God s will is what you would always choose if you only knew all the facts.

Transcription

1 THE BOOK OF JONAH CHAPTER ONE RUNNING FROM GOD Many years ago there was a popular TV series called "The Fugitive" in which the main character ran from the law. People still run from the law. Some people run from their problems. Some people run from their responsibilities. Some run from their enemies. And some people try to run from God. God makes His will known, but they run away from God's will for their life. Many preachers can testify that they ran from God's calling. Jonah was such a man. God told Jonah to go preach at Nineveh, but Jonah decided he wouldn t go, and decided to run the other way. God told Jonah to go and preach to Nineveh, a massive city that was about 500 miles to the northeast of Israel. Jonah boarded a ship for Tarshish, a city located far away in Spain, about 2,000 miles to the west of Israel. It could be that some of us are running from God. 1. We can have different reasons to run from God (vs. 2, 3) We can run from God for many reasons. We don t like God s place. We don t like His assignment. We don t like His timing. People rebel for many reasons. Maybe it s fear or selfishness. Some people run from God s calling on their life. Someone said, Man is the strangest animal. He is the only one who runs faster when he loses his way. In some cases we run because we don t understand that God s will is always best. God s will is what you would always choose if you only knew all the facts. 2. We can find a convenient way to run from God (vs. 3) Jonah went down to Joppa, a seaport, and he found a ship going to Tarshish. He had enough money to buy a ticket and there was enough room for him on the ship. Everything fell into place. He was at the right place at the right time. It is often easier to run from God than to walk with Him. It s so easy to get out of God s will. Our sinful nature is prone to stray from God, and the devil will give you all the help you need. Sin occurs when an undetected weakness meets with an unexpected opportunity. Three people are sitting in your seat right now: the person you are, the person you could be if Jesus takes over, and the person you could be if your sinful nature takes over. 3. We always pay a high price when we run from God (vs. 3) Jonah paid the fare to board the ship, but this trip cost him more than he ever imagined. He paid the fare (vs. 3), but that was only the beginning. Running from God cost him time. It cost him his testimony. It almost cost him his life, and it caused innocent people to suffer (the crew of the ship could have drowned). Whenever you disobey God you will pay a price, and others will pay a price (your family, your friends, and your co-workers). It will cost you a lot to live for God, but it will cost you a lot more if you don t. Running from God is like driving on a toll road. The farther you go, the more you pay. Proverbs 13:15 the way of transgressors is hard. The most expensive trip you will ever take is to get out of God's will and travel your own way. Did you notice that from the moment Jonah ran from God it was downhill all the way?

2 Imagine your life is like a car on the road. Is God the mechanic? The only time you need Him is when you have a problem. Is He the hitchhiker? You are willing to pick Him up and let Him go along for the ride. Or is He the driver? 4. We can get comfortable while we are running from God (vs. 5-6) A great storm arose, and panic set in among the crew of the ship. These sailors had been through many a storm, but this one was really bad. Where was Jonah? He was down inside the ship sound asleep (vs. 5). Why was Jonah asleep? Maybe he was tired from wrestling with God about his assignment. He wasn't alarmed in the storm, but he should have been alarmed. His conscience didn t bother him a bit. What a shame that the crew had to wake him up. They were praying and calling out to their false gods, but Jonah was asleep. Jonah was sleeping when he should have been praying Could it be that you are sleeping when you should be praying? That you feel comfortable when you should feel convicted? That you are at ease when you should be alarmed? 5. We hurt our testimony when we run from God (vs. 8-10) When the sailors realized that Jonah was the reason why God sent the storm, they asked him who he was and what he did. Who was this troublemaker? Jonah had to confess his race ( I am an Hebrew ), his religion ( I fear the Lord ), and his rebellion (vs. 10). Notice that when they asked him about his occupation, he never told them he was a prophet (preacher). He was probably too embarrassed to tell them. They couldn t understand why Jonah had done such a thing (vs. 10). After all, Jonah himself said that the Lord was the God of heaven, the creator of all things (vs. 9). What a tragedy when the only Christian some people ever see is a bad example. Your life is the only Bible some people ever read God forced Jonah to make a confession. Disobedience and rebellion always calls for confession. We never get on the right track until we confess our sins. There is no salvation without confession. Romans 10: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 6. We can run from God, but we cannot outrun Him (vs. 4, 7, 8) It s important for us to understand that God will let us run from Him. He gives us the choice to obey or disobey. But God does some things in our lives to get our attention and get us back on track with Him. God s usual way of operating the world is through the laws of nature, but sometimes He works through miracles. The Lord worked five miracles in this chapter. The Lord sent a great storm (vs. 4) The Lord caused the lot to fall on Jonah (vs. 7) Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD. Every decision of the lot is made by the Lord. God controls even the smallest details. Something even so small as a roll of the dice. Everything in your life happens by God s direction or by His permission.

3 The Lord calmed the sea (vs. 15) Ironically, the heathen sailors were more concerned about Jonah s life than he was about the whole city of Nineveh. God is able to use our bad choices and failures so people come to know Him (vs. 16). The Lord prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah (vs. 17) God made the fish and sent it to swallow Jonah. Jesus and Jonah had something in common. Jesus had dinner with a sinner, and the great fish had a sinner for dinner. The Lord kept Jonah alive for three days and three nights. God sent the fish not to punish Jonah, but to preserve him. The fish was not the problem, but the solution. God will put roadblocks in your way to get your attention. It may be sickness, bad grades at school, or something else, but God s purpose is to correct you, not destroy you. The story of Jonah is all about how people respond to the word of God and the will of God. Jonah eventually realized how foolish he was to run from God. No matter what he tried to do, he couldn t get away from the Lord. What has God told you to do? Stop running. The Bible says that Jonah started running when the word of the Lord came to him. The word of the Lord has come to you right now. Will you run from Him or will you obey Him?

4 THE BOOK OF JONAH CHAPTER ONE RUNNING FROM GOD Many years ago there was a popular TV series called "The Fugitive" in which the main character ran from the law. People still run from the law. Some people run from their problems. Some people run from their responsibilities. Some run from their enemies. And some people try to run from God. God makes His will known, but they run away from God's will for their life. Many preachers can testify that they ran from God's calling. Jonah was such a man. God told Jonah to go preach at Nineveh, but Jonah decided he wouldn t go, and decided to run the other way. God told Jonah to go and preach to Nineveh, a massive city that was about 500 miles to the northeast of Israel. Jonah boarded a ship for Tarshish, a city located far away in Spain, about 2,000 miles to the west of Israel. It could be that some of us are running from God. 1. We can have to run from God (vs. 2, 3) We can run from God for many reasons. We don t like God s place. We don t like His assignment. We don t like His timing. People rebel for many reasons. Maybe it s fear or selfishness. Some people run from God s calling on their life. Someone said, Man is the strangest animal. He is the only one who runs faster when he loses his way. In some cases we run because we don t understand that God s will is always best. God s will is what if you only knew all the facts. 2. We can find to run from God (vs. 3) Jonah went down to Joppa, a seaport, and he found a ship going to Tarshish. He had enough money to buy a ticket and there was enough room for him on the ship. Everything fell into place. He was at the right place at the right time. It is often easier to run from God than. It s so easy to get out of God s will. Our sinful nature is prone to stray from God, and the devil will give you all the help you need. Sin occurs when an undetected weakness meets with an unexpected opportunity. Three people are sitting in your seat right now: the person you are, the person you could be if Jesus takes over, and the person you could be if your sinful nature takes over. 3. We always when we run from God (vs. 3) Jonah paid the fare to board the ship, but this trip cost him more than he ever imagined. He paid the fare (vs. 3), but that was only the beginning. Running from God cost him time. It cost him his testimony. It almost cost him his life, and it caused innocent people to suffer (the crew of the ship could have drowned). Whenever you disobey God you will pay a price, and others will pay a price (your family, your friends, and your co-workers). It will cost you a lot to live for God, but it will cost you a lot more if you don t. Running from God is like.

5 The farther you go, the more you pay. Proverbs 13:15 the way of transgressors is hard. The most expensive trip you will ever take is to get out of God's will and travel your own way. Did you notice that from the moment Jonah ran from God it was downhill all the way? Imagine your life is like a car on the road. Is God the mechanic? The only time you need Him is when you have a problem. Is He the hitchhiker? You are willing to pick Him up and let Him go along for the ride. Or is He the driver? 4. We can while we are running from God (vs. 5-6) A great storm arose, and panic set in among the crew of the ship. These sailors had been through many a storm, but this one was really bad. Where was Jonah? He was down inside the ship sound asleep (vs. 5). Why was Jonah asleep? Maybe he was tired from wrestling with God about his assignment. He wasn't alarmed in the storm, but he should have been alarmed. His conscience didn t bother him a bit. What a shame that the crew had to wake him up. They were praying and calling out to their false gods, but Jonah was asleep. Jonah was sleeping when Could it be that you are sleeping when you should be praying? That you feel comfortable when you should feel convicted? That you are at ease when you should be alarmed? 5. We when we run from God (vs. 8-10) When the sailors realized that Jonah was the reason why God sent the storm, they asked him who he was and what he did. Who was this troublemaker? Jonah had to confess his race ( I am an Hebrew ), his religion ( I fear the Lord ), and his rebellion (vs. 10). Notice that when they asked him about his occupation, he never told them he was a prophet (preacher). He was probably too embarrassed to tell them. They couldn t understand why Jonah had done such a thing (vs. 10). After all, Jonah himself said that the Lord was the God of heaven, the creator of all things (vs. 9). What a tragedy when the only Christian some people ever see is a bad example. Your life is the God forced Jonah to make a confession. Disobedience and rebellion always calls for confession. We never get on the right track until we confess our sins. There is no salvation without confession. Romans 10: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 6. We can run from God, but we (vs. 4, 7, 8) It s important for us to understand that God will let us run from Him. He gives us the choice to obey or disobey. But God does some things in our lives to get our attention and get us back on track with Him. God s usual way of operating the world is through the laws of nature, but sometimes He works through miracles. The Lord worked five miracles in this chapter. The Lord (vs. 4) The Lord on Jonah (vs. 7) Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD. Every decision of the lot is made by the Lord. God controls even the smallest

6 details. Something even so small as a roll of the dice. Everything in your life happens by God s direction or by His permission. The Lord (vs. 15) Ironically, the heathen sailors were more concerned about Jonah s life than he was about the whole city of Nineveh. God is able to use our bad choices and failures so people come to know Him (vs. 16). The Lord to swallow Jonah (vs. 17) God made the fish and sent it to swallow Jonah. Jesus and Jonah had something in common. Jesus had dinner with a sinner, and the great fish had a sinner for dinner. The Lord for three days and three nights. God sent the fish not to punish Jonah, but to preserve him. The fish was not the problem, but the solution. God will put roadblocks in your way to get your attention. It may be sickness, bad grades at school, or something else, but God s purpose is to correct you, not destroy you. The story of Jonah is all about how people respond to the word of God and the will of God. Jonah eventually realized how foolish he was to run from God. No matter what he tried to do, he couldn t get away from the Lord. What has God told you to do? Stop running. The Bible says that Jonah started running when the word of the Lord came to him. The word of the Lord has come to you right now. Will you run from Him or will you obey Him?