SALVATION IS OF THE LORD (Jonah 2:9)

I. Introduction

A. Salvation is of the Lord: That's the last five words which Jonah spoke before his deliverance from belly of the fish.

1. It was a cry of both despair and of hope.

2. But Jonah did not utter these words until he had come to the end of Himself.

3. He was crying out because of his inability to save himself and because He knew that God had the ability to save him.

B. Those words were an expression of his complete submission to the will of God.

1. Poor Jonah had imagined he could run away from the Lord.

2. But he soon found out that no one can hide from God. I cannot hide from God however I may try, Though mountains cover me I'll not escape his eye. I wandered far and near and yet His voice I hear, I knew that I could never hide from God.

II. He learned that through his saga in the belly of the fish

A. I cannot imagine Jonah being swallowed without a struggle.

1. Jonah surely must have bit, kicked and scratched that huge creature while he was going down.

2. Jonah surely used every trick that he knew to extricate himself from the fish.

3. whatever he did it was of no avail. He finally came to the place where he cried out. Salvation is of the Lord.

B. Not everyone has learned that lesson as yet.

1. what a picture Jonah's efforts presents of the sinner in the place of death.

2. God does not bring His deliverance until man has ceased from his own efforts and struggles to save himself.

3. God's salvation is only for those who admit they are lost,

4. So long as anyone of us imagines that he can save himself, there is no hope for him

5. So long as we think our efforts will merit our deliverance, we will never experience God's salvation.

6. We can experience human delusion but not spiritual regeneration.

C. We all must come to the place where we acknowledge that "salvation is of the Lord"

1. Jonah didn't make the fatal mistake of modern theology which teaches that no one really needs salvation at all.

2. Jonah knew that he was lost and that only God had the answer to his predicament.

III. The Resurrection

A. No sooner had Jonah cried out - Salvation is of the Lord.

1. Than God heard his prayer

2. Immediately God spoke to the fish and it vomited Jonah upon the dry land (Jonah 2:10)

3. It was not until after Jonah ceased from his own works to extricate himself that God effected his salvation.

B. When God creates anything - normally He begins with nothing.

1. He will not accept help from another. It was so in the physical creation and it is so in the spiritual creation.

2. In the realm of the spiritual, God begins with nothing - do you have a problem with that?

3. Remember our state - dead in trespasses and sins-but God because of the great love with which He loved us, even while we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. (Eph 2:4-7)

C. Again I impress upon you that unless we abondon the proud notion that we can save ourselves, we cannot be saved.

1. Rom 4:5 - To him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

2. That verse gives us the glorious truth of redemption.

3. To all who come helpless, needy, admitting the need for His salvation to that person God immediately grants his salvation.

4. No sooner had Jonah made his confession than God spoke to the fish and it deposited Jonah safely on dry ground.

IV. A complete Salvation

A. I would like to emphasize the fact as to the place where the fish deposited Jonah.

1. It was upon DRY ground.

2. This tells me God's salvation is complete and perfect.

3. God never does a halfway job. The fish could have vomited out in the midst of the sea.

4. Or he could have vomited him out a 100 yards from shore or even near the water's edge.

5. Jonah could have been left to wade in from the water.

B. God does not do things that way, when He saves, He saves completely.

1. Once we abandon the hope of saving ourselves, God will do the rest.

2. God does not save us and then leave us on our own after that as to whether or not we will get to heaven safely.

3. God places us on dry ground - we are safe and secure.

4. God not only saves us, He has made a pledge to keep us. (Phil 1:6) (I Peter 1:5)

C. What About the Sheep who go Astray

1. We all do that from time to time but the Lord uses His rod of correction to chastize us.

2. He may send painful experiences into our lives but they are meant to draw us back into fellowship with Him.

3. My friend, our salvation is a completed salvation~for the One who hung on Calvary said so - It is finished.

4. The work of salvation is a finished salvation.

5. There is nothing the sinner can add or do to complete it.

6. It must be received entirely as a free gift.

7. We must admit our utter unworthiness and with Jonah cry out "Salvation is of the Lord"

8. The only thing that will condemn you and separate you from God is failure to accept God's gift of eternal life.

9. He will not force salvation upon you - you must receive it.