Note: Thanks to Aldon Johnson and Mike Wilkins (The Run Away Prophet) for their thoughts and ideas on Jonah chapter 1.
Title: The Word of the Lord
Theme: Show the importance of following God’s Word spoken to us.
Text: Jonah 1
Introduction
Jonah is mentioned in 2Ki_14:25. He prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II, the king of Israel from 793 to 753 B.C. He may have been a member of the company of prophets mentioned in connection with Elisha's ministry (2Ki_2:3).
2Ki 14:25 He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher.
Jonah
The Word of the Lord
(1) The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying,
Jesus said, “Man shall not live [Jesus is talking about life here] by bread alone, but on [or by] every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Mt. 4:4; Dt. 8:3).
The Word of the Lord
A. That’s serious
B. It’s unescapably
C. Its saving life
D. Its Almighty God
E. It has to be obeyed
1 Samuel 3:1 Then the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.
Instructions
(2) "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me."
There was a calling on Jonah’s life to do something for the Lord. This is a wonderful calling.
Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"
The Flight
(3) But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
God had plans for Jonah yet Jonah had other plans. So what did he decide to do, he decided to run from the Lord.
Jonah refused the Word of the Lord
A. He refused to heed to it
B. Wouldn’t obey it
C. He went to flee from the presence
A call to be more public with your faith – but instead you keep your light under a bushel
A call to forgive someone for harm they have done to us – but instead you avoid them at all costs in order to keep your grudge.
A call to quietness and prayer – but instead you fill your life with really important busy things
A call to a specific ministry or use of your spiritual gifts – but instead you put it on the back burner until a more opportune time
A call into relationship with God through Jesus – but instead you throw yourself into the things of the world
The Storm
(4) The LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up.
What Jonah didn’t realize was that you can’t escape the presence of the Lord.
God sent a great wind
A. The wind was God’s messenger
B. It was preaching to Jonah to get up and obey God
C. But Jonah was sleeping
D. The Word is saying we better wake up and listen and obey God
Pro 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Some of us are headed for the storm of our life because we haven’t consulted God or because we’re not paying any attention to the word of the Lord.
Some of us are in the midst of a severe storm because we opted to go to Tarshish instead of Nineveh—God’s will for our life.
Psalm 139
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, [1] you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
(5) Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep.
Here we see the contrast of two people. The sailors on one side were doing everything they can to keep the ship a float. They had no idea that Jonah was running from the Lord and causing this problem.
Notice what Jonah was doing. He was sleeping. It seemed like he was in peace. But he was doing what he can do to avoid God.
What is amazing to me was Jonah was willing to wreck the ship to get away from God.
Some people go to extreme to get away from God. They don’t care who they take with them. They don’t care who they take down. God is calling them, to salavatoin, to a work, yet they are running.
In it they will wreck their family.
In it they will wreck the church.
You never sin alone.
Our running affects those closest to us. Jonah may think that his argument with God is between him and God, but He brings the sailors into it when he boards the ship. We might also think that our running from God is our own business, but when we run from God and the call that he has on our lives we affect everyone who is in the boat with us – our family, our friends, our work-mates. Not only do they not receive the blessing that they would receive by being in relationship with someone who is following the will of God, but they often times have to endure the storm that God sends to bring us around.
Confrontation
(6) So the captain approached him and said, "How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish."
This is how they saw it. Yet Jonah knew better. Jonah knew the Lord. He knew why he was running.
Why did Jonah run? There have been many theories that have been laid out as to why Jonah ran. I believe the best one is because he knew what Nivenah would be like in just a few hundred years. So he was prejudice.
There are times in our lives that our non-Christian friends or family can say to us “Aren’t you supposed to be a Christian? Then, why are you doing this, or why are you not doing this?”
God uses the mouths of these pagan sailors to ask Jonah the prophet the question that he has for him: “What have you done?”
(7) Each man said to his mate, "Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us." So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.
(8) Then they said to him, "Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?"
Confession
(9) He said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land."
Jonah confessed the sin in the camp
Jonah was a shipwrecker
Many people are shipwreckers of the church because they are not following God’s wil
Many people are shipwreckers of their family. They would rather see they family die and be torn apart. The Bible says that when Paul and Silas were cleaned up by the prison warden he God saved and His family.
Act 16:27-35 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. (28) But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here." (29) Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. (30) And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (31) So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." (32) Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. (33) And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. (34) Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. (35) And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, "Let those men go."
(10) Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, "How could you do this?" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.
They recognized the Lord. But the biggest question was, “How could you don this?” and drag us into it with you.
Solution
(11) So they said to him, "What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?"--for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy.
What can we do to get out of this?
(12) He said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you."
This is the only solution. This sounds extreme. How could Jonah do this. Yet was he was essentially saying was let me surrender myself into the mercy and the hand of God.
The Fight
(13) However, the men rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them.
It is amazing how people will join in your misery. I have seen it with drug addicts. I have seen it with people who are in sin, people love them until they are changed.
Conversion
(14) Then they called on the LORD and said, "We earnestly pray, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man's life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O LORD, have done as You have pleased."
Notice what changed here. They recognized the one true God. LORD – Jehovah, self Existent eternal God.
(15) So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. (16) Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.
God can use a person in rebellion to bring others to him.
Heb 12:5-13 And have you entirely forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you, his children? He said,
"My child, don't ignore it when the Lord disciplines you,
and don't be discouraged when he corrects you. (6)
For the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes those he accepts as his children."[2] (7) As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined? (8) If God doesn't discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children after all. (9) Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever[3]? (10) For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God's discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in his holiness. (11) No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening--it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. (12) So take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs. (13) Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong.
God’s Preparation
(17) And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.
When Jonah surrendered himself to the Lord’s will then God prepared a plan for him. For 3 days and nights he stayed in that fish until God was ready to release him.
Gods second chance
We learn three things from this story
1) Don’t run from God
What is god’s call on your life right now – to give your life to him? To step out in faith? To stop a certain behavior?
Are you running from him?
2) Recognize God in the Storm
Not every storm that comes our way is sent by God, but some are. Even the ones that are not specifically sent by him can be used to his purpose – we need to ask him what he is calling us to even in the storm.
3) God gives second chances
The first two verses of chapter 3 are a carbon copy of the first two verses of chapter one – Jonah gets a second chance! God is the God of second chances.
