October 9, 2016

We Are Jonahs

Pastor:
Passage: Jonah
Service Type:

Bible Text: Jonah | Preacher: Pastor Steve
Jonah 1:1-9 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah…Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me. But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.  But the LORD sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.
Jonah 1:10-2:1 …Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, Why have you done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them…I know that this great tempest is because of me…they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging…the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of  the fish three days and three nights.  
2:1 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish’s belly…
The Lord changes our hearts and refocuses us on His mission and call in our lives
Jonah 4:5-8 So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city. And the Lord God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery.
Because we have received GRACE we give GRACE!
So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.
The Lord has CALLED EVERY BELIEVER and He EXPECTS us to LIVE and SHARE His message with other people
Jonah 4:9-11 Then God said to Jonah, Is it right for you to be angry about the plant? And he said, It is right for me to be angry, even to death!  But the Lord said, You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left — and much livestock?
2 Timothy 1:9; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Galatians 1:15; Ephesians 4:1;
Is there a “Jonah” hidden in your heart?
Jonah 3:4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
WE RUN, BUT HOW?
Our refusal to do God’s Will puts us out of commission spiritually
Jonah 1:9-15 And Jonah answered, I am a Hebrew, and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land. Then he told them that he was running away from the LORD. The sailors were terrified when they heard this. Oh, why did you do it? they groaned…Throw me into the sea, Jonah said, and it will become calm again. For I know that this terrible storm is all my fault…Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once!
Sin will be confronted in the lives of any that love and serve Him
God will provide a way out of sin and bring us His deliverance
Now the LORD prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah.  And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights
In the belly of a fish:
Everything really stinks
It is cramped, dark, and uncomfortable
There is no way out till the fish lets you out
We would not be in the belly of the fish if we had not ran
God’s Grace is Amazing
Jonah 3:1-3 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying. Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you. So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was a exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent.
Our Obedience is Essential
We need to REACH OUT and SHARE Jesus
Jonah 3:4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!
Mark 16:15: Jesus said to His followers, Go everywhere in the world and tell the Good News to everyone.
Jesus said, Follow Me, and I’ll make you a fisher of men. Therefore if you’re not fishing, you’re not following!
Warning: do not be presumptuous with the Lord’s grace…
Jonah 4:2-3 So he prayed to the Lord, and said, Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”
Our Continuing Mission
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

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