JONAH

The Teaching Ministry of Rick Trice

Trinity Fellowship

Raton, NM

5/28/06

WHO ARE YOUR HEROES? YOUR ROLE MODELS? WHY ARE THEY YOUR HEROES? BECAUSE THEY EXHIBIT SOME QUALITIES THAT YOU PROBABLY DON’T HAVE YET.

BUT THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE WE NEED TO LOOK AT TODAY:

*THOSE WHO WE’D LIKE TO BE LIKE

*THOSE WHO WE ALREADY ARE LIKE

THE FIRST ARE PEOPLE WE LIKE TO DWELL ON: DANIEL, ELIJAH, MOSES, DAVID, PAUL.

THE SECOND ARE PEOPLE WE DON’T LIKE TO DWELL ON, BECAUSE IF THE TRUTH BE KNOWN THEY REMIND US TOO MUCH OF OUR REAL SELVES. PEOPLE IN THIS CATEGORY ARE PEOPLE LIKE JUDAS, OR JONAH. TRUTH IS, IN STUDYING SOMEONE LIKE JONAH, WE CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT OURSELVES AND PERHAPS EVEN SEE OURSELVES THE WAY GOD SEES US, AND HOW GOD DEALS WITH US. YOU SEE, JUST LIKE JONAH:

*GOD CALLS US (1:1-2) "...The word of the Lord came to Jonah...saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh..."

*WE FLEE FROM GOD’S PRESENCE (1:3) :"But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord..."

*GOD PURSUES US (1:4) "But the Lord sent a great wind...so that the ship was about to be broken up..."

-HE SENT A GREAT STORM

-HE PREPARED A GREAT FISH TO SWALLOW JONAH (1:17)

-HE SPOKE TO THE FISH TO VOMIT HIM UP (2:10)

MAYBE IN YOUR LIFE, AS IN MINE, YOU HAVE RUN FROM GOD'S CALLING...WITH EQUALLY DISASTROUS RESULTS!

JONAH FINALLY BEGAN TO DO A FEW RIGHT THINGS, EVEN IN THE MIDST OF HIS STUBBORDNESS. THIS TOO IS WHERE HE REMINDS ME OF ME. I OCCASIONALLY DO SOME CORRECT THINGS FOR THE LORD, EVEN IN THE MIDST OF STUMBLING.

JONAH REMEMBERED WHO HE WAS IN GOD, AND BEGAN TO GIVE THANKS EVEN WHILE STILL IN THE BELLY OF THE WHALE. (2:1-9_) "I cried out to Lord because of my affliction, and He answered me..."

SOMETIMES THEN, AFTER WE'VE GOTTEN THINGS RIGHT WITH GOD, HE TRIES US AGAIN:

*GOD CALLS US AGAIN (3:1-2) "Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh..."

*JONAH OBEYS THIS TIME (3:3)

*BUT JONAH GETS ANGRY WHEN GOD DOESN’T JUDGE NINEVAH (4:1-4)

SEE, GOD'S ORIGINAL CALLING OR PURPOSE NEVER CHANGED! JONAH CHANGED.

NOW HERE IS WHERE I REALLY BEGIN TO SEE MYSELF: “I’LL PRAY FOR THOSE SINNERS, LORD; I’LL EVEN GO PREACH TO THEM, BUT IT WON’T DO ANY GOOD. AND THEY’LL GET JUST WHAT THEY DESERVE, WON’T THEY?”

OR WHAT ABOUT OTHER BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST? WHAT ABOUT THE CHURCH; HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU LET YOURSELF HIDE BEHIND THE WALLS OF YOUR THEOLOGY AND CHOSEN NOT TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH "THE CHURCH," THE REST OF THE BODY OF CHRIST IN RATON? YOU KNOW: THOSE "OTHER" DENOMINATIONS?

IF I AM GOING TO LOOK AT MYSELF IN JONAH, I AM GOING TO HAVE TO BE HONEST AND SAY THAT AT TIMES I DON’T REALLY CARE ABOUT MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN THE REST OF THE BODY.

*GOD GIVES JONAH A LESSON IN DIVINE LOVE (4:4-11) "Is it right for you to be angry?"

WE DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO JONAH AFTER THIS. ALL WE KNOW IS THAT HE WENT TO SIT IN HIS LAWN CHAIR IN THE SHADE WITH HIS LEMONADE TO WATCH THE FIREWORKS OF GOD, AND SULKED WHEN GOD WAS MERCIFUL TO NINEVEH, BECAUSE THEY REPENTED. THEN HE WHINED ABOUT THE SHADE TREE WITHERING AND DYING.

GOD’S LESSON WAS THAT JONAH CARED MORE FOR A TREE THAN HE DID FOR PEOPLE GOD CREATED WITH HIS OWN HANDS.

WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT GOD LOVES HIS ENTIRE CREATION . JESUS IN MATTHEW 10:29 TELLS US THAT NOT A SINGLE SPARROW FALLS TO THE GROUND OUTSIDE THE WILL OF THE FATHER. YES, HE IS A JEALOUS GOD, A RIGHTEOUS GOD, KING OF ALL KINGS, AND A GOD OF JUDGEMENT.

BUT THANK GOD, HE IS FIRST AND FOREMOST A LOVING, MERCIFUL GOD. ELSE, YOU AND I WOULD NOT BE STANDING TODAY!