WEEK 2

November 13th, 2010

III. The Trip to Ninevah (Ch. 3)

1. Once again the LORD told Jonah 2. to go to that great city of

Nineveh and preach his message of doom. 3. Jonah obeyed the
LORD and went to Nineveh.

Jonah 3:1-3 Contemporary English Version

• Again, God said “Go”.

• This time Jonah went.
• What did he not do?
• He didn't blame the fish for his new found position in life.
• How often do we blame our fish?
• Busted marriage.
• DUI
• Unplanned pregnancy
• Bankruptcy
• Church Split

• CIC story...

4. After walking for a day, Jonah warned the people, "Forty days from
now, Nineveh will be destroyed!" 5. They believed God's message...

Jonah 3:4-5 Contemporary English Version

• Jonah simply gave them the message.

• He didn't take time to “build a relationship with them”.
• He just spoke what God put on his heart.
• Much like David slinging the stones at Goliath.

• They accepted it on the spot.

• Sometimes I wonder if we are too afraid of what they might do.
• The fact that they might accept it.

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 • Not only did the people believe, but the king did as well.
• Not only did he impact a social system, but a system of politics and
the judiciary.
• The king entered an order:

Then he (the king) and his officials sent out an order for
everyone in the city to obey. It said: “None of you or your
animals may eat or drink a thing. Each of you must wear
sackcloth, and you must even put sackcloth on your
animals. You must also pray to the LORD God with all your
heart and stop being sinful and cruel. Maybe God will
change his mind and have mercy on us, so we won't be
destroyed.”

Jonah 3:7-9 Contemporary English Version

• These people came to truly fear the Lord.

• Maybe they had heard about what had happened to Jonah.
• They had probably heard about the God of Abraham anyway.
• They turned from their selfish, unclean lives and turned to God.

• God had mercy on them.

• The story could have stopped here...

IV. Jonah Gets Angry (Ch. 4)

But, just because God had mercy on them, doesn't mean Jonah did.

1. Jonah was really upset and angry. 2. So he prayed:

Oh LORD, I knew from the very beginning that you wouldn't destroy
Nineveh. That's why I left my own country and headed for Spain. You
are a kind and merciful God, and you are very patient. You always
show love, and you don't like to punish anyone, not even foreigners.
3. Now let me die! I'd be better off dead.

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 Jonah 4:1-3 Contemporary English Version

• How often do we see this in our churches?

• Someone gets saved from a horrible life that wrecking their souls,
everyone rejoices with them, and then there's the jealous ones.
• The ones that attend all the church functions, say all the right words
and they get no attention.
• Jonah didn't want to share God, God's attention or his nation's status
with anyone else.
• He was like these petty Christians we see who are more worried
about their “status in the club” than about people turning from their
sin ravished lives to God.
• I've been there before... Some guy who has been living it up while I
was sitting on a hard church pew trying to do the hundreds of
religious things I was told to do to be a good Christian...

• As Jonah waited outside the city, hoping God would change His mind and
destroy it anyway.
• God caused a vine to grow up over night, then die the next day.
• This was an illustration to Jonah to try to give him some perspective
as to why God wanted this city spared.
• Jonah was more interested in his shade vine than the lives in
Ninevah.

• How often are we more worried about our comfort than sharing what God
has put on our heart to share?

V. Conclusion
As you think about your life and your relationship with God:
• Are you running the opposite way away from God?
• Are you denying the storm that's going on around you?
• Are you putting others at risk with your denial of God?
• Are you sinking with no hope?
• Did you just get broadsided by fish breath?
• Are you praying while in the middle of a situation that is your own fault?
• Did your salvation and redemption come in a pretty grotesque form?
• Is God calling you again?

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 • Are you blaming the fish for your lot in life?
• Are you obeying God?
• Are you whining about God giving others the same grace and mercy He
has given you?

VI. Prayer
• Those running in the opposite direction.
• Those sinking.
• Those blaming the fish.
• Those resenting God's mercy and grace upon others.

REFUGE Fellowship
November 6th & 13th, 2010
www.run2refuge.com

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