Jonah The Reluctant Messenger of God

GOD CALLED US TO ENGAGE WITH PEOPLE The Lord gave this message to Jonah Get up and Go to the great city of Nineveh To deliver a message Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”  (Jonah 3:4)  

The Sinners in the hands of an angry God - by Jonathan Edwards Enfield Connecticut 08 Jul 1741

The Urgency of the Gospel The harvest is ready now.  You have a saying, ‘Four more months till harvest.’ But I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields ready for harvest now. – John 4:35 (NCV)  For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you.     On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation 2 Corinthians 6:2  (NLT) And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, Hebrews 9:27  (NLT)

ROMANS 10:13-14 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?   v.17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

GOD WANTS US TO LIVE THE CALL Be obedient messenger of God Get away with the Lord Escape from the Lord I can never escape from your Spirit!     I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there;     if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning,     if I dwell by the farthest oceans,  even there your hand will guide me,     and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me     and the light around me to become night—   but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day.     Darkness and light are the same to you. Psalm 139: 7-12

Disobedience brings suffering to other people But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. 5  Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. Then they cried out to the Lord, Jonah’s God. “O Lord,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And God’s grace shows mercy and people believed and served Him