God's Mercy In A Storm

Introduction:

As we continue with our worship of the Lord this morning, I want to invite you to turn with me to the book of Jonah in the Old Testament as we start this new series. Jonah can be kinda hard to find, so if you need to use the table of content at the beginning of your Bible to find it, that is ok. Jonah is a short book, so it is easy to skip right past it. It is located in what we call the minor prophets. It isn't that these prophets are less important… rather these books are just shorter than what we call the Major prophets. That is the only difference.

So, go ahead and turn with me to Jonah chapter 1 as we study the word of God together.

Before we dive into this Word this morning, let’s stop and pray together as we are not coming here to be passive in our study, but we want God to transform our lives as we study the Word.

Let’s pray together.

Hear the Word of the Lord this morning.....

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose 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, away from the presence of the Lord. 4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”

7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” 9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. 11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 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.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah is not an unpopular story.... even in our cultural context. Sure, people may not know exactly what Jonah’s name was.... but almost everyone has become familiar with this story.

When you think of the story of Jonah.... what comes to your mind most often? Jonah being eaten by a whale, right? That is what comes to our minds. That is what stands out to us....and I think that most of the time our natural conclusion is this.... Don’t disobey God or you will be eaten! That would have to be the moral of the story right, if Jonah was only about how he was eaten by the whale. But what we are going to see throughout this study is that Jonah and the Whale is really only a small part of the actual story. Jonah really isn't about the whale at all.

What we are going to see time and time again is....

Jonah is about God’s Mercy and Grace.

That is true even in our text for this morning. As we study this book together, and we do our small groups on Wedensday Nights over Jonah....I want you to keep track of how God’s Mercy and Grace is displayed throughout this book....and ultimately I want us to see how the book points us to Christ.

Body:

Main Point.... God’s Mercy In A Storm.

This may not seem like Mercy at first glance....but we will have to see how this is indeed God’s goodness to this rebellious prophet.

Let’s look at the text together. Look at verses 1-3 with me.

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose 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, away from the presence of the Lord (Jon 1:1–3).

In order for us to understand what is going on here, because let’s be honest, we are just thrown right into this book without any context because we are so far removed from this original setting… in order for us to rightly understand this book we have to understand a little bit of the background information that sets the stage for the book of Jonah. The original hears of this book would have been completely and totally familiar with the context because they were living it. They knew Jonah. They understood what God meant by “Go to Nineveh...” They knew those people…but we don't.

We only hear of Jonah in 2 Kings 14:25. You don’t have to turn there with me but listen to these words.....

23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years.24 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.25 He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.26 For the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel.27 But the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash (2 Kings 14:23-27)

What we see here is that Jonah was a prophet under a pretty wicked King. Not only was the King wicked and done what was evil in the sight of the Lord… but Jonah was a prophet during the time when the Kingdom of Israel was divided. You had the Northern Kingdom, Israel, and you had the southern Kingdom Judah.

But despite their evil and wickedness, because of the Grace and the Mercy of God....even though the Kingdom of Israel had rebelled against God... He saw fit to rescue Israel because there was no one to help Israel. And it was under the ministry of Jonah that God used this wicked King to restore the borders of Israel.

Jonah got to see firsthand what God can do. Jonah got to experience God’s deliverance and love for his people.

That is who Jonah was. That is all that we know about him outside of this book. In short...

Jonah was...

A Prophet To The Northern Kingdom.

Used By God To Restore The borders of Israel.

A Person Who Had A Deep Love For His Country.

And it is to this person that the Word of the Lord comes to again… but this time the message is different. Jonah is not being sent to the people of Israel. Jonah is being sent somewhere different. Jonah is being sent to the people of Nineveh.

Which to us, what is the big deal? Doesn’t everyone want a bigger platform to spread God’s word? Doesn’t everyone want to be used by God to spread His word to the masses? What is the big deal here Jonah?

In order for us to understand what the big deal is, we have to understand a little bit about the people of Nineveh. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria.. which had tried to take over the Northern Kingdom several times…and eventually they were successful. These were NOT nice people. Nineveh was known for its cruelty, and because we have kids in here we will not go into any details…but basically they would destroy anything and everything. They would capture people and drag them back to their homeland to become their slaves. They were not for extreme torture of their captives. Again, these were not very nice people. In today’s world they would have been know as a terriost state.

Nineveh was...

Wicked and Evil

Idol Worshippers

Cruel

Powerful

Terriost

But what is so amazing is that these are the very reasons why God is going to send Jonah to them. God says “Arise, go to Nineveh.....for their evil has come up before me.” Why does God want Jonah to go? Because this group is EVIL. That is the motivation behind the commission to go. It is not that they are just like Israel in every way, but that they are living far away from God. The motivation to go is what should drive our mission as a church. We are not sent to people who are just like us… but we are sent to people who are totally different than we are.

To put this in a modern context… this would be comparable to God calling you to Go into the Heart of Nazi Germany during WWII and preach to them. Or, maybe a good comparison would be to go to the Middle East and preach the Gospel to the members of ISIS. That is the risk that we are talking about here in the first 3 verses. This is what Jonah is faced with....and it is this kind of risk that causes Jonah to do exactly what he does.

Jonah does not listen to the voice of God, instead of running to Nineveh, Jonah gets up to flee to Tarshish. We are not sure where Tarshish was located, but most guesses are that it was the furthest known point in the world at that time. So basically, God said to head East to Nineveh....and Jonah went West. Jonah wanted nothing to do with this mission that God was sending him. Jonah wanted to get as far away as possible from what God was calling him to do. Jonah goes down to Joppa, finds a ship, pays the fare, and runs away from the presence of the Lord. Jonah retires. If God wants to send someone to those people.... then He can send somebody else… because Jonah wants NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.... JONAH WANTS NOTHING TO DO WITH THOSE PEOPLE.

Now, we have to ask, before we go any further, What Would Cause A Prophet To Run Away From God?

We don’t know the full answer yet in chapter 1, but let me give you a hint.... this is a little bit of a spolier alert.... in Chapter 4 Jonah tells God that he didn’t want to go there because he knew that God is gracious and merciful. That God is slow to anger and abounding in stead love....and that He relents from disaster if people turn for their wicked ways.....

Jonah Runs From God Because he Doesn’t Want God To Show Them Mercy and Grace.

How could God offer grace and mcery to these people? Doesn’t He know what they have done? Doesn’t He know what they are like? Doesn’t He know how they have treated HIS PEOPLE for crying out loud. NO. No Way God that He is going there… so He runs away. How Could God do that?

But notice here, God does not stop and let Jonah go. Look down at verses 4-6 with me.

4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” (Jon 1:4–6).

As Jonah is running away from God, God does not let Jonah out of His sights. God’s power is on full display here in this text as He hurls a great wind upon the sea and this crazy storm comes upon the ship… so much so that it is about to break apart. Everyone on the boat is freaking out. They are praying to their gods. They are throwing stuff overboard. They are trying to do whatever they can to preserve their lives...... Everyone but Jonah that is.

What is Jonah doing?

Jonah looks at the storm....and instead decided to go down into the boat…probably still trying to hide from God… and goes to sleep. He does not seem to care about anything at this point.

It takes the captain to go and find him to wake him up to have him start helping. The Captain tells him to get up and cry out to his god that maybe that god would hear them and maybe they wont die…because as of right now nothing is working....which is true. None of the other gods that the Sailors were calling out to could help… because they are not real.... there is only One who could help…and that was the God that Jonah knew.... and was running away from.

What we are seeing in Jonah is....

Spiritual Apathy.

Jonah does not care what happens to him or to anyone else in this moment. It really as if Jonah is just on auto pilot at this point in his life.

Have you ever been there? Have you been to this point in your walk with God? Like you know God. You know who He is. You know His power. But, to be honest, you hit a place in your walk where you do not care about what He wants from you. You have decided that you are going to live your life however you want. You do not care how it impacts those around you, you are simply going to go and keep doing your own thing.... you are going to keep running from God.

But this is where we see God’s grace and mercy.

Look at verses 7-8 with me.

7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?”( Jon 1:7–8).

Verse 7 picks up with the sailor. They are still trying to figure out who has caused this problem. They are still trying to save themselves and everyone on the boat....so they cast lots. And wouldn’t you know it.. the Lots singled out Jonah? As the lots point to Jonah, the Sailors start to ask some pretty serious questions. They want to know exactly who they are dealing with now. These are all questions of identity.

What we find out here is that ....

God Is Not Letting Jonah Hide.

Look down at verses 9-10

9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them (Jon 1:9–10).

Jonah has to spill the beans to them. He is a Hebrew. His people are known throughout the ancient world for Worshipping YAWEH. GOD’s reputation proceeds Him, to be honest. This was the God who had defeated the Egyptians years before. This was the God who had protected His people. This was the God of both the land and the sea.... This was the God who was overall. And Jonah, one of His Prophets was on ship with them, and he was trying to run away from God. This thought terrified them.

They proceed to ask the only logical question. Look down at verses 11-13 with me.

11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 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.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them (Jon 1:11–13).

The Sailors want to know what to do so that they can be saved from being put to death out of the sea. In their minds, God had to be angry about something.... and so they had to find a way to appease Him. Since they did not know God, they had no idea of what was required of Him, so they asked Jonah for some guidance.

Jonah tells them, throw me into the sea and the sea will quiet down for you. This is amazing when you think about it. Jonah’s plan is for him to be destroyed in their place. He does not repent here to ask God to forgive him. He is not turning back to God, but he will not let these men perish because of his account.

The Sailors do not like this plan, so they try and try and try to get back to the shore.... but it seems the more they tired… the harder the storm fought against them. They were not going to win this fight.

What are they going to do? Look at verses 14-16

14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows (Jon 1:14–16).

The Sailors call out to God....which is something that the Prophet has not done at this point. They cry out to God and ask them to forgive them for what they are about to do. They do not want to be held accountable for this man’s life.... because as far as they are concerned.... this was His plan and not their own. So, they pick up Jonah, hurl him into the sea, and the sea ceases from its raging. It was calm.

The result is… even these pagan people.... the type of people that Jonah was running away from.. see how powerful God was and they fear Him and offer sacrifices to Him and make vows… most scholars believe that these men became followers of the true God that day.

But, Jonah is still in the water… that is until verse 17. Look there with me.

17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights (Jon 1:17).

Oh, do you see the grace and mercy of God in this text? Jonah was out stranded in the water....and God appointed a great fish to come and save him from his demise! How great is that? Jonah has been a rebel all throughout this text, but yet God in His love for Him saves His life… because God is not done with the rebellious prophet.

Conclusion:

As we think about this text this morning, I want us to see...

What Do We Learn About God...

God is compassionate to rebellious people.

Think about what this means for your life. If you are a follower of Jesus this morning, this is true for you today. God’s grace came to you when you were an enemy of God. We were like the people of Nineveh. We were living our lives however we wanted and God came and reduced us. And this is true for each person in this community. No one is outside God’s grace to reach. No one is too far gone. God’s grace is enough to save even the most wicked.

God calls people to go and spread His word.

God extends His grace to those rebellious people through those who have given their lives to Christ. Like Jonah, you and I are to go and tell the nations about the forgiveness that is found in Christ. We are to go and warn them about the wrath that is going to come if they do not turn from their sins.... and we are to tell them about the One who can save them!

God’s love will not let you go in your rebellion.

What is so amazing is that we are a lot like Jonah. We sometimes have better things to do than what we have been told to do. Sometimes we are not willing to risk what God is telling us to risk to go to “those people” Those people are nothing like us. We have nothing in common with them. In our minds, they are just too wicked. We have been hurt by them… why should we tell them? What we don’t see is that we actually have a lot in common with them… we both need a savior. God will not let you go in your rebellion against Him. The Bible tells us that He will discipline His children. That is what we see going on in Jonah’s life. God is bringing Jonah to a place where he is willing to let go of his sin and to listen to God.

God’s main concern for you in your life is that you would be changed into the image of Christ. God is willing to do whatever it takes to make you holy like Him. In love, God will not let you go in your rebellion.

God has control over all things!!

If Jonah will not obey Him, everything else will. God calls a storm to go against Jonah. God calls a fish to come and save him. Nothing is outside of God’s control.

God’s Mercy and Grace were on display.

Joan had run away from the Lord, but God was not willing to let him go that easily. God pursued Jonah and brought him to a place of complete dependence on God. God knows that the only safe place for Jonah to be is inside of His will. What we get to see here in Jonah chapter 1 is God’s mercy being extended to a rebellious prophet.

God wants to extend grace and mercy to this rebellious nation because from the beginning God’s plan has been to redeem the world…not just one nation. But Jonah does not like God’s plan so he runs. Out of love and grace, God pursues him so that His grace and mercy will get to the nations.

Just like Jonah, we too have been given a message for the nations…and for this community. We cannot run away from the Lord. We have to be willing to step into the risk. We have to be willing to take this message to others who are not like us. Who have opposed us in the past. Who have hurt us…and we must be willing to go to them.

Now listen to me, here is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.

This is only possible because One who is Greater than Jonah has come.

You see, Jesus takes this story and applies it to himself.

Jonah is about Jesus Christ.

Just like Jonah, Jesus was in the belly of the ground for 3 days and 3 nights, but not because of His rebellion but because of ours. Jesus underwent the wrath of God our sin, was killed, and was buried, and rose again for us… and now He commands us to go and tell the world about how they can be forgiven and set free from sin.

What we have to ask ourselves is...

Are We Going to Be Like Jonah or Christ?

Let’s pray together.