Sermon Central
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Studies In Jonah
Contributed by Glenn Pease on Apr 9, 2021 (message contributor)
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1. Jonah The Deserter
Contributed on Apr 9, 2021
He was a deliberate, determined, disobedient deserter of duty, and yet he was an instrument of God for the salvation of many. That is the real wonder, and not the whale experience.
Jonah is one of the most famous books of the Old Testament. It is known of by masses of people who never read any of the Bible. Strange as it may seem it was the first book of the Bible to be translated into Chinese. The trouble with all the widespread knowledge about Jonah is that it is all ...read more
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2. Jonah's Flight Lessons
Contributed on Apr 9, 2021
The lesson that many point out here is that we learn by this experience that good timing, and all things working out to aid you in your plan, is no necessary proof that it is God's will. Even the most evil of schemes can work like a charm,
Many of you have no doubt heard several times of the boy who drew a picture in Sunday School of an airplane with four people in it. The Sunday School teacher asked him what part of the Bible he was illustrating, and he said it was a picture of the flight of Mary and Joseph with Jesus into Egypt. ...read more
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3. Awakened By A Pagan
Contributed on Apr 9, 2021
All it takes for many pagans to become children of God is a faithful prophet who will awake at their rebuke; pray for their preservation, and begin to proclaim the person of Christ.
Jonah and Paul were alike in that they were both commissioned by God as missionaries to the Gentiles, and both were alike in their desire to go to Spain. Both of them had the experience of being on a storm tossed ship with pagans. These superficial similarities, however, become material for a ...read more
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4. The Lord Or Luck
Contributed on Apr 9, 2021
God cannot let a man be free to disobey His law and at the same time compel him to obey it. This is the price God was willing to pay to make a man with free will.
\ A speculator, who won and lost money by instinct, was discussing success with a business man who had done very well. They were discussing whether success was attained by planned judgment, or by mere luck. The business man said judgment, but the speculator held out for luck. He pointed out to the ...read more
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5. The Fear Of God
Contributed on Apr 9, 2021
The word fear in relation to God can mean very opposite things. There is a fear of God which is terror at his might and wrath, and there is a fear of God which is reverence, or worship. There is still another which is knowledge and wisdom of God.
We live in a world where words are weapons. Someone said, "Words are weapons and we must wield them well if we would win." Much of the success of cons and cults is the direct result of their clever use of words. So many arguments are often based on a perverted manipulation of words, but ...read more
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6. Scripture And Suicide
Contributed on Apr 9, 2021
Suicide is almost always folly in our culture, for it is basically just a means of escape. It is usually based on ignorance of the future. People think their present situation is permanent, and they cannot stand to think of living with their present burden for the rest of their lives.
The book of Jonah gives a very favorable account of the attitude and character of the pagans involved. In fact, they are at points pictured on a higher level than Jonah himself. At last, however, we see a change in Jonah, and some of his good character breaks through. The sailors had all ...read more
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7. Pagan Piety
Contributed on Apr 9, 2021
We see here an example of how God can use evil to bring forth good. Jonah disobeyed and did the opposite of God's will, and yet there was no loss, for by his act of evil he was led providentially to bring the knowledge of the true God to these men.
Total depravity is not the concept that man is as bad as he can be, for we all know that there are many degrees of evil among the lost, and this holds true even among the saved. Some redeemed people are less sinful than others, and some lost people are less sinful than others. Total depravity, ...read more
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8. A Hopeless Situation
Contributed on Apr 9, 2021
Thanksgiving is a necessity in the life of a believer, for without it there is a tendency to dwell on the dark side of life. It is real, but it is not eternal. It is not an adequate foundation on which to build a life of faith.
The early settlers of the New England Colonies knew what it was to suffer and to endure great difficulties. They had frequent days of fasting and prayer on which they would bring their distresses before God. Constant dwelling on the sorrows of life led them to be gloomy and discontented. Some ...read more
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9. The Shortest Sermon
Contributed on Apr 9, 2021
The success of Jonah is hard to believe. Skeptical scholars just flatly deny it. The facts are amazing. Jonah was preaching a message he didn't want to, and so his heart really was not in it. He really hoped it would be a flop even though he obeyed the letter of God's command.
As we all know, the Bible is very brief on its account, considering all the centuries that it covers. It was not designed to tell us everything and to give an exhaustive and detailed record of God's working. It was designed to give us basic truths, principles, and examples of their operation ...read more
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10. God's Repentance
Contributed on Apr 9, 2021
The thief on the cross was only minutes away from an eternity in hell, and because he turned to Jesus in faith he was only minutes away from an eternity in heaven. Thank God for His unchanging nature that will change a lost man to a saved man in an instant,
One of the attributes of God is His immutability. This means that He is unchangeable. God cannot change because He is perfect, and any change would be for better or worse. If it was for better, it would mean He was not perfect before the change. If it was for worse, He would not be perfect after ...read more
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11. Becoming World Class Christians
Contributed on Apr 9, 2021
God was the God of Israel and Jonah wanted to keep it that way. He did not want every Tom, Dick, and Harry of the pagan world finding out about the real God. Let them perish with their stupid man-made idols. That is what they deserve.
Trying to be a world class Christian can be a world class pain. Ralph Hult learned this the hard way. This Nebraska born Swede at age 32 went to Africa as a missionary, but on his first furlough in 1926 he was told there was no money to send him back. So he started a fruit farm near ...read more
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12. The Priority Of Persons
Contributed on Apr 9, 2021
The lesson that Jonah needed to learn to bring him to his senses, and the lesson all of us must be conscious of is that persons are ends in them selves and not means. The state and the church exist for the welfare of persons.
A little boy who had shown a fit of temper was scolded by his mother and sent to his room. He was told to pray that his temper might be reformed. His mother followed him and listened at the door to see if he would. This is what she heard: "O, Lord, please take away my bad temper, and while ...read more
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13. Are All Who Die In Infancy Saved?
Contributed on Apr 9, 2021
The Biblical basis for the belief that all infants who die are saved is the atonement of Christ which releases all from the penalty of original sin so that none parish for Adam's sin, but only for their own personal transgressions.
While visiting in the hospital I met a woman who was anxious to talk about the salvation of infants who die without baptism. She had good reason to be searching for information to give her hope. 18 years ago she lost a baby girl who had not been baptized. Her pastor came to call on her, and she ...read more
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14. Who Cares About Cattle?
Contributed on Apr 9, 2021
We have here a valuable insight into God's tenderness. Some may feel that preaching on cattle and God's concern for animals is irrelevant, and unworthy of pulpit time. If that be so, you only reveal how little you know of what God has revealed about Himself.
Henry Bergh was the founder of the American Humane Movement, which about one hundred and thirty years ago brought about the first child protective laws in this country. He drew attention to the case of Mary Ellen who was beaten, and the chained by her parents. This led to laws being passed. Very ...read more