Home Page   Contact Us    Service Times   Sermons   Are You Going To Heaven?

NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!

PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE

Introduction

The story of Jonah is one of the more familiar stories of the Bible. Believers and skeptics alike are well acquainted with Jonah and his "whale” of an experience.

We must keep in mind that Jonah was a real person who had a real experience. We find that our Lord Jesus Christ made reference to both Jonah being in the belly of the whale and to Nineveh repenting at the preaching of Jonah.

As we study Jonah we want to look at the type of man he was and how he responded to the events surrounding his life.

THE BACKGROUND OF THE MAN JONAH. (JONAH 1:1; 2 KINGS 14:23-25)

His father was Amittai of whom we know little about.

Jonah was from Gathhepher.

Gathhepher was located in Zebulun of Galilee. Gathhepher was a part of the northern kingdom.

This means that the Pharisees were wrong in their answer to Nicodemus when he was trying to get them to consider Jesus rather than pre-judge Him.

John 7:52–“They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.”

The name Jonah means a dove.

The meaning of his name could be suggestive of the gentleness and love his mother had in mind when he was born.

Jonah was called by the LORD to be a prophet.

He ministered during the early part of the reign of Jeroboam II.

Jonah was the first Hebrew prophet, or missionary, sent to a heathen nation.

I.         JONAH WAS A DISOBEDIENT PROPHET WHO RAN FROM THE LORD.

            (JONAH 1:1-17)

            A.        Jonah was called, by the LORD, to preach to Nineveh. (Vs. 2)

                        1.         Nineveh was the capital city of a rising power who was unfriendly to Israel.

                        2.         Jonah was aware of the danger they were to Israel.

                        3.         Jonah knew that their wickedness would cause the LORD to destroy them.

                        4.         Jonah would rather see Nineveh destroyed than to be spared.

            B.        Jonah rebelled and tried to flee from the presence of the LORD. (Vs. 3)

            C.        Jonah was caught in a great storm. (Vs. 4)

                        1.         This storm was sent by the LORD. (Vs. 4)

                        2.         The mariners strived to keep the ship afloat. (Vs. 5a)

                        3.         Jonah was found sleeping. (Vs. 5b-6)

                                    In his rebellion he was unaware of the personal danger he was in.

                        4.         It was discovered that Jonah was the source of the problem. (Vs. 7)

                        5.         Jonah explained his situation. (Vs. 8-10)

                                    a.         He knew that he was doing the wrong thing.

                                    b.         He knew that his actions were bringing the chastisement of the LORD.

                                    c.         He knew that his actions were endangering innocent people.

                        6.         Jonah told the mariners that their only hope was to cast him overboard. (Vs. 11-13)

                        7.         The mariners prayed and reluctantly threw Jonah overboard. (Vs 14-16)

            D.        Jonah was swallowed by a fish prepared by the LORD.

                        1.         Consider this fish for a moment.

                                    a.         It was prepared by the LORD.

                                                (1)       It was created by the LORD for this particular job.

                                                (2)       It was put in this position at this time by the LORD.

                                    b.        Jesus called the fish a whale. Cp Matthew 12:40

                                    c.         There are numerous incidents indicating that men can be

                                                swallowed by a whale.

                                                (1)       G. H. Henn of Birmingham, England tells of being one of the twelve men who walked into the mouth of a whale carcass that was on display, proceeded through its throat, and moved about in what was the equivalent of a fair sized room.

                                                (2)       Sperm whales are said to swallow lumps of food eight feet in diameter and the skeleton of a sixteen foot shark has been found in one.

                                                (3)       In February 1891 a whaling ship, "Star Of the East," spotted a sperm whale near the Falkland Islands. James Bartley, a crew member, was lost from the harpoon boat. The whale was killed and the next day was put aboard ship. Bartley was found alive inside. He had been bleached white by gastric acids.

                        2.         God kept Jonah in the belly of the fish for three days and nights.

            JONAH WAS A DISOBEDIENT PROPHET WHO RAN FROM THE LORD.

II.       JONAH WAS A DESPERATE PROPHET WHO CAME BACK TO THE LORD.

            (JONAH 2:1-10)

            A.        Jonah prayed from the fish's belly. (Vs 1-7)

                        1.         His affliction drove him to prayer. (Vs 2:2a)

                        2.         He described himself as crying out of the belly of Hell. (Vs 2:2b)

                                    (i.e. Hell speaks of the realm of the dead.)

                        3.         He had been taken to the depths of the sea. (Vs. 3-7)

                        4.         From the belly of the fish he turned his eyes toward the LORD.

                        5.         The prayer from the belly of the fish came to the LORD in His holy temple.

            B.        Jonah recognized that salvation was of the LORD. (Vs. 8-9)

            C.        Jonah was vomited out upon dry land. (Vs. 10)

III.      JONAH WAS AN OBEDIENT PROPHET WHO DID THE WORK OF THE LORD. (JONAH 3:1-10)

            A.        Jonah was called for the second time to go preach to Nineveh. (Vs. 1-2)

                        1.         He was to go to Nineveh where he should have already been.

                        2.         He was to preach what the LORD told him.

            B.        Jonah preached God's message in Nineveh. (Vs. 3-9)

                        1.         He preached that the LORD would destroy the city in forty days.

                        2.         Jonah was believed and the people of Nineveh repented.

            C.        The LORD spared Nineveh because of the repentance of the people. (Vs. 10)

IV.      JONAH WAS A DISCOURAGED PROPHET WHO GOT ANGRY WITH THE LORD. (JONAH 4:1-11)

            A.        Jonah was angry because God spared Nineveh. (Vs. 1-3)

                        1.         He was exceedingly displeased and very angry. (Vs. 1)

                        2.         He had fled to Tarshish because he knew the LORD was gracious,

                                    merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness. (Vs. 2)

                                    a.         He knew the LORD would forgive.

                                    b.         He did not want the LORD to forgive.

                        3.         Jonah was so angry he prayed for the LORD to kill him. (Vs. 3)

            B.        The LORD dealt with Jonah about his anger. (Vs. 4-11)

                        1.         The LORD asked Jonah if he did well to be angry and then dropped the question.

                        2.         Jonah went out of the city and made himself a booth where he could sit and watch what would become of the city. (Vs. 5)

                                    a.         The booth would be a basic lean to made of branches.

                                    b.         He wanted to see what would become of the city.

                                                (1)       He was hoping their repentance would not last.

                                                (2)       He wanted the city destroyed.

                        3.         The LORD prepared a gourd that would give shade and comfort to Jonah. (Vs. 6)

                                    a.         This was an unexpected blessing for Jonah.

                                    b.         Jonah was exceedingly glad for the shade provided by the gourd.

                        4.         The LORD prepared a worm to destroy the gourd. (Vs. 7)

                        5.         Jonah was much discomforted without the gourd. (Vs. 8)

                                    a.         The LORD had prepared a hot east wind to make him miserable.

                                    b.         Without the gourd to protect him the sun beat down upon his head.

                                    c.         Jonah felt he would be better off dead.

                        6.         The LORD asked Jonah if he did well to be angry because of the gourd. (Vs 9-10)

                                    a.         Jonah felt he had every right to be angry. (Vs 9b)

                                    b.         The LORD called Jonah's attention to his reaction about the gourd. (Vs 10)

                                                (1)       He had pity for a gourd that he had not labored for.

                                                (2)       The gourd had come up unexpectedly and perished

                                                            unexpectedly.

                        7.         God applied the lesson of the gourd to Nineveh. (4:11)

Conclusion

What Are The Lessons To Be Learned From the Story Of Jonah.

            No man can find a hide away from conscience nor from the LORD.

            Some of the storms of life are of our own making.

            Sin will take you where you don’t want to go.

            Sin will keep you there longer than you want to stay.

            Sin will cost you more than you are willing to pay.

The LORD will chasten His disobedient children. He will humble us when we will not humble ourselves.

            The LORD will use chastening in the life of a believer for His own glory.

            The LORD will hear us when we earnestly pray to Him.

            No nation knowing the LORD should keep Him to themselves.

            Those who know the truth must preach the truth.

Home Page   Contact Us    Service Times   Sermons   Are You Going To Heaven?

NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!