From the Belly of a Fish

Introduction

(Build Tension) Have you ever felt yourself in a time where you were experiencing a deep and personal need in your life that made you desperate for help?

Today we get to probably the most famous part of the story of Jonah and that is his time in the belly of the great fish. Let’s catch up with the story so far. God spoke to Jonah and told him to go to Ninevah and preach to the wicked people there. Jonah was not down with that so he took off and went to Joppa to catch a ship for Tarshish. He paid for the trip and they set off. Jonah was running from the Word of the Lord and from the presence of the Lord. The Lord hurled a great wind at the sea and a storm arose. The sailors are scared and trying everything they can think of to save themselves. Finally the captain wakes up Jonah, who was in the lower part of the ship asleep and asks him to pray to his God and see if that will stop the storm. The storm is raging and the sailors decide to cast lots and see who is to blame for this crazy storm. The lot falls to Jonah and they question him. He tells him that he is a Hebrew and worships the Lord God. At some point he had told them (says in verse 10) that he had been running form God’s presence. He tells them to toss him into the sea and the storm will calm down. They are sort of reluctant to do this but eventually they do after crying out to Jonah’s God. The storm stops raging and at this point Jonah is swallowed by a great fish that had been appointed by God for this purpose.

This is where we pick up the story today. Jonah is in the belly of a great fish, down in the ocean.

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Jonah 2:1–10 CSB

1 Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish: 2 I called to the Lord in my distress, and he answered me. I cried out for help from deep inside Sheol; you heard my voice. 3 You threw me into the depths, into the heart of the seas, and the current overcame me. All your breakers and your billows swept over me. 4 But I said, “I have been banished from your sight, yet I will look once more toward your holy temple. 5 The water engulfed me up to the neck; the watery depths overcame me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6 I sank to the foundations of the mountains, the earth’s gates shut behind me forever! Then you raised my life from the Pit, Lord my God! 7 As my life was fading away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, to your holy temple. 8 Those who cherish worthless idols abandon their faithful love, 9 but as for me, I will sacrifice to you with a voice of thanksgiving. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation belongs to the Lord.” 10 Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

# I. A prayer from the deep

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# II. Running from God is running toward idols.

# III. Salvation belongs to the Lord.

A. God’s plan of salvation

B. God’s accomplishment of salvation.

C. God’s application of salvation to the individual sinner.

D. The completion of salvation

# IV. The believer’s response to sovereign grace.