Who are you?

Introduce the Bible

*Welcome & Dat*

*READ JONAH 1:1-17*

Introduction

We’re asking a question at the start of every talk…and this week is:

[Slide] “Who are you?”

*Interact with them and get them to answer the question*

For the past two weeks we’ve been digging into the question of “WHO IS JONAH?”

Who is this prophet of God that doesn’t do what a prophet should do.

That runs away even. Getting on a boat.

That brings a storm upon himself…AND others. And these men who are trying to help him get caught up in the storm as well!

We have been following this man, Jonah. Who is struggling with God.

In the first talk we saw how he struggles to know who God is.

That he doubts and questions God.

That he thinks, that Jonah thinks, HE KNOWS BEST.

In the second talk we saw how he struggles with control.

Knowing and trusting that God is in control.

Not needing to try and rip control from God.

Tonight friends, we’re continuing to look at who Jonah is.

We’re continuing to see and know who God is.

And I hope this passage will help us to know better who we are.

Let’s dig in...

Walk through the Word...

[Slide] - Here’s the map again...

Let’s remind ourselves where we’re up to.

Jonah get’s told to go to Nineveh to preach God’s Word.

But, as we just said. Jonah ran.

He went down to Joppa, paid for a boat that was headed all the way to Tarshish.

Trying to get as far away as possible...

But what did God do?

*Genuine question*

HE THREW A STORM AT HIM!

If you still don’t think that’s crazy, scary, awesome or something like it…I don’t even know man.

But I think it’s awesome.

But then we saw three responses from the storm.

The sailors.

Jonah himself.

And the Captain.

And that’s where we left it last week.

Jonah and these men.

Trapped on a boat in the sea.

Stuck in the middle of a God-level storm.

Imagine being in that storm.

Every single one of us would be scared.

These men were extremely experience.

They knew this sea [point to screen], very well.

Yet as we saw last week, the first time they are mentioned, the first discription we get of them is that their scared.

But they don’t let it overcome them.

They do everything they can.

And, they pray.

JONAH 1:5: [Slide]

5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.

Now as is made clear here.

They aren’t praying to God.

To THE GOD.

To our Heavenly Father.

As it says: “each cried out [prayed] to his own own god.”

Now even though they aren’t praying to God, what’s happening here is that they’re recognising that what’s going on isn’t “normal”. That this storm is something else.

Something significant and important.

Something spiritual.

So unlike Jonah who is napping and when woken still doesn’t seem to care.

These men are starting to see something.

JONAH 1:7: [Slide]

7 Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.

For three weeks now I have read about Lots.

Does anyone know what Lots are?

*Interact & Dat*

Alright can I get five volunteers...

*Do the straw thing*

There were many, many different forms of “Lots”, this is a more modern version.

But in Jonah times what they might have done is have a piece of wood with a number on it for each person, and then they would blindly pick one piece and the person who’s piece was pulled, you would say “the Lots fell on them...”

The reason for lots was understanding what the gods wanted.

So remember, the Sailors prayed to their gods because they recognised the storm was special.

And so seeing this, they thought the gods were angry.

And so, they thought it was someone’s fault.

And wanting to change the gods anger.

They tried to find the person responsible.

So they did the Lots…and it fell on Jonah.

Now if you thought the Sailors were wrong in how they got there.

Lots are not a good way of making big decisions.

They are right.

Not about the gods bit.

But that Jonah is responsible.

And that he did make God. THE GOD…angry.

So what do the men do?

They ask him some questions…

JONAH 1:8: [Slide]

8 So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”

They ask him five questions.

Which pretty much boils down to: WHO ARE YOU?

Five questions hitting at three things: [Slide]

His Purpose: what is your mission?

His Place: where are you from?

His People: who are your people?

The men are asking this question to understand why this is happening?

Why this storm is upon them.

Who is Jonah and what has he done?

What is even more significant...

They aren’t just asking who are you?…to Jonah.

But…WHOSE ARE YOU?...[Slide]

As I said, these men had “their own gods”.

Each country has their own gods.

And so they didn’t know where Jonah was from.

They didn’t know who Jonah was.

They wanted to know whose Jonah was...

How does Jonah answer?

JONAH 1:9: [Slide]

9 He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

I don’t know if any of you can see what’s bizarre about Jonah’s reply...

Let’s look at the three key things in the questions again: [Slide]

His Purpose: what is your mission?

His Place: where are you from?

His People: who are your people?

Jonah is asked five questions and the first two are about Purpose. They want to know his purpose, they want to know not just the who but the whose...

Yet…Jonah skips the first one - Purpose - half answers the second - Place - but really he hones in on and answers the third - people.

His most important one.

The first thing he says…“I am a Hebrew…”

The second thing…“I worship the Lord…”

Jonah’s priority in identifying himself is his people.

When asked “who are you?” the thing he places on the table is that he is a Hebrew.

In the first talk we looked into the background of Jonah a little bit.

If you missed it, the only time Jonah is mentioned outside of this book is in 2 Kings 14.

In that passage we see that Jonah, unlike almost every other Prophet, happily goes along with the king he serves under.

And as we said that week, it doesn’t sound that bad…but really he’s supporting a king when he shouldn’t be, because he loves his country and his people more than he should.

That he prioritises that…over God.

His identity is wrapped up…in the wrong thing.

Now even though his priorities are out of order...

It still helps the Sailors to understand a bit of what’s going on...

Jonah 1:10: [Slide]

10 This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?”

I love their question.

Have any of you ever done something so crazy or outrageous that your parents or siblings or friends ask...

‘What have you DONE?’

What about strangers?

Have any of you ever done anything that made a stranger question you like this?

Jonah doesn’t know these men.

And these men don’t know Jonah.

He paid them to take him across the sea.

Yet they question him here…because they realised not only is something wrong, but that he has done wrong…and brought it upon them as well.

The first bit of verse 10...This terrified them...

Remember, we said before, in verse 5, the first description of the Saliors we get of them, is that they’re afraid...

Verse 4 the storm arrives...

Verse 5 they’re afraid of the storm. They’re afraid of God’s judgement on Jonah...

Verse 10 they’re terrified of God.

By Jonah explaining to these men, that it’s God who’s doing this.

That it’s God who sent this storm.

That this is THE GOD.

The God who made everything.

The God who controls everything.

This does not make the men feel better...

The bible uses a stronger word.

They go from afraid…to terrified! [Slide]

These men still don’t know God.

But they understand he is not someone to mess with.

He is not someone to ignore...

[Slide]

Let’s wrap up the story quickly...

Jonah doesn’t answer their question.

But the sea continued to get rougher and rougher.

And so the men ask another question:

“What do we do?”

They were saying: “Jonah! Please tell us what to do to stop this storm. To stop us dying!”

And Jonah for the first time in this story, Jonah actually acts like a Prophet!

He says the truth about God, for God and even shows care for the men.

He tells them, “pick me up…and throw me in the sea…and it will become calm...”

Now, because these men are good men.

They don’t want to kill Jonah.

To them, throwing him into the sea would be sure death.

So...they try to row back to shore...

It doesn’t work...

Then something wonderful happens.

They pray.

Not like at the start of this talk when they were praying to lots of different gods, their own gods…anyone’s gods...

NO.

They prayed to God. To THE GOD.

But it doesn’t end there...

Because we can pray in a difficult situation and then when it’s over we move on with our life…when can come back to God when we need him. When it suits us...

No.

They throw Jonah in the sea.

And it immediately calms down.

I think if it were most of us in this room…we’d celebrate.

I’d be pretty happy!

The storm has passed and they’re gonna live!

AND YET!

“…the men greatly feared...”

[Slide]

They have moved from:

...afraid…

...to terrified...

…to greatly feared...

And I don’t know if you’ve noticed...

It’s as they have gotten closer to God.

They were afraid of a storm.

Not fully knowing where it came from, who it was...

Then understanding, they became terrified of this God.

Of hearing of and beginning to understand this God...

Finally here.

The storm finished.

Their lives saved.

They greatly feared…the LORD.

These men were no longer just Sailors.

These men were no longer held by the gods of their homeland.

There men…feared the Lord.

In the Old Testament a way of saying you trusted God.

Were in a relationship with God.

Was to say: “you feared the Lord”.

A way of answering: “Who are you?”

Is…“I fear the Lord”

Significance

So, we’ve spent three weeks on Jonah chapter one.

We’ve gotten to know who is Jonah...

What does that mean for us?

Let’s come back to that question at the start...

[Slide] “Who are you?”

We have seen two different answers to this question today.

First, Jonah. In verse 9 we see him reverse the order of the questions to show his true heart.

He is not a follower of God first, he is not a prophet first…he is a Hebrew first.

When asked: “Who are you?”

Jonah answers…“I am a Hebrew…and oh I also follow God...”

Second, the Sailors. We see them interested in the “Who are you?” question, but seemingly would answer it: “I am a sailor…from this land…that follows this God...”

However…at the end of the passage, what we just saw, is that they completely flip their life…and “Fear the Lord”.

I genuinely believe, that after this day, if you had asked these men…they would answer: “I fear the Lord”

Now my point here isn’t that if someone asked “who are you?”

You yell as fast possible: “I’M A CHRISTIAN!”

It is rare for someone to ask this specific question: “who are you?”

Yet, it is asked most days in small ways or sometimes bigger ways.

How do you answer your friends about what you’re doing on Friday night? Or if you go to church, what you do on Sunday?

And if they ask if you’re free…what do you tell them?

When you meet someone new and they ask you about yourself…do you mention God? Are you scared to? Do you not want to?

Sometimes it’s not even about a question…but through everything you do, everything you choose to do, the people around you will see who you are.

Because it’s not just about us.

This question can lead us to focus inward when it’s meant to be outward.

We are trying to ask: who are we?

While we’re really trying to ask: whose are we?

So…as we go to groups tonight...

Be ready to think about this.

To be honest.

Who are you...

Whose are you...

Father,

Help us to think deeply tonight.

About who we are...

About whose we are...

Help us to know you and feel confident that we are yours, and who we are is centred on you.

AMEN.

d