WE SERVE A GOD WHO FORGIVES
Jonah 1:7-17
YOUR DISOBEDIENCE AFFECTS THE LIVES OF OTHERS
V: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."
A. Sometimes your disobedience can put the lives of others
in jeopardy.
1. God told Jonah
to go to Nineveh and tell the
people to repent or face
his wrath.
2. Jonah decided
that city of Nineveh didn't deserve
salvation.
3. Jonah decided
that Nineveh sins against humanity
was to great to be
forgiven.
4. Based on his
opinion, Jonah decided to disobey God and go in the
opposite
direction from Nineveh .
B. Jonah's decision to get on a ship, put lives of the occupants
in danger.
1. Jonah thought he could get away from his
responsibility to God.
2. Your
disobedience don't change God's plan for you.
3. Your
disobedience may causes God to take actions to bring you to your senses.
C. Even though Jonah made a bad decision, God directed him
to a ship where the
passengers
believed in idol gods ,or at least higher powers.
1. The passengers
believed that their life threaten circumstance was caused by
someone on
board whose god was angry with him.
2. They cast lots
believing that the perpetrator would be identified.
YOUR SINS WILL BE REVEALED
V:8. " So they asked him, "Tell us, who is
responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you
come from? What is your country? From what people are you?"
A. The passengers begin their investigation by asking all
the right questions.
1. The people
around you ought to know your story.
2. They ought to
know who you serve.
3. It is our
responsibility to proclaim the Jesus as
Lord and Savior.
4. It is our
responsibility to proclaim that the Lord we serve is Lord over
all
circumstances.
B. Jonah was on the ship in sin because he was running away
from the responsibility
to tell the city
of Nineveh of God impending judgment for their sins.
1. Wherever you
go, you take the problems of your life with you.
2. What ever
relationships you enter into, your problems come with you.
3. Unresolved
problems affect how you deal with other people.
CONFESSION IS THE START OF RECOVERY
V:9-10 " He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship
the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the 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.) "
A. Proclaim the truth and the truth will set you free.
1. It is good for
our souls when we admit out mistakes.
2. When people know what you are dealing with,
they know how to deal with you.
3. Jonah proclaimed
that He worshipped the one true God.
a. His actions
was not an act of worship.
b. This was
one of those moments when the truth exposed his disobedience.
c. This was
one of those moments when his talk didn't match his walk.
4. Every once in a
while we need to look in the mirror to evaluate if we
are who we say
we are.
B. Watch this! Even though the men on the ship believed in
idol gods, they had the
evidence of an
all powerful God.
1. Even though the
men on the ship believed in idol gods they came face to face
with Jonah's
God.
2. When the men on
the ship understood the cause of the life threaten
circumstance,
they feared the almighty God.
3. God can bring
some good out of our disobedience.
4. While Jonah was
running away from God, he ran into God.
5. While Jonah was
running away from God, he saw the power and
authority of
God.
THINGS MAY GET WORST BEFORE THEY GET BETTER
V:11-12. " 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."
A. Every once in a while we have to take responsibility for
our actions.
1. We need to get
right with God to save others from then consequences of our sins.
2. Sometimes you
need to leave to allow others to have peace in their lives.
3. When we face up
to our sins and conclude that we are the problem, we
know what we
must do to correct the problem.
4. It was calm
before you came, and it may be calm when you leave.
B. When you decide to do the right thing every one benefits.
THERE IS SOME GOOD IN THE WORST OF US
V:13 " Instead, the men did their best to row back to
land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before."
A. Every once in a while when you confess your sins, others
will sympathize with you.
1. Even though
people don't share your beliefs, sometimes they will step in and
try to help.
2. The men on the
ship tried to save themselves and Jonah be rowing against the
force of God.
3. One thing we
need to know is we can't fight God and win.
PRAYER BRINGS SOLUTIONS TO YOUR PROBLEMS
V: 14 Then they cried to the Lord, "O Lord, please do
not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for
killing an innocent man, for you, O Lord, have done as you pleased."
A. Men who previously had no knowledge of the almighty God,
feared Him because
of Jonah's
confession.
1. Don't ever
underestimate the power of your confession of God.
2. Sometimes it
takes the consequences of your sins to force you into
a confession to
God.
B. Our confession of
faith causes others to be drawn to God.
1. Jonah's
confession of faith cause everyone on the ship to go in prayer to
the almighty
God.
2. The prayers of
the righteous changes lives.
WHAT IS GOOD FOR US MAY BE PAINFUL
V:15-16. "So 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."
A. The men on the ship realized that they could not fight
God, so they
submitted themselves
to God's will for Jonah.
1. They had the
Word of God from Jonah that they had to throw him
overboard to
restore the calm of the sea.
2. Some time faith
demand's that you do what is uncomfortable.
B. The men of the ship worshipped God by offering
sacrifices, prayers
and making vows
to God.
1. The men on the
ship journey with God started with Jonah's disobedience.
2. God made good
out of Jonah's disobedience by bringing
to salvation
all the men on
the ship.
GOD WILL FORCE YOU TO FACE YOUR SINS
V:17. " But the
Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish
three days and three nights."
A. Jonah faced the consequences of his sin against God.
1. Notice, God changed
the appetite of the fish to be a holding place for
Jonah.
2. Jonah ran from
the light into darkness.
3. Anytime we are
disobedient to God we open ourselves up for a time of
darkness.
B. God is on the side of believers even when we are
disobedient.
1. Jonah spent
three days in the dark for his disobedience.
2. Like us, Jonah
needed time to reflect on the goodness of God.
3. Jonah needed
time to reestablish his prayer time with God.
4. Jonah needed to
reflect on the consequences of not following God.
THANK GOD FOR HIS TOLERANCE
Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor of Greater Macedonia
Baptist Church
For more lesson follow me on facebook and my blogs
www.revmitchell.com and goodnews.blotspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment