Runaway

Intro

- There are many stories of people who have run from God, and God pursued them and brought them back, but none quite so spectacular as the story of Jonah

- Who was Jonah?

o He was a prophet, and a well-known one. We know from 2 Kings 14:25 that his prophecy regarding Israel regaining its lands and expanding its boarders came true

o He was the only prophet to run from God

§ Yes, others were hesitant like Moses

· But they knew what they had to do- Amos 3:8 The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?”

§ We are called to make disciples- to carry the message of God's forgiveness to others- are we running from that responsibility?

o But Jonah is not the main character of this book

§ G. Campbell Morgan "Men have been looking so hard at the great fish that they have failed to see a great God."

· The fish is only mentioned in three verses

· Jonah mentioned 18 times

· God is mentioned 38 times

- Jonah- fact or fiction?

Jonah being swallowed by a fish and surviving, the whole city of Nineveh repenting, the magical plant- it all seems too much!

o Jonah was a historical figure

o Jesus pointed back to Jonah as a type of his coming death burial and resurrection

o We serve an extraordinary God who does extraordinary things to communicate his extraordinary message

- Themes of Jonah

o Mission and Mercy

§ Our mission from God and how we fulfill it

· This was a reminder to God’s people of their mission and most certainly a reminder to us of our mission today

§ God’s mercy to sinners and how we share it

· Could be called the "God of the second chance"

o The certainty of God's sovereignty- God accomplishes his purposes his way

§ God accomplishes his work despite our weakness and failures

§ 1:9- the Lord, the God of Heaven, who made the sea and the dry land

§ Nineveh was a great city! But God was greater

o Repentance

§ response to being confronted with truth

§ does not demand forgiveness

- Read Jonah 1:1-3

God Calls People to Accomplish His Mission

A. Jonah’s call to Nineveh

1. This was very unusual

2. Most of the time the prophets delivered their messages from the safety of their own land

B. Our call to the world

1. We are called to bring the gospel to the nations- the Great Commission- Matt. 28:19-20

2. This is a reminder to us of the scope of our mission- God loves all people and has a desire for them to have a relationship with him

God Sees Wickedness and Offers Mercy

A. God is not apathetic to sin

1. The wickedness of Nineveh has come up before me

a. Nahum chapter three is titled Woe to Nineveh

(1) V. 1Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and plunder— no end to the prey!

(2) V.4 And all for the countless whorings of the prostitute, graceful and of deadly charms, who betrays nations with her whorings, and peoples with her charms.

b. Idolatry- temples to Nabu, Asshur, Adad- worshipped Ishtar

c. The Israelites knew of their wickedness and the evil that had been committed against them by these people

2. God saw what was happening- he saw their rebellion

a. Sometimes we look at the world around us, those living in complete rebellion against God and think one of two things

(1) Why isn’t God doing something about that!? How can they keep getting away with this!?

(2) Well, if they can do those things, why can’t I? they seem to be happy and to have it all!

B. Just because things are going well doesn’t mean we are getting away with it

1. Look at Jonah- his getaway from God seemed to be going well at first- made it to Joppa, got a boat for the right price going in the right direction, found a comfortable spot to sleep below deck… but then the storm

2. As he thought he was running from God, he was running directly into the lesson God had for him

a. This is a testament to God’s sovereignty

3. There is about eternity

C. God is just, but he is also merciful and offers a way of escape

1. God demands justice, but as we saw last week in the Jesus’s life and resurrection, he offers a way of escape

a. Through repentance and faith, we can be made right with God

2. Do not mistake God’s mercy or delayed judgment for apathy

a. Our sin grieves him and if we are his children, he will not let us continue in it without consequence

b. He does this because he loves us, he does this to protect us- much like a father corrects his children

3. Do not abuse the mercy that he so freely gives to us

We can’t Run from God

A. Jonah hears God’s command and runs

1. His initial response- he arose- so far so good

2. The Hebrews were not sea faring people- this would have been way out of his comfort zone

3. “From the presence of the Lord”

a. Jonah didn’t actually think he could hide from God- he knew better than that

(1) Ps. 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.

b. But it is rather an indication of unwillingness to obey and serve God

B. We must follow God’s will for our lives as Christians

1. John 4:34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

2. If we call ourselves followers of God, we will do what he says

a. Luke 6:46 Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

b. We don’t just follow God out of fear of his punishment- if I mess up, he will be angry, or things in my life will start going badly

c. We follow God’s will because we know it is best- he has our good in mind- and in his will we find the greatest joy, peace, and fulfillment

C. Running to God

1. Seeking his will through reading his Word

2. Seeking his will through Prayer

a. Col. 1:9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding

3. The Holy Spirit is within us and reveals the will of God to us

a. 1 Cor. 2:9-10 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

Conclusion

So What?

- How much of yourself do you see in Jonah?

- Is there an area that you find yourself running from God’s will?

- Are you actively seeking God’s will for your life and pursuing your mission with whole-hearted obedience and surrender?