Great Prayers of the Old Testament
Part 33: What the World Needs from Christians Today
Jonah 1:1-17
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared October 15, 2025)
BACKGROUND:
*Today we will study the story of the Prophet Jonah. And it may surprise you but Jonah's story has some crucial lessons for Christians today. Almost everybody who has been to church knows the story of Jonah. It's one of the first Bible stories we learn as kids. They even made a VeggieTales Movie about Jonah in 2002.
*Modern-day skeptics think this story is a myth or a fairytale. But we must understand that this Bible story is absolutely true. The giant fish could have easily been a shark. History books tell of other sailors who were swallowed whole and rescued. By God's grace, in the mid-1,700's one sailor was swallowed whole, and rescued by his shipmates The rescued sailor then toured Europe with the dried body of that shark. It was 20 feet long and weighed 3,000 pounds! (1)
*On top of that, all things are possible with the LORD God. He is in control of every planet and every particle in this universe. God could make a giant turtle to swallow you if He wanted to! Also know that Jesus affirmed the truth of this Old Testament story. So, if we reject what the Bible says about Jonah, we will also be rejecting what the Bible says about Jesus. This Old Testament story is as real as we are.
*John Phillips gave some helpful background information about Nineveh and Jonah. Phillips said, "We cannot understand the book of Jonah without some knowledge of its historical setting. In the background was the imperial, cruel, guilty city of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria in the days of its glory. This metropolis was beautiful with terraces and historic palaces, arsenals and barracks, libraries and temples. (It was founded by King Ninus who supposedly was a son of the demonic god Ba'al.)
*Nineveh had massive embankments, extensive irrigation canals, and mighty gates facing the Tigris river. Its high wall was so wide that several chariots could drive side by side along the top. The circumference of the city was about sixty miles, a three-day journey on foot. Beyond the walls, sprawling suburbs grew along the east bank of the Tigris river, and other towns ran one into another for mile after mile. Dwellings set closely together on the plain seemed to form one giant complex of buildings.
*Jonah could have walked past the temples and palaces in an hour, but he would have had to hike for days through the endless, tangled poverty-stricken slums to cover the whole city with his message of doom." Jonah was to go to Nineveh, "that great city." God is interested in great cities! As we read through the Bible, we often find ourselves in man’s great cities: Babylon, Damascus, Athens, Rome, Jerusalem, Nineveh, Tyre. Nineveh’s population was estimated to be over 1,000,000. And Jonah 4:11 says over 120,000 of them were too young to know their right hand from their left."
*Phillips also explained that "as a Hebrew and a successful prophet, Jonah thought he knew God, and Jonah was already an old man when called God called him to preach to Nineveh. It was about 750 years before the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And the name 'Jonah' means 'dove.' Through him the LORD wanted to send revival, not ruin, to the lost city of Nineveh. But Jonah was a zealous patriot, more like a hawk than a dove. He was fierce, sullen, proud, angry, rebellious, and brave.
*But the heart of Jonah’s story reveals God’s grace, mercy, and desire for 'all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth' (1 Timothy 2:4) It is a perfect foreshadowing of the very Gospel of Jesus Christ and salvation offered to 'anyone who believes in him... for there is no difference between Jew and Gentile -- the same Lord is Lord of all, and richly blesses all who call on Him for 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved'" (Romans 10:11-13).
*Jonah thought he knew God. But Jonah did not know the LORD nearly as well as he thought he did. He did not know God well enough to grieve over sin the way God grieves. He did not know God well enough to rejoice over the salvation of sinners the way God rejoices. It was hard for Jonah to accept the fact that God loved Gentiles just as much as He loved the Jews. And it was very hard for Jonah to accept that the LORD loved the cruel and oppressive Assyrians just as much as He loved Jonah!"
*That's why Jonah refused to make the 530-mile trip northeast to Nineveh. Instead, he fled southwest to Joppa where he boarded a ship for Tarshish, on today's Spanish coast, more than 3,000 miles east across the Mediterranean Sea. Jonah was headed as far away from Nineveh as the rebellious prophet could get! Soon Jonah was sound asleep in the lowest deck of the ship. But mostly he was asleep to his call and commission, asleep to his duty, asleep to the dangers that surrounded him.
*Jonah might not have slept so soundly if he had been able to see through a few inches of wood -- if he had seen what was swimming quietly along beneath the boat and keeping pace with its progress. But remember that Jonah's story has some crucial lessons for Christians today With this background in mind, please listen to Jonah 1:1-17. (2)
MESSAGE:
*Well, thank God, that's not the end of the story! Jonah prayed to the LORD from the fish's belly. Please listen to part of Jonah's report from Chapter 2:
2. . . "I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction, and He answered me. Out of the belly of hell I cried, and You heard my voice.
5. The waters encompassed me, even to my soul; the deep closed around me; weeds were wrapped around my head.
6. . . Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD, my God.
7. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple.
8. Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own Mercy.
9. But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.''
10. So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
*Don't you know Jonah was glad to get out of that fish! And the second time, he obeyed God's call. Jonah did make that 530-mile trip northeast to Nineveh. There, the people responded to his preaching. And the whole city of 1,000,000 people was spared! (3)
*You see, the sailors in the storm, -- and the people of Nineveh all needed the LORD. More than anything else, they all needed the LORD God Almighty. But don't miss this: Because they needed the LORD, they also needed His follower. They needed Jonah. And Christians: The world desperately needs us today!
1. FIRST OF ALL, PEOPLE NEED OUR ASSISTANCE.
[1] AND THEY NEED OUR ASSISTANCE BECAUSE THEY ARE FACING DISASTER.
*Jonah's story reminds us of this truth in vs. 4-5. Here the Word of God says:
4. But the LORD sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.
5. Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep.
*Those men saw dark clouds of disaster racing their way. They heard the howling wind. They felt the crashing waves. And if we open our eyes, we can see the storm clouds of disaster hanging over our world today.
*We can see the storm in many ways, like the horrible crime rates in our largest cities. Adults, teenagers, and children killed by drug deals gone bad, by gang wars, or simply by stray bullets. Over 1 million people have been killed or wounded in the horrific war between Ukraine and Russia. Even more disturbing is the rise of antisemitism around the world and even in the United States. Jews on many college campuses have been harassed and mobbed by leftist radicals who scream chants like "From the river to the sea Palestine will be free." But the Bible is clear and once the Jews have gone back this last time, they will never leave again.
*Storms: These days, more and more churches and synagogues are being vandalized, some burned, and others attacked by mass murderers. Legalized discrimination against Christians is growing threat around the world. (4)
*In Isaiah 5:20-21, the LORD speaks "woes" of judgment on nations like that. "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!" Storm clouds of disaster are rising up all over world today. And the LORD has put us here to help people find the eternal life and freedom we can only have through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
[2] PEOPLE NEED OUR HELP BECAUSE THEY ARE FACING DISASTER. ALSO BECAUSE THEY ARE FACING DEATH.
*That's why the ship's captain woke Jonah up in vs. 6: "So the captain came to him, and said to him, 'What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.'''
*When that ship sailed out of Joppa, everything seemed to be as fine as it could possibly be. But within a few short days, everyone on that ship faced death. For us, life often rocks along and everything seems okay. So usually we don't have to think about it. But everybody needs to face the truth that unless Jesus comes back first, we are all going to die.
*And Jesus Christ is the only one who can do anything about that, because He died on the cross for our sins. And Jesus rose again from the dead! One day Bobby Wilson was teaching children's church, and this little five-year-old boy was working on a puzzle.
*He didn't seem to be paying much attention when Bobby started talking about Jesus. That little boy just kept working on his puzzle. But when Bobby told them that Jesus died on the cross. The little boy looked up and said, "Yes sir! But he got un-died too!" He needed a little help with his grammar, but that little boy was absolutely right! That's why Jesus can save us from death, and He is the only one who can! BUT YOU SEE, JESUS HAS GIVEN US THE JOB OF HELPING OTHER PEOPLE FIND LIFE IN HIM.
2. CHURCH: THEY NEED OUR ASSISTANCE. THEY ALSO NEED OUR AWAKENING.
*Christians: We need to wake up, because we get spiritually drowsy and tend to fall asleep. Jonah is a picture of this truth for us in vs. 5-6:
5. Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep.
6. So the captain came to him, and said to him, "What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.''
*Jonah was asleep, and of course there is nothing wrong with sleep in general. At the right time, at the right place, sleep is a great thing. Who doesn't like a good night's sleep? But Jonah was asleep in that ship because of his intentional disobedience to God. Again, in vs. 1-3:
1. Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2. "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me."
3. But Jonah arose 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 from the presence of the LORD.
*Jonah took five deliberate steps of disobedience against God:
[1] He arose to flee from the presence of the LORD.
[2] He went down to Joppa.
[3] He found a ship going to Tarshish.
[4] He paid the fare.
[5] And he went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
*Well, we don't usually disobey God with that much rebellion in our hearts. But we do get drowsy and tend to fall asleep in our spiritual life. Mostly it comes from unintentional distractions. We tend to get too busy with our jobs, our toys, our games, or our other pet projects. We get too busy taking care of business, or taking care of our stuff that we drift away from the things of God.
*I wonder what was in those boxes they threw overboard in vs. 5. The Bible doesn't tell us, but I'm sure it was some very good stuff. It could have been gold or silver, jewels, fine silk and fragrant spices. But no matter how much that stuff cost, it all went overboard! And Christians: One day our stuff is going overboard too. No matter how much we have in this world, we are not taking it to Heaven. It's all getting left behind.
*Now that doesn't mean we should quit our jobs and give away everything we have. But God wants us to wake up to what really matters in life.
*That's why Romans 13:9-11 says this to all Christians:
9. . . "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.''
10. Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11. And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
*Ephesians 5:14-16 says:
14. . . "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.''
15. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
16. redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
*And 1 Thessalonians 5:5-11 says:
5. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
6. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
7. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.
8. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.
9. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10. who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
11. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
*GOD WANTS US TO WAKE UP TO WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN LIFE. One preacher pointed out that you can walk in your sleep, and you can talk in your sleep, but you cannot work in your sleep. And God wants all of His people to wake up for His work in our world. The LORD had some assignments for Jonah. And you can be sure God has some assignments for you. (5)
*In vs. 7, God was still trying to get Jonah's attention. There the sailors said to one another, "'Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.' So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah."
*Why do you think the lot fell on Jonah? Was it because of luck, or was it because of the LORD? Church: We know that it was because of the LORD. The lot fell on Jonah because of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
*Jonah was assigned by the LORD to go to the people of Nineveh, and he needed to wake up! Jonah needed to get moving in the right direction, and start doing what the LORD wanted him to do. Well, God hasn't assigned us to go to Nineveh, but He surely has other assignments for us.
*And please notice this: No one else on that ship could have helped calm that storm, but Jonah. He was the only person in the world who could help those poor sailors. And you may be the only person in the world who can help someone else.
3. THAT'S WHY THE WORLD NEEDS OUR AWAKENING. -- BUT THEY ALSO NEED OUR ANSWER.
*They need our answer. Verses 8-9 remind us of this truth. There, the sailors said to Jonah:
8. . . "Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble 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.''
*Jonah had the answer for their salvation from the storm. And notice that those sailors did not want to throw Jonah into the sea, but they didn't have a choice. It was the only way that they could be saved. Those sailors began by praying to their false, demonic, idol. But they wound up praying to the one and only true and living LORD God Almighty!
*When those sailors threw Jonah into that raging sea they were sure he would die. But it was the only way they could be saved. Somebody had to die. And the only way we could be saved forever was for God's Son to die on the cross for our sins. Thank God, 3 days later Jesus rose again from the dead! But you have to open your heart and trust in Jesus Christ. You have to receive Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of your life. And when you do, YOU will be saved forever!
*The sailors asked Jonah questions -- And he gave them the right answers. Jonah gave them the answers they needed to hear. Now many people in this world have questions for us: Who are you Church? Is this for real? Are you the real thing? Is God real? Does God really love me? Did Jesus really die on the cross for my sins? Did He rise again from the dead? Is the Bible true?
*Many people have questions for us, and they need our answers. Most of all, they need the answer for salvation. And for the sailors in the storm, Jonah had the right answer! We see the truth in verses 10-15.
10. Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, "Why have you done this?'' For the men knew that he fled 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 be calm for us?'' for the sea was growing more tempestuous.
12. And 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 this great tempest is because of me.''
13. Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring the ship to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them.
14. Therefore they cried out to the LORD and said, "We pray, O LORD, please do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You.''
15. So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.
*Jonah had the right answer for the sailors' salvation from the storm. And today he is a model for the salvation of us all. You see, just as Jonah was in the whale for three days, our Savior was in the grave for three days, after He died on the cross for us. Jonah is surely an Old Testament picture of what the Lord Jesus Christ was going to do for us on the cross. Jesus confirmed this truth for us in Matthew 12:38-42. There God's Word says:
38. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."
39. But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40. For 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 in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
42. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
CONCLUSION:
*Today I thought about some godly witnesses in my life. And it took me back to my high school days over 50 years ago. It took me back to the two guys who were the most faithful to witness to me: Wesley Humphreys and Sandy Giles. When it came to being Christians, they were the real thing, and outstanding witnesses to me. No matter how much I argued with them, no matter how much I ridiculed them, they never gave up on witnessing to me.
*They were always willing to speak the truth to me. And they always did it with patient, kind, and friendly spirits, especially Wesley Humphreys. He sat in front of me in one of my classes, but I haven't seen him since 1969. Wesley had no idea that I got saved six years later, and was later called to preach.
*Almost 30 years ago, I started thinking about all of this, and I decided to try to call Wesley. I wanted to thank him for being such a great example and faithful witness to me, so I searched for him online. Thank the Lord, his name wasn't Bill Smith! There aren't too many men named Wesley Humphreys, and I found him in Orlando. Then I called to say thanks. What a shock; what a pleasant surprise for him!
*Wesley was a grandfather by then, and an elder in the Presbyterian Church. He was overjoyed to hear from me. He was amazed to learn what God has done in my life. And I believe that for all his prayers, patience, and kindness to me, one day Wesley will hear words like Jesus said in Matthew 25:23, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord."
*Godly love made the difference for me, and it will always make a difference in our world. So ask the Lord to fill you with more of His godly love! And if you have never received Jesus Christ as you Lord and Savior, put your trust in Jesus today! Call on the Lord to save you today!
*Then do everything you can to help other people caught up in the storms of life. They need Jesus! And so they need us. There are people out there who need us just as much as the sailors and people of Nineveh needed Jonah. Please pray about these things as we go back to God in prayer.
(1) Taken from: http://www.adam.com.au/bstett/BJonahDebate.htm - Source: http://www.evcforum.net/cgi-bin/dm.cgi?action=msg&f=1&t=202&m=1)
(2) Sources:
-Adapted from EXPLORING JONAH - Jonah 1:1-17 by John Phillips - "The Word of God" - Jonah 1:1-16 - John Phillips Commentary, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - Downloaded to "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.
-Wikipedia - Ninus - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninus
-Koinonia House - Prophets to the Gentiles - Jonah, Nahum, & Obadiah - Author Chuck Missler - https://www.khouse.org/personal_update/articles/2011/prophets-gentiles
-BIBLE STUDY TOOLS - "Jonah and the Whale - Bible Story Meaning" - by Joel Ryan, Contributing Writer - Updated August 04, 2025 - https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-stories/jonah-and-the-whale.html
(3) Adapted from EXPLORING JONAH - Jonah 1:1-17 by John Phillips - "The Word of God" - Jonah 1:1-16 - John Phillips Commentary, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - Downloaded to "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.
(4) Multiple news stories
(5) Original source unknown
