Back home after two years of college the son was asked, "Do you still believe the Bible? I hope you didn't let them weaken your faith in the Bible. You still believe Jonah was swallowed by a fish?"
"Oh, now, Father," said John, "you don't mean to say that you still believe that story about Jonah?"
The father threw up his hands, horror-stricken. "Oh, son, you've forsaken you father's faith!"
"Father, is Jonah still in your Bible? Have you read about him lately? Father, get your Bible and show me where you find anything about Jonah."
With considerable indignation the father took down his Bible and began to turn over the leaves excitedly, but could not find Jonah.
"Now, Father, I may have played a mean trick, but two years ago when I went to college, I took your Bible and carefully cut out the pages of Jonah, and you have never missed it."
The father's face revealed an inward struggle. Then he quietly said, "I see it. I'm as bad as the unbelievers. There has been no Jonah in my Bible for two years."
Theme: In this story of God's loving concern for all people, the stubbornly reluctant Jonah represents Israel's jealousy of its favored relationship with God and its unwillingness to share the Lord's compassion with the nations.
Overview: According to the King James Study Bible, Jonah is unique in that the entire prophecy is written in the third person. The fact that the prophecy ends with the prophet in discouragement and under God’s rebuke would leave the reader discouraged, but because it is written in the third person the reader knows that the prophet wrote it after he had returned from his mission to Assyria and had favorably responded to God’s rebuke. He leaves behind a record of God’s dealings with him as an individual and with Assyria as a nation, and in this unique form, he magnifies the power of God and obscures himself behind his message. The NASB Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible says two themes of Jonah are that (1) God will move heaven and earth to show us his will and we should obey when he calls—whether or not we understand or concur with his plans. And (2) his message of grace is for all who will believe and repent, regardless of our prejudices.
Grouping: Prophets—The Twelve (Hebrew); Prophetic (Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox)
Author: Unknown
Timeline: Jonah prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II (793–753 BC); the date of the writing of the book was perhaps between 750 and 725.
Genre: Allegory; Dialogue; Narrative
Original Language: Hebrew
Audience: The northern kingdom of Israel.
Jonah Flees the Presence of the Lord (Jonah 1:1-6)
Jonah 1:1-3
Document for DBS
Series: Jonah “The Depth of God’s Love”
How do you respond when God calls you to go? The story of Jonah is about so much more than a big fish. In Jonah’s story, we see our own story. Our fear. Our reluctance. Our defiance. But more than that, we see the power and purposes of God. Despite our wavering faith, God’s love remains constant.
Title: “Run Away”
Bookmark: Click Here
Opening Thoughts: When God commissions you or the Holy Spirit nudges you in a certain direction, how do you respond? When God called Jonah, he ran in the opposite direction. Unpacking our excuses exposes our hearts.
If there has grown a distance between you and God, there’s a good chance that you are the one who moved.
Acts 17 God is not far from us.
Jonah’s story is about God.
===============================================================
Text: Jonah 1:1-3
Jonah Flees From the Lord
1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
3 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.
===============================================================
Summarize the main story: Describe the events of the story in your own words.
Review and retell the story.
Reflections for applications:
Relationship with God
Nineveh
Great city by its size
Wickedness = “stench”
Jonah means “dove”
Down to Joppa
How do you know if your path is really ordained by God? (v. 1)
God will never lead you down a path that contradicts His word.
James 1:14-15 But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived it gives birth to sin: and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Where are you? (In relation to God)
Digging Questions:
How will you respond to God’s love for you and others? What transformative move needs to be made?
What do these biblical texts tell you about God and His nature?
What is God calling us (me and you individually) to do?
Take Away Challenges
What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in this passage? How will you apply it to your life this week?
Whom do you know who needs to hear this?
What is God bringing to your attention in this discussion? What beliefs, thoughts or actions need to be addressed or changed?
Hashtags #Jonah #Run Away
Sunday sermon link https://youtu.be/QYKwOncnXk0
Kevin’s Blog Link to more resources: Click here for Kevin’s Blog Notes
Comments and resources with some more resources:
Jonah Is Thrown into the Sea (Jonah 1:6-16)
Jonah 1:4-16
Series: Jonah “The Depth of
God’s Love”
How do you respond when God calls you to go? The story of Jonah is about
so much more than a big fish. In Jonah’s story, we see our own story. Our fear.
Our reluctance. Our defiance. But more than that, we see the power and purposes
of God. Despite our wavering faith, God’s love remains constant.
Title: “God in the Storm”
Bookmark: Click Here
Opening Thoughts: The storms
of life cannot stop the work of God. Knowing God can use His people and
accomplish His purposes even in the storm, our only response should be to look
for Him and submit to Him even in life's storms.
v Jonah is the
insider.
o He is being
sent to the outsiders (Gentiles)
o Acts 17:27-28a – God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps
reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For
in him we live and move and have our being.’
o
Jonah 1:3 “flee from the LORD.”
===============================================================
Text: Jonah 1:4-16
4 Then the Lord
sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.
5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own
god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.
But Jonah had
gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The
captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe
he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”
7 Then the sailors said to each other,
“Come, let us cast lots
to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot
fell on Jonah. 8 So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible
for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you
come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
9 He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the
sea and the dry land.”
10 This terrified them and they asked,
“What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them
so.)
11 The
sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the
sea calm down for us?”
12 “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.”
13 Instead, the men did their best to row
back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then
they cried out to the Lord,
“Please, Lord, do not let us die
for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent
man, for you, Lord, have done as
you pleased.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him
overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to
the Lord and made vows to him.
===============================================================
Summarize the main story: Describe the
events of the story in your own words.
v Review and
retell the story.
Reflections for applications:
v God in the Storm
o
1 Samuel
18:10b-11 Saul had a spear in his hand
and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David
eluded him twice.
§ It's the same word he hurled it at David
(Throwing with purpose)
o
Mark 4:37-38 A furious
squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly
swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.
The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
o
Casting lots
§ Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but it is it's every decision is from the
LORD.
§ Acts 1:24-26
v Observations:
o The Source of Your Storm (v. 4)
o God’s Purpose in the Storm (v. 9)
§ Acts 27:22-25 But now I
urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the
ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God to
whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said,
‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has
graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ 25 So
keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as
he told me.
o What to do in the Storm? (Pray) (Vv. 4, 6, 14)
Digging Questions:
·
How will you
respond to God’s love for you and others? What transformative move needs to be
made?
·
What do
these biblical texts tell you about God and His nature?
·
What is
God calling us (me and you individually) to do?
Take Away Challenges
·
What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in this passage?
How will you apply it to your life this week?
·
Whom do you know who needs to hear this?
·
What is
God bringing to your attention in this discussion? What beliefs, thoughts or
actions need to be addressed or changed?
Hash tags #Jonah #Run Away
Sunday sermon link
https://youtu.be/gsHHaM2FSjw
Kevin’s Blog Link to more resources: Click here for Kevin’s Blog Notes
Comments and resources with
some more resources:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jonah+1%3A4-16&version=NIV
A Great Fish Swallows Jonah (Jonah 1:17)
Jonah's Prayer (Jonah 2:1-10)
Document for DBS
Series: Jonah “The Depth of God’s Love”
How do you respond when God calls you to go? The story of Jonah is about so much more than a big fish. In Jonah’s story, we see our own story. Our fear. Our reluctance. Our defiance. But more than that, we see the power and purposes of God. Despite our wavering faith, God’s love remains constant.
Title: “From the Depths”
Bookmark: Click Here
Opening Thoughts: Sometimes we need to hit rock bottom to make real changes. When Jonah found himself inside the belly of a big fish, his eyes and his heart were opened to God. Jonah's way back, and ours, comes through perspective and prayer.
Reflecting on the depth of the “Grand Canyon”
On the way up the hill, it feels much steeper.
===============================================================
Text: Jonah 1:17-2:10
Jonah’s Prayer
17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. 2 1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 He said:
“In my distress I called to the Lord,
and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
3 You hurled me into the depths,
into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
swept over me.
4 I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight;
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.’
5 The engulfing waters threatened me,
the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God,
brought my life up from the pit.
7 “When my life was ebbing away,
I remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you,
to your holy temple.
8 “Those who cling to worthless idols
turn away from God’s love for them.
9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”
10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
===============================================================
Summarize the main story: Describe the events of the story in your own words.
Review and retell the story.
Reflections for applications:
Jonah’s downward descent
He went down to Joppa... (1:3)
But Jonah had gone below deck... (1:5)
Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard... (1:15)
Sign of Jonah
Matthew 12:39-41 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.
Something miraculous was happening!
Sometimes we need to hit rock bottom to make real changes
How do you find your way back?
The Journey back begins with Perspective & Prayer
(V. 4) Getting out of the pit starts with seeing & accepting where you are
(v. 2) Call out for help.
Psalm 86:12-13 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths,
from the realm of the dead.
Don’t wait to hit rock bottom!
Movie “The 33”
Digging Questions:
How will you respond to God’s love for you and others? What transformative move needs to be made?
What do these biblical texts tell you about God and His nature?
What is God calling us (me and you individually) to do?
Take Away Challenges
What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in this passage? How will you apply it to your life this week?
Whom do you know who needs to hear this?
What is God bringing to your attention in this discussion? What beliefs, thoughts or actions need to be addressed or changed?
Hash tags #Jonah #Prayer
Sunday sermon link https://youtu.be/yA7_gb3Brdg
Kevin’s Blog Link to more resources: Click here for Kevin’s Blog Notes
Comments and resources with some more resources:
Jonah Goes to Nineveh (Jonah 3:1-5)
Document for DBS
Series: Jonah “The Depth of God’s Love”
How do you respond when God calls you to go? The story of Jonah is about so much more than a big fish. In Jonah’s story, we see our own story. Our fear. Our reluctance. Our defiance. But more than that, we see the power and purposes of God. Despite our wavering faith, God’s love remains constant.
Title: “Go and Proclaim”
Bookmark: Click Here
Opening Thoughts: Jonah's reluctance did not disqualify him from being a messenger of God. Amazingly, God uses frail and flawed men and women to take the message of salvation to the world and uses that message to change the world.
Church Sign with the “U” missing.
What if you only had 8 words to motivate people to turn toward God?
===============================================================
Text: Jonah 3:1-10
Jonah Goes to Nineveh
3 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles:
Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.
===============================================================
Summarize the main story: Describe the events of the story in your own words.
Review and retell the story.
Reflections for applications:
Jonah 3:1-2 very similar to Jonah 1:1-2
We should be thankful when God gives us a second chance.
Jonah “obeyed” verse “ran away”
Jonah 3:5 The response.
Messenger: Your failures & flaws don’t disqualify you as a messenger of God.
2 Corinthians 4:5,7 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake... 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
Message: There is transformative power in God’s word.
Response: Only God can change people’s hearts & lives
1 Corinthians 3:6-7 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
We spend so much of our lives in the endless cycle of chapters 1 & 2
Digging Questions:
How will you respond to God’s love for you and others? What transformative move needs to be made?
What do these biblical texts tell you about God and His nature?
What is God calling us (me and you individually) to do?
Take Away Challenges
What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in this passage? How will you apply it to your life this week?
Whom do you know who needs to hear this?
What is God bringing to your attention in this discussion? What beliefs, thoughts or actions need to be addressed or changed?
Hash tags #Jonah #Proclaim #Preach
Sunday sermon link https://youtu.be/do0ataI8KdQ
Kevin’s Blog Link to more resources: Click here for Kevin’s Blog Notes
Comments and resources with some more resources:
The People of Nineveh Repent (Jonah 3:6-10)
Jonah's Anger and the Lord's Compassion (Jonah 4:1-11)
Series: Jonah “The Depth of
God’s Love”
How do you respond when God calls you to go? The story of Jonah is about
so much more than a big fish. In Jonah’s story, we see our own story. Our fear.
Our reluctance. Our defiance. But more than that, we see the power and purposes
of God. Despite our wavering faith, God’s love remains constant.
Title: “Abounding in Love”
Bookmark: Click Here
v Opening Thoughts:
v This grandpa's note on a bucket of baseballs
will touch your heart
o
https://www.today.com/parents/grandpa-s-note-bucket-baseballs-will-touch-your-heart-t193019
o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNUSYto181U
v Review
o
God called
o
Jonah ran
o
Boat sailed
o
Storm arose
o
Sailors hurled
o
Fish swallowed
o
Jonah prayed
o
Fish hurled
o
God saved
o
God
recommissioned
o
Jonah preached
o
Nineveh repented
===============================================================
Text: Jonah 3:10-4:4
10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and
did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.
Jonah’s Anger at the Lord’s Compassion
4 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became
angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is
what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and
compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who
relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to
die than to live.”
4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you
to be angry?”
===============================================================
Summarize the main story: Describe the
events of the story in your own words.
v Review and
retell the story.
Reflections for applications:
v You are loved by God.
o
hesed = loving-kindness, steadfast love, devotion
v You are to love like God.
o
Why do we
struggle to see others & love others like God sees & loves us?
v Barriers:
o
Perceived
injustice – Jonah 4:1
§ Matthew 20:15 “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my money? Or are you
envious because I am generous?”
o
Callous prejudice
– Jonah
§ Jonah struggled with God saving “them” Who is
your “them?”
o
Prideful selfishness
§ Jonah 2:6 (from inside the fish)
§ Jonah 4:2
v What does it look like to be an agent of God’s
love in your world?
Digging Questions:
·
How will you
respond to God’s love for you and others? What transformative move needs to be
made?
·
What do
these biblical texts tell you about God and His nature?
·
What is
God calling us (me and you individually) to do?
Take Away Challenges
·
What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in this passage?
How will you apply it to your life this week?
·
Whom do you know who needs to hear this?
·
What is
God bringing to your attention in this discussion? What beliefs, thoughts or
actions need to be addressed or changed?
Hash tags #Jonah #Proclaim #Preach
Sunday sermon link
https://youtu.be/am9fH-iKSJk
Kevin’s Blog Link to more resources: Click here for Kevin’s Blog Notes
Comments and resources with
some more resources:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jonah+3%3A10-4%3A4&version=NIV
Series: Jonah “The Depth of
God’s Love”
How do you respond when God calls you to go? The story of Jonah is about
so much more than a big fish. In Jonah’s story, we see our own story. Our fear.
Our reluctance. Our defiance. But more than that, we see the power and purposes
of God. Despite our wavering faith, God’s love remains constant.
Title: “Seeing Beyond Me”
Bookmark: Click Here
v Opening Thoughts: Submitting
to God's plan begins with seeing His purpose and the bigger picture. God wants
our city to be saved, and He is concerned more with our character than our
comfort.
v 1 Peter 4:1-2 ESV Since therefore Christ suffered in the
flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered
in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in
the flesh no longer for human
passions but for the will
of God.
o
Spiritual tug of war.
o
“Our deepest desires -- usually to become people
of goodness and love – are often sabotaged by the stronger surface-level
desires of the flesh.” -John Mark
Comer
===============================================================
Text: Jonah 4:5-11
5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There
he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would
happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God
provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to
give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about
the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm,
which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8 When
the sun rose, God
provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head
so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for
me to die than to live.”
9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry
about the plant?”
“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this
plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and
died overnight. 11 And should I
not have concern for
the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and
twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and
also many animals?”
===============================================================
Summarize the main story: Describe the
events of the story in your own words.
v Review and
retell the story.
Reflections for applications:
v Jonah reacted to his circumstances
o When your desires don’t
align with God’s desires, your disposition will be defined by your circumstances.
o The Lord gives &
the Lord takes away. 4:6-8
v In God’s kingdom personal rights are not at the
top of the priority list
v God wanted to save a city, Jonah had other
concerns
o God is not going to give you the desires of your
heart until your heart reflects His desires.
§ Galatians 5:17 For the flesh desires
what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They
are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you
want.
v What are you most concerned about? Where is your
heart?
Digging Questions:
·
How will you
respond to God’s love for you and others? What transformative move needs to be
made?
·
What do
these biblical texts tell you about God and His nature?
·
What is
God calling us (me and you individually) to do?
Take Away Challenges
·
What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in this passage?
How will you apply it to your life this week?
·
Whom do you know who needs to hear this?
·
What is
God bringing to your attention in this discussion? What beliefs, thoughts or
actions need to be addressed or changed?
Hash tags #Jonah #Proclaim #Preach #Nearsighted
Sunday sermon link
https://youtu.be/am9fH-iKSJk
Kevin’s Blog Link to more resources: Click here for Kevin’s Blog Notes
Comments and resources with
some more resources:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jonah+4%3A5-11&version=NIV
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