The Greatest Miracle
Notes
Transcript
Handout
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.”
Book Background
Jonah prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam (782-753 BC; 2 Kings 14:23-28).
Jonah was in the rebellious Northern Kingdom.
He was from Galilee.
Authorship is anonymous.
Likely written second hand by someone who heard it from Jonah.
A different type of prophetic book - Less prophesy and more narrative
Introduction
What do you know about The Book of Jonah?
Most people remember...
God sending a big storm after Jonah.
A big fish swallowing Jonah.
Jonah surviving in a fish for 3 days.
God making a plant grow really fast at the end of the book.
The most memorable yet challenging things within the book of Jonah is Miracles
Is it a story or history?
If we have a problem with a man staying alive in a fish for three days then we will definitely have a problem with a different man resurrecting from the dead after 3 days.
Pressing Question
When we read the Book of Jonah, like other books of the bible, we have to ask...
What does God want us to learn from the book of Jonah?
Is it that God can do the miraculous?
Is it that a man can survive inside a fish?
I think it’s about a miracle that is so much bigger than these!
Main Idea of the Book of Jonah
The greatest miracle in the book of Jonah is that a holy, righteous, and good God cares about sinners like Jonah and the Ninevites!
We most likely will either identify with Jonah or the Ninevites.
Both of them are rebellious, wayward, prone to sin, and in need of mercy.
Main Idea of the Message
The fact that God cares about sinners means that God cares about us and those we know.
Outline
Three ways God shows us that he cares for sinners like us...
God pursues sinners like us - Jonah 1:1
God utilizes sinners like us - Jonah 1:2a
God desires to save sinners like us - Jonah 1:2b
God Pursues Sinners Like Us - (Jonah 1:1)
God Pursues Sinners Like Us - (Jonah 1:1)
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
God initiated his interaction with Jonah.
Reading this narrative reveals pretty scandalous facts about Jonah. He was anything but worthy to be pursued by God.
He was racist, selfish, prideful, and was literally on the run from God.
“Jonah fled from the presence of the Lord” is mentioned 3 times in the first chapter
As we continue reading we see that God continually pursued Jonah even though Jonah kept running, looking for an out, obeying half of what he was commanded, and lamented his existence!
Adam, Adam, Where are you? Gen 3
Phil 2:6-8
who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
God initiated His interaction with you and me too.
All of us here have benefited from this fact. Think about it..
God created us. We didn’t create ourselves.
God sent Jesus to reveal God to us. No one made God send Jesus.
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
God gave us the Bible.
God initiated His interaction with Jonah who was far from worthy to be pursued by God
Only one man has pursued God without God’s initiation - Jesus - and at the same time, Jesus was God pursuing us!
God Utilizes Sinners Like Us- (Jonah 1:2a)
God Utilizes Sinners Like Us- (Jonah 1:2a)
“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”
God reveals to Jonah that he not only has something to say to him, but He also has something for him to do!
God not only initiated a relationship with Jonah, he initiated a mission for Jonah.
God loves using broken and weak things to do great and marvelous tasks! Jonah didn’t realize (because of his hard heart) that he was being recruited for something glorious.
Jonah was extremely privileged to be used by God.
Jonah’s assignment was to imitate God… by speaking to Nineveh just as God was speaking to Him. By showing grace towards Nineveh just as God kept showing grace to him By showing off God’s incredible righteousness just as God had shown to Israel. Jonah prophesied good to Jeroboam and Israel even though they were doing evil in God’s eyes. 2 Kings 14:23-25
Jonah couldn’t see just how incredible and glorious it was to be used by God in this way!
Jonah’s assignment was a costly assignment which is probably a big motivator for him to run
Assyrians were brutal and a sworn enemy of Israel.
Not only was Jonah putting his life in danger, but he was essentially committing treason to his nation by warning an enemy who was prophesied to take them into captivity. God isn’t in the business of honoring man made allegiances. God’s call on us is complete obedience and allegiance to Him.
isaiah- whom will go for me? Here I am send me!
notice that God draws near to us before he utilizes us. His invitation isn't for him to stay in heaven and we go without him. He is inviting us while he utilizes us with Him.
The Great Commission not only includes reaching people who look like you and hold your values, its a call to reach people who hold very different values than you. Asians are called to reach and love Hispanic people. White people are called to reach and love black people. American’s are called to reach and love Russians. Conservatives are called to reach and love liberals
The GOSPEL belongs to God and is his gift to all people and is not to be kept from anyone for any reason whatsoever.
GOD WANTS TO UTILIZE YOU!
God Desires to Save Sinners Like Us- (Jonah 1:2b)
God Desires to Save Sinners Like Us- (Jonah 1:2b)
“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”
“call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” -
Many people despise the idea that God will punish people for their sin.
When they focus on this fact and intentionally ignore the fact that God HAS WARNED US, they miss out on seeing the incredibly kind, compassionate, and loving character of God.
Paul Washer - “The most terrifying truth revealed in the Bible is that God is good… Because we are not...”
The reality is that God is not blind towards evil. I’m sure many faithful Israelites felt like God was ignoring evil
We see this in the Psalms.
But if you read the Psalms you will see the Psalmist ending their words with a reminder of God’s faithfulness to his righteousness.
Yes, evil is repulsive to God.
Yes, God will punish evil.
Yes, we are evil.
But God shows us in the last half of this verse that he wants to warn sinful people even if they don’t deserve to be warned
If the Bible is true and we are as depraved as it says we are THEN WE DO NOT DESERVE A WARNING! WE DESERVE THE OPPOSITE.
If you struggle with the idea that God will punish evil - your family, your children, your friends…Please see here that God has not left them without hope…HE HAS GIVEN THEM YOU! REMEMBER: God wants to utilize you!
If you are here and you struggle with the idea that God will punish you for your sinPlease see here that God has not left you without hope…I am warning you today! I am giving you God’s words. God wants you to be saved! 1 Tim 2:4 - God desires that all people be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth!
who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Summation
The greatest miracle in the book of Jonah is that a holy, righteous, and good God wants to pursue, utilize, and save completely depraved people!
God pursued Jonah just like He pursued you through Jesus.
God utilized Jonah just like He desires to utilize you through reaching others with the Gospel.
God sought to save Nineveh through a warning just like God seeks to save people through warning them with the gospel message.
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.