Rev. Cyril A. Stevens – Sermon 0952A recorded on November 25, 1984 teaching from Jonah 1:4-17 – Jonah, a Dove, to Bring Peace.
Pastor Cyril A. Stevens explores the biblical narrative of Jonah as a cautionary tale about disobedience and spiritual backsliding. Stevens begins by recounting Jonah’s flight from God’s command to preach to Nineveh, highlighting how his decision to sail toward Tarshish instead led to a mighty tempest that endangered innocent mariners. Pastor Stevens uses the prophet, whose name means “dove” (symbolizing peace), to illustrate how deliberate sin blinds and twists reasoning, emphasizing that a spiritual journey away from God’s will is always a downward path. The central argument is that one cannot run or hide from God’s presence and that even while fleeing, the Lord will intervene to enforce His will, either through willing submission or painful restraint. Furthermore, Stevens stresses that sin is never a solitary act, as the sleeping Christian’s disobedience inevitably causes suffering and consequence for those around them, urging believers to awake and actively share the gospel to save others from eternal judgment.