84 Awa k e LifeWay

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1 84 Awa k e

2 Don t sleep through your spiritual life. Wake up! Nothing refreshes like a good night s sleep. And who doesn t enjoy the occasional afternoon nap? In at least one way, though, sleep is not good for us. In fact, it can be dangerous. I m talking about being spiritually asleep. If we allow ourselves to settle into a spiritual snooze, after a while we simply whither spiritually. It s time to wake up! Our greatest need as believers is to experience a spiritual renewal from God, and that s the whole point of this study. I must warn you, though: this is not a study for those who want to maintain the status quo. When the Holy Spirit begins to bring renewal in our lives, things will change. We will look at several places in the Bible where God called people to return to Him. It s a call for us, too a call to experience revival and awakening personally and in our churches. As people have turned back to God, He has done extraordinary things and sparked great movements. Wouldn t you like to see God do that again? Join me on the journey of asking God to bring about the next great movement of renewal and turning back to Him. Ronnie Floyd Ronnie Floyd has served as the Senior Pastor of Cross Church in Northwest Arkansas for more than 27 years. In addition to serving as the general editor for Bible Studies for Life, Dr. Floyd is the president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Read Ronnie s blog at RonnieFloyd.com and follow him on BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 85

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4 The Point God s call to return to Him demands a response. The Passage Jonah 1:1-3; 3:1-5, 10 The Bible Meets Life How s your walk with God? There are many among us who have blatantly walked away from God. Others among us have gradually gotten off course in our walk with Him. We stand to gain much when we each evaluate ourselves and consider where we stand in our walk with God. He desires for us to return to Him, and He calls us back to Himself. The Book of Jonah shows us God s call and His merciful response when we return to Him. The Setting Jonah, a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, willingly had been used by God to deliver a message of encouragement to his nation (2 Kings 14:25). However, when God wished to use him to deliver a warning message to Nineveh, the capital city of Israel s oppressor Assyria, Jonah at first refused. Only later, with reluctance, did Jonah comply with God s instruction. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 87

5 What does the Bible say? Jonah 1:1-3; 3:1-5, 10 (HCSB) Nineveh (1:2) Located on the east bank of the Tigris River across from the modern day city of Mosul, Iraq, Nineveh served as the capital of Assyria during its height. Tarshish (1:3) While the exact location of ancient Tarshish is uncertain, the most probable location is Spain. It was in the opposite direction from where God wanted Jonah to go. Sackcloth (3:5) Sackcloth is a scratchy, black wool cloth usually made of goat hair. People in ancient cultures wore garments made of sackcloth as an expression of deep personal distress. 1:1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because their wickedness has confronted Me. 3 However, Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the LORD S presence. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish, from the LORD S presence. 3:1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach the message that I tell you. 3 So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the LORD S command. Now Nineveh was an extremely large city, a three-day walk. 4 Jonah set out on the first day of his walk in the city and proclaimed, In 40 days Nineveh will be demolished! 5 The men of Nineveh believed in God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth from the greatest of them to the least. 3:10 Then God saw their actions that they had turned from their evil ways so God relented from the disaster He had threatened to do to them. And He did not do it. 88 SESSION 1

6 THE POINT God s call to return to Him demands a response. GET INTO THE STUDY 10 minutes DISCUSS: Invite your group members to turn their attention to the image on page 73 of the Personal Study Guide (PSG). Ask: What s a great way to catch your attention? Allow time for each person to respond. (A response now will encourage them to respond to other questions later in the session.) RECAP THE PSG: At times we ve all wondered, How did I end up here? We start out with good intentions. We all want to keep our commitments to loved ones, produce stellar work in our job, and stay on top of our workout regimen. But we falter along the way. It may be subtle at first, but after a while we look back and realize we are not the people we wanted to be. At that point, what does it take to get your attention? How do you get back on course? Notes TIP: This session is a great opportunity to talk about salvation with any group members who aren t yet believers. Use the inside front cover of this Leader Guide for assistance. It happens in our relationship with God, too. Laziness, a lack of priorities, and even outright sin have a way of sidetracking us from where we want to be in our daily walk with Jesus. What would it take to get your attention and bring you back to God? (PSG, p. 74) SAY: In the Book of Jonah, we see a man who got off course in His relationship with God. Jonah s move away from God s instruction wasn t subtle; he flatly refused to obey God. But God got Jonah s attention in a most unexpected way. ENHANCEMENT: Bring your group s attention to Pack Item #8 Awake poster, to introduce the topic of this six-week study. GUIDE: Call attention to The Point on page 74 of the PSG: God s call to return to Him demands a response. Explain that this key idea will drive your discussion today. PRAY: Transition into the Bible study by praying for your group. Pray specifically for your group members to clearly hear and respond to God s leadership this week. Display Pack Item #8 to communicate the study topic. Display Pack Item #9 for use with Discussion Question 4. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 89

7 10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Jonah 1:1-3 Notes 1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because their wickedness has confronted Me. 3 However, Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the LORD S presence. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish, from the LORD S presence. READ: Ask a group member to read Jonah 1:1-3 aloud. RECAP: God called Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh, and he was essentially to call the people of the city to turn away from their sin. Nineveh had more than 120,000 people who cannot distinguish between their right and their left (Jonah 4:11). It was a large city and a pagan place. God wanted to use Jonah to get their attention and do something about their condition (PSG, p. 76). ALTERNATE QUESTION: When have you felt tempted to run from what God was doing in your life? DISCUSS: Question 2 on page 76 of the PSG: What are some symptoms of spiritual complacency? RECAP: How did Jonah respond? He ran in the opposite direction. We are told twice in verse 3 he was trying to get away from the Lord s presence. Jonah thought Tarshish would be far enough to escape God s call on his life. He found a ship to take him there, but it ended in disaster. It s true for us too. At times, God gives us a clear call to return to Him, but we respond by taking a ship in the opposite direction. We head to a place we think will bring fulfillment, and yet it only brings destruction. Running from God always leads to pain (PSG, p. 76). TRANSITION: In the next verses we discover how God gets Jonah s attention. 90 SESSION 1

8 THE POINT God s call to return to Him demands a response. Jonah 1:1-3 Commentary God calls us to join Him in what He is doing. Verse 1 Jonah, the son of Amittai, was a prophet God used to speak to Israel s Northern Kingdom during the first half of the eighth century B.C. Unlike other prophets of that time (see Hosea 9:7; Amos 7:12-13), Jonah may have been well-received in Israel. For one thing, he (unlike Amos) was a citizen of the Northern Kingdom. Verse 2 The Lord commanded the prophet Jonah, Get up! Go to Nineveh and preach against it. These were in fact marching orders, not suggestions or requests. In the Old Testament, prophets were regarded as servants of the Lord (see 2 Kings 9:7; Jeremiah 7:25). Servants were expected to obey their masters immediately and fully. So it isn t surprising that the Lord s instructions to Jonah consisted of imperative verbs. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. The Assyrian army had invaded Israel several times and forced the Israelites to pay a heavy tribute. Nineveh was located in what is now northern Iraq, not far from the city of Mosul. The people of Nineveh were fierce warriors. They also had an interest in literature and culture. So much about their way of life has been uncovered by archaeologists that we know more about them than any other ancient Middle-Eastern people except Israel. In addition to Jonah, the prophets Nahum and Zephaniah prophesied Nineveh s eventual downfall, which occurred in 612 B.C. at the hands of Nabopolasser, king of Babylon. The Lord provided two descriptors of the city of Nineveh that are important to the narrative. First, He noted that Nineveh was a great city. The Hebrew term translated great had both literal and figurative meanings. Taken literally, it referred to the city s large size and, by implication, its vast population. Figuratively, the term could refer to the city s great standing in the world its importance. The second key feature about Nineveh was that its wickedness had confronted God and was about to be judged by Him. The Lord would not allow the Ninevites sinful ways to continue without response. He was preparing to bring judgment against the city, but consistent with His patient nature, the Lord would first warn the people through His prophet (see Amos 3:7; 2 Peter 3:9). Verse 3 Jonah got up. But instead of setting out for Nineveh, he went in the opposite direction. He made his way to the port city of Joppa on Israel s Mediterranean coast. Jonah s goal was clear. He aimed to flee to Tarshish a place he hoped to escape God s presence. The narrative casts a shadow over Jonah s blatant disobedience by noting repeatedly that Jonah went down. He went down to Joppa; then he went down into the ship. Indeed, the prophet descended into the lowest part of the vessel (1:5), and soon enough would go down into the depths, into the heart of the seas (2:3) and would feel as though he had sunk to a prison beneath the foundations of the mountains (v. 6). BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 91

9 10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Jonah 3:1-5 Notes 1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach the message that I tell you. 3 So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the LORD s command. Now Nineveh was an extremely large city, a three-day walk. 4 Jonah set out on the first day of his walk in the city and proclaimed, In 40 days Nineveh will be demolished! 5 The men of Nineveh believed in God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth from the greatest of them to the least. READ: Ask a group member to read Jonah 3:1-5 aloud. ALTERNATE QUESTION: What are the different ways people responded to God in these verses? SUMMARIZE: Jonah boarded the ship to Tarshish only to encounter a great storm. When it was evident that Jonah was the cause of the storm, he was thrown overboard where he was swallowed by a great fish. Finally, Jonah vowed to obey God s command. At this point, the fish spit him out onto land. God called out to Jonah a second time to preach to the Ninevites. This time we see Jonah respond immediately, even in the midst of the unknown. DISCUSS: Question 3 on page 77 of the PSG: Why is faith a necessary ingredient for following God? SUMMARIZE: Jonah warned the Ninevites of the coming destruction on their city, and the people repented of their sins. Even the king of Nineveh repented and charged everyone in Nineveh to call out earnestly before God so that He might change His mind and not overthrow the city (3:7-9). DO: Instruct group members to complete the activity on page 78 of the PSG on their own. If time allows, call on volunteers to share their responses. Who, Me?: ]] In one sentence, write down what you believe God is specifically asking you to do (or continue doing) at this point in your life. ]] What next steps will help you move closer to obeying God in this task? 92 SESSION 1 TRANSITION: Jonah s message convinced the Ninevites of God s power and righteousness. Next, they would learn about His love and grace.

10 THE POINT God s call to return to Him demands a response. Jonah 3:1-5 Commentary God continues to call us back to Himself. After three days and nights, the fish vomited Jonah onto dry land (2:10). Jonah had left dry land to undertake the hazardous trip to Tarshish only to encounter a great storm. Jonah was thrown overboard. However, God provided a great fish that swallowed Jonah. Jonah prayed, and the fish spit him out onto land. Now after all of that, Jonah was back where he started. Verses 1-2 Few statements in Scripture express the grace of God as clearly as in Jonah 3:1, the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time. Jonah 3:1-2 is very similar to 1:1-2. Except for the omission of the name of Jonah s father, the only change between 1:1 and 3:1 are the words then and a second time. Jonah 3:2 is similar to 1:2. In both verses, Jonah was called to go to the great city of Nineveh; in both he was to preach God s message. The mission hadn t changed; the need was as urgent as before. This time Jonah did exactly what God commanded him to do. He got up and went to Nineveh. Verse 3 This verse purposely stands in sharp contrast to 1:3. Where previously Jonah went in the opposite direction of the God-given mission, this time the prophet got up and obeyed the Lord. He acted according to the Lord s command and went to Nineveh. Keeping this command involved no small amount of effort, as the prophet would have to travel hundreds of miles most likely on foot over roads that sometimes proved to be dangerous, according to later reports (see Ezra 8:21). Nineveh was an extremely large city. According to ancient Greek and Roman writers, Nineveh was the largest city in the world at that time. Modern archaeological investigations estimate the population within the walled portion of the city probably maxed out at 175,000 residents (see 4:11). Verse 4 On the first day of his walk in the city, Jonah proclaimed what is perhaps the shortest recorded sermon in the Bible only five words in the Hebrew language. It contained everything the Ninevites needed to know: In 40 days Nineveh will be demolished! The message contained no word of hope, only the announcement of imminent destruction. Verse 5 In response to the Jonah s proclamation of God s message, The men of Nineveh believed in God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth from the greatest of them to the least. Fasting for religious purposes involved voluntarily refusing to eat food and (sometimes) refusing to drink liquids for a time. Those who fasted demonstrated that they desired God s help more than even basic physical sustenance. Sackcloth was a scratchy, black wool cloth usually made of goat hair (see Revelation 6:12). Garments made of sackcloth were worn as a symbolic expression of deep personal distress. When the Ninevites wore sackcloth, they were expressing sorrow for their sin and appealing to God for mercy. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 93

11 10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Jonah 3:10 Notes 10 Then God saw their actions that they had turned from their evil ways so God relented from the disaster He had threatened to do to them. And He did not do it. READ: Ask a group member to read Jonah 3:10 aloud. ALTERNATE QUESTION: Our nation needs to return to God. What must happen in our lives for that to occur? SAY: God saw that the people s repentance was genuine, so He did not overthrow the city. DISCUSS: Question 4 on page 78 of the PSG: What do God s actions toward Jonah and the Ninevites teach us about His character? ENHANCEMENT: Bring your group s attention to Pack Item #9, Grace poster, during your discusion of Question 4. RECAP: Jonah s story shows what happens when a person responds to God s call. ]] When we fail to obey God, strong consequences can result from that sin. Jonah spent three days in the belly of a fish. It could ve been worse. He might have drowned when they threw him over the side of the ship. God was gracious in bringing pain into Jonah s life to ultimately bring Jonah back to Himself. Sometimes God brings pain into our lives to awaken us before we bring complete destruction on ourselves. ]] When we obey, God responds with blessing. When Jonah obeyed, he found God was faithful to His promise to be merciful to those who repent. Jonah himself had experienced the mercy of God when he repented. When Jonah proclaimed God s message, the king led the people to repent, and the city was saved (PSG, p. 79). DISCUSS: Question 5 on page 79 of the PSG: How can our group be a safe and supportive place for returning to God? TRANSITION: If we want to see a spiritual awakening in our community, it begins by letting God change each of us. 94 SESSION 1

12 THE POINT God s call to return to Him demands a response. Jonah 3:10 Commentary God calls us to repent and responds to us with grace and mercy. The Ninevite revival reached all the way to the royal palace. Verse 6 says that, in addition to the actions in verse 5, the king sat in ashes. The effect was felt in the whole nation because the king issued a proclamation calling for repentance (vv. 7-9). He hoped that this would influence the Lord to turn from His burning anger so that we will not perish (v. 9). Verse 10 God was watching; He saw how the people responded to His message. He knew their belief in Him was being demonstrated in actions that they had turned from their evil ways. The people had genuinely repented. So what did God do in response? He mercifully relented from the disaster He had threatened to do to them. The Hebrew word translated relented (nacham) is difficult to render accurately. It can mean repented, had compassion, or changed His mind. The thought of God changing His mind causes difficulty for some Christians. How can God decree a particular outcome, and then move in a direction different from His earlier pronouncement? Two things should be kept in mind. First, we are speaking of a God whose ways are infinitely beyond our ability to comprehend (see Isaiah 55:9; Romans 11:33-34). Sometimes Scripture illustrates divine action using language of the actions of finite human beings, but the reality of what God does and how He does it is far greater than human language can express or the human mind can grasp. The second thing to remember is that when God changes His mind, it is because He has compassion for people and responds to genuine repentance (Exodus 32:12). It can be in His plan both to punish sin and to relent when people repent. This passage speaks of the incredible mercy of God s heart toward sinners. Once the Ninevites had been wicked, spiritually blind to the destruction coming their way. Then Jonah preached God s message to them. They repented. They could now see their sins and the sovereign Lord to whom they were accountable. They believed, and the God of grace and mercy forgave them, sparing their city from destruction. This event has the seed of the gospel planted in its very heart. The God who spared the Ninevites also one day sent His Son Jesus into the world with an urgent message: Repent and believe in the good news! (Mark 1:15). The good news was that by His atoning death and resurrection, sinners then or today can repent, believe, and receive forgiveness and eternal life. A previous Biblical Illustrator article The Book of Jonah in Its Historical Setting (Summer 2009) relates to this lesson and can be found on the DVD in the Leader Pack or can be purchased, along with other articles for this quarter, at www. lifeway.com/biblicalillustrator. Look for Bundles: Bible Studies for Life. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 95

13 5 minutes LIVE IT OUT SAY: So, where do we begin? Notes GUIDE: Lead group members to consider the responses to the Bible study listed on page 80 of the PSG. ]] Assess your own level of sensitivity to God. On a scale of 1-10, how responsive are you to Him? (1 is not at all and 10 is very responsive ) Why do you feel this way? If this number isn t what you d like it to be, ask God to help you hear and respond to Him more clearly. ]] Set a goal to spend 15 minutes reading the Bible and praying every day. Put this 15-minute slot on your calendar. After a week, evaluate if there has been a change in your capacity to hear from God. Praying and reading the Bible significantly increase our capacity to hear from Him. ]] Share with a trusted, Christian friend one thing you know God is calling you to do. Ask that person to pray for you as you seek to be obedient. Wrap it Up SAY: Spiritual renewal happens as we turn back to God. Allow God to get your attention and be prepared to say yes to Him. 96 SESSION 1

14 My group's prayer requests Additional suggestions for specific groups (women, men, collegiates, and singles) are available at BibleStudiesForLife.com/blog. And for free online training on how to lead a group visit MinistryGrid.com/web/BibleStudiesForLife. Leave Everything Behind Lord, tell me where to go. I will go where You lead. I m stepping out on faith, Because I know You will make a way for me. This song declares the desire to follow God wherever He leads. We can trust His plans for our lives as well as His promised presence. To listen to and purchase Leave Everything Behind from the album Bible Studies for Life, Vol. 1 by LifeWay Worship, visit LifeWayWorship.com. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 97