INTRO: Fidel Castro, leader - Communist party in Cuba 36 years. Man spent
his whole life building
something that’s on the verge of collapse. Someone asked him, “why don’t you just give up? Your system is a failure.” He says, “Why give up something you believe in?” Castro believes if there is a heaven that it will be socialism. I believe Castro cannot come to the realization that all his work will mean nothing in a few years. This attitude of unwilling to change is what I want to focus on today. We will look at a man who had this same problem (unwilling to change.)
TITLE: God’s will: Easy or Hard - It’s our choice
TEXT: Jonah I
I. Jonah’s call (1-2)
II. Jonah’s fight (3-10)
III. Jonah’s punishment (11-17)
I. Jonah’s call (READ 1-2)
A. Chosen by God - God’s messenger, clear purpose and direction (Importance - God doesn’t speak unless
it’s important. No idle talk).
1. Importance of knowing God’s call - One of the most important things we need to find out as a
Christian is what the Master has for us!
-All are a part (we are all involved, not just the pastors).
Eph. 2:10 - “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
a. God works through humans to reach other humans. (Structure He set down!)
Enemy attacks: You can’t do this or that. No good, fearful, low self-esteem.
ex.....Pat teaching (brought many joys through teaching), next Billy Graham!
Point: Don’t miss out on a blessing from God because you’re not fulfilling your call.
I Cor. 12:27 - “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (Some hand, foot, mouth, eyes, heart, brain, hangnail) Thanks for the hangnail!
2. My belief: God divinely calls people to be in a church, specific gifts and when they’re all working
together, it’s a fine-running machine.
ex Enemy tries to destroy automobile, cuts tires, spark plugs, and before long church is broken
down waiting for tow truck!
Key: All have a specific gift or task (Find your place and do your best job).
* Don’t be like Jonah and refuse the mission.
B. Jonah’s mission - go to Ninevah (preach).
1. Background on city - capital of the kingdom of Assyria (size 60 miles in circumference).
a. Population - couple of hundred thousand. Walls 5,100 feet tall, thickness: 4 chariots. Three
moats and canals.
b. Sin of city - wickedness towards each other, self-confident pride, very cruel people!
1. Come up before the Lord - time to deal with it (judgment or repentance).
2. Effect most everyone - even the innocent (hard thing to understand about God).
Ex. Moses 12 spies (10 bad report, 2 good report) still had to go through punishment of wandering in the desert.
-David counting the fighting men (not depend on God). Judgment: 3 months famine, 3 weeks fleeing enemies, 3 days hand of God (70,000 died). David says - “I am the one who sinned and did wrong, these are just sheep.”
Point: We do pay for other people’s sin! (Aids, drug addiction, morality at the top).
-That’s why it’s so important to pray for leaders in positions of authority. (Does not matter if you agree or disagree with them, you need to pray for them.)
C. Mercy of God - Heart is to save His children. God is giving His final warning, before He is going to
bring judgment.
ex Felicia clean room, remember parents saying when I was in trouble - this is going to hurt me more than it is going to hurt you (well let’s trade places). It’s true.
I’ll bet it tears God’s heart up to punish us!
1. God is all seeing - we cannot hid from Him matter how hard we try.
II. Jonah’s flight (READ 3-10)
A. Disobedience - v. 3 He runs away.
1. Didn’t expect to get away from God but the task at hand.
-Flees in the total opposite direction (who is always trying to get us to go in the wrong direction,
devil). Either running for God or Satan.
2. Jonah felt he was right - God was making a mistake (ever done that?)
-Hear Jonah talking now - Lord, you don’t realize what you’re asking me to do. You must have made
a mistake.
ex Lord, you don’t know my husband, he’s mean, too controlling. I don’t love him. Or, how can I obey my boss, he does not know anything. God you are making a mistake!
Point: A person will always find circumstances favorable to the course he/she has resolved to take.
B. Reasons Why Jonah Ran
1. Afraid - fearful, Assyrians were enemies of Israel - warring, ruthless people (cruel to enemies, bit
noses off, fish hook in jaw).
a. Lord these people might hurt me, (See this today. Tell people about Jesus they will think I’m
weird, Lord. You don’t know these people, Lord.)
2. Nationalistic Pride - we are better than they are (bigotry) second-class citizen, Arabs, blacks,
Indians, Hispanics, women.
Answer: READ 4:2 - Jonah knew God. He knew the Lord was going to bring a revival to Israel’s most-feared enemies.
a. Jonah could not get off the throne. He knew what God was going to do and he didn’t want any
part of it.
-He knew better than God, and he was going to get his way!
1. Thrown - biggest struggle Christians will have is getting themselves off the throne and letting
God reign and rule.
-God wants to clean out all our closets and even the basement (no, not that). He wants a clean house, but it’s like we’re fighting Him. Fine, I’ll go sleep on the porch until you listen. Not long after He is pounding on the door.
C. Divine Intervention - v. 4 (READ)
1. God sends a storm - get his attention, hound of heaven.
ex Children in danger. We get theit attention by different methods.
2. Calamities will awaken us!
ex SF earthquake, everyone pulled together (friendships were built, heroic deeds, people thought
about each other’s needs.)
-Storm arose, shows us something about Jonah.
a. Jonah in a dead sleep - A man in great danger without being conscious of it!
1. Jonah had a messenger sent by God to warn him - Captain, heathen (warning a man of God v. 6
(READ).
Illustrate: Tourist walking on Scottish coast, admiring the waves, rocks, sand. Man repelled down a cliff to warn him of his impending danger, low tide. Man didn’t listen, hurried his pace, trapped, tried to climb to the highest point. Waves overtook him.
-Captain sent by God to give Jonah every opportunity (bring him to his senses).
2. Like America today, God is giving every opportunity to repent (awaken the slumber of God’s
people). God is going to start shaking, so hang on!
b. Jonah questioned (7-10)
1. Goes up on deck, cast lots, Jonah blamed.
2. God gives Jonah a chance to preach - People are most open when hardships are upon them. (Hearts are open to suggestions).
III. Jonah’s Punishment 11-17 (READ)
-Sea was getting rougher.
A. Self-sacrifice - v. 12 (READ)
1. Knew he was wrong - So he was willing to pay the price for his disobedience.
2. Problem in character - Deep seated (fiber of his being), willing to sacrifice his life rather than deal
with it.
*Many Christians today need to deal with what the Lord is telling them to deal with.
-Don’t be like Jonah and try to run (deal with it no matter how painful).
Sometimes we get so tired and like Jonah say, “Lord, just take my life.” (Dream of paradise).
3. John 6:53, 60, 66 (READ) - Jesus at height of ministry, great things happening.
a. Hard teaching - many of His disciples turned back and didn’t follow Him.
Point: Too tough, too hard, required too much, pride was too high (like Jonah).
b. Following Christ will cost us everything (things even we would rather die than deal with).
4. God bring something worse than death.
a. Jonah thought he was going to get out of task (sacrificing himself).
1. Lord had him spend three days and nights in great fish.
-Lord had put him in a place where he was forced to deal with problem, could not run anymore.
Why: God grabs hold of you because sin will cause you to not think clearly.
ex Swimmer hits head, blow bubbles to see where you are (disoriented).
* We as Christians need to make sure we always are obedient to God because if we’re not (hearts
start getting harder).
B. Lord brings positiveness out of any situation.
1. Small revival (v. 16 READ)
a. Lives to God - something about the pits that will turn our eyes to God!
ex Uncle, old folks, son killed himself.
One positive note about extreme hardships (exciting watching God act).
Heathens cried out to God (new believers).
C. God’s long-suffering.
1. Believers harder to change. Compare to heathens, willing to change!
2. Loving God - not a wrathful God. Patient with Jonah, love for a lost city!
-God loves us enough to go our own way (to an extent).
IN CONCLUSION: Lord, help us to never be like Jonah in the sense that you tell us to do something and we don’t do it.
We need to get away from cafeteria Christianity (self-service only).
I. Jonah chosen by God.
II. Jonah’s disobedience.
III. Jonah’s punishment.
Thank God He disciplines us. (Thank God when we get to heaven when we see how close we have come to the pit).
