Jonah the Call

What do I believe God wants us to know? God calls us to do big and small things

Why? Calling gives us purpose, joy, and it blesses others and gives God glory

What do I believe God wants us to do? Follow the call of God big and small

Why? Following the call big and small blesses others, gives God glory, and gives us joy

ME/WE

One of the questions we ask in our lives is “What does God want me to do?” another way to say it is “What is God calling me to do?” Both BIG and SMALL

I know I have a purpose

We are called to rule and rule and reign like Jesus

But how does God want me to rule and reign like Jesus?

Anybody every wondering this question? What God do you want me to do with my life?

How do we know?

1. The starting point for discerning our calling isn’t strategy—it’s relationship.

Our flesh and world start

We need to make it a priority to pray, to talk with God, and to walk with Him. Ask Him, “Lord, what are You calling me to today?” Then listen—and follow the Spirit’s lead.

Sometimes the call is clear and simple:

- Bake cookies and bless your neighbor.

- Be present

Sometimes it feels scary

- Change jobs.

- Forgive and reconcile

- Join a life group

Be a minister

But here’s the truth: God is always calling. The question is—are we listening?

2. Principle: One of the principles of what God is calling you to do will look like....

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

saved not by faith, but by works

God’s master piece

to do good works and to walk in those good works…both big and small…

what are good works?

Leading worship

Being salt and light in your work place

Be a good neighbor

Reading the word and pray

Using your social media for the purposes of God

Here is the AMAZING THING

As you walk in these callings—big and small—you’re actually being shaped by them. God is forming you as you follow Him.

In fact some people get stunted in their growth because they avoid the call.

THIS IS THE PRINCIPLE to WHATEVER GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO DO…It will be good works

3. How do I know it is a GOOD WORK? God calls you to it

But how do we know if the work we’re doing is truly a good work?

Here’s the pillar that holds it all up: - Does it align with the Greatest Commandments?

- Does it help you love God more deeply?

- Does it lead you to love people more faithfully?

That’s the measure. Whether you're leading worship or leading a team at work—if it's done in love, it's a good work.

To discover what God has CALLED you to do

Priority of prayer, walking and talking with God

Principle of doing GOOD WORKS

Pillar of having GOOD WORKS grounded in LOVING God and LOVING others

NOW we are going to dive into the call of Jonah. God comes and calls Jonah

Speaks to Him

To do Good Works

That Loves others and God

Jonah 1:1–2 ESV

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”

And the Word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai.

Pretty amazing!

Is this the first time the world of the Lord came to Jonah and called him to GOOD WORK that loves others and loves God?

NO

God gave Jonah a prophetic word to the nation of Israel during time of an evil king in Jeroboam II, that the even though the nation of Israel was under a evil that God would restore the borders of Israel .

Who wants to give that prophetic of blessing to a nation under duress that God is going to bless that nation ??!

All of us

2 Kings 14:23–26 ESV

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. 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. 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. 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.

Good work that loves others and loves God.

Pretty amazing calling

Jonah says sign me up!

Now how does Jonah respond when God call him a second time that we know about in scriptures

Jonah 1:1–2 ESV

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”

Why? Great city?

It was the capital of Assyrai

Big in size Jonah says it took three days to walk across the city

Jonah 3:3 ESV

So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth.

It was a wealthy city

That was about 550 miles from Joppa…not short distance

And was this GREAT CITY a wonderfully nice city especaily to Israel?

And it was also an EVIL city…not just GREAT, but GREATLY EVIL

They were completely evil to those who were against them.

-Torturing and mutilating enemies

Public executions and mass deportations

Bragging about their brutality in inscriptions and artwork

See the HEART of GOD

And God is saying enough is enough…God is saying go to Nineveh and preach the GOOD NEWS

How would you feel?

Excited and scared

How does Jonah respond?

Jonah 1:3–4 ESV

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. 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.

Jonah Runs. Hard. He basically says: "I'm out, God. Count me out."

Jonah is fine with being a prophet when the assignment is comfortable—when the “good work” involves loving people he already loves. But now? God is calling him to love his enemies—and Jonah wants nothing to do with it.

This moment reveals something deep, not just about Jonah, but about us:

Not all of God’s callings are ones we want to say yes to. Especially when they stretch our comfort, confront our prejudice, or call us to forgive people we’d rather see judged.

Because we’ve all had those moments where we’ve said:

“God, you’re calling me to do what?” Forgive them? Reach out to that person? Leave that job? Stay in that job? Invite them to church? Speak up? Stay silent? Love that person? Nope. I’m out.”

So what does Jonah do?

He runs the opposite direction to Tarshsish which is like a Babbalon city. Not only is he out he is going

And yet—can we ever really run from God?

Psalm 139:7–10 “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.”

Jonah tries. But God follows.

Why did Jonah run? Was it fear?

Jonah ran because he knew exactly who God is.

Jonah 4:2 “I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.”

Jonah isn’t afraid God will fail. - He’s afraid God will succeed. - He’s afraid that if he goes and preaches to Nineveh, those wicked people just might repent—and then God might actually forgive them.

And Jonah can’t stomach that. He says, in essence:

“God, I know your mercy works. And I don’t want them to have it. I don’t want them to be spared—I want them to get what they deserve.”

But here’s the hard question Jonah forces us to ask: What if God had given us what we deserved?

If mercy is only good when it’s for people like us, we haven’t truly understood the mercy of God.

Does God just say, “Okay, Jonah—fine. Run. I’ll find someone else.”?

No. Because God is just as concerned with Jonah's heart as He is with Nineveh’s repentance.

- God loves Nineveh. - But He also loves Jonah.

So instead of abandoning him, God sends a storm.

Jonah 1:4–6 (ESV) 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. 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. 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.”

Jonah doesn’t just flee physically—he shuts down emotionally and spiritually. He’s not just asleep—he’s in what the Hebrew calls a “radam” sleep:

A deep, heavy, death-like sleep—the kind associated with grief, despair, and emotional shutdown.

Jonah would rather die than see Nineveh saved. He’s numb. Done. Resigned.

And who wakes him up? Not a priest. Not a fellow prophet. But a pagan sea captain—a man who doesn’t even worship the true God.

Isn’t that something?

The one running from God is asleep in the storm, while the unbelievers are wide awake, praying, and panicking—because they sense something divine is happening.

In fact, they’re the ones trying to survive. They toss cargo. They cry out. They scramble for answers. And they recognize the storm isn’t natural—it’s spiritual.

Jonah 1:7–17 ESV

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. 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?” 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.” 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. 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. 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.” 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. 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.” So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. 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.

Who Really Fears God?

Here’s what’s wild: It’s not Jonah who fears God in the storm— It’s the pagans.

The sailors, who don’t even know Yahweh, are the ones praying, repenting, sacrificing, and trembling. Jonah? He’d rather die than obey. He’s silent. Numb. Ready to be thrown overboard.

And yet… God still pursues him.

How? By appointing a fish—not to punish him, but to rescue him.

Because God isn’t just committed to saving Nineveh— He’s committed to shaping Jonah into someone who reflects God’s mercy and mission.

YOU: So What About You? What’s God Calling You To?

Let’s bring it home:

1. Maybe you’re at the first call.

You hear God’s voice. You’re open. Ready to obey. You’re walking with Him, stepping into the good works He’s prepared— Loving God. Loving others. Staying faithful, even in the small things.

2. Or maybe you’re at the second call.

The one you’re resisting. Avoiding. You know what God’s asking—but it feels too costly. Too hard. And like Jonah, you're tempted to run.

But friend, God’s not done with you. Wherever you are in the journey—respond. Don’t run from His call. Run toward it.

Because God’s call always leads us—not just to purpose— but to the very heart of the Father.

Jesus and Jonah

And this whole story? It points to Jesus.

In Matthew 12:40, Jesus says: “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 is the true and better Jonah.

Jonah ran from his enemies. ➤ Jesus ran toward them.

Jonah resented grace for his enemies. ➤ Jesus died to offer it.

Jonah was thrown into the sea to quiet a storm he caused. ➤ Jesus was thrown into death itself to still the storm of sin—for you.

The story of Jonah isn’t ultimately about a prophet and a fish— It’s about a God who never gives up. A God whose mercy runs deeper than our rebellion. A God who would go all the way into the depths to bring us back to Himself.

So today— What’s God calling you to do? And more importantly— Will you trust Him and follow?