We Are Jonah

Welcome to the summit church.

My name is Curtis and I am extremely blessed to serve as one of your pastors. Here is little bit about me, my wife Elizabeth and I been married about 7 1/2 years. We have two beautiful little daughters to live a newborn is three months. Her name is Nora and then we have another daughter oldest is 20 months primitive via we call her AV and for me the dad, the older AV on she's just at that incredibly fun, Dave. She's cute and she's funny she runs and jumps and laughs and screams and hugs and kisses putting sentences together.

You know, just adorable and we think she is learn that she loves the most is actually my cell phone, and more specifically, she loves face timing people, anybody that knows me knows that if I even remotely know you.

I'm not to call you.

I don't like calling you.

I love face timing you and there's two people are probably faced on anybody in the world. Of course my wife and second when my best friends whose name is Garrett, who has the initials GG and so anytime my phone rings and it's kind that face time ring. My daughter really perks up and she gets really excited and shall*send mama mama mama mama or so say GGG GGG and if I answer and it is not one of those two people. There is a visible disappointment and she will verbally say oh, and so I know that when these lights came up and it was not Pastor JD on stage that a lot of you went oh so that's okay you're forgiven. I'm still incredibly grateful to be appear, and to get to deliver God's word to each of you with your first time guest here with us or specifically.

If you are here and you are not a believer, I am so thankful you've chosen to worship with us this morning, I hope you felt welcome. We do a lot out of her way to try to make you feel welcomed here. But if I am being completely honest with you this telecom sound weird on this is probably not the best weekend for you to be here like at all and I know that might sound weird but here's the reason why the reason why is because all the suspicions, but you've ever had about Christians all the reasons that you dislike us are actually about to be confirmed in the worst one of all that all Christians are hypocrites is about to be confirmed. The most and sometimes the most religious ones. Even pastors can be the biggest difficult of all is just to dissipate the awkwardness in the room. I want you to turn your neighbor right now I want to say these words on us want to say you are. You can talk is way more people here than I know you can take a look at them and say you are a hypocrite you go now. They were operating on a baseline level when my boys are here just got engaged this week and is looking at his fiancée's like you are not baby don't listen to this man.

His peers lie. I am here you are beautiful you are not a hypocrite. That's what happens.

Well, today we are going to look at one of the biggest hypocrites in all of Scripture and his name is Jonah. We know from Jonah and the whale, and so if you have your Bibles and I hope you do open it up to the book of Jonah. If you don't know where that is. It's right between Obadiah and Micah some show to help you find it pretty quickly. No user table of contents. There's no shame in that all Jonah is a story about a very religious man but not a religious man that we are supposed to emulate in any way. I hope you know by now that the Bible is not about characters to emulate what it's about a Savior to the door see the same message of Jonah is the same message of the entire Bible is that God is always pursuing you with a ferocious kind of love. If you hear nothing else that I say this entire morning here this three minutes of the sermon is that no matter what you have done even in all of your sin, even in all of your hypocrisy that it does not disqualify you from God's love. He is still relentlessly chasing after you and the fact that you're here today under the sound of my voice is the very proof of that. We have about 30 minutes to go through this entire book to go ahead, fasten your seatbelts tray tables and the upright lock position cell phones often lesser using it for Scripture.

Of course we're going to dive right in Jonah chapter 1 verse one says now the word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of amortizing arise, go to Nineveh, that great city and call out against it for their evil has come up before me before you get too far and let your minds around these three main characters are first you got Nineveh minified the times the forcing capital of the Assyrian Empire. They represent the nonbeliever. They were the nonbelieving bad guy who ends up receiving great mercy from God. Mercy is not getting what you do deserve what they deserve this destruction, and punishment because they were essentially modern-day terrorists who had bullied Israel for decades. They what they were well known for their methods of torture and death if they would capture you as an enemy. What they would do actually skin you alive that would tell you they would skin you live take you out of the burning hot desert bear you up to your neck, nail your tongue into the ground and then just leave you to die. My son please like bad people… People and you got Jonah is the good guy right he supposed to be the prophet of God. But as we rebut wind up seeing is that he is actually a super religious racist i.e. hypocrite and he represents the person that receives great grace from God. Grace is getting something you don't deserve.

And here's Jonah who lived during a time when Israel had all during what scholars call the Golden age had money that power that prosperity, you name it. I had in a lot of ways Israel was a lot like us and during this time in Israel. Jonah had a very patriotic and a very popular ministry. He was like this hyper nationalist hero. If you are like if you're around today every post he made within with like hashtag blessed hashtag America.

I got sick on a guy.

He was, but here's the problem. Jonah had more commitment to his country than he did to his God. He is more Israel's pastor than he is God's prophet as he got Nineveh the bad guy in the Jonah as we read on will see that Joan is actually the worst guy and you got God. The only good guy in the story God is the giver of grace and mercy toward those who don't deserve it.

And so this God calls Jonah Capt. America essentially to go share the gospel of grace and mercy to Nineveh who is modern-day Isis. Essentially, so verse three. What is Jonah due but Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. See religious people like Jonah Biddle, like the free mercy of God is what it does it calls their supremacy into question. They no longer have something that the bad people don't and so here's God calling Jonah to go preach the gospel to the terrorist deserve nothing but destruction and punishment. And Jonah doesn't like it so he runs as far away as he possibly can. But running from God never ends well see fleeing God's presence always leads to problems fleeing God's presence always leads to problems and so yes the text says he rose to flee from the presence of the Lord.

But isn't that ridiculous. The psalmist tells us where shall I go from your spirit board where so I freed flee from your presence. God, if I ascend to heaven you're there if I make my bed and show your there.

If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea. Jonah and the whale, even there your hand shall lead me in your right hand shall uphold me, God, the creator, the maker of heaven and earth. He was everywhere at all times. Simultaneously, there is no way to get outside of his boundaries is like trying to go outside and run away from the sun. It is not possible and so three versus a kid I don't know about you but I really see myself in Jonah because he Jonah's runaway posture fleeing from God's runaway posture is our posture every single time sin see when we sin is not that we stop believing in God is not sin. So therefore God doesn't exist, which is that what we believe about God has shifted see when we sin that something in which we choose to believe in is not know God, but we prideful we believe ourselves as God and so we find ourselves with the same problems as Jonah had in trying to run from God. The first promise pride know it's interesting that Jonah was always willing to obey God when it benefited him and his people mean anything you gotta become a prophet of God. But now we find them in a scenario he doesn't like and he thinks he knows what's best, and so he prideful he devises a new plan. The text continues, it says he went down he went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish, the old country preacher says running from God will always lead you and says he paid the fare when you run from God. You always end up paying something and he went down into to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence Lord, we tell you something will always be a ship ready to go to Tarshish, there will always be something or someone, somewhere to run to to attempt to get away from the presence of God.

What I want to tell you is that the ready way is not always the right way and actually if you think about it don't usually have to work harder to disobey God than just simply obey him. So we paint this picture for you.

Jonah is in a city called Joppa when God comes in and gives them the assignment, go to Nineveh from Joppa to Nineveh about 500 miles by land so long. Waiver not that bad at all by land 500 miles what Jonah does.

He goes in the complete opposite direction. 2500 miles. This way by C and at that point the modern world where he went. Tarshish that is as far as you could possibly go so Jonah is literally running to the inns of the earth to get away from God just to disobey him and we can knock them over. No different, but we are extremely creative sinners go out of our way to disobey God will figure out a way to go.

2500 miles by see when we could easily go 500 by land so we will go 2500 miles in 25 years to the ends of the earth, making sure you don't forgive that person for how they hurt you when you could easily be free of the bitterness and slavery by simply going the 500 miles and forgive my doubts called you to select out and sit with MoveOn verse four, but the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea.

There was a mighty tempest on the sea so that the ship threatened to break up fleeing God always leads to problems verse five and the Mariners sailors. They were afraid, and each cried out to his God. G. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship and see the liner for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship, he laid down was fast asleep, so the captain came and said and what you mean you sleeper arrives copier God perhaps he will give a thought to us that we may not perish but one thing I've always wondered we get so quickly. We just read the Bible we skim through will think about somebody just ridiculous details things I've always wondered how in the world could Jonah go to sleep but my wife can't fall asleep one of her kids blinking in their crib and here's Jonah fast asleep in the middle of a giant storm. Here's what I know. Though I know that running from God is tiring. It is so tiring and you try to do anything. You can it supper to sit and think about it before I was a believer, I couldn't just sit in my thoughts. I couldn't find peace. I didn't know what was at the time I would've called a condemnation or conviction or whatever you want to call it, but I knew that you either had to be at work or school or partying or sleeping is like my four options just to sit alone in my thoughts was too heavy a burden to bear. Because running from God.

Now that I knew that's what I was doing. It is so tiring, so Jonah goes to sleep so wake him up.

Verse seven they said to one another, let us cast lots that we may know, on whose account this evil is come upon us, so they cast lots in the lot just happened to fall on Jonah, which got ridiculous of Proverbs tells us that the lot is cast. But every decision is from the Lord. Verse eight and they said to him tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us what your occupation where you come from, what your country of what people are you and he said to them, I am a Hebrew and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven.

The God who made the sea and the dry land forgot to maybe see in the dryland of time to flee from him on I'm trying to use his creation to flee from the creator how ridiculously prideful teacher to see it. He's puffing out his chest me saying I am a Hebrew I am one of God's chosen people. She's not bad to be proud of something but proud and pride are two totally different things. When proud becomes pride.

It always leads to our second problem, which is idolatry. You've heard her say around here that idolatry is anything in your life that you value more than God for Jonah's idol was his identity. But even as one of God's prophets. His identity wasn't anchored in God. It was in being an Israelite and a prophet again. It's as if he's saying what would set me apart God. If the Ninevites, the terrace had what I have and so it begs the question, what is that thing in your life that makes you look down on everybody else to make you think you're better than everybody else. What is that one thing in your life that you could not live without. Maybe it's a job, maybe it's good looks maybe is really well behaved kids.

Maybe some talent you have a gushing 401(k). Whatever you look at that makes you look down on everybody else whatever that one thing is that you cannot live without.

Whatever it is that is your idol. Some of you idolize acceptance when I struggle with the most so you idolize acceptance and so you continue hanging around people are toxic because you need their approval and you're going through a storm just like the sailors are not because of anything that you're necessarily doing but because of who you've allowed in your boat you got Jonah in your boat, you need to toss them overboard.

Our sin makes those around us miserable. Verse 10 then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to Jonah, what is this that you've done for the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because you told them. Then they said to him, what shall we do, you but the sea may quiet down for us for the sea grew more and more tempestuous fantastic word tempestuous and he said to them, pick me up and hurled me into the sea to see the pride of the idolatry, just flowing out of this but even his solution to the storm as idolatrous is like I will make me look good but I can in my life looking like the hero, and I don't have to go to that of a verse 15 so I picked up Jonah. They hurled them into the sea and the sea ceased from its rating skip verse 17 and the Lord appointed the word that's going to come around a couple times in the Lord appointed a great fish.

Jonah and the whale to swallow up Jonah.

And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Andy Stanley says you can run from God, but you can't out run God. Just because you try to flee his presence does not mean he doesn't have a plan for your life. So if you are an unbeliever and you find yourself in here with all these problems may you came to find some problem solver. I am not the problem solver. You don't need a problem solver. You need God's presence going to flee from them.

Jonah flees got a point of fresh again just the details. We missed what you see the humor in the story that the first character in the entire story to obey God as a fish, not the profit itself. Fish and yet even in his disobedience.

God continues to provide and be patient with Jonah because God is faithful even in our disobedience. Masks on. Do you think Jonah saw the fish as provision or as punishment, provision, or punishment you think he saw the fish of God's appointment got appointed, or simply as a disappointment to his plan to flee from the Lord, how often do you think that God allows or maybe even appoint something in your life that you think is punishment, but really it's God's provision.

I been saved less than 10 years. What I've learned is that God's provision doesn't always come wrapped in my preferences when I think back on some of the hardest times in my life and I was in the valley when I thought God where the heck are you you even care that now. On the other side of those I realize that God is always faithful. He was always looking out for me was always at work that he never left my side and that he always had a plan for me.

He's the God but never slumbers nor sleeps so even when you're sleeping he's working all things together for good. He's always looking after you read always chasing after you.

He is always and forever and never ending and relentlessly and ferociously and viciously thoroughly chasing after you. You can say that's okay to sign up right because even in our disobedience.

He is faithful and that's just chapter 1 Chapter 2 verse one then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish saying I called out to the Lord out of my distress and he answered me. God is faithful to answer when we cry out in chapter Jonah goes on to give this big prayer of remorse and thanks to God and probably one of my favorite verse in their verse eight verse eight says those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God's mercies. Again, the irony. The irony of the story that Jonah didn't appreciate his own words about God's grace.

He was the one worshiping false gods. He was the one worshiping false idols and turning his back on all God's mercies, foot quivering, and see what happens to them. Verse 10 the Lord spoke to the fish cried out Dobbs faithful act. Lord spoke to the fish and it vomited Jonah out upon the dryland again just pause for a second and catch this imagery of a giant fish vomiting are human being out on dryland. It's ridiculous, but he was there I had a buddy with my best friends growing up pre-Jesus days were drinking buddies and so ever. We have too long of a night on that he had to work or school or whatever it is. If you have some obligation in the morning. He would always call in with the exact same excuse he would always say man I got a hold of some bad shellfish and I'm just not feeling good today like you can argue about shellfish like same excuse always always worked.

Nobody argued with it because he usually when a man eats bad fish makes him vomit in this story. Officially, the bad man in the fish vomits like good humor is just so perfect. Chapter 3 verse one than the word of the Lord.

This is beautiful than the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time when here's glad that you serve a God of second times. If you are glad that God is the God of second chances. We just put your hand in the air when you say amen or thank you Laura Howley or whatever you need to do to remind yourself that even in your disobedience that God is faithful that he is a God of second chances, so God says.

Verse two is repeating himself arise, go to nova, the great city call out against it. The message that I told you so Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord Nineveh was an exceedingly great city this means is a big city three days journey in breath and Jonah began to go into the city going to days during a called out.

Here's a sermon here's a sermon here Jonah's entire sermon yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown at that at the sermon really know if you would present short yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown. Verse five and the people of Nineveh believed God scholar say it's around 600,000 people that repented and believed on God and so they called for a fast and they put on sackcloth and the greatest of them to the least of them yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown in Hebrew. This is even shorter. It's a five word sermon in the entire city repents because of five words.

Jonah is so bitter about having to preach to his enemy he preaches quite possibly the most hellfire and brimstone sermon ever. But there's no good news there is no gospel. There's nothing in it, and yet the entire city repents when you fund mentor and join him sit down on my K like to try. Good effort you get them next time Tiger but next time you like the Christian buzzword you like to know much God loves them. Tell about forgiveness and salvation and told that they can confess and repent and believe they can ask you Sen. Harton glad the warm fuzzies in the sunshine and the poop rainbows like tell about all the good things that happen in the Christian life is that Jonah got three days because one day in and he looks around the like about this and he goes this sin. At 600,000 people repent and God saves them because it wasn't up to Jonah's perfect gospel presentation. Salvation is up a lot anyways let me ask you some.

Have you ever not shared your faith because you're afraid that you will have all the answers. Everyone of us in here including myself at least minimum. One time, read and share our faith. We are afraid we didn't have the right answers or we would know what to say. You don't have to be scared to talk about God not to be scared to share the gospel not to be scared to share your testimony because of God to save anyways, not your perfect presentation.

The story should be so encouraging to you.

You may say five words in someone's entire eternity is changed.

In other words, the six words that have changed more lives in the history of the world and any other for God so loved the world, that's a hit not heard it said that evangelism is just too awkward, nervous people having a conversation. That's it. So if you go anywhere right now.

Just think about like if you go anywhere right now in public on theirs like groups of people scattered them all is by far the worst and and you must know each other's walk up liking each other high fives and likable like yeah and the no rejoicing with one another and they they they huddle in groups and holding the funds in the walking really is, what are you doing little and I want to blame Pokémon Pokémon on it out of the plane but that's what they're doing there there rolling around catching imaginary creatures. That's just what they're doing Danny Franklin are pastors you tweeted this is that a random stranger just meant 10 minutes telling me about Pokémon, go. So let's stop talking about how hard evangelism is you get very minimum to silence people are walking around catching imaginary creatures with their cell phones and rejoicing with one another and were scared to look foolish for Christ. Are you kidding, I've nowhere else to go with that person bursting when God saw what they did have the Ninevites turn from their evil way of torturing and killing and playing Pokémon got relented of the disaster that he said he would do to them why they need a because God's desire is for all to be saved, even the absolute worst is will is that none should perish but all to come salvation unto the Lord, that Sinful Ter., Nineveh needed to be saved just as bad as sinful religious Jonah needed to be saved. You know what you and me and Jonah and Nineveh and and and Isis and Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton all have in common role centers will have great sin, and so were in need of a great Savior and theirs offered us one in Christ and the good news of the gospel message is that salvation is available to any and all who would call upon the name of the Lord any and all if you like that truth and you haven't understood the point of this book yet. The point is that God is graciously willing to save anyone who would repent and believe in him that's all. Salvation is she saying yes to the gift that God has offered you in Christ Jesus. Nineveh says yes they repent.

They believe God saves them. Jonah the prophet of God. He's the one saying no and he says it directly to God. Is there any sin greater than our the original sin one damn the entire human race wasn't saying no to God is the eating of the forbidden tree was direct rebellion, direct blasphemy, and that's a sin that everyone of us that the sin that all of you even religious people have committed.

You may not live the crazy party life and killed people like Nineveh, but in some ways your sin is much worse, directly saying no to God.

I've heard it said that you're never farther from God when you're close to him and you say no honestly Jonah. Jonah probably saw his sin and Nineveh sin into totally different categories.

So Jonah will look at the Ninevites and he would say God they are adulterers God they worship idols. They are murderers. They are cool, basic, and people I faced the alive and on those things. Jonah thought he was so much better than them. Let me tell you something God does everything through those who understand they are nothing, and God does nothing for those who think they are everything. That's the message of the gospel that I have nothing to bring in yet you give me everything around. I just made it up. There is also 600,000 people repent Jonah the prophet of God should be exploding with joy right well let's see Jonah for final chapter, but it displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was angry he realized that most of the frustration in your life comes in thinking God's have done some differently first two and he prayed to the Lord and he said, oh Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country. That is why made haste to flee to Tarsus away from you, for I know that you are gracious God, I knew that you were merciful, slow to anger. I know that you're abounding in steadfast love.

I know that you would relent from disaster. He's using God's awesome character as an insult is makes me think of an eye. I hate saying this become like a diehard Florida state fan but it makes me think of Tim Tebo like like people hate Tim Tebo for no reason just a nice guy. Reply to Florida such an offer is made up but aside from that, like what is he ever done to get a football be really nice everybody but serve homeless orphans in Third World countries is not Jonah is what God is mad that God is so good. Which is crazy because everything that Jonah despises about God. He's experienced himself more than anyone. God has been gracious to Jonah. He's been merciful with Johnny's been slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

You relented from disaster to Jonah. Jonah should be resentful to grateful to find it funny how Jonah didn't have a problem with the same characteristics of God when he was in the belly of the fish. There is no one in this story was received more grace than Jonah when he's resentful because he ceased to think of himself as a sinner.

You see, if you think of yourself as a basically worthy person that God owes you good things because you're so good the grace is completely shocking to you. You get resentful when God seems to be blessing people in ways that they don't deserve that. You do deserve. Yet even in his resentment God's grace is greater than Jonah sin, because God's grace is always greater than our sin.

God's grace is always greater than our sin. So we see in verse three.

Verse three says therefore now, oh Lord it's Jonah speaking please take my life for me for is better for me to dive in the crybaby you rather die than see your enemies become your brothers and sisters in Christ. It's easy for us to Jonah chill. Are you kidding me, but think about it. What if God offered grace and mercy to some of the most evil and some of the worst organizations in the entire world. What if God offered grace and mercy to Al Qaeda and Isis and Boca her and the KKK and was not one of those people repented. The question is, would you be okay with worshiping Jesus for eternity.

Right next to that person would you rejoice in their salvation. That's the question the story is getting out.

Are you really okay with God being gracious to everyone. The way he's been gracious to you and so verse four the Lord says you do well to be angry is like a Jonah the same grace I've showed you is a same race. I'm showing them so can you really be upset about that, but the prophet of God Jonah. He never wanted their repentance. All he wanted was their destruction. So he thinks God is being too soft so verse five he goes out of the city to soak my sacks east of the city and he made a booth for himself.

Very sad. Under the shade. We should see what would become of the city is literally pouting when a prophet pity party. Now the Lord God appointed there it is again.

The Lord God appointed a plan and made it come up over Jonah, that might be a shade over his head to save him from his discomfort, God continued to lavish grace on them as the best part.

So Jonah was exceedingly glad, because of the plant for the first time in the entire story for chapters in Jonah's happy viewing time. Jonah was happy about God's provision was when it benefited his convenience. What I said earlier were always happy to receive God's provision, but only as long as it matches our preferences.

So Jonah wants shade.provides a plan that Jonah needs is a heart change. So God provides an opportunity to love his enemies and he absolutely hates it.

Despises that any drive to run. There's the question again, are you okay with God giving grace to those whom you hate, are you okay with God giving grace to your overbearing boss. Are you okay with God giving grace your in-laws are you okay with God giving grace your ex-husband are you okay with God giving grace to Muslims.

She would Jonah start and realizes that God's provision was never for his comfort but to actually fulfill his calling of preaching the gospel of grace and mercy to everyone. So what does God do with the plant verse seven, but when Don came up the next day, God appointed there it is again God appointed a worm that attacked the plant so that it withered like a 500 account worm.

This is attached. The plantlike nursing tremors like I thought that you, like a mini version of those what I know is this.

I know that God always has a way of getting our attention sometimes uses the wind sometimes uses a whale and sometimes uses a worm to point us back to him to say you have two options on the table. You can say yes and obey. Or you can say no and disobey. The option is yours. So verse eight when the sun rose plant gone, God appointed a scorching east wind and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah, so that he was think he asked that he might die and he said it's better for me to dive in the way of God said to Jonah. Jonah do you do well to be angry for the plant and he said yes I do well to be angry. We know him well enough by now angry enough to die in the Lord said Jonah you pity the plant for which you did not labor nor did you make it grow the plant, which came into being into the night.

It appears in the night. It's temporary and should I not pity Nineveh, that great city in which there more than 120,000 persons who do not know the right hand from the left is talking about children.

Should I not pity that great city was there more than 120,000 children in the in the book ends like this and also much cattle.

Julie's care about the cows. Jonah in the books over at the end that's it. No more from your scrolling Micah's next blank like what happened to Jonah I need to know what happened. Jonah is left me with this cliffhanger that he repented he backslide look like what happened see the writer never intended to tell us about Jonah's intention was to put God's question clearly before you and me you care more about temporary plants were about eternal people you care about temporary things that will fade in the night or do you care about eternal souls. It sounds absurd, but what you care more about you care more about lost people repent, you spend more money on your dog and you do the mission of God. You care more about lost before your paycheck. You spend more time climbing the corporate ladder for your namesake or leveraging your job for God's namesake is so easy to knock Jonah until you realize internally that we are Jonah everyone of us are Jonah everyone of us a bit. Chris so the question is are lost people are your enemies are the people whom you hate are they simply a concept to you or are they real, living, breathing people that will spend eternity in hell unless you share the gospel of God's grace and mercy with them. No matter what their sin or their wickedness God's grace because compassion is greater. No matter what somebody has done to you as a believer you are called to share what God has done for them and not just to share it but also love them like Christ loves them.

If you were to go back and read beginning to end.

One of the words you see, that repeats all throughout the stories were great great great go to Nineveh, that great city Lord of the great winters. Great storm then were greatly afraid they fear the Lord greatly, so got separate fish. The whole point of that is to show you the greatness of God's mission and the greatness of God's grace Nineveh's wickedness is right God's grace is greater. Jonah's hatred of the Ninevites is great, but the value of the human soul is so much greater. It is impossible to love God and hate those who are made in his very image and so what this story shows is that those who have received great grace should be the first to give great grace for to skip all the way ahead to the gospel of Mark in the New Testament telling stories about Christ our Savior walking on earth you would see that the language that Mark uses is almost identical to that of Jonah. So Mark talks about how Jesus was in a storm in a boat just like Jonah was about Jesus and Jonah fell asleep how both times the sailors had to wake them up and say whatever guy do something and how both cases there was a miraculous divine intervention in the sea was calm and how afterwards the sailors were more afraid than they were before. And Jonah story. What he says to the sailors. He says hey, there's only one thing to do if I perish up throw me overboard you the sailors you will avoid judgment and you'll survive in the midst of our sin. Jesus says I will die that you may live, but you will just avoid judgment and receive eternal life because I am the resurrection and I am the life. What Jesus is doing is declaring one greater then Jonah is here. Charts Jonah left his post in Israel to go to Tarsus to flee away from the will of God. Jesus went from heaven to earth to accomplish the will of God, one greater than Jonah is here. Charts Jonah thrown over board and sacrifice to, ratings, dorm Jesus was thrown across and sacrificed to cure our raging sin. One. Writer then Jonah is here.

Jonah was called to go preach the people that hated them believe they would eventually repent, Jesus was called to go preach the people may eventually put nails in his hand and yet he still willingly game because one greater than Jonah is here. Jonah was in the belly for three days and nights because of his disobedience comes Jesus was laying in the belly of the art.

So now, after three days to give him a second chance may the son of God out three days to give you and me say Jonah is so our ability to stand the need because we really got me.

God right