SERMONS ON JONAH
Our sermon ideas on Jonah will help you preach a powerful message on the difficult commission of God. Preach on topics including obedience, running from the call of God, and God's propensity to forgive the unforgivable. Prepare your messages on God's Word in Jonah with sermon outlines or an entire sermon series.
Jonah: What Ticks You Off? (13 of 20)
by Roger Thomas
Introduction: I recently heard Ben Merold say, ''You can't necessarily measure a man by wealth or fame, but you can tell a lot about a person by what it takes to upset him.'' Ben's theme was the importance of a strong faith in the face of difficulty. He was talking about what it takes to upset your faith. He was right. You can tell a lot about people by what it takes to shake them.But there is another side to that as well. You can tell a lot about people by what it takes to tick them off. What makes a person angry or upset real quick! We sometimes term such things pet peeves. We all have them. Out of curiosity, I surveyed several people this...
Jonah (1 of 4)
by Kerry Shook
'The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 'Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.' 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.'' -Jonah 1:1-3 (NIV) Jonah 1:4-17 ''Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 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...
Jonah on the Run
by Daniel Rodgers
INTRODUCTION: In our message this morning we come to the story of Jonah. Jonah was a prophet to the nation of Israel; but in this account, God had commanded him to go and preach to the Assyrians in the city of Nineveh. According to (4:11), there were 120,000 people who lived in this city. Nineveh was a city filled with violence, witchcraft, immorality, and sin of every kind. In (vs. 2), God said, ''For their wickedness has come up before me.'' Secondly, the Assyrians were the enemies of Israel, and Jonah certainly didn't have any desire to see God deliver them. In (4:2b), he said, ''Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that...
Jonah on the Ship (1 of 4)
by Jerry Vines
Your most important enterprise as a Christian is to find and to follow the will of God. Romans 2:2 says that we are ''to prove what is that good and acceptable will of God.'' It is one thing not to know the will of God and to miss it. It is an altogether different thing to know the will of God and refuse it. The classic example in all of the Bible of a believer who knows the will of God, and yet doesn't want to do it, is found within the pages of the prophecy of Jonah. Now Jonah was a real person. He is referred to in II Kings 14:25. He was the son of Amittai. He lived in a little village known as Gathepher, which was just above the little town of Nazareth where the Lord Jesus Christ lived. Jesus referred to Jonah as a real...
Jonah in Fish College
by Miles Seaborn
Introduction: Fish College! Now how did Jonah get there and what did he learn? God spoke to Jonah and gave him a work to do! ''Cry out against the wickedness of Nineveh, that great city whose sin has risen up like a foul order before God.'' On the map of Jonah's life that showed his direction, his purpose, his call, there were only two cities. Far to the east was Nineveh, far to the west was Tarshish. The city of Nineveh represented obedience to God, fol- lowing the will of God, fellowship with God, in line with the purpose of God. Tarshish represented disobeying the will of God. My life is my own, I'll do as I please. I want to...
Are You Like Jonah?
by Stan Coffey
Jonah had four periods in his life, and each period is represented in each chapter. There are four chapters in Jonah. In the first chapter, he's A PRODIGAL PROPHET; he's running away from the will of God. He finds out that it is impossible to do this, because wherever you go, the will of God is still there. He traveled toward Tarsus, which was toward the West instead of going toward the east toward Nineveh, where God sent him. One of the great challenges all of us have is being in the will of God and particularly serving in that place where we can best be a witness for Jesus Christ. Wherever God takes you, God can use you in that field...
Jesus and Jonah (4 of 4)
by Jeff Ginn
1. INTRODUCTION 1. Some weeks ago I sensed God directing me to the book of Jonah. I committed to teaching it. I then realized with terror that we would be in this series when Easter came. 2. God doesn't make mistakes. He led us to the study of Jonah and now the story of Christ's resurrection dovetails perfectly with our concluding message on Jonah. 3. A good rule for Bible interpretation is to open the Bible and make a beeline to Jesus.4. Jesus and Jonah are inextricably linked. 5. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 12:38-41? 1. Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, ''Teacher, we want to see a...
Who Cares?
by Jonathan McLeod
You probably remember the ''Miracle on the Hudson.'' On Jan. 15, 2009¬, U.S. Airways Flight 1549 began a routine journey that ended as anything but. Shortly after taking off from New York's LaGuardia Airport, the Airbus A320, which held 155 people, lost power to both engines after they were struck by birds. Rather than panicking in a moment of sheer terror, pilot Chesley B. Sullenberger III decided to land the plane in the Hudson River in an attempt to avoid crashing in the densely populated area. Amazingly, no one was killed. After landing in the Hudson, nearby ferry boats, police boats, fire boats, and tugboats picked up passengers who...
God's Strange Servant (1-2 of 4)
by Stuart Briscoe
Campbell Morgan said that people were so taken up with the ''great fish'' of Jonah that they had overlooked Jonah's ''great God.'' The amazing thing about this great God is that He was prepared to use such a strange individual. I. The Interpretation of Jonah. A. Historical-real person and real events. B. Allegorical-Jonah=Dove=Israel, etc. C. Parabolical-like Good Samaritan, Prodigal Son. II. The Independence of Jonah A. His privileged position. vv. 1-2 1. Chosen to hear the Word. 2. Commissioned to bear the message. 3. Called to be the representative. B. His rebellious reaction. v. 3 1. Its causes. a. Disobedience to the Word. b. Disinterest...
Jonah, the Prophet with an Attitude (2 of 3)
by David Cawston
The story of the Book of Jonah opens back in the days of Jeroboam, the king Israel from 790 to 750 B.C. From the days of his grandfather Jehu, Israel had been repeatedly plundered by the warring of Syrians with their capital, Nineveh. But Jeroboam was credited with re-establishing the boundaries of Israel from the Haymath to the Dead Sea. Here in the midst of Jeroboam, II's reign, God selects a man from southern Galilee by the name of Jonah to take a special message of repentance to the enemies of Israel, the Assyrians living in the great metropolis area of Nineveh. Nineveh is one of the most ancient large cities...
Running From God (1 of 4)
by Jerry Vines
Rick Warren's book entitled "The Purpose Driven Life" has now exceeded 20 million in sales. It has recently been on the three major best selling lists in America. It is a book which talks about purpose in life, a purpose driven life. It's about finding out what God wants you to do and then doing it. We're told about David in the Bible. The Bible says that David served his own generation by the will of God. David found his purpose in life. His purpose was to do the will of God. Your most important assignment in life is to find and follow God's will. Romans 2, verse 2, says that we are to prove, that is, we are to find and to follow what is that good...
Prophet on the Run (1 of 4)
by Robert Dawson
Running is a big part of my life, always has been. I am a runner by nature. I am very good at it. I know I need to explain these comments because there are a lot of bewildered looks out there and a few of you are trying your best to stifle a laugh. It is obvious in looking at me that if I run I don't run far, fast or long.You see, I am not talking about strapping the Nike's on and taking a jog through the old neighborhood...if you ever see me doing that then please stop and rescue me because it means I am trying to get away from something or someone.I have spent my life, like many of you, running from what is hard, uncomfortable, painful, and...
You Can Run, but You Can't Hide (1 of 4)
by Jeff Ginn
Joe Louis was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 until he retired in 1949. He held the title longer than any other man. In 1946 Louis prepared to defend his title against a skilled fighter named Billy Conn. Louis was warned to watch out for Conn's great speed and his tactic of darting in to attack and then moving quickly out of his opponent's range. In a famous display of confidence, Louis replied, "He can run, but he can't hide." Louis did win the fight. 2. Spiritually speaking you can run. But you can't hide. God will pursue you and find you. It is not to pummel you but an evidence of His great love Jonah is a book...
Resistance (1 of 4)
by Dave Gustavsen
Alright-we are starting a brand new series today in the book of Jonah. When you think about Jonah, what's the first thing that pops into your mind? A fish! It's about a guy who gets swallowed by a big fish! And my hope is this: that at the end of these few weeks, you will realize that the fish is actually a pretty minor part of this book. In fact, if you have sort of an intellectual, objection, and you say, ''I can't take the book of Jonah seriously because of the big fish thing…'' just put that aside for now. It's really not the main point at all. There is so much more to Jonah than that. Because in a very vivid way, this is a book that shows us what...
The Stubborn Evangelist Part One (1 of 4)
by Scott Maze
Today we launch a new four part series entitled Jonah: The Stubborn Evangelist. And it is coming at just the right time for our church (more on the timing in just a moment). Most only know it as an amusing story about a prophet and a “whale.” While others know the story of Jonah, a man on the run from God. But he is also a man on the run from his responsibility – to share the message of God’s mercy to others. And this is what Jonah is really about – first experiencing God’s mercy and then extending God’s mercy. And it’s just this reason why Jonah shows his stubbornness. Jonah’s stubbornness did not arise because of his fear of ...
You Don't Sail Alone (3 of 6)
by Jeff Lynn
Last week we looked at what happens while you're running from God. It was about what God does and what happens to you. We saw where God continues to pursue with compassion.He controls circumstances in your life to get your attention and to bring you to obedience. You become spiritually calloused.It may be that God keeps pursuing you and you keep running even after God has hurled a great wind on the sea that affects your boat; and you become more and more calloused to where you are so hard hearted that it's going to take something drastic to get your attention. Or worse, God may just snuff you out. The Bible says that...
You Can Run But You Can't Hide (2 of 6)
by Jeff Lynn
Last week we saw where Jonah was called by God for a specific task but disobeyed by fleeing the opposite direction, in hopes that he could get as far away from God's voice as possible. Instead of going roughly 500 miles to the north and east, he went south and west to Joppa (Tel Aviv) and caught a ship headed to Tarshish, 2000 miles to the west on the east of Spain. The question I asked last week was, "Where is Tarshish for you?" To where do you go to try and stifle the activity of God in your life to keep from doing what He's calling you to do? Some of you this morning are running from what God has called you to do.This morning...
Where Is Your Nineveh?
by Rex Yancey
Jonah was born in the kickative mood and the objective case. He was out of God's will and perfectly indifferent about it. When Christians become callous and unfaithful God has a way of reminding them of their sin. God has a plan and a purpose for every life. It was His plan and purpose for Jonah to go to Nineveh. Where is your Nineveh? In 1 Kings 17: 3 and 9 the Bible says, "And the Word of the Lord came unto him, saying, get thee hence and turn eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordon. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the Brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee THERE. Then...
The Sources of Guidance (2 of 4)
by Stan Coffey
Today we are going to continue in our series "God's Will For My Life". And today we are going to talk about "The Sources of Guidance". Turn in your Bible if you will to Jonah 1:1. Now Nineveh was east and Tarshish was as far west as you could go. Jonah went exactly the opposite direction that God told him to go. It is an amazing thing to me that God revealed His will to Jonah when God in advance knew that Jonah would disobey Him and be out of His will. One of the things God wants to know is if He reveals His will to us, are we willing to obey it? Will we say in advance, Lord wherever you lead I will go. It is one thing to...
God Wants to Talk to You!
by David Cawston
"God Wants to talk to You!" Open communication...Nick and Max, both well past 80, lived in adjoining apartments in a retirement community. They spent a lot of time together, but both valued their privacy so much that they rarely exchanged any information. One morning, they were walking to the community center, as they did every day. When they reached the intersection where they were to turn left, Nick turned right instead. Max stopped, looked at Nick, then called out, "Hey! Where're you going?" Nick stopped and turned to face Max. "None of your business," he said. "And I wouldn't even have told you that much if you...
