When God Speaks
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The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter One: From Paul, with Love (Colossians 1:1–2)
Do the heavenly bodies have any influence over our lives? The millions of people who consult their horoscopes each day would say, “Yes!” In the United States, there are about 1,750 daily newspapers, and 1,220 of them carry astrological data!
Is there any relationship between diet and spiritual living?
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter One: From Paul, with Love (Colossians 1:1–2)
Do the heavenly bodies have any influence over our lives? The millions of people who consult their horoscopes each day would say, “Yes!” In the United States, there are about 1,750 daily newspapers, and 1,220 of them carry astrological data!
Is there any relationship between diet and spiritual living?
A couple of weeks ago we had luncheon with our president of the EFCA, Kevin Kompelien. It was a wonderful time of encouragement and we have some amazing men of God leading our movement.
and what he shared with us pastors that Free Church as a whole at the moment are art a growth rate around 2.5% ---- the problem is with that is that we are teetering on platoing and heading towards decline in coming future… and so vision that is being cast for the Church is that we would see this changed to a 10% growth rate.
He shared with us pastors that Free Church as a whole at currently at a growth rate around 2.5% ---- which means as a movement we are teetering on plato-ing and possibly heading towards decline in near future… Something that we need to be aware of as a movement
… and so vision is being cast for the Church that with God’s help we have the vision of seeing a 10% growth rate. .
The focus of the church will in equipping pastors, multiplying Disciples, multiplying churches, multiply our impact and revitalizing our existing churches…
the vision for the Church is that we would see this changed to a 10% growth rate. This means that our churches need to focus on multiply Disciples, multiply churches and revitalizing our existing churches…
The result was Google, the most powerful and widely used search engine in the world.
God is working in the hearts of our national leaders… and they are encouraging our congregations to become transformational churches… that we would become transformation churches among all people.”
God is speaking to our national leaders about our churches becoming transformational churches… This is reflected in our mission statement which says...
“We exist to glorify God by multiplying transformation churches among all people.”
Today, it seems that both large and small businesses are all adopting mission statements.
The Big question is how do we become a transformational church??
If we are going to be a transformation church we have to be a transformational followers of Jesus Christ… At some level the Gospel needs to to be impacting our own lives… in measurable ways.. we are becoming more like Christ.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Kevin gave us these Six Qualities of what a transformed Christian looks like..a transformational Christian is..
5. communinity
Even businesses with an unambiguous and widely known purpose such as Federal Express, Barnes & Noble, and Nike all have mission statements. Nike'
The result was Google, the most powerful and widely used search engine in the world.
Knowing what our mission is important… Jesus stated his mission to seek and to save the Lord…
are desperate need for revitalization… the mission of the Free Church is to have transformation churches…
Our mission focuses us on the things that we ought to be doing and things that we shouldn’t be doing.
In recent years it has become apparent to both the business sector and the church the importance of having a clear mission statements…
1. Abiding in Christ
Often churches and business had a mission statement but it often too complicated or somewhere in bi-laws… in a draw somewhere..
what is it about the
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
John 15:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
A couple of weeks ago we had luncheon with our president of the EFCA and one of the things that came up was that we as a the Free are plato-ing at a growth rate around 2.5% and we are desperate need for revitalization… the mission of the Free Church is to have transformation churches…
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
2. Reading the Word consistently
These are gospel movements bringing transformation to people, neighborhoods and entire cities…
3. Gospel centered lives - Centered on the person of Jesus and his work on the cross.
2. Word 3. Gospel centered 4. Evangelism 5. community 6. Unity
4. Evangelism - focused on the great commission and inviting church.
5. Community - building community.
6. Unity - Promoting unity.
Now, in the broad scheme of things our congregation falls into the vision and mission that God has given our leaders..
This morning we are starting as series of sermons entitled, “Together on Mission.”
We come under that umbrella and covering.... we need to be a-tuned to what the Spirit is saying… we also need to ask the question what is it that is calling us too as a local church. I believe that the landscape of our church is going to be changing in the next several years and we need to be tuned into our mission.
This morning we are starting as series of sermons entitled, “Together on Mission.”
This morning we are starting as series of sermons entitled
This morning we are starting as series of sermons entitled“Together on Mission.”
God has a collective mission for us as a congregation … It is about making a difference together in our community, our region and in our world. Our gifts and calling are connected in the church… that we collectively we have a unique foot print… God desires to both minister too us and then God desires to minister thru us....
God desires to both minister too us and then to minister thru us....
Our gifts and calling are connected in the church… that we collectively we have a unique foot print… God desires to both minister too us and then God desires to minister thru us....
God desires to both minister too us and then to minister thru us....
We are going to be in the book of Jonah for the next few weeks…you see if if there ever was anyone who received a clear mission from God - it was Jonah.
Over the next few weeks we are going to be in the book of Jonah …you see if there ever was anyone who received a clear mission from God - it was Jonah…
He himself had to get to the place where HE COULD surrendered more fully to God...
Jonah is one those stories in the Bible that most people know about ----- mainly, because of the miraculous nature of the story… Jonah is swallowed the whale… It also brings up questions about whether the book was intended to be a parable or Allegory...
it brings up questions about whether or not the book is a parable or Allegory...
Can God really appoint a big fish to be right by the boat when the sailors throw Jonah overboard?
T/S If there was anyone who received a clear mission in the Bible it was Jonah.
Can God get that fish to swallow Jonah whole?
Can Jonah survive in the belly of a fish for three days and three nights...
There is good evidence in the scripture that the Jonah was an actual prophet… For example in
Can God really appoint a big fish to be right by the boat when the sailors throw Jonah overboard? Can God get that fish to swallow Jonah whole? Can Jonah survive in the belly of a fish for three days and three nights Precept Ministries International.
But There is good evidence in the scripture that the Jonah was an actual prophet..
Jonah is mentioned as living during the time of Jeroboam (about 793–753 b.c.)…
In , Jesus bases His own teaching about His three-day burial on Jonah’s “burial” in the depths of the sea in the belly of the fish.
It seems that Jesus Christ relied on the historical accuracy and integrity of the scriptural account of Jonah… Think we can be confident that Jonah was actual prophet....
f there was anyone who received a clear mission in the Bible it was Jonah.
mentions Jonah as living during the time of Jeroboam II (about 793–753 b.c.),
God had called Jonah on a Mission in the World..
The word Mission -
The word mission really speaks of our purpose.. Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl who wrote the book “Mans search for meaning” talks about something called a life Logic? Comes from the word logos and telos which speaks of meaning or aim. Frankly recognized everybody had one, whether it was implicit or explicit… Everyone has a reason why they get up every day… He goes onto say that Most people’s highest mission in life was to be comfortable, to be professionally successful, to have a nice family.... but these things still left people feeling empty--- it was inadequate --- because there was a higher purpose Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive Mission & Meaning
Most people’s highest mission in life was to be comfortable, to be professionally successful, to have a nice family. What’s wrong with that? It was inadequate. It couldn’t stand up to the test. It couldn’t stand up to reality. He noticed there were other people who had a mission that was higher. They had a purpose, a mission; they had something they served that was higher than their own personal comfort, or even their own family life, or their professional success. There was something more highly spiritual about them, and they could handle everything.
Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
spoke of a life Logic?
e
The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive Mission & Meaning
What is your life’s logic? What is your reason for getting up in the morning? What is your personal mission statement? Viktor Frankl recognized everybody had one, whether it was implicit or explicit, and he
Task on which God sends a person that He has called, particularly a mission to introduce another group of people to salvation in Christ
There is a higher calling that we have.
The Bible says the “WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO JONAH”
Compton, B. (2003). Mission(s). In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 1140). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
Jesus CAME WITH A MISSION and that was to SEEK AND SAVE THE LOST and he made clear that His mission was to continue after He ascended. Each of the Gospels and Acts contains an account of His mandate to His followers, telling them to go to all the world, make disciples, baptize them, and preach the gospel
In , Jesus’ words include a reference to Jonah being in the belly of the great fish. In fact, Jesus bases His own teaching about His
BIBLICAL MANDATE OR MISSION ALWAYS BEGINS WITH A WORD FROM GOD.
“Together on Mission”
T/S What we learn from Jonah is that A biblical mission has certain elements…
The Bible says the “WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO JONAH”
1. A biblical mission - Begins with a WORD FROM GOD..The Bible says the “WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO JONAH”
1. A biblical mission - Begins with a WORD FROM GOD..The Bible says the “WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO JONAH”
1. It Begins with a WORD From GOD.
1. It Begins with a WORD From GOD.
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.”
Jonah 1
Go and preach against Nineveh ().
God called JONAH to go as a missionary to an Assyrian city of 600,000 people, which in that day was a huge metropolitan area. It was wicked. It was heavily fortified. It was powerful.
God calling to Jonah was clear..
God wanted him to go and tell them that if they didn’t repent in forty days, he was going to judge them. That was the message God gave him. Jonah was aghast. “God, you want me to go to Nineveh and tell them they’ve got forty days to get their act together, or you are going to destroy them?
God spoke clear directions to Jonah: Go and preach against Nineveh (). God called him to go as a missionary to an Assyrian city of 600,000 people, which in that day was a huge metropolitan area. It was wicked. It was heavily fortified. It was powerful. And it was to be the object of the preaching of one Jewish prophet: Jonah! No wonder Jonah was not excited about the prospect of his new ministry.
You can justGod, I won’t last five minutes! I won’t get through the gate!”
God, I won’t last five minutes! I won’t get through the gate!”
God was calling Jonah to something difficult… We know from Jonahs response is that he didn’t want to do this…
God wanted him to go and tell them that if they didn’t repent in forty days, he was going to judge them. That was the message God gave him. Jonah was aghast. “God, you want me to go to Nineveh and tell them they’ve got forty days to get their act together, or you are going to destroy them? God, I won’t last five minutes! I won’t get through the gate!”
What Jonah didn’t understand is that whenever God calls us or commands us to do something he also equips us for the task.
The result was Google, the most powerful and widely used search engine in the world.
“God doesn't call the qualified but he qualifies the called...”
The Bible says the “WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO JONAH”WE DON’T WANT TO JUMP OVER THAT STATEMENT TOO QUICKLY… MISSION ALWAYS BEGINS WITH GOD SPEAKING..
WE DON’T WANT TO JUMP OVER THAT STATEMENT TOO QUICKLY… MISSION ALWAYS BEGINS WITH GOD SPEAKING..
If we are going to be motivate by the mission of God we need to ask the Question Does God have message for this generation?
God spoke to Jonah several times in through the book.... Before we go on a mission for God we should ask the question....
If we as a Church are going to be on mission in the world together we have to believe that God has a word a message for this generation… We have to believe that God is still speaking today..
Does God have message for this generation?
When it comes to our mission in the world today. Does God have message for this generation? We know that God spoke to the prophets of old… We know that God spoke through the authors in the New Testament?
We are going spend the next few weeks in the book of Jonah.
We know that God spoke to the prophets of old… We know that God spoke through the authors in the New Testament?
When it comes to our mission in the world today. Does God have message for this generation? We know that God spoke to the prophets of old… We know that God spoke through the authors in the New Testament?
There is a connection between God Communication (God speaking) God commissioning and Calling. - God spoke to Abraham and then commissioned him to leave the Ur of the Chaldeans and to go to a place that he would show him… Abraham responded to the calling. God spoke and commisioned Moses to Go to Pharoah and tell him to let His People Go… Jesus gave the church great commission
God spoke to Moses to Go to Pharoah and tell him to let His People Go… Jesus gave the great commission to
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Matt 28:18-
Matt 28:118
commissioned and what followed was the mission.
When it comes to our mission in the world today. Does God have message for this generation? We know that God spoke to the prophets of old… We know that God spoke through the authors in the New Testament?
The bible came into being when God spoke through men who were inspired by His Holy Spirit.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
2 Tim 3:16 All scripture is been is God breathed… for the purpose of teaching, correction and for training in righteous - that the man of God would be fully equipped and lacking nothing.
All scripture is been is God breathed… for the purpose of teaching, correction and for training in righteouss - that the man of God would be fully equipped and lacking nothing.
For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 11:21
We know that God has spoken in the past…
Does God speak today?
Does God have a WORD for our generation? This thought needs to sit in the crock pot and stew a little, because if this is the case…if God is speaking today? there are implications… if God has a word for this Generation...The next logical question is what is he saying? What do we do with the Message that God has given?
If God has a word for this Generation...The next question is what is he saying? What are we doing about it?
If God is speaking today? If God has a word for this Generation...The next question is what is he saying? What are we doing about it?
It is interesting that millions of people will consult their horoscopes...In the United States, there are about 1,750 daily newspapers, and 1,220 of them carry astrological data!
Today millions of people will consult their horoscopes...In the United States, there are about 1,750 daily newspapers, and 1,220 of them carry astrological data! What are people wanting to know? There is the belief that the moving of astralogical
The next question is what is he saying? What are we doing about it?
Because if this is the case… God is speaking today? The next question is what is he saying? What are we doing about it?
Is God speaking? Today millions of people will consult their horoscopes...In the United States, there are about 1,750 daily newspapers, and 1,220 of them carry astrological data! What are people wanting to know? There is the belief that the moving of astralogical
According to a study, 58 per cent of 18-24-year-old Americans believe astrology is scientific.
The study also revealed that skepticism of astrology is decreasing, and indeed you don’t have to look far online to find the strong community of young, cool, perfectly normal people who obsess over their zodiac signs.
The millions of people who consult their horoscopes each day would say, “Yes!” In the United States, there are about 1,750 daily newspapers, and 1,220 of them carry astrological data!
What are people wanting to know? We are curious and want to understand ourselves and they way that we respond to life… We wanting to find our identity.
God calling to Jonah was clear..
God spoke clear directions to Jonah: Go and preach against Nineveh (). God called him to go as a missionary to an Assyrian city of 600,000 people, which in that day was a huge metropolitan area. It was wicked. It was heavily fortified. It was powerful. And it was to be the object of the preaching of one Jewish prophet: Jonah! No wonder Jonah was not excited about the prospect of his new ministry.
God wanted him to go and tell them that if they didn’t repent in forty days, he was going to judge them. That was the message God gave him. Jonah was aghast. “God, you want me to go to Nineveh and tell them they’ve got forty days to get their act together, or you are going to destroy them? God, I won’t last five minutes! I won’t get through the gate!”
What Jonah didn’t understand is that whenever God calls us or commands us to do something
The story of Jonah is one those narratives in the Scriptures that most people know about by both believers an non believers... because of the sensational nature of the story… Jonah survives three days in the belly of a Whale.. some believe that this was a parable or an Allegory…
There is the belief that the moving of astralogical
“Yes!” In the United States, there are about 1,750 daily newspapers, and 1,220 of them carry astrological data!
The Runaway Prophet: Jonah (Study Guide) Jonah Disobeys God’s Directions
God spoke clear directions to Jonah: Go and preach against Nineveh (Jonah 1:1). God called him to go as a missionary to an Assyrian city of 600,000 people, which in that day was a huge metropolitan area. It was wicked. It was heavily fortified. It was powerful. And it was to be the object of the preaching of one Jewish prophet: Jonah! No wonder Jonah was not excited about the prospect of his new ministry.
God wanted him to go and tell them that if they didn’t repent in forty days, he was going to judge them. That was the message God gave him. Jonah was aghast. “God, you want me to go to Nineveh and tell them they’ve got forty days to get their act together, or you are going to destroy them? God, I won’t last five minutes! I won’t get through the gate!”
What Jonah didn’t understand is that whenever God calls us or commands us to do something
Can God really appoint a big fish to be right by the boat when the sailors throw Jonah overboard? Can God get that fish to swallow Jonah whole? Can Jonah survive in the belly of a fish for three days and three nights Precept Ministries International.
Precept Ministries International. (2013). Where Are You Going? A Study of Jonah (2nd edition, p. 16). Chattanooga, TN: Precept Ministries International.
But There is good evidence in the scripture that the Jonah was an actual prophet..
The story of Jonah is one those narratives in the Scriptures that most people know about... because of the miraculous nature of the story… Jonah surviving three days in the belly of a Whale.. some believe that this was a parable or an Allegory…lesson to Israel.. Then are the majority of scholars who agree that Jonah was an actual prophet and there are number of reason why…
But There is good evidence in the scripture that the Jonah was an actual prophet..
Does God still Speak today?
Does God still Speak today?
Does God still Speak today? If God is speaking to us what is God saying to us? If you speaking to us what are we doing about it?
If God is speaking to us what is God saying to us? If you speaking to us what are we doing about it?
If God is speaking to us what is God saying to us?
Does God still Speak today? If God is speaking to us what is God saying to you? If you have heard from God what are you doing about it?
If you speaking to us what are we doing about it?
This morning we are going to be starting a short series of sermons from the book of Jonah. The story of Jonah is one those stories in the Scriptures that most people know about... because of the miraculous nature of the story… Jonah surviving three days in the belly of a Whale.. some believe that this was a parable or an Allegory…lesson to Israel.. Then are the majority of scholars who agree that Jonah was an actual prophet and there are number of reason why…
there are number of reason why…
mentions Jonah as living during the time of Jeroboam II (about 793–753 b.c.),
In , Jesus’ words include a reference to Jonah being in the belly of the great fish. In fact, Jesus bases His own teaching about His coming three-day burial on Jonah’s “burial” in the depths of the sea in the belly of the fish. It seems that if Jesus Christ relied on the historical accuracy and integrity of the scriptural account of Jonah, we can be confident in doing the same.
.
This morning we are going to be starting a short series of sermons from the book of Jonah. The story of Jonah is one those stories in the Scriptures that most people know about... because of the miraculous nature of the story… Jonah surviving three days in the belly of a Whale.. some believe that this was a parable and not litral story…lesson to Israel.. then their are those who believe in the literal interpretation where majority of scholars believe that Jonah was an actual prophet and there are number of reason why… One being that he is qouted in the kings.
majority of scholars believe that Jonah was an actual prophet and there are number of reason why… One being that he is qouted in the kings.
History records the Assyrians as some of the most violent people, using terror and fear and brutality to expand their reign across the ancient Near East.
1. A biblical mission - Begins with a WORD FROM GOD...
1. A biblical mission - Begins with a WORD FROM GOD...
this great compassion that God demonstrates towards the Ninevtis.
Who are the Ninevites? Well, Nineveh was the Assyrian royal residence. We see in the Old Testament that Assyria eventually destroyed Israel.
The book of Jonah is a reminder of the mission and the calling that God has placed upon his people and his Church… God hasn’t changed in that he is a sending God… He is God of callings.
History records the Assyrians as some of the most violent people, using terror and fear and brutality to expand their reign across the ancient Near East.
Jonah would've known that. He probably knew many who suffered under Assyrian power.
1. Begins with a WORD FROM GOD...
1. Begins with a WORD FROM GOD...
here are several occasions in the the book of Jonah that God speaks directly to Jonah and gives him these imperatives or follow through on his mission to Nineveh…
There is a connection between God Communicating, God commissioning and God Calling. - God spoke to Abraham and then commissioned him to leave the Ur of the Chaldeans and to go to a place that he would show him… Abraham responded to the calling. God spoke and commissioned Moses to Go to Pharoah and tell him to let His People Go… Jesus gave the church great commission to go into all the world make disciples...
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Jonah is a prophet and the Word of the Lord comes to him…
commissioned and what followed was the mission.
God hasn’t changed in that he is a sending God… He is God of callings.
Jonah is a prophet and the Word of the Lord comes to him…
Jonah is a prophet and the Word of the Lord comes to him…
The book of Jonah begins with a word from the Lord.... It is a good thing when God speaks through his word…
2. God calling is with Purpose
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.”
a. God’s word is Priority when it comes to mission.
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.”
God speaks and it is a word to stand up
a. God’s word is Priority when it comes to mission.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
God’s Response to Sin
2. God calls us with intention and Purpose.
God calls Jonah to be an ambassador and emissary to the Word of God. The first word that God uses is the word ARISE. To Arise- means to stand up on ones feet --- God knows the importance of Arising…The psalmist says in Let God Arise, his enemies be scattered..
There is something about getting up… … Standing up means being counted… talk about today standing up for something… We live in a day of relativism where the nature of what TRUTH is under fire…
- which means to stand up on ones feet --- Lets just linger on that word Arise… Standing up means being counted… talk about today standing up for something… We live in a day of relativism where the nature of what TRUTH is under fire… Abraham was called to “stand up” Go to a land that God would show Him.. Moses was called to “stand up” - The great commission “Go into all the earth and make disciples”
… Standing up means being counted… talk about today standing up for something… We live in a day of relativism where the nature of what TRUTH is under fire…
Abraham was called to “stand up” Go to a land that God would show Him.. Moses was called to “stand up” go to pharoah - The great commission “Go into all the earth and make disciples”
God often uses the imperative or the Command “To go” when it comes to commission. To go means to change locations…
There is movement… God often uses the imperative or the Command “To go” when it comes to commission. Here is the thing ---
GOD SAYS to Jonah ..Go and preach against Nineveh .
GOD SAYS to Jonah ..Go and preach against Nineveh ().
Many believe that God set the world into motion and allows it to continue along unnoticed. This text portrays God as one who notices, as a God who is active, and as a God who takes sin seriously.
God called JONAH to go as a missionary to an Assyrian city of 600,000 people, which in that day was a huge metropolitan area. It was wicked city…
God says that their evil had come up before him.Many believe that God set the world into motion and allows it to continue along unnoticed. This text portrays God as one who notices, as a God who is active, and as a God who takes sin seriously....
God says that their evil had come up before him.
God wanted him to go and tell them that if they didn’t repent in forty days, he was going to judge them. That was the message God gave him. Jonah was aghast. “God, you want me to go to Nineveh and tell them they’ve got forty days to get their act together, or you are going to destroy them?
Many believe that God set the world into motion and allows it to continue along unnoticed. This text portrays God as one who notices, as a God who is active, and as a God who takes sin seriously....
God wanted Jonah to Arise to Go and then to proclaim the word…
God was calling Jonah to something difficult…
God wanted him to go and tell them that if they didn’t repent in forty days, he was going to judge them.
What we learn from Jonah is that God calling on our lives is not always going to be easy…
Jonah, however, "got up and went in the opposite direction in order to get away from the Lord." He boarded a ship heading for Tarshish, probably a seaport in Spain. God had commanded Jonah to go 600 miles to the east; he fled more than 1,200 miles to the west.
I don’t know about you but I can relate to Jonah’s response… God’s calling on our life is often connected to surrendering…
We know from Jonahs response that he didn’t really didn't want to do this… Instead of arising and going to Nineveh which was 600 miles to the east but, instead he fled more than 1,200 miles to the west — towards Tarshish --
God’s calling on our life is often connected to surrendering… In order for Jonah to obey God he had to lay somethings down…
That is really the crux of being a Christ follower… Jesus said to his disciples… that if they were going to follow him…there was a cost involved.
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Matt 16:24
If we are truly going to follow Christ on mission it take a surrendered life… It order to say yes to God… it means saying no to my own personal agenda… if we are going to say your will be done on earth as it is heaven…we are going to have to make his kingdom a priority.
The book of Jonah is Rich in theology and gives us an perspective on God being one who Pursuits us with his love, fully of mercy, compassionate and longing that all would come to him.
This the crisis that Jonah faces…
Jonah didn’t really didn't want to do this… Instead of arising and going to Nineveh which was 600 miles to the east but, instead he fled more than 1,200 miles to the west — towards Tarshish -
Jonah can’t fully surrender … and so Instead of arising and going to Nineveh which was 600 miles to the east but, instead he fled in the other direction more than 1,200 miles to the west — towards Tarshish -
Jonah didn’t really didn't want to do this… Instead of arising and going to Nineveh which was 600 miles to the east but, instead he fled more than 1,200 miles to the west — towards Tarshish -
the call is to proclaim righteousness..Jonah had merely to announce imminent judgment, leaving it to his hearers’ conscience to judge why it was coming.”
T/S What we learn from Jonah is that OUR mission Begins with a WORD FROM GOD…
2. A Biblical mission requires a Personal Response
2. A Biblical mission requires a Personal Response
b. The word of God needs a Response
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
God calls Jonah on a mission it clear and concise it is to go to Nineveh — The imperative in the Text is to Arise and Go… The very nature of the Word of God is a call for a response.... James tells us that we are not to be mearly hearers of the word but we are to be doers of the word… The Bible constantly is bringing us to a crossroads to make a decision..
Jonahs Response
Jonahs Response
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 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 stood up - the same word for Arise is used but he he went in the opposite direction. Instead of moving towards God - he was moving away from the presence… Jonah buys a one-way ticket and runs from the Lord—or at least tries to.... He goes on the run… He is a fugitive...
Good question to ask ourselves is our movements… am I becoming more Christ like.. Jonah buys a one-way ticket and runs from the Lord—or at least tries to.... He goes on the run… He is a fugitive...
He is attempting to flee from the presence of God...
but he he went away from the presence of God…
You would have thought Jonah ought to have known that nobody can ever escape from God. Indeed he did know it.
So he buys his one-way ticket and runs from the Lord—or at least tries to. You would have thought Jonah ought to have known that nobody can ever escape from God. Indeed he did know it.
Jonah 1:
Jonah would have been familiar with where the psalmist says, “If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there”
You can’t ever run from God—He’s everywhere. But in his own localized view of the world, Jonah thought, “If God wants me in Nineveh, the best place for me is in Tarshish. I’m out of here.” And so he went. It was a very deliberate act…
but telling the sailors about fearing the Lord, the God of heaven who has made the sea and the dry land in verse 9 shows that at one level he believed it.
The psalmist says, “If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there” (). You can’t ever run from God—He’s everywhere. But in his own localized view of the world, Jonah thought, “If God wants me in Nineveh, the best place for me is in Tarshish. I’m out of here.” And so he went. It was a very deliberate act.
Here is the thing you can’t ever run from God—He’s everywhere.
Jeremiah, D. (1998). The runaway prophet: jonah (Study guide) (p. 12). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers. but telling the sailors about fearing the Lord, the God of heaven who has made the sea and the dry land in verse 9 shows that at one level he believed it.
But sin warps the thinking. What he knew in his head was distorted by a mind set on disobedience. He was also running from before the face of the Lord—the place of service. It was a case of resigning his calling.
Jonah thought, “If God wants me in Nineveh, the best place for me is in Tarshish. I’m out of here.” And so he went. It was a very deliberate act…
You can’t ever run from God—He’s everywhere. But in his own localized view of the world, Jonah thought, “If God wants me in Nineveh, the best place for me is in Tarshish. I’m out of here.” And so he went. It was a very deliberate act…
When we walk in disobedience or sin it warps our thinking. What he knew in his head was distorted by a mind set on disobedience. Jonah thought, “If God wants me in Nineveh, the best place for me is in Tarshish. I’m out of here.” And so he went. It was a very deliberate act…
What he knew in his head was distorted by a mind set on disobedience.
This is what happens when we drift from the presence of God.
What see in Jonah is Mission Drift
What may have begun as a small hesitant step as he set off for Joppa has quickened into a purposeful stride. Before long he is fleeing ‘from the Lord’
ritten by Mary Pilon), the famous board game was designed to provide a warning about the dangers of greed and big business. The initial version, known as the Landlord's Game, was invented in the early 1900s by Elizabeth Magie who
But over time, as the game spread through word of mouth and as people developed local versions of the game, the focus drifted from that original vision and purpose. Instead, the game started focusing on building (rather than preventing) huge monopolies and bankrupting your opponents. That's the game's version that Charles Darrow, and then later Parker Brothers, turned into the hyper-competitive game that we know today
What may have begun as a small hesitant step as he set off for Joppa has quickened into a purposeful stride. Before long he is fleeing ‘from the Lord’
We find in our text this spiritual descent in our narrative…
We find in our text this spiritual descent in our narrative…
to descend v. — to move downward and lower (whether to a physical or abstract location or some other location culturally determined to be downward).
Jonah goes down to “Joppa” he found a ship that was going to Tarshish… He went down into the ship… Jonah is moving away from the presence of God… He is wrestling with his Theology… what he believes about God… Crisis of Faith… God is requiring obedience…
Jonah goes down to “Joppa” he found a ship that was going to Tarshish… “He went down into the ship”… He went with them away from the presence of God… You see what is happening is Jonah is moving away from the presence of God…
Why was Jonah running?
Jonah arose
He is wrestling with his Theology… what he believes about God… Crisis of Faith…
Why was Jonah running?
God is requiring obedience…to his Word… But...the salvation of Nineveh but it doesn’t fit into his theology… the problem was not his fear that he would be destroyed or that the city would be destroyed.. but rather that God would show them mercy and that they would somehow repent. We see this come out in chapter four when Jonah prayed to the Lord…
God is requiring obedience… the salvation of Nineveh but it doesn’t fit into his theology… the problem was not his fear that he would be destroyed or that the city would be destroyed.. but rather that God would show them mercy. We see this come out in chapter four when Jonah prayed to the Lord…
Jonah is moving away from the presence of God… He is wrestling with his Theology… what he believes about God… Crisis of Faith… God is requiring obedience…
The reason for Jonah’s disobedience in flight, while not given in this verse, is explicitly stated by the author in 4:2.
the salvation of Nineveh but it doesn’t fit into his theology… the problem was not his fear that he would be destroyed or that the city would be destroyed.. but rather that God would show them mercy. We see this come out in chapter four when Jonah prayed to the Lord…
Jonah prayed to the Lord…
And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.
The issue was fear—fear that the Ninevites might repent and be spared the disaster they deserved.
The issue was fear—fear that the Ninevites might repent and be spared the disaster they deserved.
The crux of the matter is then nature of the Calling… One has to wonder if God had called Jonah to Jerusalem whether he would have
… One has to wonder if God had called Jonah to Jerusalem whether he would have gone at once.
What you have is a prophet is unwilling to
Jonah continues to shut his ears to God. He comforts himself with the thought that he must defend the justice and holiness of God, even if God himself will not do it.
Jonah continues to shut his ears to God. He comforts himself with the thought that he must defend the justice and holiness of God, even if God himself will not do it. He tells himself that no self-respecting prophet, asked to hold out a message of hope to Israel’s pagan enemy, could possibly contemplate doing anything other than what he is now doing—running away.
He tells himself that no self-respecting prophet, asked to hold out a message of hope to Israel’s pagan enemy, could possibly contemplate doing anything other than what he is now doing—running away.
The hound of heaven… we have Jonah fleeing in disobedience and God pursuing him in love…
Begins with a WORD FROM GOD… needs a response…
3. God is not finished with Jonah Quite Yet.
3. God is not finished with Jonah Quite Yet.
The other day we had the opportunity to visit Olympic national park in Washington and it is incredibly beautiful.... You up in the mountains… and looks just like the Swiss Alps… We hiked up hurricane gauge… and it goes on and on quite a steady incline… Just when you think that you are at the top their is another turn…
And the easiest Solution was to be thrown out to see… maybe that would be the solution… move out the way…
God had different plan..God puts Jonah in the Storm...
God mission has not Changed
The Lord Hurled a storm...
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.
Jonah 1:4-
We see God action… we are told that there was a tremendous storm and the ship was threatened to break apart.
We see God action… we are told that there was a tremendous storm and the ship was threatened to break apart.
This was no ordinary storm. These sailors would have braved out many Mediterranean squalls in the past, including perhaps some winter storms on the odd occasion when they dared to put to sea outside the safe sailing season between the end of April and the middle of September. But this was a category of storm none of them had faced before. It was ‘a great wind’.
first God’s voice in his conscience may have been like a gentle tap on the shoulder. But as Jonah hardens in his resolve to block out the voice of the Lord, that voice becomes ever louder
These were marineres who knew these waters and these experienced men became afraid… and each of them cried out to his god...
The God who speaks to the storms of life and says peace be still is also the same God that sends Storms.
God allows crises to enter into our lives… as an act of mercy… God desired nothing more that all should come to the place of repentance.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
GOD WORKS IN THE MIDDLE OF STORMS...
God was concerned for Jonah and he was concerned for the crew.
These men did not serve Jahweh the God of Israel… but they knew they needed Divine intervention…
While these men were calling upon their gods for salvation… and they begin to hurl their cargo in to the sea to lighten the boat. All this is happening while Jonah is fast asleep on the boat.
Jonah the prophet was unaware of the crisis that they found themselves in… One of the problems of mission drift is that we that we can fall into a spiritual sleep… God is calling Jonah to Arise and go and he is fast asleep…
drifting from God is that we can fall into a spiritual sleep… God is calling Jonah to Arise and go and he is fast asleep…
The captain wakes up Jonah....
Jonah 1:6
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.”
Jonah is still resisting — It takes the captain of the boat to wake up… He uses the same word —Arise “Stand up”.
the crew have to cast lots and they come to the conclusion that the reason for the storm is Jonah… They question Jonah… they recognize that this is divine retribution.... Where do you come from.. what is your occupation and what people are you from?
Jonah tells them
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.
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.”
The men on the boat could recognize that God had caused the storm… The truth is that God was interested in these men on the boat…
Jonah is still not willing to repent --- rather than having to call upon the Lord in the Storm… Jonah would rather take his chances in the water…
Throw me over board… We are told that the men tried even harder … they dug themselves in and tried everything to get to shore… but it was impossible and the storm got worse…
What is amazing is that Jonah is unwilling to repent… but these mariners… called out to be saved.. The Bible tells us that whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved…
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.
Jonah 1:14-15
God often work s in-spite of us… we are messy… We get too caught up in our own importance… Jonah’s disobedience became a sermon… God showed compassion to these mariners and the storm subsides..
They became God fearers - Gentile believers.
Conclusion… Not only did God appoint a storm he appointed a great fish to swollow up Jonah.
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.
And the Lord appointed4 a great fish to swallow up Jonah. wAnd Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 2:17 And the Lord appointed4 a great fish to swallow up Jonah. wAnd Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
The LORD Sent the storm and the LORD appointed a fish.
:8but God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
CONCLUSION
Everybody in this book is messed up. Jonah is messed up. The sailors worshipping all these different gods … messed up. The city of Nineveh is royally messed up, but we see the mercy of God coming to all of them. We see His mercy toward sinful pagans, toward sailors, who are worshipping all kinds of different gods. They deserve to be thrown overboard with Jonah, and yet, the Lord in His mercy brings them to worship Him.
David Platt Sermon Archive What We Learn about Jonah …
God is teaching to Jonah: His sovereign control, His merciful compassion, and His global concern. That’s really the point of what He’s doing … what God is doing in the book of Jonah. The point is not just to bring this about in Nineveh. If that were the point … if Nineveh was the focus of this book, then after Jonah ran, God would have found a more reliable prophet on the spot, and somebody else would of gone to preach to them. They would have come to repentance, and that is where the book would have ended. Instead, what we have is this story about God forming the heart of His prophet.
There are three questions I think that each of us have to settle in our hearts.... Is God still speaking to our generation? If God is speaking what is he saying to us? What are we doing about it.
There are three questions I think that each of us have to settle in our hearts.... Is God still speaking to our generation? If God is speaking what is he saying to us? What are we doing about it… …