Minor Prophets Major Message: Fear
Jonah 1:1-2:10
#minorprophets
INTRODUCTION… Jesus on Jonah
READ MATTHEW 12:38-41 (ESV)
“Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from You.” 39 But He answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”
This passage happened during the life of Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus references someone who lived about 800 years before Him. The religious leaders are asking for a miraculous sign and Jesus references historical Jonah in His answer… which tells us that whatever happened to the prophet Jonah must have been real, miraculous, and significant.
This morning we are continuing our journey in the last twelve books of the Old Testament which I have called “Minor Prophets Major Message.” I want to focus each week on one of these specific prophets and the message that he brought to the people of God because those messages are also important for us. Today we focus on the prophet Jonah.
TRANSITION
We begin by looking at one of the central emotions in Jonah specifically in Jonah chapter 2. One of the focuses in Jonah chapter 2 is fear.
ILLUSTRATION… Bats in the Belfry (p)
I don’t know if you have ever come face to face with a bat, but it is not a happy situation. When God dreamt up the bat, He came up with one of the creepiest non-insect animals on the planet. One day, while living in Pennsylvania, I heard my secretary scream from the hallway outside my office. Right after the scream I see her shoot quickly past the window in my office door and run into the front office and shut the door.
She proceeded to tell me that there was a bat in the church and I was the one who had to go investigate. I am pretty sure that question words like “there’s a what… where… you want me to what… with what… how” came out of my mouth as she explained what she saw and where. As I crept down the hallway, I did not see anything flying around. I saw no movement. I saw no vicious blood-sucking animals hanging from the ceiling. I imagined myself walking down the hallway and being accosted by this flying animal of death, but that didn’t happen. I did, however, turn around to find a bat clinging to the wall. I remember it being quite large, but I am sure that it wasn’t… the bat grows in size in my nightmares and when I tell this story. Once I saw the bat, I must be honest, I might have been a little fearful. I might have begun to sweat a little and maybe peed my pants a little. No… that’s not true, but I did have a twinge of fear.
It just so happened that the custodian was on vacation who normally dealt with bats and it fell to me to remove the bat. I had plenty of excuses: Maybe it will just fly out of the building. Maybe we could wait until someone else comes. Maybe it is no big deal and this bat doesn’t have rabies. Maybe real men love bats. Maybe bats are like tigers… if you leave them alone they leave you alone. Maybe it was a bat that took after most people and only entered a church every so often and wouldn’t be there on Sunday. I had all kinds of excuses in my mind as to why I didn’t have to do anything about this bat.
I do remember going back to the main office with my heart pounding a little faster. I recall asking her if I understood her correctly that I (emphasis on “me”) was the one who had to do something with the bat. I asked her what the custodian normally did. She explained to me, as she escorted me to and from his office in a hurried step, that he had invented a stick with a nail in it and he would stick the bats in the back of the head and then throw them out. That is what she expected me to do!
So, I stood there… heart racing… javelin in hand… ready to stick the bat in the back of the head and I realized that I just flat didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to be near the bat. I didn’t want to kill the bat. I didn’t want to hear the bat. I didn’t want to touch the bat or bag it up or hear it die or anything. The twinge of fear had been replaced by full-blown “petrification of my innards.”
I then had an epiphany from what I still maintain was from the Lord. I went back to the custodian’s office and returned the stick of death and retrieved a shoebox and an unused metal handicap sign (for the parking lot). I stealthily approached the bat clinging to the wall and with physical grace and superb ninja skills and perhaps a yelp of fear; I placed the box over the bat. Nothing happened. I then placed the sign on the wall and slid it along the wall to trap the bat in the box. The bat began to fly around inside the box in my hand and screech and hiss. Again, it was probably a small screech, but in my nightmares it sounded a lot like a vampire bat looking for its next meal and I’m pretty tasty. My heart was racing and the next part of the story gets a little blurry. I remember walking down the hallway and out of the building all the while staring at the box in my hand… knowing there was a foul creature from the underworld trapped inside. I walked across the street to the lawyer’s office and set the makeshift trap on the ground. I then prayed, flipped open the box, and out flew a beautiful butterfly. Uh no… I remember flipping open the box and running across the street screaming like I was in a horror movie and like I was being chased by Dracula himself.
The bat didn’t move. The lawyers in the office across the street laughed themselves silly. A few minutes later the bat flew away.
TRANSITION
When I think of fear in general, sometimes that story comes to mind. Let’s read from Jonah 1 and 2 this morning and you will see why I think fear is a major part of what happened to Jonah.
READ JONAH 1:1-2:10 (ESV)
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. 4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” 7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” 9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, Who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. 11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. 17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
We had to read that part of Jonah because it literally sets up chapter 2 which is our focus. Fear comes to mind because it is mentioned four times in chapter 1. Jonah ran away from God and God saw to it that His will was done and not Jonah’s. I imagine that as a result of the events on the boat and then being inside a fish… which is a severe traumatic event… Jonah had some fear.
According to experts at Johns Hopkins, over 19 million Americans have one or more phobias that range from mild to severe. A phobia is an intense or overpowering fear and anxiety in certain situations. Phobias can come into a person’s life because of a traumatic stress-filled experience. For example, being bitten by a dog as a child might trigger a fear of dogs in adulthood. I thought about this and realized that Jonah endured a traumatic event, admittedly of his own making, and probably had some issues because of it.
Aquaphobia: fear of water
Astraphobia: fear of thunder and lightning
Claustrophobia: fear of confined spaces
Defenestraphobia: fear of being thrown
Hydrophobia: fear of water
Ichthyophobia: fear of fish
Megalophobia: fear of large things
Monophobia: fear of being alone or isolated
Nomophobia: fear of being without your mobile phone (because he left his phone on the boat)
Nyctophobia: fear of the dark
Phagophobia: fear of swallowing or being eaten
Thalassophobia: fear of the ocean
TRANSITION
Please try and picture a human being in the stomach of a huge fish or whale. I hope you can see that fear is going to be in the backdrop and forefront of what Jonah is feeling and experiencing. Let’s read now from chapter 2 which shares with us what happens to Jonah whilst in the innards of the huge fish.
JONAH 2:1-10 (ESV)
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and He answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice. 3 For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all Your waves and Your billows passed over me. 4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away from Your sight; yet I shall again look upon Your holy temple.’ 5 The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head 6at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet You brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. 7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to You, into Your holy temple. 8 Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. 9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to You; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!” 10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.
TRANSITION
I think we can add one more fear to Jonah by the end of chapter 2: Emetophobia which is the fear of vomiting. Let’s look at Jonah 2 closer and ask some basic questions and get some basic answers which will lead us to our major message from this minor prophet.
WHERE IS JONAH PHYSICALLY?
This is the most basic question about Jonah and one that is easily answered. We know from Jonah 1:17, Jonah 2:1, and even Matthew 12:40 that Jonah was physically and bodily in the belly of a huge fish. He was probably wet and nasty and enclosed and smelled pretty bad. He was most likely sloshing around as the whale moved through the ocean to its eventual destination.
Verse 3 shares with us that he knows he is deep under water.
Verse 5 shares with us that he was covered in sea weed.
Verse 7 shares with us that he was indeed alive inside the fish.
So, we know where Jonah is physically. That leads us to the next question…
WHERE IS JONAH EMOTIONALLY?
This is also a basic question about Jonah and we get the answers from Jonah chapter 2. Verse 2 tells us specifically that Jonah is in “distress.” The Hebrew word there means trouble, tribulation, adversity, angst, suffering, affliction, and anguish. It is a serious emotional word because the feelings about being trapped inside a living creature in the middle of the ocean was intense! Verse 7 also shares with us that he felt like his life was “fainting away.” We can imagine that in the midst of his suffering and anguish that he thought that he would die.
When we combine chapter 1 with chapter 2 and the physical situation Jonah is in and we add to that that he is most likely more like us that unlike us… we can summarize Jonah’s emotional state as fear. He is afraid because he is inside another beings stomach, he is most likely going to die, and he doesn’t have his phone! Fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, is Jonah’s address under the sea.
So, we know where Jonah is emotionally. That leads us to the next question…
WHERE IS JONAH SPIRITUALLY?
Jonah chapters 1 and 2 share with us where Jonah is at spiritually.
First, we know that Jonah is spiritually rebelling against God. God tells His prophet Jonah to go and preach and Jonah refuses. Not only does Jonah refuse, but he hops a boat to end up at the furthest point on the map that he can possibly get. His refusal is rebellion. His refusal is disobedience. God was clear about Jonah’s marching orders and Jonah did an about face and refused. He knew exactly what he was doing and why. We call this sin. We call this willful sin. We call this a lifestyle of sin.
Second, we know that Jonah feels “cast away” from God in verse 3 and “driven away” from God’s sight in verse 4. I find it interesting that Jonah feels driven away from God when all the while it was Jonah that did the literal and metaphorical running. Jonah felt far away from God because he wanted to be far away from God. Jonah felt that there was sin blocking his relationship with God because Jonah sinned and put the blockage there. Jonah is in a situation of his own making and is suffering the repercussions.
Third, we know that Jonah has hope. Jonah has spiritual hope. He is full of fear and rejection from God, but he has hope because of the character of God. In verse 2, he knows that if he calls out to God that God would hear him and answer. He knows that our God is a God of another chance in verse 4. Jonah believes that God is the giver of life in verse 6. He knows that God is steadfast love in verse 8. Jonah believes that God is a saving God in verses 6 and 9. Jonah has hope not because of himself or anything he has done, but because of the character of God.
TRANSITION
There is much going on outside and inside of Jonah. Wouldn’t you agree? Physically he is in danger like no one before and he feels his life ebbing away. Emotionally he is full of fear and deep under stress. Spiritually, Jonah feels far from God and sinful. That leads us to the next question…
APPLICATION: WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Where are you at physically these days? Do you have health issues that are giving you concern or causing worry? Are you physically hurting in ways that makes life more difficult than it needs to be? Is work physically taxing you? Do you have surgery or treatment coming up that is a worry? Where are you at physically these days?
Where are you are emotionally these days? Are you in distress? Is fear something you deal with regularly? Maybe sadness or depression has a hold. Maybe anger or frustration has been your constant companion for a season. Emotions are sometimes difficult when life seems unfair or our sin blows back in our face. Where are you are emotionally these days?
Where are you spiritually these days? Are you rebelling against God? Maybe you know what kind of lifestyle God wants, but you are choosing something else. Disobedience is a big deal and maybe you just don’t care anymore. Do you take your sin seriously? Can you identify more with Jonah than not identify with him? Where are you spiritually these days?
TRANSITION
I ask those questions because the same path that Jonah took can vomit us out of the situation we are in as well. What was true for Jonah is also true for us. As your pastor, I want you physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy as much as possible and I know you want that for yourselves as well. That leads us to the next question…
WHAT DID JONAH DO?
According to Jonah chapter 2, Jonah does two things that are simple and difficult. Jonah does two things that show his faith in the Lord and also changed his heart… somewhat. Jonah does two things in the midst of physical, emotional, and spiritual distress that were the right things.
First, Jonah prayed.
Verse 1: “Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God”
Verse 2: “I called out to the Lord”
Verse 7: “I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to You”
I know this is going to sound simplistic and like some kind of platitude, but the first thing you and I need to do in the midst of physical, emotional, and spiritual distress is pray. Prayer is the lifeblood of faith.
ILLUSTRATION… https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/17/health/benefits-of-prayer-wellness
A June 2020 article from CNN Health tells us what we already know which is prayer impacts us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Prayer impacts us physically by lowering blood pressure and creating balance chemically in our bodies. Prayer produces optimism in the midst of depression and anxiety as well as calmness and peace and reduces aggression and fear. Prayer connects us to God. We know this and we don’t need a CNN article or a scientist to reveal the truth!
All of this has nothing to do with us and everything to do with the One to Whom we pray. Jonah was physically, emotionally, and spiritually a wreck and the sense we get as chapter 1 gives way to chapter 2 is that Jonah prayed. I am going to go so far as to say Jonah prayed first.
I want to encourage you today to adopt a “pray first” attitude!
* When you are physically in trouble or hurting… pray first.
* When you are emotionally a wreck… pray first.
* When you are spiritually sinful and far from God… pray first.
I want you to pray first because it is God that will work all things for your good, make miracles happen, will change your heart to deal, and vomit you out of the situation you are in to the exact spot you need to be. Prayer is not a magic bullet or a miraculous cure all, but prayer frames us and connects us to God in ways that we cannot do on our own. Please pray first to God the Father in the Name of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit no matter what is going on in your life!
Second, Jonah was thankful. Believe it or not, Jonah was thankful.
Verse 9: “I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to You”
I know this is going to sound simplistic and like some kind of platitude, but an attitude of thankfulness is how you and I need to be in the midst of physical, emotional, and spiritual distress. Thanksgiving is a gateway emotion that leads to goodness. Thankfulness is going to be the last thing you want to force yourself to think about or feel, but thankfulness is the way.
ILLUSTRATION…psychologytoday.com/us/blog/comfort-gratitude/202012/gratitude-is-gateway-positive-emotions
A December 2020 article from Psychology Today tells us what we already know which is thankfulness impacts us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Thankfulness leads to joy and the ability to savor positive experiences and endure negative experiences. Thankfulness trips physical processes in our bodies that help us emotionally. We are connected beings and so this also helps us spiritually. We know this and we don’t need a Psychology Today article to reveal the truth!
All of this has nothing to do with us and everything to do with the One to Whom we are thankful. Jonah was physically, emotionally, and spiritually a wreck, but he came back to thankfulness because he knew that God would be gracious and forgiving and discipline him.
I want to encourage you today to adopt thankfulness in the midst of the mess.
* When you are physically in trouble or hurting… be thankful to God for His blessings.
* When you are emotionally a wreck… force thankfulness into your heart.
* When you are spiritually sinful and far from God… be thankful for God’s character.
I want you to be thankful because God will work all things for your good, make miracles happen, will change your heart to deal, and vomit you out of the situation you are in to the exact spot you need to be. That is Who He is and He is worthy of our thanks no matter what is going on inside us or outside of us. Thankfulness is not a miraculous cure all, but thankfulness does frame our lives so we can see what God is doing!
SUMMARY
I would like to encourage you to read the rest of the Book of Jonah because Jonah is full of bad attitudes and gets a bad wrap on a lot of things and he deserves it. But here in chapters 1 and 2, and especially in chapter 2, we see “Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish” and in the midst of physical, emotional, and spiritual distress he prayed first and was thankful. May we do the same!
PRAYER
INVITATION
CHILDREN’S SERMON FOR BEFORE THE SERMON
I want to start by asking everyone a question and I want you to be as honest as you want. Do you ever get in trouble or do something wrong or disobey your parents? If so, put your hand up. Ok, here is another question: When you get in trouble or do something wrong or disobey your parents, do your parents ever put you in “time out?” If so, put your hand up.
Every single one of us sometimes do something wrong. The church word for doing something wrong is “sin.” None of us are perfect and we all sin. We all sometimes have a bad day and need a “time out.” Today in the sermon we are going to be talking about a man named Jonah. Can you say “Jonah?”
Jonah was someone who believed in God, but he also disobeyed God! He didn’t do what God asked him to, but in fact he tried to run away as far as he could from God. Does anyone know what happens to Jonah in his story when he tries to run away?
Yep, Jonah was swallowed up by a big fish / whale and was stuck inside that stinky swimming fish for three whole days. That is God putting Jonah in “time out.” God put Jonah in “time out” so he could think about what he had done wrong and change his heart.
The reason we get put into ‘time out’ when we don’t behave properly or we’re in trouble for doing something wrong, is so that we have time to really think about what we did and to change for the better. The middle of the story of Jonah has a “time out” and I want you do know that this is what we are talking about today in the sermon.
* We are talking about the time God put Jonah in “time out”
* We are talking about what Jonah did in “time out”
I don’t think any of you will end up inside a whale, but if you do end up in “time out, I want to encourage you to obey your parents or grandparents or teacher and really think and pray about what got you there and decide not to do it again!
PRAYER
