Jonah/missions: God cares

Main idea: God cares for people who are made in his image and would much rather see them repent then to bring destruction on them.

Intro

talk about judgement in the minor prophets

all so far have been on judgement

most will continue to be on judgement.

Jonah is also on judgement but in it we see Gods heart and reason for speaking About coming judgement so much.

read with the intention of seeing Gods heart in the book

Read 1:1-4

Introduce Jonah

A prophet

He is mentioned elsewhere in scripture

Not much else is known about him

2 Kings 14:25, Matt 12:39-41,

Introduce nineveh

A great and evil city Jonah 1:2

Enemies of Israel

A people of war

The Lexham Bible dictionary: “Assyrians commonly impaled, dismembered, decapitated, and disfigured defeated peoples.”

Assyria ends up leading Israel into captivity.

God tells Jonah to go and give them a message

Call out against the city 1:3

not good for Jonah

imagine doing this

Jonah Refuses and tries to run from God

Jonah paid to do this

The Jews were scared of the sea.

Maybe not surprising based on what he knows about Nineveh.

God sends a storm part 1

The sailors panic

they start throwing cargo over board

they pray to their god’s

mean while Jonah is asleep in the bottom of the boat

They wake him up

they cast lots and find out Jonah is to blame

Jonah confesses and says they should throw him over board

but instead of doing what Jonah recommends they try to row back to shore but the storm gets worse

Finally before throwing Jonah overboard they pray to God who they just heard about and ask him to forgive them for shedding innocent blood.

Jonah does not repent but instead accepted his fate and is throne into the sea.

then the sea calms

The sailors responded immediately to God’s power 1:16

They worship and make vows to God that they didn’t know before.

Part 2

Jonah is as good as dead but God sends a fish to swallow Jonah 1:17

Jonah’s prayer

Jonah repents (sort of) ch. 2

he acknowledges Gods control of the situation. 2:1-3

But in a way he also blames God.

He acknowledges his desperation and dependance on God 2:4-8

He surrenders himself to God 2:9

However he doesn’t really show regret for what he did.

He doesn’t even ask for forgiveness.

God responds by telling the fish to vommit Jonah onto dry land.

God gives the command to go to Nineveh again.

Jonah may have looked pretty crazy

Part 3

Jonah goes to Nineveh 3:1-5

comunicate the gravity of what is happening

What is the messege that Jonah will communicate?

Will he even make it into the city?

Jonah 3:4 NIV

Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

Jonah has done it now. The messege he is preaching is of absalute destruction on Nineveh.

What kind of torture is he going to have to endure now?

read 3:5-10

Nineveh repents and God relents

Jonah doesn’t die or suffer, instead he becomes one of the most succseful evangelists of all time.

The entire city repents from the evil ways and crys out to God.

Jonah should be celebrating and be thrilled that God used him to carryout this task. But Jonah’s response is different.

Read 4:1-3

This reveals a shocking truth about Jonah.

Jonah didn’t run because he was afraid about what the Ninevites would do to him but because he knew God might spare them.

he was angry that God did not destroy the Ninevites.

Before we condemn Jonah lets think about this

Remeber the wickedness of the Ninevites and Assyrians.

They were violent and sinful

Is it not right that they be brought to Justice?

Is it not wrong to let them off like this?

Would let murders off of there prison sentence because there sorry they did it?

No, everyone knows if you do the crime you pay the time.

Maybe Jonah isn’t so crazy

The real question is why does God not bring judgement on Nineveh?

Part 4

Gods responds to Jonah with a question: Jonah 4:4

Jonah 4:4 NIV

But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

No answer is given

Jonah goes outside the city to wait and watch. Still hopefull that nineveh will be destroyed.

Jonah and the plant

Read Jonah 4:6-9

Jonah is glad because of the plant.

Jonah pities the plant.

God responds to this: read Jonah 4:10-11

Jonah cared about the plant.

But he didn’t do anything to make it appear or go away.

God made mankind in his image to live in a beautiful relationship with Him.

In the garden of eden he breathed his life into them, cared for them, gave them value as his representatives.

They were to be like his children.

people have God given value because they are made in his image.

Nineveh was a part of this plan. They two were made in his image.

They’re were many of them in the city.

although they were exceedingly wicked God says something that reveals his heart for the lost.

He says they can’t even tell their right hand from their left 4:11

The Ninevites didn’t know any better.

They were deep in rebellion against God though they did not know it.

They had no moral compass to quide them other than their own conscious.

God knew this and pittied them.

it may be easy to think that does does not care about those who are lost and rebellious against God. However he shows other wise in this passage.

This is not the way they were desgined to live.

God is just but he also knows the deceptiveness of sin and that people are lost. He also cares for them and desires relationship with them. He desires to show his mercy to them when the respond in repentance.

pointing to Jesus

This is the same attitude that Jesus had on the cross when paying for our sins.

God himself comes down to redeem a lost and rebellious humanity

When he comes to the end of his life, Jesus while in the greatest suffering and agony known to mankind looks to the heavens and prays for those who put him there.

Luke 23:34 NIV

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

This is the compassion of God towards a broken and lost humanity

He gets it.

He knows that people are lost and his desire is not to punish them for their sin but to restore them.

This is the truth that believers rely on because we to were once lost in sin.

God in his mercy and Grace has saved us from the judgment that is to come as well.

This truth is important to rember in the misdst of the minor prophets who in many cases are speaking of God’s coming judgement. This book shows that God always desires repentance over judgement.

God’s character

Reminder of how Hod has revealed himself in the book of Jonah.

1. God is soveriegn/ in control

over Jonah

God sent Jonah and saw to it that he did as he was told.

Over the sea

over other god’s

over sea creatures

Over the Ninevites

He was about to destroy them

Over plants

Over weather

God is soveriegn

God may work this directly in the lives of believers and the lesson we get from Jonah is to obey imediatly if this happens.

This obedience saved the sailors and the Ninevites

The lack of obedience put Jonah under God’s discipline.

The same is for the believer today

2. God is mercyful and gracious, caring, compassionate. Jonah 4:2

To Jonah

constantly giving him second chances and taking time to teach him lessons he should already know.

Even be patient when Jonah is clearly responding in pride.

To the sailors

He reveals himself to them and leads them to worship him.

To the Ninevites

Relenting from sending disaster on such a terrible people.

Knowing that ninevah and Assyria would eventually become worse and do terrible things to the Israelites.

This is the heart his children should reflect in the world. Just as Jesus did

Who are we in the book of Jonah?

The sailors

Gentiles

Calling out to anything we think could possibly save us

Like the sailors we must respond to God’s work with fear and revernce and fully surrender to him.

The Ninevites

The gentiles who knew nothing of God

on our way to destruction

living in full rebellion against God

Like them aswell we must acknowledge our sin and fully turn to God in sorrowful repentance.

Jonah

Disobedient to God

pridefull

keeping God’s mercy to ourselves

Jonah 4:2

Thinking we know better than God on how to judge sinners.

We must learn from Jonah and respond to God’s word with full hearted obedience.

Applications

Remeber God’s heart and reflect as his image bearer on this earth.

Missions

There are still people like the Ninevites in our world today. they don’t know of coming judgment or the hope to be found in Christ.

Another lesson in Jonah

Jonah teaches us that God uses people to spread his messege of coming judgment and hope of salvation.

This is the task we still have. Matt 28,

To make disciples of all nations

We are the ones God has told to spread this news to all people.

Many of you know that my wife and I will be leaving shortly to pursue overseas missions and if its alright I would like to share our process of getting there now.

share about ethnos

formerly know as NTM

Specializes in isolated people groups.

Share about the people we are trying to reach

they don’t know their right hand from there left

Many do know about christianity now and are begging for missionaries to come.

Talk about the process of ethnos

This is what the Yoons are doing now

Our plans

If the Lord sees us worthy we would like to answer the call

Talk about ethnos training

Talk about our plans

where we may possibly end up

In the tribe

new work or exsisting

many possible countries

in a supprt role

The concerns we have

Many missionaries don’t last on the field because of

Sicknes

mental stress

pride

family strain

We are at risk for all of these and ask for prayer on how to navigate these well.

ask for prayer

mention email updates

- Leaving on the 20th

We will be here one more sunday

Conclusion

God’s character

God cares about people

God is mercyful and compassionate

Be obedient to him