The Great Rebellion (Jonah 1:3)
Intro: Long, long ago in a world far, far away from here there was a great kingdom. It was a kingdom fill with the wonders of all the ages. Everywhere that the eye looked the mind became overwhelmed with all the beauty. This world was filled with such beauty that it surpassed all imagination. The King of this world was so full of love and goodness that all of The subjects, were treated with respect and love, they were all treated wonderfully. The subjects of this world adored their King because he was Holy. This realm was a near perfect place, but the force of evil had infiltrated this world. The source of evil in this world was not the evil emperor or even Darth Vader, but it was the anointed Cherub, the one that was second wisest to the King himself. The anointed Cherub, Lucifer incited rebellion and gathered 1/3 of the kingdom to be on his side to try to over throw the Good King. But the good king was God, and God and the forces of good defeated those in rebellion. God always wins and those in rebellion against God always loose.
In our world Lucifer, Satan, the devil and his entire un- holy hoard always try to get the children of God to rebel, He always works with people that are supposed to be children of God.
THRU THE AGES
Adam and Eve
The tower of Babel
The Children of Israel
HE EVEN TRIED TO GET JESUS TO REBEL (TEMPTATION)
At the heart of rebellion is the heart,
not the part that pumps blood through your veins,
but the innermost part of man the part that controls what we think, our desires, and our emotions.
The heart is the seat of love and hatred
It is the center of thought
It is the center of our feelings
Joy
Sorrow
Anxiety
Fears
Text: Jonah 1:3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
We are going to talk about
1.The reason of Jonah's rebellion
2.The results of his rebellion
3.The reversal of his rebellion
The reason for his rebellion
(What caused Jonah to rebel in the first place? What caused him to disobey God and try to do it his way? We need to learn from Jonah's mistakes)
Lack of Fear
Jonah did not fear God, if he had, then he would not have run from his responsibilities to do God's will that being to preach to the Ninevites. He would have immediately done what the Lord had told; He would not have caught a ship going in the other direction if he feared God.
Mad at God Vietnam Story
Lack of Faith
Faith leaves everything in God's hands. Jonah didn't think that the Ninevites would repent
Lack of Forgiveness
Jonah didn't want to forgive the Ninevites (the Assyrians) because they had been so cruel to the children of Israel. Jonah's believed that they needed to be punished rather than forgiven.
Sometimes the reason we get in trouble with God is because we won't forgive someone who did us wrong. Unforgiveness in your life will lead to rebellion just like it did in Jonah.
Lack of Faithfulness
Jonah should have been faithful to God in spite of his own personal feelings. It is not what we think or desire but it's what God wants
(John Wesley Story --What would he do if he had to die the next day at 12 o'clock mid-night DO WHATEVER GOD HAS ALREADY TOLD ME TO DO THEN WAKE UP IN GLORY
The results of his rebellion
It affected the Summoned
God summoned Jonah to go preach to Nineveh. Jonah knew what God expected of him
His rebellion brought much trouble in Jonah's life.
caught in a Storm
thrown overboard
swallowed by a great fish
lived inside the fish for 3 days
REALLY SOUNDS LIKE FUN
REBELLION ALWAYS BRINGS TROUBLE IN OUR LIFE
It affected the Sailors
the Sailors Feared
feared loss of ship and goods
loss of life
the Sailors lost their merchandise
they had to throw Jonah overboard
YOUR REBELLION AND SIN ALWAYS AFFECTS OTHERS
Innocent people die because of those breaking highway rules (DRUNK DRIVERS--SPEEDERS)
Achan
It affected the Savior
It grieves the heart of God when we disobey or rebel against God.
The Reversal of his Rebellion
The Storm
The storm didn't just happen it was sent by Almighty God the creator of all things
WHY DID GOD SEND THE STORM?
To correct his Servant
God sought to change the stubborn will of Jonah
CORRECTION IS A SIGN OF LOVE
To confirm His Sovereignty
God has power over everything He SENDS STORMS TO GET PEOPLE'S ATTENTION
The Stomach
The Bible says that Jonah found himself in the whale’s belly
Mat 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Can you imagine what it would be like to live in a whale's belly for 3 days?
IF YOU REBEL AGAINST GOD THE WHALE MAY SWALLOW YOU
1.Whale of sickness
2. Whale of trouble
Submission
Jonah finally submitted to God's authority
A/C is there a whale in your future
