Getting Jonah Off Your Boat

Intro: over the years I have preached many sermons out of the book of Jonah, about running from God’s call, etc. But today, I would like to look at the men on the ship instead of just Jonah, and preach, getting Jonah off the boat.

Getting Jonah Off The Boat

Jonah 1:1-17

Background: Jonah on board this ship is very symbolic of how we can allow things to get into our lives that don’t need to be there. It could be a sin, it could be harboring a bad feeling toward someone, it could be a wrong relationship, it could be allowing something in our lives that keeps us from moving forward with God. Here are some lessons on getting Jonah out of your boat.

I. Don’t let him board in the first place—v.3 these men didn’t realize who was getting on their ship. All the trouble that they were about to face could have been avoiding by not letting Jonah on board in the first place. Prevention is better than cure. So many times we allow people into our lives or things into our lives before we fully know if the Lord is involved in them coming into our lives.

II. Realize why the storms are in your life—v.10—these men did a personal examination of what was going wrong. They cried out to their Gods, then they confronted Jonah to see if he was the cause of their storm. Too many times people just keep riding through storms when they need to get rid of a Jonah. You will not have that perfect peace until those things that need to be removed are removed.

III. Don’t get rid of the wrong things—v.5 When we try to fix our problems and situations, we end up throwing out all the wrong things. I don’t know all they lost in their efforts here, but I do know this: Jonah was their problem, not the things they threw overboard.

IV. Don’t work to keep Jonah in your life—v13 It is amazing even after they discovered that Jonah was the problem, they worked hard to keep him aboard. If God tells you to get rid of something, get rid of it. You can do a million other things, but until you obey the voice of the Lord, there is no peace, there is no end to the storm.

V. When you get rid of your Jonah, your life will immediately get back on course. v.15—we find out an amazing thing here, as soon as they threw Jonah overboard, the sea calmed. It is true today, that as soon as you surrender it over to the Lord, your sea will calm.

Close: Today, throw Jonah overboard. An old hurt, a bad habit, a wrong relationship, even a wrong or negative attitude, get it out of your life today, so you can have the peace of God in your life anew.