2022.10.23 - Life On The Run

Life on the Run | Text: Jonah 1:1-3 Opening Statement: Rather than heading toward Nineveh in obedience to God’s word and will you’re headed to your Tarshish in disobedience to God’s word and will! Which direction are you headed? Nineveh or Tarshish? Obedience or disobedience? That’s what chapter 1 is all about! We find this prophet like some of you running in the wrong direction. Let’s see what Jonah’s story meant then, what it means today and what it means for us personally. I) Jonah Gets a Word from the Lord (1:1-2) A) Jonah Received a Personal Word. Now remember Jonah was a real man who lived in a real place and like today God called him to a task. God had a personal word to say to His servant. You need to know that God still speaks a personal word to us! How? He speaks to us through the Scriptures! He speaks to us through His Spirit! He speaks to us through His Saints! B) Jonah Received a Pointed Word. Verse 2, Do you sense the urgency in those words? “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city” Just the mention of their name brought out the passions of the Israelites. And how they longed to see God wipe them off the map! In fact, I think the main reason Jonah ran was that he knew that if they heard the gospel that they would repent, and that God would forgive them. And rather than forgive them he wanted God to destroy them 4.2! C) Jonah Received a Purposeful Word. And now God instructs His prophet to go THERE to the wicked and godless city of Nineveh to preach the gospel! It was the last place on earth Jonah wanted to go! Verse 2, “cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” II) Jonah Gets Away from the Lord (1:3) And don’t think that Jonah was simply running from the will of God, he was running from the presence of God. Now as he tries to run from the presence of God, I want you to notice with me a few things you need to know especially for you who are running from God today! A) Consider the Direction of His Steps. (3) What direction were his steps as he began running from God? D O