So he doesn't know which way to sing them. You know, because we do it one way in Greensboro and he does it another way in Stanford. I learned it from him. See? That's beautiful, wasn't it? That was a beautiful song. Appreciate it very much. I learned from a business associate of mine one day. He said, Dick, just remember this. Of course, I forgot in a sense, because I don't believe it, but he said, Tooteth not his own horn, it dideth not tooteth. I don't know what it meant, but I think it meant brag on yourself. But we haven't had to do that this week. We've been doing the bragging and the shooting of the horn of our next speaker, but I found out he could shoot a pretty good horn. That was beautiful, wasn't it? I enjoyed that, and we're glad they're going to do that some more this week. But what a joy I'd have had Don Pilon with us this week, his wife, and also his mother and father drove down from Michigan, and right in there. Michigan. And this time we'll look into God's word as our brother Pilon speaks for it. I might say tonight that this is my father's spiritual birthday. Dad is here tonight, say, forty-six years ago on July fourth at the Dull Lake Bible Conference up in Michigan. Can you imagine taking your vacation at a Bible conference when you're not saved, but that's what Dad did? I'm so delighted that mother and dad could be with us. This is the way we come up part way from Florida. They come part way from Michigan, and we can be together. I've a lot of territory to cover tonight, so let's turn to the book of Jonah, please. Jonah chapter one. Jonah chapter one, and we want to begin with verse seventeen. Jona chapter one, verse seventeen. We mentioned that we want to speak tonight on five wonderful words. Tomorrow night, in the will of God, we want to speak about the God of the second chance. And I thought that you'll be reading the book of Jonah, and I think you'll find out what we have in mind. But now Jonah chapter one, verse seventeen. Now the Lord has prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me. Of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hast cast me into the deep in the midst of the sea, and the flood compassed me about. All thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight, yet I will look again toward thine holy temple. Verse nine of chapter two. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. And the Lord spoke unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. And God will bless to us. again his word. Shall we just ask his help? Father, we ask thee now that thou would guide our lips and our minds. And we pray that this man, Jonah, may speak to us in the most unusual way tonight. May he speak to the speakers and then to the hearers. And, O God, we pray that each one of us may have the message which thou wouldst have for us implanted upon our hearts. These things we pray. In Jesus' name, amen. I mentioned that I want to speak tonight on five wonderful words, but just the other day I read a little item which sort of amused me. This person was a person who taught English, and so they went and met three different people, and they said this. What do you think are the three most wonderful words in the English language? The first person that this person asked me was a single language. What do you think the three most wonderful words in the English language are? And this man said, oh, that's easy. I love you. The second person he approached was a very happily married man. He said to this happily married man, what are the three most wonderful words in the English language? And this man responded very quickly, home sweet home. The third person he approached was a very astute businessman. And he asked this man, what do you think the three most wonderful words in the English language are? And he answered very quickly, oh, it's these. In quotes, fine check. Well, read that as it may. Tonight we want to speak on five wonderful words. Now, in our consideration of this little book of the Old Testament, we've come to the section that has probably been assailed and disputed more than any other part of the Bible. That is, that a man, were to be tossed into the sea, flattered by a sea monster, remained there three days and three nights, and lived to tell the story. But you know, as I consider this, really, that's only one miracle of many miracles in the Word of God. Why, as I read my Bible, I read of a man by the name of Enoch, who was translated to heaven without dying? I look in my Bible and I read of Lot's wife who chained into a pillar of salt. I look again in my Bible and I read of a bush that was burned but was not consumed. I read of a donkey that talked. I read of the Jordan River that was held up. I read of the Red Sea that was parted and the people crossed on dry land. Why, I look at my Bible and I read about an axe head that was made to float. I read in my Bible about two people who had a son after they were long past the age of childbearing. Again, I go to my Bible and I read about food that was supplied by ravens. And then I go to the New Testament of my Bible and I read about water that was made wine. I read about blinded eyes that were open. I read about deaf ears that were unstuck. I read about people, thousands of people, who were fed from the lunch of one boy. Now listen. Why dispute the miracle of Jonah and accept all the others? Now in this section we have several things, and I have to give you an outline of chapter two. Well, let me give it to you very quickly. Now this isn't the outline I'm going to use. but I think it may help you tonight. In chapter two, we have Jonas twice in the fish. Secondly, we have Jonas' prayer in the fish. Thirdly, we have Jonas' preservation in the fish. I've got to get another P. So the last one is we have Jonas' projection from the fish. Now, let me give them to you again. Jonas' twice in the fish, Jonas' prayer in the fish, Jonas' preservation in the fish and Jonas' projection from the fish. When Napoleon and his armies had been defeated, and Napoleon was banished to that lonely isle, he began to reflect on the events in his life about his conquest and his defeat. and he was heard to say that there was a hand moving in Europe which he did not know. And as this man continued to reflect, he had to say that there was the hand of the sovereign God who was moving in history. Now when we hear the story of Jonah, and of course we Notice the crossing of the waves, and we hear the cry of those frightened sailors, and we hear the sob of the city, and we see Jonah picked up and tossed into the sea. You know, I think we soon discern that here again we see a sovereign God, a supreme God, working in the heart and in the life of a man. And then as you go beneath the surface of the waves, it's not hard to imagine a fish, a whale. You know, I've always been so happy that that whale was on time. If he'd have missed it two seconds either way, he'd have missed Jonah, and he'd never made it. You know, it's always, it always pays to be on time. But he's on schedule in that sea, and you know what happened. Now, I don't have time tonight to produce witnesses to attest to this fact. But if you would take time to go to the library and you'd rummage through whales and you would look in several encyclopedias, it would take you several days to go through all the information that is there. And I understand that there are some whales that are so large that they could swallow a horse. Well certainly if a whale could swallow a horse, he'd have no trouble with a minor process. But I notice this. This is the Word of God. We have a prepared instrument for this hour, and I believe. Because our Lord Jesus reached back into history, and he said this, as Jonah was three days and three nights in the heart of the belly of the sea monsters, So shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, and that settles it for me. God hovers over that scene. He prepares that fish, and that fish, as it were, plows through the trails of the sea, and God is on the move in a man's life. Now, did you notice what we read? Chapter two, verse one. Then... Jonah prayed. You know, this is an amazing statement. We don't have any record of Jonah's prayed when he bought his ticket for Tartarus. We have no record that Jonah prayed when he got on board the ship. We have no record that he prayed when he went down into the hold of the ship. We also have no record that Jonah prayed before he went to sleep in the ship. But suddenly God moved. and surrounds this man, and he's plummeted until he comes to the place in his life's experience where it says, Then Jonah prays. And I want you to notice something tonight. God is bringing every one of us somewhere. God is bringing us to the place in our life's experience when we can say, Then we pray. And first of all, my friends, this is God's purpose in trouble. You know, I'm so glad that I have the privilege of studying the Word of God. I wish I had a lot of time for this tonight, but I'd like to summon up a couple characters who also found this to be true. When you study the book of Genesis, you come to Genesis chapter twenty-eight, and you run on to a little church statement. about a man by the name of Jacob, and it says, And Jacob lighted upon a certain place. Did you think this was just happenstance in this man's life? This was God dealing with that man, God dealing with his business, God dealing with his family, God dealing with him, God speaking to him until he comes to the place. where God wanted Him, and He brings Him to that place that He lights upon. I think of another man. His name is Job. You know, really, there are two whirlwinds in the book of Job. The first whirlwind is at the beginning of the book. It takes everything away from Him. The second whirlwind is at the end of the book of Job, and it brings everything back to Him. And you remember that this man suffered much. under the hand of a sovereign God. He had some so-called comforters. I remember what it says in Job chapter sixteen in verse twelve, and I can't blame him, he said, Miserable comforters are ye all. And certainly weren't comforters, but rather they were troubler. But you know what happened? God worked that man over to such an extent that finally, He came to the place in his life's experience where he said this, I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, and now mine I see, if he and I am down, wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and in ashes. This is God moving in the light of a man. I want to remind you of something tonight. God didn't bring you to the Bristol Bible Conference just to be surrounded by Christian friends and to sit in a comfortable seat. God is bringing you someplace tonight to do something in your life. I think of another man. He gets up to shave one morning and he took clips on the radio and he hears the news. And he comes out of the bathroom white as his sheath, and his wife says to him, Isaiah, what's wrong? And Isaiah says, I just heard the news, and I heard the King Uzziah's daughter. And Isaiah is ready to collapse. And all, he says, all our hopes are in this man. All the hopes of a nation, all the hopes of a people. Here is a man who was taken out of the way at a very important time. What are they going to do? But then you know what happens to Isaiah? Instead of looking out, he looks up, and he sees that God lives. Bless God. God isn't dead. Kings and thrones may topple and fall, but thanks God, God moves in a prophet's life to bring him to the place where he sees God. I've been asking God all this week that I may see him anew. that I may see him afresh. Isn't that the reason why God permits troubles to come into our lives? I think of what the psalmist said in the hundred and sixteenth psalm, I think it's above verse three. The sorrows of death accomplished me, and the pains of hell God hold of me, and I found trouble and sorrow. But then it continues. Then what did he do? Then called I on the name of the Lord, O Lord, deliver my soul. And sometimes God has to bring us low in order that we'll cry. It happened on a Saturday night. A servant of the Lord and his wife went down to the hospital to visit a friend of theirs. In fact, it was the friend's little boy. The little boy's name was McGee. So in Jess, they always called him Fiverr. He was a cute little fella, about ten years old. And this was a fellow that had an unusual talent to sing. He could hit a high note, drop down an octave, and hit a square. And as they were in that hospital room that night, and they stood by Little Fibber's bed, finally these four people got down on their knees and asked God that his will would be done in the life of Little Fibber. The result was, Little Fibber died. The next afternoon this man was sitting in his home and Mr. McGee drove up. He came up the walk, knocked on the door. Of course he was invited in, and the preacher of the Word of God thought that this man was coming to make arrangements for the funeral, so he wasn't prepared at all for what Mr. McGee had to say. He looked into the eyes of this man of God and he said, You know I'm saved. But he said, Listen, I haven't done much for God. I've been a selfish man. And last night, as we knelt by the bed of little fibbers, God spoke to me, and he said, Listen, I've brought you to this place where you'll give me your life. Listen, don't you say that this is a halter-skeltered, topsy-turvy world. Then, Jonah prayed, and God has a deep purpose. in the movement of storm. But aren't you amazed how Jonah relates his experience? This is very interesting. Now, he remembers the rough sailors and took them up in their arms and tossed them in the seat. But notice verse three. He forgets all about the sailors. He forgets about everything else. And notice what it says. Oh, God, thou hast cast me. Skip the sailors. Just the second causes, and God cast him into the sea to bring him to the place. Then Jonah prayed. God's purpose in trouble. But then I noticed something else. Look at chapter two, verse one again. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. Not only the purpose of God in trouble, but the perseverance of God. You know, as one reads about various men in the Word of God, it's interesting that the Spirit of God, as he records about them, never glosses over them or touches them up as we do a photograph. We get to plain unvarnished truth about these various individuals. And you know, as I read this, I have recently made a tremendous discovery. We often think, or we often hear about, the perseverance of faith. But you know, I don't think that's true at all. As I read my Bible, I read about the perseverance of God in a man's life. The wind, the storm, the waves, the fish, they all come into Jonah's life. But do you notice this? None of these separated Jonah from his God. Jonah cries, notice it again, unto the Lord his God. He belongs to him. This is the perseverance of God. Oh, listen, read the story of the life of Noah. Read about Elijah. Come into John's Gospel chapter twenty-one and get introduced to Peter and all the rest. And we soon learn that the greatest word that can come into a man's life is the wonderful word of being held in the hands of one who loves us. And let me tell you, that's better than being in the hands of all saints. Being in the hands of a living God. While I was living in the North in Michigan, I was connected with a girl's home. It was established for girls who could not live in their own homes for various reasons. I heard during the time of my tenure there, I heard the story of dozens of these little girls. But you know, as I continue to hear the various stories, there was one thing that seemed to stand out in the stories of nearly all of them. As I hear the story of Shelley and Nancy and Barbara and Judy and Julie, it was almost in each case it was sustained. Their greatest need was to be loved by someone. Now they seldom saw their parents until their very little bodies and beings just cried out for love and affection and a sense of security. Here's Jonah. Notice him again. He cried unto the Lord his good. And think of it this evening. You... in God's hands so that when rebellion comes in your life and you find yourself sinking beneath the waves of the sea, there is one and he's right there, and you can sing how firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord. And listen, if security builds the life of little Jews and Shelley, and Nancy and Barbara and all the rest. How much more than will love the love of God establish your heart and my heart as we consider together in His hands? Oh, the purpose of God in trouble. The perseverance of God. And I want you to notice something very carefully with me. Jonah's prayer. And it's just packed full... of the promises of God. I suppose that this is one of the great prayers of the Bible. Acts of it runs from Jonah chapter two, verse two, through Jonah chapter two and verse nine. And in this passage, we have nine portions of Scripture quoted, and they all come from the book of the Psalms. Now, as Jonah uttered these, He doesn't take time to determine whether or not they're relevant to the situation or not, but they are. You know, as I thought of this this afternoon, the thought occurred to me. It's in all probability, Mr. and Mrs. Jonah and all the little Jonas were having the book of Psalms as their daily reading at their family altar. Dave, do you have a family altar? You don't. You don't. You don't have one, you better start one. But I believe that they probably were reading through the Book of Psalms at their family altar. And it's evident that as you read Jonas' prayer that the Word of God had permeated his being, he had read it and reread it and gave him a sense of security. When he found himself in deep trouble, when he found himself in affliction, do you know what happens? The promises of God come to his mind, and it's very interesting. And do you know what those promises do for him? They sustain him. They uphold him. They strengthen him. They help him. And in the midst of his thinking beneath the waves, he is sustained by the promises of God. You know, and as I read this, there comes a new confidence in my life because he rests on his grandmother's face. Is that what he does? As I look over this congregation tonight, I'm wondering if your faith entrusts in the living God. Have you received his son as your personal savior? Listen, if you're trusting your mother or father's or grandmother's faith, you better trade it in and get your own. But I wanted to notice something else. These promises of God do something for him. You know what the psalmist said in Psalm one? Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor siteth in the seat of this is thornful. For his delight is in the law of God, and in his law does he meditate day and night. You know, I'm encouraged by this. I'm encouraged because of all the implications of life and the hurry and the worry and the scurry that we are involved in. I heard a man say recently, He said, when our forefathers used to go out and wait for the stage coach, if they missed it, he said, why, they said, well, there'll be another stage coach in another month, and that was okay. And if you know, if you and I miss a section in the revolving door, we get an offer. And that's just about it. And I have to live here. Now, I want you to know... that I feel sorry for the young person who doesn't have the word of God tucked in his or her heart, and the older person too. So when these crises, ours, come upon us, do you have something to rest upon, something to trust in, and something to depend upon? It's no wonder we collapse. And I believe it with my heart. But here's Jonah. And he began to quote these various scriptures, one after another. And you know, as you quote them, it seems to me that Jonah is saying by inference, if nothing else, well, God, here I am. I'm resting on your promises. And you know that's all I have to rest on today. That's all. All that I know about God, all that I know about the blood, all I know about Jesus Christ, all that I know about heaven, all that I know about hell, all that I know about salvation, I get them because I rest on the promises of the Word of God and nothing else. And I found my experience. These promises are absolutely unfalien. And Jonah calls them up, one after another. Now I wish I had the time tonight to go to the Book of Psalms and take you to each one of these, but I won't. Look at verse four. Jonah chapter two, verse four. I am cast out of thy sight, yet will I look again for thy holy temple. You know, as he quotes these promises, we see something that's beginning to happen to this man, Jonah. And then you'll notice what happens to God's purpose and God's perseverance and the promises of God. We have God's proclamation. You see, God hovered over that scene in the Mediterranean Sea. God was looking down, and finally he said to that sea monster, Jonah's ready for departure. I heard of a man some time ago who went hunting in the woods of Michigan for the first time. A man who was experienced in hunting took him along, and so as they were walking quietly through the woods, this man had what they called a hunting dog, a pointer or something like that. I know nothing about it, but he had a hunting dog that seemed to be quite good. And as these two men were walking through the woods, the man who owned the dog said, hold, move, whole, move. And this man said, I saw a dog that understood a man. You know, when I heard that story, I thought, well, listen, I had no trouble with Jonah then when God spoke to the sea monster. But you know, as I read my Bible, I turn to the eighth psalm and I read that God even guides the fishes through the paths of the sea. He guides the birds of the air. He guides the animals of the beasts of the field. He guides them all. So God stooped down. He looked over that scene. He said to that monster, it's okay. Over and out. And Jonah was, you know what happened. But I want you to notice something very carefully tonight. Get this. You don't get anything else. Did you notice that God's proclamation was dependent on Jonah's declaration? That's absolutely right. Jonah would still be there, but hadn't been for what he said. You know, if I learn anything tonight in these lessons from the book of Jonah, I learn this, that in this life in which God privileges me to live, I hope that it will be a lesson that God taught Jonah. You know what he taught Jonah? Five wonderful words. Verse nine. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of the Lord. And the moment that Jonah said that, God said, He's learned, He's learned. Have you ever said that? Have you? Salvation is of the Lord. You see, that takes in all the ramifications of my life. It takes in every area of my being. It takes in my body. It enraps itself around my soul and meets my spirit. And this is the whole of a man. I just want to allude to this. You know all this. You're so smart. You've been to listening to Mr. Taylor for so many years. But you know that salvation is a threefold thing. It has a past aspect, present aspect, and a future aspect. The past aspect is salvation from the penalty of sin, and the penalty of sin is death. And that salvation was purchased by my precious Lord Jesus on the cross. That's the past aspect. But then the present aspect of salvation, salvation from the power of sin in my present life. And then there's the future aspect, of course. Salvation from the very presence of sin. You see, this covers every aspect of my life. Same past, present, future, same spirit, soul and body. Salvation is of the Lord. But I wonder if you've ever said that to God. My unsaved friend, have you ever said that to God? Or are you trying to work a salvation of your own? You'll never make it. Salvation is of the Lord. But my Christian friend, since you have been saved, have you said that in the presence of God? Oh Lord! SALVATION IS OF YOU! Come with me, many years ago, with a little mother, as she stood by a riverbank, she formed a little ark of bull rushers and picked it with pitch, and then she took that little darling baby, gave it a kiss, laid it down in that ark, put the cover over it, and shoved it out into the stream. You know what that mother said? Salvation is of the Lord. I can't do anything about it. Salvation is of the Lord. You remember that man, Gideon? What a man he was. With just three hundred men, he went out and went against those large armies, and you'll recall what happened by his very exhibition of victories. He can only declare this, salvation is of the Lord. But I'm wondering, have you ever said that? This is one of the hardest things for me to say. See, I like to do it on my own. I like to just work out things for myself. So you know what God has to do? He has to get me in trouble. Because my Christian friends, the quicker we learn the lesson that salvation is of the Lord, the sooner we'll be able to be used of God. Some of us get all tensed up in this kind of a business. I think on Monday mornings, most chiropractors have preachers of the gospel on their tables. I think they probably have more preachers of the gospel than anything else or any other patients on Monday morning. I heard of a man who has a written or standing appointment on Monday mornings and he goes to his particular chiropractor and he lays on the table and the man works on his back, you know, and gets all the chinks out and, oh, it feels so good. And then he does the same thing every time. He said, now turn over on your back and I'm going to work on your neck. But before he begins working on his neck, he says this, Now let me have all of you. And this man says, You know what happens every time? I get stifled on a board. And so what happens? He says, Now we'll just wait. We'll just wait until you let me have all of you. And this man says, I get the lesson every Monday morning. As I walk out of the car or fracture's office, I thank God for the lesson. I learn on the car or fracture's table, let me have all of you. Listen. If there's anything that's going to happen to me, If God is going to use me, if God is going to speak through me, if God is going to speak through you, as you pass out a track, as you visit in the hospital, as you meet with your family in whatever aspect of the life that you have to come in contact with, it will only be because I have said, God used me because salvation is of the Lord. I take my hand off. And when Jonah said that, God said, he's learned. He's learned. Have you learned tonight? Have you? Have you really learned the lesson? Have you come to the place in your life to experience my Christian friend where you said, O Lord, I took my hand off. and said to him in his presence, Salvation is of the Lord. You know when you do that, God will use you. You know why? Because God is obligated to honor his word. Sometime I'm just too stiff at it to accept that. Like that in our little room this afternoon and I was thinking about this. I started thinking of areas in my life where I was trying to work it on my own. And I finally came to the place where I said, John, you wretch. You're preaching about salvation as of the Lord, you better get it down in your own soul. And I drown in that room when I drown in the presence of God. Salvation is of the Lord. I take my hands off. God takes this new body of God and use it for God. And I hope that God can say of this fellow, he's learned. He's learned. How about you? How about you? Can you imagine what it would mean if three hundred people would take this literally into their lives tonight? We see something. Oh, may this man, Jonah, so speak to me. May he so speak to you. Maybe God will have to bring us to a place in our lives experience where we cross. Then we'll pray. Then we'll see God persevere. And then we'll see God coming in and giving a proclamation, Lord. salvation is of, we'll see God giving the proclamation, you've learned. You've learned. Oh, my Christian friends, may this be so. For the glory of God. I think the first thing is, then Jonah pray. Don't forget. Shall we pray? God our Father, This prophet of old was again spoken to us. And we pray that we may see thy hand working in our lives as he worked in Jonah's life. May we as it were, take remove our own hands and say, God, I put myself in your hands to be used for your glory. Teach us the lessons, O God. We pray that as a result of hearing thy voice, we may be willing workers, ready to do thy bidding. We thank you for this time spent together. In the name of Christ Jesus the Lord. Amen. Bring that, Mr. Redley. Delina. We walk with the Lord in the light of his word with a glory he sheds on our way. While we do his good will, he abides with us still. And with all who will trust and obey, two hundred and fifty. Why? Why? We're going to sing a last stanza. I do want to say to the audience that there's anyone that would love to talk to our brother. Maybe there's a need in your life as a Christian. Or maybe there's somebody that you're not saved and you need Christ as your Savior. Why don't you just stay behind the talk to our brother or come forward when we're singing? We'd love to help you in any way we can, but why don't you take advantage of this opportunity, the last thing that... May I just say, before closing in prayer, that this meeting I would like to open it for everyone, but it's just for ladies. I'll be the only man there. So, may I just mention that for your help. Father, thank you for this time. Now we ask for thy benediction and parting blessings. O may the grace of Christ our Savior and the Father's bondless love with the Holy Spirit's favor rest upon us from above us. May we abide in union with each other in the Lord. And may drink in sweet communion, joys which earth can never afford. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.