0303 Jonah's Journey

JONAH’S JOURNEY

Blessing suppose to be shared not stored Abraham got blessed but became a bottle instead of a channel Jesus’ sacrifice became a blessing to all the families of the earth God doesn’t have a problem of getting a blessing to us, He has a problem of getting a blessing through us God gave me a car for other people. God gave me a sermon for other people – no fear of lack of sermons How many people’s blessing are you withholding? How many blessings are withheld from you by others and God?

Running from your mission is running from your Master God is where your mission is. God is not calling you to go there but to go here Lo comes after go. Jesus is where the lost are not where the found are Isolation from the world is not sanctification but sin. Jonah got further from God by getting further from Nineveh Go to Nineveh, don’t wait for it to come to you Speak to Nineveh, don’t just pray for it. Preach the Gospel but if necessary use words

Storm was sent to wake up a saint not the sailors Jonah isolated himself from sailors “went into the lowest parts of the ship” Jonah didn’t hear the cries of sailors and felt the storm because of sleeping & isolation Through sleep Adam lost a rib, Samson lost his hair, young man lost his life, enemy sowed tares, Peter missed info Jesus was weeping but Peter was sleeping. Sleeping is not dead but not alive Sleeping saint don’t witness, pray, walk the walk, hear God, see God, but they are saved Storm didn’t come to punish the sinners but to wake up the saint When I shut up heaven…if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves Jonah admitted that he hasn’t been following God as should When saints wake up sailors worship

Only Jonah can stop the storm Food, wine, oil didn’t quench the storm If you want to stop the storm stop throwing sailors behind the board Elisha threw salt into water; salt healed the water, and land Moses threw piece of wood into bitter waters

If you run from reaching a generation you will end up sleeping on the bottom with the fishes Church that doesn’t go to Nineveh will fall asleep very soon

Elijah spend some time with Gentile woman Elisha went to Damascus Not one of the prophets were given a message to the Gentile country

It’s easier for God to get 120,000 pagans to do His will than one believer

Other prophets prophecied about other nations but dared not to go there

In the sea God stopped speaking through His voice but through His works

Prayer born out of affliction not affection Prayer born out of danger not delight

Ninevah was great, guilty, gentile city

Jonah means “dove”

Worm and fish did what God asked but not Jonah Storm got attention of sailors but not Jonah’s Word of God changed Gentiles but not Jonah

Jonah’s message had no hint of mercy nor repentance but declaration of doom

it's not simply about a great fish (mentioned only four times), or a great city (named nine times), or even a disobedient prophet (mentioned eighteen times). God is mentioned thirty-eight times in these four short chapters,

Second Kings 14 tells us that while Jeroboam "did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat [the first Jeroboam]," nevertheless, "he ... restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, spoken by His servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-Hepher" (2 Kings 24-25, italics mine).

Jonah apparently had a patriotic and popular ministry. He must have enjoyed the favor of both Jeroboam II and his fellow citizens.

Nineveh was built by Nimrod (Gen 10:11). After Jonah's day, it became the capital of the Assyrian Empire under Sennacherib (705 B.C. - 681 B.C.), the successor of Sargon II (722 B.C. - 705 B.C.) who destroyed the Northern Kingdom.