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)


• 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)


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


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

• And it wasn’t like this!

•It was more like this!


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)


• 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)


• 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)


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

Documents

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