Who's side will you be on?

Series: There is a little Jonah in all of us!

Title: Who's side will you be on?

Theme: Who’s side will you choose to follow?

Text: Jonah 1

Goal: Who’s side will you choose to follow?

ME: ORIENTATION: FIND COMMON GROUND WITH THE AUDIENCE

WE: IDENTIFICATION (MAKE IT CLEAR THAT YOU STRUGGLE)

GOD: ILLUMINATION (THE GOAL IS TO RESOLVE THE TENSION

I. Running away from God.

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. Jonah 1:1-3 (ESV)

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah

A. He had feelings and experiences

* He witnessed the cruelty

* He heard the stories

* He understood how bad these people were.

B. This is impossible just destroy them.

C. wording is very common in the Hebrew Scripture. Of interest here are two matters: (1) its use in opening individual books of Hebrew Scripture, and (2) the consequences of such usage for the book of Jonah.

A. thus forcing immediate focus on the prophet, his call, and his vision rather than on the content of his divine message. The other example occurs in Jonah.

B. We see his prophet call and vision.

* Jonah Dove the son of truth or trust.

* Jonah understood the stress of he people. He was angry over oppression

Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” Jonah 1:2 (ESV)

C. No…

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.

A. ancient boat.

boat

II. Missed the message

English Standard Version Chapter 1

2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me

A. Israel was to be an example of what a relationship with God looks like.

what this love looked like.

B. Message two

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. Jonah 1:4 (ESV)

God said don’t do this.

God said you can’t get away from my presence

Psalm 139:7-12 (ESV)

7  Where shall I go from your Spirit?

Or where shall I flee from your presence?

8  If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

9  If I take the wings of the morning

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10  even there your hand shall lead me,

and your right hand shall hold me.

11  If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

and the light about me be night,”

12  even the darkness is not dark to you;

the night is bright as the day,

for darkness is as light with you.

C. When professionals get nervous..

Jonah 1:5-6 (ESV)

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.”

III. Course adjustment

A. Confused and fearful

Jonah 1:7-10

7 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.

8 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?”

9 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.”

10 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.

B. What shall we do?

What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. Jonah 1:11 (ESV)

 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 1:12 (ESV)

the men rowed hard, Dug in their oars.

* could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them

C. They Cry out

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.

English Standard Version Chapter 1

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.

YOU: APPLICATION (TELL PEOPLE WHAT TO DO AND WHAT THEY HAVE HEARD)

Conclusion:

Running away from God is not an answer.

Not loving others is misunderstanding the grace and mercy you have received.

Who’s side are you on?

. Who’s side will you choose to follow?