YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU JUST CAN’T HIDE
Jonah 1:4-5
1. The book of Jonah begins with Jonah’s receiving God’s call to “go and serve.” This is a common call from God.
2. God takes His call to His children very seriously and expects His children to respond affirmatively to His call.
3. To recognize God’s call is to understand that it requires action, reveals fear, and risks confrontation. (Verses 1-3)
4. Jonah’s response is “exhibit A” of what not to do when God calls you.
5. From the time God called Jonah to “go where Jonah didn’t want to go”, Jonah’s negative response lead him on a downward path.
6. READ THE TEXT.
7. There is an old adage which says, “You can run but you can’t hide,” and this truth is illustrated in this story. In these 2 verses we’ll see determination, desperation, and deception in several forms.
8. We already know the determination exhibited by Jonah to NOT go to Nineveh and fulfill God’s call, he chose to run and hide.
9. Verse 4 reveals to us “The Determination of God”. The scripture says this, “the Lord hurled such a violent wind and storm that the ship was about to break apart.”
10. There are three things to notice in this story. First, notice the “Initiator of the Storm.” Yes, God sends storms our way.
11. Next, see the “Intensity of the Storm.” My Bible uses the word violent and the KJV says “great and mighty”. Here is the truth; God will frequently destroy whatever vessel you board to run from Him.
12. Finally, see the “Impact of the Storm.” The ship was about to disintegrate and those around him were afraid. Running from God has a larger impact than only on you.
13. When we run from God, we like Jonah will find ourselves on a rough road. You may think the path God has called you to be rough, but the level of difficulty is nothing compared to the road away from God.
14. God is determined to have a relationship with His crown creation (you and me), thus Jesus died on Calvary. We see His determination with the Apostle Paul on the Damascus road; He has come seeking for us.
15. Next see the “Desperation of the Foreigners.” I call them foreigners because they were really not friends of Jonah, they were people whom he had basically ignored. There was little or no interaction with the crew and now they were about to lose their lives because of Jonah.
16. Consider a couple of thoughts about these “foreigners”. First they were “COURAGEOUS People”. Sailors in those days were the bravest because they went into the unknown.
17. They were also “CREATIVE People”. When the storm was seemingly too much for the boat to handle, they knew what actions to take. The lightened the load, they prayed, and they sought out the problem.
18. They were “CARING People”. Although it doesn’t appear in this part of the story, even when Jonah said “It’s me, throw me overboard,” they tried another way.
19. When you and I run from God, we involve other people, good people, even people who don’t understand the problem. Candidly, these people may well cause you to make a bad decision.
20. Finally, see the “The Deception of this Follower.” To walk away from God is to sin. To sin is to stop thinking correctly.
21. Remember King David? Once He lusted after Bathsheba—he stopped thinking right.
22. Jonah thought He could hide from God. He had left and ran 180° in the other direction. His direction was the same every step he went. It was always down. Down in the bottom of the boat, he deceived himself into thinking he was safe, so he went to sleep.
23. When we run from God. He will find us.
