#3
(The “Great Escapes” Series)
"ESCAPE FROM RESPONSIBILITY!"
TEXT: Jonah
1:1-4:11; Lk.
19:41
INTRO: One of the
great images of childhood is the city fire department. Passing by the local fire station can be
very impressive, beautiful red shiny engines sit in a housed setting. Men in handsome uniforms are busy shining
and testing the equipment. The
setting can be very impressive until you realize what it is all about. Like one child who asked their father
after passing the station frequently, "Why do all those firemen stay at that
station and all day polish and look at their engines?" The father explained that they were
passing the time while waiting for a fire call ... and it was important to
always keep the equipment in good condition. While this works well for fire stations
it is not a good model for the church and Christians!
Too
often churches and Christians take this approach to ministry and evangelism ...
we have our impressive shelter or buildings and we keep polished the various
ministries we offer, we even keep ourselves theologically tuned-up. We apply new coats of worship to cover
the rust while we wait for sinners to call in because they finally realize the
fire of hell is raging in their lives!
The problem with this approach is that the world is already ablaze with
sin, the call came in 2,000 years ago by Jesus for the world of sinners, and the
question is: "Have we responded like the destructive fires are real?" Or, are we trying to escape the
responsibility to reach the lost with other excuses: "I'm not good at talking to
others"..."it's not my gift"... my job is to keep the 'fire engines' shiny ...
not put out fires!" etc.
PROP.
SENT:
The great commission of Jesus
to win the lost went out to ALL believers, not some; it is every Christian's
responsibility to be reaching the lost for Christ especially realizing the
finality of eternity and the uncertainty of life now!
I. THE SIN OF JONAH! 1:1-3:10
A. Callous!
1:1-17
1. Jonah was enjoying a fine ministry,
he actually was quite popular until this fish story
happened!
a. In 2
Kings
b. He is no stranger to ministry; he
is a P.K. (Prophet's Kid)
c. He enjoyed some good times of
ministry and much respect from his own people.
2. With this, he also enjoyed the
status of being part of the "chosen people of
God."
a. He enjoyed a special place in God's
economy, being Jewish, a son of Abraham and the covenant of
God.
b.
3. So, when God asks Jonah to go to a
major Gentile city that belonged to Israel's enemies and offer them salvation he
is beside himself with questions like:
a. "God, how can
you love these wicked people?"
b. "God, don't you
know that those Ninevites hate us and mock us ... why do good to
them?"
c. "Lord, if you
spare them they will one day destroy us, your own
people!"
d. "How will my
brethren feel if I go and you bless them -- our
enemies!?"
4. The bottom line was that Jonah was
very hard hearted about the notion of saving those miserable
Gentiles!
a. He was full of prejudice and
concerned about his own reputation and popularity!
b. He may had thought, "They can’t hurt
us later if they no longer exist, so why try and save them
now."
c. He knew God was gracious and
willing to forgive ... he didn't want to see them saved! While preaching salvation and believing
it he didn't really want to offer it to outsiders!
5. It is NOT enough to pray for the
lost or even to preach to the lost, we must seek out the
lost!
ILLUS: Jackie
Robinson was the first black to play major league baseball. When he entered he was treated very
poorly by everyone ... he faced jeering crowds in every stadium. One day while playing in his own home
stadium in Brooklyn he committed an error, even his few fans began to ridicule
and jeer him along with the rest of the prejudiced crowd and players. He stood at second base, humiliated as
the fans continue to jeer; then shortstop "Pee Wee" Reese came over and stood
next to him, put his arm around Jackie and the crowd became quiet! Robinson later recounted, "That arm
around my shoulder saved my career."
– Source Unknown
6. When we no longer feel the pain of
those who are lost in sin we are in danger of having a callous
spirit!
a. If our concerns center only on our
own salvation and comfort we have become callous.
b. If we are only concerned with "polishing" the fire engine (church
buildings) and "tuning up" our
theology (debating theological issues among ourselves) we are
callous.
c. If we are spending all our time and
energy “maintaining the fire station”
instead of going out fighting ... we are hardened!
B. Comfortable?
2:1-3:10
1. Jonah and the Israelites were
comfortable, their borders were expanding and
2. They enjoyed a fair standard of
living, things were pretty good.
3. Why rock the boat with other
nations, especially Gentiles!
4. Why waste time and money on these
traditionally unsaved pagans anyway!
5. Besides, if they stay unsaved God
would destroy them and then they wouldn't have to worry about their bothering
them or becoming more important than they were!
ILLUS: It
would be the same for us if we saw God bring a great revival throughout the
former Soviet Union today while America continues its spiritual decline and
favor with God ... knowing that should that happen one day in the not too
distant future we would collapse and they would lead the world! If we knew this would we send
missionaries and money to them -- or ignore them and rejoice over their
fall?
– Source Unknown
6. Jonah may have been concerned with
how his fellow Jews were going to feel if he went to save the Ninevites ...
certainly his popularity as a prophet might drop and so would his comfort
level!
a. Are we afraid to speak out for
Christ for fear of things getting uncomfortable with neighbors and friends, or
coworkers?
b. Jonah was willing to go to extreme
ends to avoid being uncomfortable, even to being very uncomfortable or
death! This is real stubbornness
and prejudice!
7. This is Jonah's sin, the failure to
love the lost enough to go to them and seek their salvation, it is not enough to
pray for it and hope for it. God
send us!
ILLUS: While
we disagree with the theology and to some extent the methods of the Jehovah
Witnesses, their motivation to reach people is exemplary! Each witness must spend 10 hours a month
pounding the pavement in their own hometown, in addition to 5 hours a week in
group studies besides their personal studies. One of their leaders said this,
"Our whole lifestyle revolves around our obligation to follow the command of
Jesus." Does this make you feel uncomfortable like Jonah?
– Source Unknown
II. THE SALVATION OF
JESUS! (Selected
passages - Jonah) Luke
19:41
A. Compassion 4:11; Lk. 19:41
1. The heart of God toward the lost is
revealed in the last line of the book of Jonah: "Should I not be
concerned about that great city?"
a. Jonah certainly wasn't interested
in these people; he looked at this city and hoped for their
destruction!
b. Jesus however in Luke
2. We must not take delight in the
lostness of any soul ... no matter how much we think they may deserve
it!
a. IT IS NOT CHRISTIAN to rejoice over
any homosexual who dies of AIDS!
b. IT IS NOT CHRISTIAN to only think
of our own needs!
c. IT IS NOT CHRISTIAN to let other
people reach out to the lost while we sit back and
relax!
d. IT IS NOT CHRISTIAN to withhold the
truth about sin and the desire of God to save the
sinner!
3. We must see the "enemy" from God's
perspective and from the light of eternity!
ILLUS: A
company commander in Vietnam by the name of Paul Stanley saw Viet Cong soldiers
surrender many times. Each time he
witnessed their demeanor, some hung their heads in shame for having been
captured, but others were defiant. One day he came upon his men surrounding
one Viet Cong soldier who was wounded, as he came closer this wounded man was
lying on the ground kicking dirt at him and his men and throwing mud at them ...
even trying to kick them with his one good leg, the other had been shot threw.
Slowly he recounts how he suddenly
saw the 16 year old enemy as just another confused boy, scared and trapped.
The boy was bleeding to death but
wouldn't let them near him ... some Americans would have said, “Well let him die
then ... he is our enemy anyways.”
But he took off his weapons and grenades and slowly bent down toward the
boy with his arms outstretched. The
boy at first stared fearfully, but seeing he was disarmed allowed him to come to
him and slowly pick him up to carry him to an awaiting helicopter. As he was being carried the Viet Cong
boy began to cry and grasped hold of him tightly ... and as the helicopter took
off he held tighter and stared at me, I smiled to reassure him. After landing as he was walking with the
boy toward a medical tent he felt the boy's tenseness leave and the grip relax,
now softened, he leaned his head against my chest and no longer resisted ... now
he had surrendered more than just his body, loving him had won
him!
– Source Unknown
4. This is the picture of Jesus Christ
toward the lost, “seeking to save that which is lost” ... the
church can do no less if we are his body!
B. Committed
1:17; 2:9-10; 4:6-8
1. God was committed to trying to save
Nineveh and all sinners!
a. Even Jonah wasn't going to
frustrate God's attempts at salvation!
b. Each time Jonah tried to foil the
plan GOD PREPARED A RESPONSE to get things back on
track!
c. If we ignore the responsibility to
reach the lost God will throw roadblocks in our way too ... and sometimes they
can be painful and time consuming!
(1. The churches that won't reach out will
shrivel up!
(2. The Christian that won't witness will
lose the vitality of his or her faith.
(3. Those who make evangelism or missions a
low priority will have storms and frustrating "whales of tales" to tell
others!
2. God would not let Jonah "off the hook" (pardon the fish
analogy!)
a. “God provided a
great fish to swallow Jonah!”
b. “God provided a
vine...”
4:6
c. “God provided a
worm...” 4:7
d. “God provided a
scorching east wind...” 4:8
3. Jonah only brought misery to
himself and others and continued a superiority attitude by trying to avoid
responsibility to reach the lost souls of
a. He was going against God ... not a
good thing to do!
b. His self-sacrificing sounding
appeal to have himself thrown overboard to save the lives of the sailors was to
avoid the possibility of still being used by God to reach
4. God is committed to saving the
lost, so should we be!
ILLUS: The
Spanish explorer Cortez understood this kind of commitment. When he landed at Vera Cruz in 1519 to
begin his conquest of Mexico with a force of 700 men legend says he purposely
set fire to his fleet of 11 ships while his men were on shore so they would
understand the absolute nature of their mission ... no retreat! Christianity grows best with this kind
of commitment!
– Source Unknown
III. THE STUBBORNNESS OF JEALOUSY 4:1-11
A. Complaining 4:1-3
1. There was nothing wrong with
Jonah's theology about God, this is clearly stated by him in this
section!
a. “…I knew that you
are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God
who relents from sending calamity.” 4:2b
b. Jonah knew what the sailors and
King of
c. Jonah knew already before he left
that God would save them happily if they repented. He really didn't want that to happen,
although his life was spent trying to get Israel to repent and follow the
Lord!
2. Jonah is not happy about this new
work northeast of Israel!
a. "What about us Lord?"… was in his
heart!
b. "Lord don't you
know what these people might do someday to
us?"
c. Jonah just can't understand God's
ways or His love ... "What is wrong with you Lord?" was his
attitude!
3. His complaint indicates perhaps a
measure of depression...
a. He tells God he would rather die
than live to see all the Gentiles serve Him!
b. Perhaps his depression is evident
also by the fact that he could sleep soundly in the boat during such a crazy
storm, depressed people tend to be tired a lot!
c. He couldn't understand a God who
reached out to Gentiles when so many in
4. God moves where people respond,
Israel wasn't responding much ... Nineveh was ready in great
numbers:
a.
b. Famine had hit the
land.
c. A full solar eclipse occurred,
perhaps at the time Jonah arrived in town, giving a great sense of fear to the
people of divine significance at that time.
d. The Assyrian nation was in a state
of decline, violence was a trademark of the times. 3:8
5. They were ripe for repentance ...
6. Jonah's complaining attitude was
unacceptable to God!
ILLUS: Jonah
was like the man who had been granted a wish by an angel one night. He hated the man across the street so
much. The conditions of granting
his wish however had him stuck ... whatever he wished for the angel had said the
man across the street would get double!
Instead of asking for a blessing the man instead chose the following as
his wish: "make me blind in one eye!" ... what an attitude!
– Source Unknown
B. Clarification! 4:4-9
1. In spite of this very "unChristian
like" attitude, God loves Jonah and so makes great attempts to clarify His love
for the Gentiles!
a. Jonah however goes out of town to
sulk and hopes that perhaps
b. His message had been: "IN 40 DAYS
c. In a sense Jonah was right, almost,
they did TURN-AROUND!
2. Jonah was “very angry” ... ironically the Hebrew
word used here is also translated in places "TO BE
HOT."
a. This is exactly what God sends
Jonah, HOT temperatures without protection; perhaps to show him how
unproductive anger can be when it is misplaced!
b. But to show Jonah His mercy He
sends a plant (probably a rapidly growing
vine) that shelters him from the heat - perhaps a message that God could
help soothe his hot anger if Jonah would let Him!
c. When Jonah's anger doesn't subside
God sends a worm to destroy the plant and then a real scorching east wind to
really make him miserable! God was
perhaps trying to show Jonah how miserable ungodly anger can
be!
3. Again, Jonah misses the message ...
and again says he wishes he could die instead!
4. God attempts to clarify the message
by asking Jonah: "Do you have a
right to be angry about the vine?"
a. God's point was simple: "You don't care
about 120,000 sinners who are going to perish if they don't hear the Word of God
about salvation, but you can care more about a stupid vine that shelters you
temporarily!"
b. Jonah was troubled by a God who
desired good toward evil men and yet allowed godly people to suffer! Jonah is confused and figures a God who
doesn't act in accordance to his wisdom must not be worth living for ... so he
wants to die!
5. The message however of the vine and
worm is important: God has the power to
a. Deliver!
b. Or
destroy!
c. The difference is the heart
attitude of the man or woman, not human justice!
6. God's point: "Jonah, you're
the one who is inconsistent."
a. "You rejoiced
over a stupid vine that gave you temporary comfort" 4:6
b. Yet Jonah was angry over 120,000
human lives that were saved from eternal destruction ... what kind of logic was
that!?
c. God did not hold the Ninevites as
accountable as the Israelites for they did not have God's law, the meaning of
the passage in
d. Even if Jonah didn't care about
that many humans, God mentions His compassion for even the cattle!
C. Cleansing
4:10-11
1. Nineveh was spared -- for now! Its repentance seems genuine so judgment
is withheld!
2. If only Jonah had his eyes on the
right thing, all he saw was his own loss and the uncomfortable position of going
home and telling his brethren that God loves their enemies, enemies who one day
will destroy the nation of Israel!
3. Jonah wasn't looking straight and
so his actions and attitudes weren't right either!
ILLUS: A
farmer wanted to teach his son how to plow a straight furrow. After hitching up the horse and plow he
told the boy to keep an eye fixed on something in the distance while plowing and
his rows would be arrow straight. The boy started plowing and the man went
back to his chores. Returning hours
later he was upset to see lines that zigzagged everywhere! The boy had followed instructions ...
but the object he fixed his gaze on was a roving cow some distance away! He should have set his gaze on a rock,
not a wanderer! When we get our
eyes on something other than Jesus Christ our Rock our paths don't go
straight!
– Source Unknown
4. Jonah needed God's perspective in
4:10-11 ... he should be rejoicing over a God
who IS that forgiving, that seeks the lost, that desires life instead of
death!
a. Jonah himself was on the receiving
end of this same loving God, look how God still loved him in spite of his
prejudice and hate for Gentiles!
b. This same loving God was willing to
love and forgive him just as freely!
c. God put up with a lot of garbage
from Jonah ... a good thing God was who He is and not the God Jonah would have
liked to make Him!
5. Jonah's attempt to escape from
responsibility only hurt himself, no one else! Any attempts we make to escape our
responsibility to love and seek the lost will only hurt us, we will lose in many
ways:
a. We will miss out on God's
miraculous nature.
b. We will become selfish and
bitter.
c. We will become jealous of those who
do God's will and the blessings God showers on them.
d. We will become resentful and
withdrawn.
CONCLUSION:
We are under divine responsibility to love sinners and to seek their
salvation! To fail to love the lost
and seek their redemption is to attempt to run away from God and that
responsibility! Ultimately we can't
run from God ... why not cooperate and see the great
results!