Just Like Jonah, 27, February 2011
28 02 11 Filed in: Sermons | The (Second) Greatest Story Ever Told
Big Idea
God told Jonah to be a part of His search and rescue mission. Because he really didn’t care about the people of Nineveh, he took a detour! LORD, break my heart for the things that break Yours.
Notes
God lost something…and He wants it back.
God uses people to reach people.
“You are the salt of the earth.” - Jesus
The “found” have to be willing to become “finders.”
Most Christ-followers are not involved in the one thing that is most important to God—the search and rescue mission.
“Normal” Christianity at the outset was contagious Christianity.
Why aren’t we more engaged in outreach?
- Fear
- Inconsistency in our lives
- We really don’t care
Jonah was running away from God’s search and rescue mission.
The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai:
“Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. - Jonah 1:1-3
Jonah was running away from God’s search and rescue mission.
“Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” - Jonah 1:12
But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights. - Jonah 1:17
And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. - Jonah 2:10
God cares as much about the messenger as He cares about the mission.
Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” - Jonah 3:1-2
The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. - Jonah 3:5
But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. - Jonah 3:8
When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened.
God’s great desire is to free people trapped in sin; to forgive them and bring them home. - Jonah 3:10
There is NO sin that is a match for God’s grace.
Jonah proclaimed a 40-day window of opportunity for Nineveh.
E.A.C.H. is our proclamation of a 40-day grace period for southeastern Michigan.
Podcast
You can listen to the podcast here.
God told Jonah to be a part of His search and rescue mission. Because he really didn’t care about the people of Nineveh, he took a detour! LORD, break my heart for the things that break Yours.
Notes
God lost something…and He wants it back.
God uses people to reach people.
“You are the salt of the earth.” - Jesus
The “found” have to be willing to become “finders.”
Most Christ-followers are not involved in the one thing that is most important to God—the search and rescue mission.
“Normal” Christianity at the outset was contagious Christianity.
Why aren’t we more engaged in outreach?
- Fear
- Inconsistency in our lives
- We really don’t care
Jonah was running away from God’s search and rescue mission.
The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai:
“Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. - Jonah 1:1-3
Jonah was running away from God’s search and rescue mission.
“Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” - Jonah 1:12
But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights. - Jonah 1:17
And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. - Jonah 2:10
God cares as much about the messenger as He cares about the mission.
Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” - Jonah 3:1-2
The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. - Jonah 3:5
But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. - Jonah 3:8
When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened.
God’s great desire is to free people trapped in sin; to forgive them and bring them home. - Jonah 3:10
There is NO sin that is a match for God’s grace.
Jonah proclaimed a 40-day window of opportunity for Nineveh.
E.A.C.H. is our proclamation of a 40-day grace period for southeastern Michigan.
Podcast
You can listen to the podcast here.