You Might Be A Jonah If…
Notes
Transcript
Recap of Last Message
Recap of Last Message
Pretty much continuing our #Don’tBeAJonah message this week…and pretty much every week. Our reoccurring theme is the example of Jonah as someone who you should not desire to be like.
Remember Jonah is a satire…
Three Lessons to Learn:
Disobedience Leads to Death
A Sinful Heart Makes a Foolish Mind
God Will Have His Way
***READ ENTIRE PASSAGE AND EXPLAIN AS YOU GO ALONG***
I’m calling this message…
You might be a Jonah if…
Because last time we were in Jonah we evaluate that we shouldn’t be like Jonah, but didn’t evaluate what it would look like if we were a Jonah.
Your actions betray your words. (v.9)
Read v.9 again and set it up as the foundation for what we will be evaluating
Jonah claimed he was a Hebrew, he claimed to fear the Lord (a statement where he identifies himself as a someone who truly believes), and he readily and accurately identifies who God is.
This seems weird right? Because Jonah’s actions aren’t lining up with Jonah’s words.
If it’s true that Jonah feared the lord…then there are some follow questions that need to be had.
Why should ask some questions in response to this…
If Jonah truly feared the Lord…
-Then why did he flee? (v.1-4,10)
He knew how powerful God was. He literally claimed it in verse 9. God created the sea and the dry land…yet Jonah attempts to flee starting with the dry land and then heading onto the sea.
In fact, he knows that God is powerful enough to cause storms and to sink the ship. He admits it in verse 12. Look at it.
Jonah 1:12
12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”
And verse 12 sort of connects to my next question…
-Then why did he sleep? (v.5-6,12)
Go over verses 5-6
Like I said…Jonah clearly knew that the storm was from God. I just showed that in verse 12..
So if Jonah knows the storm is from God…knows that God is powerful enough to do such a thing…
Why did he go down to sleep in the belly of the ship? Why did he, knowing that he could stop this storm and save the lives of the crew…choose to ignore all of that?
Well, he chose to sleep for the same reason that he chose to flee…
His heart wasn’t lined up with his words.
And this isn’t something new…in fact, Jonah is just representing what God had said about Israel through the prophet Isaiah…
13 And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
So why did Jonah do these things?
Yes, because his actions betrayed his words…but when you get down to it. It’s because…
Because his heart was far from God.
I want you to feel the tension here…
Jonah has a sincere belief…sincere enough that he purposely ran from God, but also trusted in God enough to know that the storm would stop for the sailors.
Jonah’s belief in God wasn’t the problem…in fact what we see in 4:2 that Jonah knew exactly who God was and what God was like…
2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.
Do you see the tension? And more importantly…do you feel the tension?
The tension that Jonah proves can exist?
He proves that a tension can exist between having a sincere belief in God, and for us on this side of the cross, Christ…and yet we can do things that betray that.
We. Just like Jonah. Can have actions that betray our words.
Can honor God with our lips with our hearts far from him.
The Apostle Paul felt this tension…
15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
Paul is acknowledging that hypocrisy that we all feel at times…and it’s a hypocrisy that Jonah was literally living out in this moment…
Acknowledgement of God is not the same as obedience to God.
So the application here is…
Are you in one those moments?
If you are. Turn around. Correct it. At the end of this message I’m gonna give you chance to do just that.
But for now, the question is…are you a Jonah in this instance? Do your actions, betray your words??
Let’s move on to our second point.
You might be a Jonah if…
The World is more gracious than you. (v.11-13)
**Read Verses**
Let’s connect these verses to verses 7-10.
This whole story is littered with the concept that the pagan sailors are more Godly than God’s prophet.
The Pagans are more righteous than the prophet.
And it comes to it pinacle in verses 11-13…because it not only is their sensitivity to the spiritual realm there, and their dependancy upon it…but their graciousness is shown.
And scripture has something to say about God’s people needing to be gracious.
29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
So, time and time again you’ve heard me say that Jonah truly believed in God…but his heart was far from him. and that caused his actions to betray his words…and now I’m showing you that it can cause your capacity for grace to be diminished.
When we say don’t be a Jonah…we are saying don’t get to a place where this is happening in your life…
Illustrate…
So if that’s happening, what should you do?
Take heart because…
-God works even through your failures and flaws. (v.14-16)
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
God gives us Grace Upon Grace
16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.