Pushed Toward Surrender

Jonah 1:11–17 ESV

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.

The Bible is an incredible book.

Truly is the living Word of God

Every time I think I understand the depth of a book I am humbled in new understanding

I pray that you are increasing in your grasp and understanding of who God is through this study

As we pick up today we are in the boat

We are about to talk about one of the most well known stories in the world

Noah’s Ark and Jonah tend to be some of the most well known stories in the Bible

Even a lot of the modern world knows or has heard of these stories

The great thing about these are the fact that they aren’t just stories

They are living testimonies to the Greatness of our God

Jonah’s Demand

Jonah 1:11–12 ESV

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.”

Jonah begins today just having been called out

Jonah had been called out by the world

The mariner’s recognized the craziness of running from God

Jonah gives a demand

Jonah says throw me into the sea

This will cause the sea to quiet down

this would calm the waves

Jonah didn’t ask to jump

instead Jonah requested to be hurled overboard

I find this interesting

Jonah was willing to accept his punishment for fleeing God

but instead of jumping overboard he requested to be hurled overboard

just a bit of question in this story

Upon Jonah willing to accept his punishment

Jonah was starting to recognize the gravity of the situation

He had disobeyed the almighty God

He had fled from the face of the Master

Upon this realization he made his demand

This could be the start of Jonah’s submission

or it could be Jonah simply striving to save the lives of the Mariner’s

or it could be a combination

Jonah would have been fully expecting death

Jonah would have been expecting to drown in the sea

Jonah could have been using this as a last escape from his assignment

Jonah could have been combining submission with a desire to save

in doing so the whole time attempting to escape the calling God had for him

God’s calling though can not be escaped

even with the help of others

Mariners Attempt

Jonah 1:13–14 ESV

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.”

Next we see that there will be others attempting to help Jonah

The Mariner’s try to row back to land

they know Jonah’s demands

They know that Jonah is seeking to be thrown overboard

Jonah has given them a message

to save yourselves you must remove me from the equation

The fleeing of the mariners caused the sea to increase in its viciousness

The sea began to tumble

here we see more recognition from the mariners than we do Jonah still

Jonah says throw me overboard

the mariners are concerned

they are recognizing that they are being confronted by the almighty God

A God that they did not believe in just hours earlier

We see them pleaing

they are yearning to God to not have innocent blood on their hands

a prelude to throwing Jonah overboard

God’s Command

Jonah 1:15–17 ESV

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.

Lastly in chapter 1 we see God’s command

Jonah is picked up

he is hurled into the ocean

he did not walk the plank

he did not jump in

the mariners had to literally hurl him overboard

Isn’t this like it is sometimes

sometimes we run from God so hard

that it takes someone throwing us back out of our comfort boat to get back to his calling

This was the case for Jonah

He was not willing to jump on his own

he had them throw him overboard

what a series of events

The men on the boat seemed to have more fear of God than Jonah to this point

they are encountering the almighty for the first time

in this encounter they are seeking anyway possible to please this God

while Jonah seems to just stand there

Then overboard the men offer sacrifices to the Lord

what a powerful moment on this boat

the sea calms

the wind halts

the men recognize God had been in their presence

this prompts them to worship

Lastly we see Jonah

swallowed by the big fish

not necessarily a whale

just a big fish

God doesn’t let Jonah off the hook

Instead God locks him into submission

God finally starts to get through to Jonah in this instance

Sometimes we sit here and think

How could Jonah be so foolish?

How could Jonah be so dense to not recognize the need for Godly obedience?

Not to go to far back but chapter 1 seems to be a picture of the church today

the church has fought issues on the wrong fronts for too long

we let the world distract us with things that are not Gospel centered

we let our own desires and ambitions get in the way of what God is truly calling us to do

God is calling us to declare the name of the Lord

He wants us to share the good news of eternal life through Jesus

He wants this shared to the world

The problem is a lot of the church is stuck in last weeks message still asleep in the boat

but there are also a lot who are awake to the idea but still want to go out on their own terms

Jonah knew what needed to happen

but he wanted to make the mariners throw him over

he wanted to go out on his own terms

God quickly reminded him that He wrote the rules

And Jonah was pushed to surrender

Where are you at today?

Are you running from your calling like Jonah in verse 3?

Are you asleep in the boat like Jonah in verse 5?

Are you requesting to go through with things on your own terms like Jonah in verse 12?

Are you in the belly of the fish preparing to reflect on God’s goodness and grace?

Part of Jonah chapter 1 is Jonah’s pride

Jonah was pridefully running from the Lord

Jonah wanted nothing to do with God’s plan

instead he wanted to do what he wanted

To be submissive to God means we must be humble or be humbled.

there are only two options

Salvation Message