Jonah Part I
Jonah • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Jonah 1:1-6
Jonah 1:1-6
Jonah: A Rebel & the Storm Making God
What makes someone faithful?
What are the effects of sin?
What do we know about the story of Jonah?
Read the Rhyming Bible Story on Jonah
People will argue that this story is not real, it is a myth or fable, almost like a parable about what happens when you don’t listen. But how do we know that it is true?
Is everything in the bible true? Yes. Is everything in the bible literal? No.
Think of two of Jesus encounters. With Nicodemus—you must be born again? Did Jesus mean you must go back into your mothers womb? No.
The women at the well—Jesus began to tell her all that she has done—do you think Jesus told her every action she ever did in her life? No.
So sometimes there is hyperbole or parables or figurative speech, but how do we know that this is not one of those?
Jesus tells us—Matthew 12:40
40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Jesus wouldn’t bring up this story as a fact to validate the truth if it wasn’t true.
We will also see as we work through this story there are many pictures of Christ in the story of Jonah including three nights in the belly vs three nights in the tomb.
Turn to Jonah 1.
We are introduced to Jonah in 2 Kings where we find that Jonah has already accepted the call to be a prophet and has been successful.
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.
So we see Jonah had been faithful and even influenced some change in Israel.
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.”
What was Jonah instructed to do?
Go to Nineveh. Does anyone know anything about Nineveh?
It was the opposite of preaching in Israel—this was the capital of the Assyrian Empire—this was a land of Gentiles, non-jews.
Even though Jonah had been faithful, this was a whole different task and much more difficult for Jonah and so he didn’t want to do it.
What do you notice about Jonahs response?
v.3 flee to Tarshish
v.3 flee the presence of the Lord
v.3 go to Tarshish
v.3 away from the presence of the Lord
He was running in the other direction. Jonah was not just disobeying or ignoring, he was fleeing from God and his command.
We see that sin has consequences and in rebellion there is no toeing the line, when you turn your back to God you are running the other direction.
He didn’t just not go to Nineveh.
He didn’t just go and not preach.
He didn’t just delay or come up with excuses, he ran in the other direction.
God doesn’t just gloss over sin and rebellion. Actually He is unable to.
“He is prepared to break up this ship, drown Jonah, and let all of these idol worshipped sailors perish, all in response to Jonahs rebellious actions.”
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
God cannot overlook sin and rebellion. And so what happens?
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.”
A great storm comes upon them and toss them around. The idol worshippers are freaking out and pray each to their own god. They are so concerned they start through things overboard.
This is the first picture of Christ in this story—what does this story remind you of?
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Matthew says that they were swamped with waves. They think they are dying, there is no hope—and what was Jesus doing?
Now Christ was not being unfaithful or fleeing, and so when he arises he goes up and does what? He calms the wind and the waves. He was showing his power over creation in both the creation of the storm and the abrupt end of the storm.
I taught on this a couple years ago at summer camp—have you ever thrown something big into a pond—what happens? There is splash and them ripples for a while. Even after the site of entry calms down the ripples last. Or when you create a wave pool in your pool, the waves go on for awhile. And yet Jesus calmed it instantly and no waves.
Who is this that even the winds and waves obey him.
Jonah doesn’t have that power. And as we will see last time Jonah knows the solution.
But as we end we are going to work through some discussion questions.
What are some typical reasons believers do not share the gospel with the lost regularly?
What is the primary reason that believers should share the gospel zealously?
Prior to the call to go to Nineveh, what experience had Jonah had with the Lord that should have given him the will and confidence to go to Nineveh immediately on the Lord’s command? What experiences have you had in your life in which the Lord has shown you His power?
What is the significance of the phrase, “from the Lord’s presence”?
What are some lines of songs that you know that focus on preaching the gospel to the lost?
What is one immediate decision you can make that will help you be better prepared to share the gospel when the next opportunity for sharing arises?