Surviving The Disasters of Life (Illustrated by the Book of Jonah) Chesed Bible Fellowship 110214

Surviving The Disasters of Life (Illustrated by the Book of Jonah)

Chesed Bible Fellowship110214

• Jonah is a great example of what happens when a watchman proclaims a message of impending judgment & the people actually heed his words.

• He told the people of Ninevah (his hated enemies) that they were going to be judged.

• He probably really enjoyed telling them that they were going to hell!

• THEY BELIEVED HIM & REPENTED!• As a result the doom that was sure did

not come on them at that time (it did later, but only because they fell back into their old ways).

• Jonah had a big-time problem with their repentance – he wanted them to go to hell!

• Just like us, he had a lot to sort out in his people/circumstance testing!

Surviving The Disasters of Life - Jonah

• God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh. (Jonah 1:1, 2)

Surviving The Disasters of Life - Jonah

• But Jonah takes off in the other direction! (Jonah 1:3)

• So God sends a storm! A mighty storm!

• The crew tries everything, but eventually they have to throw Jonah overboard to make the storm stop. (Jonah 1:5-15)

Surviving The Disasters of Life - Jonah

• And the seas became calm. And the sailors were very afraid. (Jonah 1:15-17)

Surviving The Disasters of Life - Jonah

•God had prepared a GREAT fish to swallow Jonah! (Jonah 1:17)

• And it wasn’t like this!

•It was more like this!

Surviving The Disasters of Life - Jonah

The Essence of God

Sovereignty

RighteousnessJustice

Love

Eternal Life

OmnipotenceOmniscienceOmnipresenceImmutabilityVeracity

God The Father

God The Son

God The Holy Spirit

How does the Book of Jonah show the Essence of God?

• It shows the Sovereignty of God in:

- His having made all things (1:9)

- His sending a great storm (1:4)

- His calming the great storm (1:15)

- His preparing a great fish to swallow Jonah (1:17)

- His causing the great fish to spit up Jonah (2:10)

- The king of the great city bowing before Him (3:6-9)

- His preparing a plant to shade Jonah (4:6)

- His preparing a worm to eat the plant (4:7)

- His preparing a vehement east wind (4:8)

• It shows the Righteousness of God in:- The wickedness of Nineveh offending Him (1:2) (idolatry, cruelty, & violence)

• It shows the Justice of God in:- His requirement that there be judgment for their wickedness (1:2; 3:1, 2, 4)

• It shows the Love of God in:- His persistence in sending the prophet to Nineveh (1:2; 3:1, 2)- His deliverance of Jonah (2:10)- His deliverance of Nineveh (3:10; 4:2, 11) – He is not willing that any should perish (II Pet. 3:9)

• It shows the Eternal Life of God in:- His sharing that life with all who believe in Him (3:5-10 cf. Matt. 12:41)

How does the Book of Jonah show the Essence of God?

• It shows the Omnipotence of God in:- His absolute control over the forces of nature (1:4, 15, 17; 2:10; 4:6-8)

• It shows the Omniscience of God in:- Keeping Jonah in the belly of the fish exactly the amount of time to be a type of how long Christ would be in the grave (1:17 cf. Matt. 12:38-40)- His having already prepared the great fish beforehand (1:17)

• It shows the Omnipresence of God in:- His already being wherever Jonah tried to run (1:3, 10 cf. Ps. 139:7-12)- His hearing Jonah’s prayer even from the belly of the fish in the depths of the sea (2:1-9 cf. Ps. 139:7-12)

How does the Book of Jonah show the Essence of God?

• It shows the Immutability (unchangeableness) of God in:- His never leaving or forsaking His servant (cf. Ps. 139:7-12 & Heb. 13:5, 6, & 8)

• It shows the Veracity of God in:- the name of Jonah’s father, Amittai (truth) – Jesus Christ & His Father are truth (John 14:6, 7) (as is

the Holy Spirit – John 16:12-14)

How does the Book of Jonah show the Essence of God?

The Essence of God

Sovereignty

RighteousnessJustice

Love

Eternal Life

OmnipotenceOmniscienceOmnipresenceImmutabilityVeracity

God The Father

God The Son

God The Holy Spirit

Gary Horton, former Army Ranger and now a youth missionary, composed the following sentence. Each

red letter is the first letter in one of the ten attributes of God:

Stop and Remember Jesus' Love, then Every Obstacle will become an Opportunity for you to drive On In Victory