2:8-9

8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.

So Jonah gave in, he was basically like, these people forsake their own mercy, but I will do what you told me to do, I will sacrifice. And then says, salvation is of the Lord. Hmm…

Read Chapter 3 Message:

1-2 Next, God spoke to Jonah a second time: “Up on your feet and on your way to the big city of Nineveh! Preach to them. They’re in a bad way and I can’t ignore it any longer.”

3 This time Jonah started off straight for Nineveh, obeyingGod’s orders to the letter.

Nineveh was a big city, very big—it took three days to walk across it.

4 Jonah entered the city, went one day’s walk and preached, “In forty days Nineveh will be smashed.”

5 The people of Nineveh listened, and trusted God. They proclaimed a citywide fast and dressed in burlap to show their repentance. Everyone did it—rich and poor, famous and obscure, leaders and followers.

6-9 When the message reached the king of Nineveh, he got up off his throne, threw down his royal robes, dressed in burlap, and sat down in the dirt. Then he issued a public proclamation throughout Nineveh, authorized by him and his leaders: “Not one drop of water, not one bite of food for man, woman, or animal, including your herds and flocks! Dress them all, both people and animals, in burlap, and send up a cry for help to God. Everyone must turn around, turn back from an evil life and the violent ways that stain their hands. Who knows? Maybe God will turn around and change his mind about us, quit being angry with us and let us live!”

10 God saw what they had done, that they had turned away from their evil lives. He did change his mind about them. What he said he would do to them he didn’t do.

Here’s an interesting fact, Ninevah is the modern day city of Mosul, the seat of a battle between Isis and the Iraqi Gov’t. In the heart of the city of Mosul you can still see the ruins of Ninevah. This means the modern day Ninevites are Muslims.

Yes I’ll be going somewhere with this.

Do you know WHY Jonah didn’t want to go minister to the Ninevites? Let’s look:

Matthew 15:24-28 (MSG)

24 Jesus refused, telling them, “I’ve got my hands full dealing with the lost sheep of Israel.”

25 Then the woman came back to Jesus, went to her knees, and begged. “Master, help me.”

26 He said, “It’s not right to take bread out of children’s mouths and throw it to dogs.”

27 She was quick: “You’re right, Master, but beggar dogs do get scraps from the master’s table.”

28 Jesus gave in. “Oh, woman, your faith is something else. What you want is what you get!” Right then her daughter became well.

The Ninevites were Gentiles. We can see some strong racism between Jews and Gentiles throughout biblical history. Even Jesus said that salvation wasn’t for them at the time. But God brings salvation.

Jonah 4:1-3 (MSG)

1-2 Jonah was furious. He lost his temper. He yelled at God, “God! I knew it—when I was back home, I knew this was going to happen! That’s why I ran off to Tarshish! I knew you were sheer grace and mercy, not easily angered, rich in love, and ready at the drop of a hat to turn your plans of punishment into a program of forgiveness!

3 “So, God, if you won’t kill them, kill me! I’m better off dead!”

This is so sad, but it cracks me up to read this! Jonah is throwing a little fit.

Jonah 4:4-5 (MSG)

4 God said, “What do you have to be angry about?”

5 But Jonah just left. He went out of the city to the east and sat down in a sulk. He put together a makeshift shelter of leafy branches and sat there in the shade to see what would happen to the city.

I’m pretty sure I’ve had my kids do this to me. You’re trying to talk them, you trying to teach them something, and they get so mad they just walk off.

We remember what happens next:

Jonah 4:6-7 (KJV)

6 And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.

Ok, now this is my favorite part, I get to teach you something, that you may have never seen before.

Gourd – HB – qiyqayown - perhaps a gourd, castor-oil plant, bottle-gourd,

Comes from the HB word qayah - which means to vomit, or nauseous

Soo…God grew up a castor oil gourd which stinks, and will make you bark and poo. To shade Jonah

Jonah 4:7 (KJV)

7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.

Pastor John did a teaching about 2 maybe 3 years ago called “The Making of The Royal Robes”. He talked about this worm.

Worm – HB – Towla - worm - the female 'coccus ilicis; the dye made from the dried body of the female of the worm "coccus ilicis"

"When the female of the scarlet worm species was ready to give birth to her young, she would attach her body to the trunk of a tree, fixing herself so firmly and permanently that she would never leave again. The eggs deposited beneath her body were thus protected until the larvae were hatched and able to enter their own life cycle. As the mother died, the crimson fluid stained her body and the surrounding wood. From the dead bodies of such female scarlet worms, the commercial scarlet dyes of antiquity were extracted. What a picture this gives of Christ, dying on the tree, shedding his precious blood that he might 'bring many sons unto glory' (Hbr 2:10)! He died for us, that we might live through him! Psa 22:6 describes such a worm and gives us this picture of Christ.

I believe that God was showing Jonah that his attitude of hatred toward the Gentiles of Ninevah was nauseating and that Jonah was sick with hatred.

I believe that God was trying to show Jonah his great plan for salvation that included the Gentiles, but Jonah was drunk ok his own prejudice that he completely missed the plan of God. The plan for Jesus Christ.

How does this apply to us today? I find it interesting that of all the nations in the world at the time, God chose Ninevah to be his example of the salvation plan. But then:

Hebrews 4:12(KJV) “12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

“For the word of God is quick” - word here is logos which means a decree, a word, uttered by a living voice, the sayings of God. Quick is a fantastic word that means alive, living. So here we see that the Word of God is ALIVE! Not metaphorically alive, literally alive!

John 1:1 says “In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word was ALIVE!

“And powerful” - powerful here means active. Active means it does something. God wants you to know that His Word is alive and active. Look at the scripture:

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV) “11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” The Message Bible says it this way: “So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.” The Word of God is ACTIVE.

“and sharper than any two edged sword” - in the dictionary “sharper” is defined as having a thin cutting edge or a fine point, well-adapted for cutting or piercing. Well, that says it. A two-edged sword means exactly what it says: a sword that has an edge on both sides. Now, there are several historical two-edged swords: the Viking Ulfbert, the Roman Gladius, the Scottish Claymore and the list goes on. Imagine how sharp these swords must have been in order to chop down armor soldiers. God’s Word is even SHARPER than that.

“piercing even to the dividing asunder” - piercing means to go through, penetrate, pierce. So we can understand that the Word of God will penetrate. The Greek word for “dividing asunder” is merismos - it means a division or separations, so far as to cleave asunder or separate. So what is the Word penetrating and what is it separating?

“of soul and spirit” - What is a soul? This word soul in the Greek is psyche it means the seat of the feelings, desire, affection, aversions (our heart, soul, etc.) The soul is eternal. I have heard it said that your should consists of your mind, your will, and your emotions. So, what is the spirit? This word spirit is the Greek word pneuma it means air, or breath. This is the life which God gave you. The part of you that was made in His image and likeness. I have heard many teachings on the sprit, soul and body, but the best is this: you ARE a spirit, you possess a soul, and you live in a body. Your soul and spirit can be so entwined that you cannot tell when you end (your desires, emotions, reasonings) and God begins (His Will and His Way). But the Word of God and make the distinguishment fully.

“of joints and marrow” - A joint is defined as “the place at which two things, or separate parts of one thing, are joined or united, either rigidly or in such a way as to permit motion; juncture.” I couldn’t have said it better. Joints is the Greek word harmos which of course means joining, or a joint - but the root word is harma which means chariots, as drawn by many horses. This applies to your body’s physical joints as well as spiritually being fit together in the Body of Christ. Marrow is the soft tissue inside your bones that is responsible for the production of blood cells. In the English dictionary it is also defined as “the inmost or essential part”. We would say today “the heart of the matter” or “the root of the matter”, which is very interesting when look at the next segment.

“and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” - discerner is the word kritikos and it means skilled in judging. Judging what? The thoughts and intents- inner thinking, pondering, considerations, and imaginations. “Of the heart” , the center of the soul, the seat of spiritual life. Your heart governs the way you live, what is in your heart is what will could out of your mouth. The heart is described as the “seat of spiritual life, the should or mind, and it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavors.” Your heart is where you feel love, it’s where you feel hate, it’s where you feel sadness.

So the Word of God is alive and active! It’s powerful! The Word of God has surgical precision. It knows where to cut, it knows the heart of the matter, the deep down where no one has ever seen.

Ninevah is Modern day Mosul, the hot seat of radical Islam.

You may not realize it, but Christianity has taken on a new racism. A deep-rooted hatred that has sprung up like a castor gourd, but Jesus can eat through the hatred, word of God can penetrate even the deepest roots, and bring healing, even to the most hidden of secret shame.

So what are we doing? Are we using our words? Are we creating with our mouths a different environment? I don’t know about you but I have realized that my words are not working for me in most cases, I say what I FEEL which is contradictory to what I WANT. Pray for Salvation to the muslims, Jonah was reluctant, but after dying to himself and being served up with a fish, he became obedient.

Let’s become the well done steak, the servants who invest their talents into the word of God.

Don’t be Surf N Turf