Sermon Title: Jonah, pt 3- Does God give second chances?

Scriptures: Jonah 3:1-5,4:1-3,5-9,10-11, Genesis 39:2-4,21-23,41:38-40

Main Points:

1. Who gets the blessing? The inclination to return to God and obey him is much greater when we think that it will result in a blessing for us. We desire the restoration of our path and God’s plan. We want the blessing that will come from reconciliation. How will we respond if we find out that the blessing goes to someone else for our obedience?

2. Look for the Lesson. While the storm certainly teaches us about obedience, this is not the only lesson. On the other side we find that God is not simply teaching us about obedience, but he is giving us an opportunity to gain perspective.

3. Is God’s plan worth it? At the beginning of the message, I gave you a list of individuals to whom God gave second chances. The interesting thing about nearly all of them is that by the end of their lives, they are praising God for all that he has done. They’ve gone through the process of storms. They’ve received the gift of 2nd chances and the lessons that are imparted during that process. They get to the end of their lives with a profound love for God and a perspective of his goodness. I see this as a “Perspective of Praise.” Jonah, however, did not.

NOTES: There is no conclusion to Jonah’s story outside of his anger with God’s plan of mercy for the Ninevites. The book ends with a question from God that Jonah never answers. I think that God did it this way on purpose. He’s good at stuff like that! I think the answer to the question wasn’t for Jonah. I think it was for us. Jonah got a unique perspective of God’s process and at the end was faced with the totality of God’s plan. It was for the salvation of 120,000 people that God cares about. The numbers, people and places aren’t the real question. God’s question that echoes down to us is simply this, “Is my plan worth it?” That is a question that we each must answer, often without knowing the totality of the impact. What do you say to your storm, your struggles, your lessons and God’s plan? Is it worth it? Is he worth it? Can you trust him? The answer is up to you…

Sermon Title: Jonah, pt 2–When is a storm more than a storm?

Scripture: Jon. 1:4-12, Luke 15:20-21, John 9:2-3, Ps. 116:1-4 & 17-18, Dan. 4:34-37, Rom. 5:3-5

Main Points:

1. Confession & Repentance: When we know that the storm is our fault, we must confess our sin to God and repent (turn away from our sin). This is for our benefit!

2. The Glory of God: Regardless of the cause, God is able to get glory in any storm. Our repentance gives him glory. Our righteous response to suffering gives him glory.

3. Praise in the Storm: Even in our pain, God is still worthy of our praise. That is not a feeling. It’s a fact. When we choose to ignore the feeling and face the fact, we honor God.

4. Return to God: After our time of testing we are met with a decision. We can either draw closer to God or turn away from him. The decision affects our future with God.

Prayer: Suffering is difficult for us to comprehend. We do not like it. We don’t like punishment. We don’t like to be collateral damage for someone else’s sin. We don’t like natural outcomes. We want to see God blessing us in all things. Pray for those in your group who are suffering. Pray that God would open their eyes to see that whether He is the cause or not, there is a righteous way for us to respond to suffering that is worship.

Notes: Jonah knew that the storm was his fault. We often wrestle with this question in our own lives. It can drive us to see where blame belongs. Seeking to find appropriate blame distracts us from what is most important in our suffering. The cause is not as significant as our response. How we respond speaks to the depth of our faith in God and our love for Him. Our anger in suffering does nothing to produce peace. It is the decision we make to confess our sins, repent and draw close to God that makes us stronger in the storms of our lives. Our “tested” faith produces endurance (Rom. 5:3-5) so that we can endure to the end in relationship with God.

Sermon Title: Jonah, pt 1–Why would someone run from God?

Scripture: Jon. 1:1-3, Matt. 5:43-48 & 6:14-15, 2 Cor. 11:23-27, Lu 14:26-30, 2 Ki. 14:23-25, Am. 6:14

Main Points:

1. Forgiveness is Hard: Jonah despised the idea that God wanted to show mercy to Israel’s enemies. An attitude of unforgiveness drives us from God. We run from mercy.

2. The Process is Hard: Jonah would have to travel 500 mi to preach to Nineveh. Sometimes we think the things God is asking are too much. So, we back away from His plans.

3. God Doesn’t Make Sense: God tells Jonah to witness to the enemy that Amos says is going to destroy Israel! When God’s plan doesn’t make sense, we run. Logic and faith are not equals.

Notes: Jonah was alive in the 700’s B.C. He lived and prophesied at the same time as Amos, during the reign of King Jeroboam II. There is wickedness in the Kingdom of Israel. Jonah prophesied that God would still bless Israel, while Amos prophesied punishment. Jonah is speaking of victory over Assyria while Amos is predicting punishment from God at the hand of Assyria. They seem to be contrasting and wrong. Jonah is speaking of God’s blessing through obedience, which Jeroboam II and Israel did not choose, and Amos is giving God’s warning of punishment if Israel does not turn from wickedness. When Israel does not turn, it is Amos’ prophecy that comes true and that directly overturns the prophecy given by Jonah. At the same time, Jonah is being asked to go and witness to this enemy so they can repent. It’s a wild series of events that must be understood in context for Jonah’s response to make more sense.