Jonah: From Sleeping to Swimming
Jonah • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Last week we talking about Gods call
Personal , Powerful, Persistent.
Why look at the Book of Jonah?
, "The overriding theme of the book is God's grace toward sinners
"The Book of Jonah is one of the most relevant books for the present time."[40]
The book of Jonah is a story about a man who ran from God and a God who pursued him.
This storm is a result of Jonahs sin.
This storm is sometimes seen as an expression of Judgement but this storm is better seen as an act of Mercy.
The storm is the hands of a compassionate God who desire to restore rather then to destroy.
God desires that all would be saved.
This storm is to draw Jonah back to himself.
Over and over, God’s Word tells His people to wake up (Rom. 13:11; 1 Cor. 15:34; 1 Th. 5:5–8).
As the old time preacher said, “If the sleeping folk will wake up, the sinful folk will confess up, the stingy folk will pay up and the complaining folk will shut up—then we will have revival.”
The devil has a ship.
Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.
The word order of this verse, , places emphasis on the Lord’s acts over against those of Jonah
Jonah thought he could just walk away from a divine assignment. But the Lord was to make Jonah’s voyage into a “teachable moment.”
The plans of God are not so easily stopped by the stubborn will of a puny prophet. Jonah was to learn that it was not so easy to resign the Lord’s commission.
It was caused by a “great wind” that God’s hand hurled like a spear to stop the fleeing prophet in his tracks. The verb translated “sent” (ṭûl) is elsewhere used of hurling an object such as a spear
the sea is God’s dominion. As the psalmist wrote,
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters” (Ps 24:1–2).
Thus the ship is here personified. It was determined to break apart.
“Now the ship was determined to break apart.” In contrast to the disobedient prophet, the wind, the sea, and even the ship were tuned in to the Lord’s purposes
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.
But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
The ship is first to realize the brutality of the storm, and its own terror at breaking up is quickly communicated to the sailors.” As v. 5 will explain, Jonah was the last one to respond.
These sailors had experienced storms before, so why did this storm invoke a “religious response”?
Pray like everything depends upon prayer, and work like everything depends upon work
Everyone in a crisis prays. -
John Calvin the divinitartus sensum - sense of divinity that all humans hae within us.
When the storms of life come - we pray.
What is Jonah doing? - Sleeping. He is self centered here.
that the ship is in danger. all hands were on deck
. When every other man was doing his best to lighten the ship,
human life demanded of every generous spirit prompt and earnest action.
Stark Contrast
Though this is not conclusive, it is not unreasonable to picture Jonah turning his back on Yahweh’s severe storm and walking away, just as he did in 1:3 (cf. Simon, 9; Sasson, 100).
the Jonah of this reading is either cold and callous or so focused on himself that he fails to comprehend the impact of his actions; he is beyond the point of caring
Even through the roaring of the wind and the tossing of the ship, Jonah remained asleep, as dead to the world as he was to God.
But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold.
That the sailors throw their cargo overboard reinforces the seriousness of the situation.
Sailors made their living by hauling cargo from port to port.
Hurling their cargo overboard means a loss of income, which could have wide-reaching effects; but if they do not survive, their cargo will be worthless anyway.
OF all the men in the ship, Jonah was the person who ought most to have been awake; but nevertheless, he was not only asleep, but fast asleep.
We cannot be a church that is asleep like Jonah.
It's astonishing to me how people can be so indifferent about the destruction of souls.
"Fire! fire!" - fear that someone might be burned alive.
Yet, when we read about hell and the coming wrath, our hearts rarely tremble with compassion or fear.
Shouldn't we be just as concerned and motivated to act when it comes to the eternal fate of people's souls?
Imagine you are on a ship and suddenly you hear the cry, "A man overboard!"
Who would think of just wrapping themselves in a blanket and sitting down to watch others try to save him?
But in the Church we see so-called Christians wrapping themselves in their own comfort and security, And even worse sometimes christians wrapping themselves in sin.
watching others work, maybe wishing them well, but not lifting a finger to help.
If you could see a soul sinking into hell, it would be such a terrible sight that you would work day and night, feeling that your life was too short and your hours too few to save them.
Oh, that God would let some of you see the reality of a lost soul!
- Charles spurgeon“Imagine seeing one soul in its terror when God declares, "Depart, you cursed one!" Such a vision would surely compel you to act, to save as many as possible from such a fate.”
In the story of Jonah, every person on the ship was praying except the ones whose prayers could change things.
it's true that many are eager to hear words of hope and life.
Never before has there been such access to information and at the same time a lack of true perspective and understanding!
Now is the time to take action. Now is the time to wake up.
We are in a dying lost world and the technology around us and the things the enemy has used to lull the church to sleep in America! We must wake up!.
I’ve been in sleeping churches.
I’ve been in denominations that are sleeping.
They are dying. I’ve also been in spirit fiilled churches pounding on the gates of Hell.
Filled and Inspirred by the gospel to do everything necessary to reach the lost!
The questions are the same but the answer they are seeking is different! .,..
They are how much does it cost? How much doers it cost?
Why should we do it? Why shouldn’t we do it!
Someone should do something
We should do something
We should put it in our budget next year
We will make a way with our budget!
There must be urgency in the kingdom mof God/.
The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”
The first words ascribed to the captain, קום קרא “Get up! Call …,” contain the two verbs God had used in summoning Jonah to preach against Nineveh in v 2.
Should we discern here a purposeful, ironic connection?
“Jonah must have thought he was having a nightmare. These were the very words with which God had disturbed his pleasant life a few days before”
This shipmaster’s rebuke is a call to wake up and fulfill our divine mission.
Let's remember that just as Jonah was the only person on the ship whose prayers could save them,
Christians are the only ones who can truly help save the world spiritually.
The ship's crew prayed to their gods, who couldn't hear or help them.
But Jonah prayed to the Lord, who made the sea and the land, and only his prayers could save the ship.
In the same way, the salvation of the world depends on the Church bering awake and active
. Christ has finished the work of redemption by dying for our sins, but it's up to the Church to spread this message and bring people to faith.
If we, as believers, say, "This isn't my responsibility," and waste our opportunities, the world will continue to suffer. But remember, if we do nothing, their fate will be partly our fault.
This generation's salvation depends on our ministry, our evangelists, our Sunday schools, our missionaries, and our teachings.
If we don't act, people won't wait for a better generation to come; they will perish now.
.
The Church is God's chosen agent for spreading the Gospel, not committees or societies.
When the Church wakes up and every congregation sends out, prays for, and supports its own missionaries, we will see amazing things.
Point 1: Wake up, and call upon your God.
Point 1: Wake up, and call upon your God.
There is a story of Lepidus, a Roman officer, who once laid down in the shade while all the soldiers were training and said he wished being a soldier was just about resting under a tree forever.
We still have people like that today, in every group, who want to take it easy and let others do the hard work.
Rise up! The battle cannot be won by soldiers lying in the shade but by those who can bear the heat of the sun, wear heavy armor without tiring, and fight fearlessly for God and truth.
There's an old story about Philip, the last king of Macedon.
Before his final battle, he gave a speech standing on a tomb, which was seen as a bad sign, predicting defeat.
But if a minister is supported by a living, loving, and praying Church, victory is certain.
To those who pretend to be Christians but are not alive to God, either stop pretending or make your faith real.
. If you are part of the Church, it is your duty to serve, not just enjoy the benefits.
To every Jonah, I say, "Either arise and pray with us or get out of the ship, for sooner or later, we will have to throw you out if you don't."
Some might say, "We don't need this sermon; we're not asleep."
While it's true that as a whole, this Church is active, some individuals might still be asleep.
Even those who are awake can benefit from a reminder to stay vigilant. Talking about religion doesn't mean you're awake.
As Charles SSpurgeon says “Many people talk in their sleep.”
This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
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.
Still Jonah does not speak.
The motive for his silence is unclear at this point.
Perhaps his silence is a continued sign of his rebellion
Jonah was guilty
Jonah’s attempt to hide his disobedience by fleeing from God is an example of this truth.
Although he managed to board a ship and sail away, his guilt was eventually exposed.
This reflects the broader spiritual reality that unconfessed sin, though hidden, will eventually be revealed by God.
The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them.
Some sins remain undiscovered until the final day of judgment, known as the great reckoning or audit day.
As Scripture states, “Some men’s sins are open beforehand to judgment, and some men they follow after” (1 Timothy 5:24).
At that time, all hidden works of darkness will be brought to light.
For those who remain undiscovered in this life, their hidden sins can lead to further hardening of the heart.
Listen, I can name many pastors in the last few years of Mega churches some of whom I respected. Who were living in Sin.
WHo had never truely repented from Sin.
God is purifying his church.
Jonah's sin was discovered in the midst of a storm, which served as a catalyst for his repentance and acknowledgment of God's sovereignty.
Jonah's defiance of a direct command from God was a grave offense, and God swiftly acted to expose it through the storm that endangered the ship.
Upon the discovery of their sins,
two potential paths upon the revelation of sin: continued rebellion or sincere repentance.
God exposes our sin to bring us to repentance (Ephesians 5:14).
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?”
So, they say to him, “Tell us now.” And look at this rapid-fire bunch of questions.
They were probably all around him in a swarm and these questions were coming with an excited leap from one to the other rapidly.
“Now, tell us on whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? Where did you come from? And what is your country? From what people are you?” They don’t know anything about him. He has not opened his mouth. He is an unfaithful man, isn’t he?
He hasn’t said a word about anything. They’re trying to figure out why this God of this guy is angry at him. And who is he?
They questioned his purpose
The world may question us and our motives!
As Christians, we must never allow ourselves to forget who we are and what we have been called to be
—Christian, what is your occupation? Are you on the job for Jesus?
We all ought to question our purpose.
Why am I here?
What am I really doing for God?
What do God want me to do?
Why do I do what I do?
What do I not do that I need to do?
All are powerful questions that demand and deserve to be answered.
He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
what in the world are you doing in a boat on the sea running from the God of the sea?
But, on the other hand, what would you do on the land running from the God of the land? So, you’re sort of stuck.
Is Jonah’s confession a calm proclamation in the face of the sailors’ fear (Sasson, 118)?
Or is it shouted in frustration that in the midst of his escape he is forced to proclaim the truth of the one from whom he is fleeing?
it is likely that Jonah proclaims this message with gusto because, as wrong as he is in his actions, his theology is solid.
All his actions are lessons in contradictions.
This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)
they learn about Yahweh, a God bigger and more powerful than the gods they worship;
and they find out that Jonah, his prophet, is foolish enough to try to flee from such a powerful God. And they are caught in the middle.
Extreme Fear
The sailors’ question focuses on Jonah’s action of fleeing and not on how it has affected them.
The sailors do not ask, “What have you done to us?” “
They are not protesting the catastrophe he has brought upon them, but expressing their shock at the very act of running away from a god who cannot be escaped”
This exact question is asked five other times in Scripture
. The one that is perhaps the closest to the situation in Jonah 1:10 is in Gen 3:13,
where Yahweh knows what Adam and Eve have done but asks them this question anyway. In both situations those who ask know the answer.
Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
The one that is perhaps the closest to the situation in Jonah 1:10 is in Gen 3:13,
where Yahweh knows what Adam and Eve have done but asks them this question anyway. In both situations those who ask know the answer.
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
They are not seeking an explanation of “what” was done.
Rather, the tone is one of incredulity, shock, and disappointment.
Notice, also, that there is no recorded response from Jonah to their question.
He isn’t forthright in his answers or in helping them.
Point 2: Sin has a cost.
Point 2: Sin has a cost.
Timothy Keller - The bible does not say every difficulty is a result of sin but it does teach that every sin will bring you into difficulty
The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”
With no response from Jonah to their question of incredulity,
the sailors ask a follow-up question to help determine their options for survival.
Knowing that Jonah had fled from Yahweh, the sailors realize they cannot appease Yahweh;
only Jonah can. Jonah holds their fate in his hands, and they will do anything he asks to put a stop to the severe storm.
jonah does not show initiative in providing a solution to the problem he has caused.
Jonah only obliges them with a solution when they specifically ask for one, and the solution he provides is shocking
“Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”
Two readings of Jonahs actions here. We can learn from them both
1. He justified the anger of God and took the blame
Jonah's readiness to endure the punishment for his disobedience is a profound lesson.
It was the acknowledgement that he had become obnoxious to God.
The focus was upon his offended God.
Jonah was testifying that God was righteous in dealing with him in the way he had
Psalm 145:17
The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.
It is one thing to acknowledge our guilt and the justice of our deserved punishment,
but it is another to actually accept and endure that punishment when it is imminent.
True penitence is shown not just in the admission of sin but in the willingness to bear the consequences.
God’s justice—that is, a sentence of death!
He does not bargain with God.
How many would say, ‘O Lord, if you get me out of this spot I am in,
I’ll go anywhere for you … Nineveh … China … you name it! I promise I won’t run away again.
Please give me another chance. I’ll be faithful in future’! It is never wrong to plead for the Lord’s forgiveness.
But to offer the Lord inducements to be merciful, as if he can be bought by services we promise to render in the future, betrays both a lack of understanding of the character of God and a disturbing lack of self-knowledge.
One reading of this shows Jonah, recognizing his fault,
instructs the sailors to cast him into the sea, acknowledging that his death-like plunge is the just consequence of his sin.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The punishment for sin, according to Scripture, is death.
Romans 6:23 states, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
it was God’s purpose to demonstrate to Jonah, to the sailors and to the world that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)
This spiritual truth parallels Jonah’s experience.
Jonah’s disobedience warranted severe consequences,
This act mirrors the ultimate penalty for sin, which is separation from life—spiritual death.
However, Jonah's experience also points to redemption and mercy.
Just as Jonah’s “death” in the sea led to his deliverance by the great fish
through Jesus Christ, death itself is overcome by resurrection and new life for all who believe and repent.
a foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrificial love.
4. He anticipated the grace of God towards the sailors
‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea … and it will become calm’ (1:12ab).
Jonah reserved no grace for himself, but he believed in a God of all grace.
Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before.
. And their attempt to row back to dry land is likely also an attempt to get Jonah in a position to obey Yahweh.
Their actions show that they do not want to do something “to” Jonah; rather,
they want to help him
Sinners, when feeling guilty and troubled, often make desperate efforts to save themselves, much like the sailors who rowed hard to bring the ship to land.
They exert themselves with great effort but find little success.
1. They began to be religious.
2. They tried to lighten the vessel.
3. They rowed hard to get to land. “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” Accept God’s method.
If this world could have been saved by human effort, it would have been saved long ago.
In every man that is trying to row his own soul into safety. (T. De Witt Talmage, D.D.)
Our world is religious. It's just not Christian.
People are searching and looking for meaning.
All human efforts to achieve salvation are doomed to fail.
Just as the sailors couldn’t calm the storm by rowing harder, sinners cannot find peace by their own efforts.
people try to save themselves:
Moral Reformation: A person might give up drinking completely, become very strict about abstinence, and even criticize those who don’t follow the same path.
Another might stop cursing or start attending church. While these changes are good, they’re not enough.
No matter how much a person reforms, they can’t erase their past sins or find true peace. Real change requires being born again; human effort alone is never enough.
Religious Observance: Some people become extremely religious, revering every aspect of their place of worship.
They might attend church daily and follow numerous rituals, thinking this will earn them salvation. In the Roman Catholic Church, the emphasis on vows and rituals is even greater, yet it still doesn’t bring true peace or holiness.
No matter how much they do, it doesn’t ease their conscience or bring real rest to their soul.
Human inventions and ceremonies cannot satisfy the deep needs of the soul.
They may know every doctrine and know it well. I’ve had many conversations with Christians who argue one way or another.
Most people I know are so confident in their understanding that they boast and argue with such hatred toward the otherside.
While being knowledgeable in doctrine is good, boasting about it without humility makes them no better than the devil.
The devil believes and trembles, but these people believe and are too self-assured to tremble.
You may row with the oars of doctrinal correctness, but that won't get the ship to land.
Salvation comes by God's sovereign grace and the Holy Spirit's work in the heart.
Attempting to obey the law without relying on Christ leads to frustration and hopelessness.
A few years ago, some people tried to dig a coal mine in a part of England where coal had never been found. Despite their hard work, it was clear to any geologist that they would never find coal there.
If we had told them their efforts were futile, some might have said, “Don’t discourage them!” But it’s sensible to discourage fruitless efforts and guide people to where success is possible.
My dear listener, if you could save yourself, why did Christ need to die for you?
Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.”
Let us not fail to admire all that was admirable in the conduct of this heathen crew.
A nobler ship’s company was never gathered together.
: and it was not until that attempt had completely and manifestly failed that they reluctantly and reverently consigned him to the deep.
I. The noble attempt of the sailors.
1. Notice the toil it involved on behalf of a stranger.
2. The risk to which it exposed them for the sake of one who had occasioned them loss.
3. It was a noble motive which prompted these men to make this attempt to save the prophet’s life.
They handled the prophet as tenderly as the circumstances permitted.
Look at the prayer these men offered before they put Jonah into the sea.
It was a prayer addressed to the true God by these heathen for the first time.
It was a very earnest prayer.
It was a prayer for their own preservation.
It was a prayer for the prophet.
2. The reply to the prayer. - the sea was calm
Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.
Jesus was cast into the sea of God’s wrath for our sake, bringing calm and salvation.
This is the major entrance of Grace
For the sailors, there was also immediate evidence of divine mercy in the calming of the waves (1:15b).
They were spared! But they were different men than those that had at first ‘each cried to his own god’ (1:5).
I told you last week there was something just incredible in the story that was coming this week.
Well here it is.
The very people that Jonah was running from because he didn’t want to see Gods mercy and grace poured out upon.
We now see Jonah trading his life for those heathen people.
In order to spare them the wrath of God he caused.
At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.
Like the seamen in Psalm 107, they ‘were glad when it grew calm’ and gave thanks to the Lord ‘for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men’ (vv. 30–31).
These men now ‘greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him’ (1:16).
It is difficult to imagine a clearer statement of what had to happen for heathen people to become believers in the living God.
It is our lives not our sermons that do the most good.
But Jonah was imperfect. He was a runaway. He was stubborn, He was bitter, He was mad at God.
God can and does use imperfect Christians and an imperfect church.
It is no excuse but is an encouragement that “God can draw a straight line with a crooked stick.”
Point 3: Repentance has an impact.
Point 3: Repentance has an impact.
Through Jonah’s ordeal, the sailors come to know the true God.
This highlights how God uses even our failures to bring others to faith.
There are countless objections to the salvation of any person, and only one solution: the blood of Jesus.
If you keep trying to answer all the devil’s doubts, you’ll end up in despair.
But if you come to Jesus and see Him as the one thrown overboard for your sake,
like Jonah, then you’ll find peace that surpasses all understanding through Christ Jesus.
And God has a call and plan to use you to change others lives in the most important and signifcant way possible.
The honor of our God depends on every Jonah being awakened.
How could God be glorified if His only worshipper on the ship was asleep?
If he didn't pray, how could the sailors know that God hears prayers?
Let us be awakened to the truth of our salvation.
When we are awakened to the truth of our salvation, The cost of our sin, and the impact of our repentance.
Having been saved in such a complete way, let us now work for God—
not to earn life or heaven, because those are already ours—but out of love for Him.
when the Church is earnest, the world changes.
The effective church is when me and you. Wake up, turn from our sin, and choose to repent and be used by God.
WHen God is using us and we are obediant to him. Nothing can stop us.
And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
Sermon Recap
Sermon Recap
Wake up, and call upon your God.
Sin has a cost.
Repentance has an impact.
The honor of our God depends on every Jonah being awakened.
How could God be glorified if His only worshipper on the ship was asleep?
If he didn't pray, how could the sailors know that God hears prayers?
Let us be awakened to the truth of our salvation.
“If there were even one stone or a single trowel full of mortar left for us to add to the walls of our salvation, it would all fall apart. But everything, from the foundation to the summit, has been completed by God’s grace.”
When we are awakened to the truth of our salvation, The cost of our sin, and the impact of our repentance.
We have perfect peace, enjoying the peace that surpasses all understanding, which will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Having been saved in such a complete way, let us now work for God—not to earn life or heaven, because those are already ours—but out of love for Him.
But when the Church is earnest, the world changes.
The effective church is when me and you. Wake up, turn from our sin, and choose to repent and be used by God.
WHen God is using us and we are obediant to him. Nothing can stop us.
