Sermon Central
-
Jonah: Serving A Frustrating God
Contributed by Jim Butcher on Aug 28, 2013 (message contributor)
-
1. Five Ways Churches Fall Short When God Calls Them To Evangelize
Contributed on Aug 28, 2013
This sermon looks at five ways that churches aren't as evangelistic as we should be.
- The beginning of the book of Jonah is very clear: a call for Jonah to share a message with the people of Nineveh. Within the statement that God makes, there are five phrases that are worth our attention as they point toward some of the things that we do wrong. Five Ways Churches Fall Short ...read more
-
2. What Should I Do When God's Leading Makes Me Uncomfortable?
Contributed on Aug 30, 2013
A look at moments when where God is pointing us is not where we want to go.
WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN GOD'S LEADING MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE? There are times we’re fine with the Lord and then He pushes us in a direction we don’t like. - Jonah 1:3. - Our walk with God seems fine. Everything is going ok. We’ve been fine with what He’s asked of us in ...read more
-
3. Why Does God Give Second Chances?
Contributed on Oct 30, 2013
A look at four reasons that God grants second chances.
WHY DOES GOD GIVE SECOND CHANCES? He is a God of justice and love. - Jonah 3:1. - There are other options than second chances: a. He could offer no second chance. - The first offense could be sufficient to end our chances. - He doesn’t want to do that, though, because He loves ...read more
-
4. When God Sends A "Great Storm" Into Your Life
Contributed on Sep 11, 2013
A look at why God sends storms our way.
WHY WOULD GOD DELIBERATELY SEND A "GREAT STORM" INTO YOUR LIFE? The two most likely reasons are pruning or discipline. - Jonah 1:4; John 15:1-8. WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF OUR DISOBEDIENCE? The two biggest are a bad witness for God and bad results for us. WHY WON'T GOD LET US WALK AWAY? ...read more
-
5. How Can Jonah Sleep So Soundly When Running Away From God?
Contributed on Sep 11, 2013
A look at how a defiant attitude can cause us to not care that we're disobeying God.
HOW CAN JONAH SLEEP SO SOUNDLY WHEN RUNNING AWAY FROM GOD? Defiance can overwhelm any sense of guilt. - Jonah 1:5. - There are other possibilities here for why Jonah is able to enter into a deep sleep: it could have been physical exhaustion; it could have been that he’s so tormented by ...read more
-
6. Moving Beyond Prayer As 911
Contributed on Sep 17, 2013
A look at how we too often only pray in emergencies and some steps toward a deeper prayer life.
[Skit: Say that you’re going to demonstrate the way that we often pray. Say, “Dear God. . .” and have someone respond over the sound system, “911. What’s your emergency?”] EVERYONE BELIEVES IN PRAYER SOMETIMES: Everyone prays in an emergency. - Jonah ...read more
-
7. Going Overboard About Our Possessions
Contributed on Sep 18, 2013
The main idea shared here is "don't go overboard about things you'd throw overboard." The message looks at how often only a life-threatening situation can cause us to let loose of our possessions.
MAN OVERBOARD: Don’t go overboard about things you’d throw overboard. - Jonah 1:5. - This trip was undertaken for financial reasons. They didn’t just set sail because they wanted to see the ocean for a while. They did it because there was money to be made. They ...read more
-
8. How Can Prayer Be A Witnessing Tool?
Contributed on Sep 29, 2013
Everyone believes in prayer in a crisis and that's an opportunity for us to point them to God.
AN OPEN DOOR: Everyone believes in prayer in a crisis. - Jonah 1:6 – “The captain went to him and said, ‘How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god!’” - In the section, notice two things: a. It’s the captain that asks Jonah to pray. - Now, ...read more
-
9. Why Christians Need Ongoing Repentance
Contributed on Dec 13, 2013
A look at some of the reasons why Christians need ongoing repentance and what that looks like in practice.
A SMILE ON GOD'S FACE: God delights in repentance. - Jonah 3:10. - Many have an exclusive view of God as the mean headmaster or the zealous judge, but one of the things that the Bible makes clear is that God loves seeing the prodigal return home. God loves repentance. - Here God has every ...read more
-
10. The Parts Of Our Lives That Are Off-Limits To God
Contributed on Oct 2, 2013
A look at how we only let God into certain parts of our lives when He needs to be "Lord of all" in our lives.
WHY WEREN'T THE SAILORS BOTHERED EARLIER? Because they believed in small, provincial gods. - Jonah 1:7, 10. - One of the unusual things about this verse is that it tells in verse 10 that Jonah had told them previously that he was running away from God. You would think that when the storm ...read more
-
11. When We Act Like Stubbornness Is A Spiritual Gift
Contributed on Oct 13, 2013
A look at the dangers of stubbornness.
WHEN WE DON'T LIKE WHERE GOD IS LEADING: Jonah would rather die than change. - Jonah 1:12. A CROSS PROBLEM: Too many Christians are more defined by crossed arms than by the cross of Christ. - Too many of us confuse stubbornness with conviction. - What’s the difference? ...read more
-
12. How To Pray For Someone Deep In Sin
Contributed on Oct 15, 2013
A look at how we need to be praying sometimes for God to put a 'whuppin" on someone.
HOW TO PRAY FOR SOMEONE DEEP IN SIN: it’s ok to pray for God to “whup” someone. - Jonah 1:17-2:1. - Verse 17a – The Lord prepared the trial and rebuke. - Verse 17b – Jonah still did not immediately repent. - Verse 1 – Three days later, Jonah finally ...read more
-
13. Why Would God Stoop To Reveal His Will Through Dice Tossed By Pagan Sailors
Contributed on Sep 27, 2013
God reveals Jonah's guilt through dice tossed by pagan sailors. It's so undignified. Why would God stoop to reveal His will in such a way?
REALLY, GOD? Why would God stoop to reveal His will through dice tossed by pagan sailors? - Jonah 1:7. - When you think about this situation, it just all seems so undignified. We’ve got these sailors (whom we can safely presume were not having Sunday School on the ship) rolling dice ...read more
-
14. Why Was The One Sign Jesus Would Give "the Sign Of Jonah"?
Contributed on Oct 30, 2013
A look at whether Jonah died in the whale as well as what the specific significance of the "sign of Jonah" is.
WHAT IS THE SIGN OF JONAH? Is the point that Jonah was in the whale or that Jonah was dead? - Matthew 12:38-40. - The point of the miracle is less the miracle of being in a whale or the specific time frame (“three days and three nights”) and more the miracle of resurrection. WHAT EXACTLY ...read more
-
15. How To Respond To Newly-Delivered People Who Still Are A Mess
Contributed on Oct 30, 2013
How do we respond to those who are new Christians and who still "smell" of their former sinful lives?
“WHAT'S THAT SMELL?”: People just spiritually delivered by God usually don’t “smell good.” - Jonah 2:10. - Jonah didn’t smell good. - People coming out of sinful lives don’t usually “smell good.” - There’s lingering sin. There ...read more