Introduction to Jonah

Thank you, Abby.

Well, folks, as we dive into those passages,

before we do so, let us pray together.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the wonderful privilege

it is to gather around your word again this evening.

And Lord, I pray that as we do so,

you would soften our hearts, open our ears.

And may the words of my mouth

and the meditations of all of our hearts

be pleasing to you, our rock and our redeemer.

Amen.

Amen.

Have you ever had a movie recommended to you?

You know those movie recommendations.

People give you just enough details of the plot line

and the events that happen that you are invested.

You are hooked.

Your interest is piqued.

And they point out different parts of the movie

that they'll think you will enjoy.

And so you eagerly go down to the cinema

or if you're like me, you find it on Netflix

and you settle in to watch it.

For me recently, it was The Revenant.

Maybe for you, it was Inception or The Matrix.

I'm not endorsing any of those movies.

But for most of us, if not all of us,

have been in that situation, haven't we?

So you've got your popcorn,

you've got your drink of choice,

and you are committed to this movie.

But as it goes on,

you find out that it's actually completely different

from what you're expecting.

You'd been sold a superficial run-through

of a plot line that was actually really, really complex.

And so you leave the cinema confused,

thinking you've wasted your time and your money

and you're trying to connect the dots in your head

of what you've just seen.

You were sold a simple story,

but it turned out to be very complex.

That is the book of Jonah.

See, as we start this series,

maybe you're expecting to hear a lot about a big fish.

Maybe you're expecting us preachers to stand up here

and say, Jonah is a bad man.

Don't be like him.

Or maybe you've got images of children's story Bibles

that make this story seem very, very simple.

Well, the longer I've studied Jonah over the last few months,

the more confusing I found it.

See, on one level, this story is simple

and a child can pick up the book of Jonah

and read it and get something from it.

But when you get into the details of the book,

it really isn't that straightforward.

And that's why tonight we're going to do

an introductory sermon,

thinking about Jonah and his background,

giving a bit of an overview of the book,

and then some of the specific challenges

that it brings us today.

And as we go through this series,

what I want us to do is forget everything we know

about the book of Jonah.

And instead, let the text of God's word inform our minds,

challenge our hearts, and impact our lives.

See, this book will both convict and comfort us

as it presents us with its main message,

which the Lord saves.

So the first thing I want us to consider tonight

is Jonah's background.

Look at Jonah chapter one, verse one.

It says,

The word of the Lord came to Jonah, son of Amittai.

We get a little bit of more information about Jonah

as Abby read to us in 2 Kings chapter 14.

2 Kings 14 · chapter mention

If you turn there in your Bibles,

we'll spend a little bit of time there.

See, this passage introduces us to the prophet Jonah

and helps us see the context and background

that he's coming from.

Now, knowing someone's background

helps us make sense of their present actions, doesn't it?

I'll give you a silly example of this.

Sabina and I have a friend

who makes spaghetti bolognese

in the most bizarre way I've ever seen.

So once the meat is cooked and everything,

they blend it with a soup mixer

into some kind of strange, chunky, smooth sauce.

And now it's perfectly fine

if you have a gag reflex at that

because I know we did when we first heard it.

Now, when I heard that,

I thought it was unbelievably strange.

But when she explained

that that's how her parents had done it,

that's how they taught her

how to cook spaghetti bolognese,

it made sense.

Background is important.

And the same is true for Jonah.

We need to see his background

to understand why he acts the way he does

in this, in the book of Jonah.

So in 2 Kings 14, verse 23,

2 Kings 14:23

we're introduced to the king of Israel.

Read it with me.

In the 15th year of Amaziah, son of Joash,

king of Judah,

Jeroboam, son of Jehoiash, king of Israel,

became king in Samaria,

and he reigned 41 years.

Jeroboam II was the most significant political king

of the northern tribe of Israel.

Now, you've got to remember the history

of the Old Testament here.

After King Solomon died,

the 12 tribes of Israel split,

10 remaining in the north,

which then became known as the country of Israel,

and two in the south, known as Judah.

The southern kingdom included Israel.

They had the temple,

and they were the more faithful of the two,

but by no means perfect.

They were captured and taken into captivity

to Babylon first.

But the northern kingdom,

where Jeroboam was king

and where Jonah was prophet,

that was a whole different story.

As you read the book of Kings,

you'll see time and time again

that repeated phrase,

as it does here in verse 24,

the king did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

Now, Jeroboam II led Israel

in a time of prosperity,

but it was also a rocky time

because of the idolatry

that had taken root in their country

and in the hearts of its people.

See, the tribes of Israel

were told to travel to the temple in Jerusalem

where they were to worship God.

But in a political move,

Jeroboam II set up two golden calves

and shrines,

one in the north and one in the south

of the kingdom of Israel.

Private places of worship

and golden calves,

two things that should send alarm bells ringing

in our minds for the nation of Israel.

And as yeast spreads through bread,

impacting every part of it,

so the yeast of idolatry

has taken a hold of this nation.

It was a religious melting pot of ideas

that stood against everything

God had commanded his people to do.

And that's the context Jonah was in,

a land of prosperity and idolatry.

And yet God was still working

and the expansion of this kingdom

was his doing.

Look at verse 25.

The expansion of the kingdom,

it was done in accordance

with the word of the Lord,

the God of Israel,

spoken through his servant Jonah,

son of Amittai,

the prophet from Gath-Hefer.

It was Jonah who communicated

God's will to this evil king

to lead the northern country of Israel

in their prosperity.

All of it is God's will.

And then in verse 26,

it says,

the Lord had seen how bitterly

everyone in Israel,

whether slave or free,

was suffering.

There was no one to help them

and since the Lord had not said

he would blot out the name of Israel

from under heaven,

he saved them by the hand

of Jeroboam,

son of Jehoiash.

God was the one who put Jeroboam

on the throne.

Prior to his rule,

Israel was suffering.

It was poor.

It was neglected.

So God delivered them

by giving them this king.

And this teaches us

that God can be at work

and ultimately use things,

people,

and nations

that are evil

for his own good purposes

and to fulfill

his own good plan.

We may not understand that.

We certainly probably all

have questions

about how that works

as we think of examples

in our minds.

But that's the reality

of what this passage teaches us.

God can use

all things,

even evil things,

for his good.

God is compassionate

to the rebellious

people of Israel.

So whilst we may not

understand it fully,

it is a wonderful thing

because it is that same

compassion of God

that results in sinners

like you and like me

having the opportunity

to hear the gospel

and to be made right

with God.

So Jonah was a prophet

to Jeroboam II.

And in verse 25,

he's mentioned

a little bit like

a prophet of the court,

a prophet of God

who would advise

the king

or the government

on matters

and be a voice of reason.

So Jonah lived

a very comfortable life.

He had a place

of power

and honor

in the courtroom

of an evil king.

But he wasn't

the only prophet

active at this time.

Amos and Hosea

were active

at the same time.

And if you read

their books

in the Old Testament,

which I'd encourage you

to do,

you'll see that

they spoke very,

very bluntly

against the idolatry

going on

in the northern kingdom

of Israel.

But not Jonah.

So we have no indication

that he spoke

against idolatry.

And what we do know

of him

from the book of Jonah

doesn't really fill us

with confidence,

does it?

A prophet of God

who might not be

promoting idolatry,

but he is idly

standing by

and he is present

when it's happening.

He doesn't seem

to be calling it

to stop.

Could it be

that the comfort

Jonah enjoyed

in Israel

under Jeroboam II

has led

to spiritual

lukewarmness?

Look at the places

in the world

where there is largely

peace and prosperity.

They are generally

the places

that are also

spiritually lukewarm.

And those places

in the world

where the church

is growing

and thriving

are often

the places

where peace

and plenty

are not the norm.

So the reality

of our human hearts

is that when we

get comfortable

in life,

when things

are going well

for us,

we assume

that we have

the Lord's favour.

Jeroboam

and Israel

show us

that that isn't

always true.

They had peace

and plenty

and yet they were

still seen

as evil

in God's sight.

Now there are

two challenges

for us today

as we think

about Jonah's

background.

The first

is that a nation

can be prosperous.

It can be

a place

of peace

and plenty

and still

be evil

in the Lord's eyes.

Think

of our home.

In times

when our nation

is prospering

which it has

been doing

for a very

long time,

we might

be tempted

to be proud

and think

that we're

blessed by God.

We must be

doing something

right or

we must be

something special.

We do that

on a national

level but we

do it

in our

individual

lives too,

don't we?

We speak

a lot about

idolatry in our

own hearts,

things that we

worship,

the bigger

bank balance,

the bigger

house,

the faster

car,

the newest

phone.

We always

want more

and we

never seem

to have

enough.

We're so

focused on

the temporary

things of

this life

that we

forget about

the important

and eternal

things that

really matter.

See,

in comfort

it's easy

to neglect

our spiritual

welfare.

Maybe you

think you're

fine because

you're living

in a lovely

city,

because you're

going to

church every

Sunday,

you're doing

and saying

all the

right things

in front

of people,

you have

the outward

appearance

that everything

is fine,

but inside

you're spiritually

anemic.

Could we

be doing

our normal

routine and

still be

called evil

in the

Lord's

sight?

Now we

must understand

that a

Christian is

secure in

Christ because

it is God

who saves.

Not our

morality,

not our

religiosity.

Jesus and

his sacrifice

are the only

way that a

person can

be saved

and that

salvation is

secure in

him.

But we

must challenge

ourselves and

ask if we're

just going

through the

motions or

are we truly

following Christ?

So the

book of Jonah

should act as

a warning not

to become

comfortable and

reject faithful

devotion to

God.

But the

second challenge

that it

brings to

us is we

need to ask

ourselves if

we are like

Jonah.

If we're

blending in.

If we're

being so

influenced,

if we're being

influenced more

by our

surroundings than

we are by what

God has revealed

to us in his

word.

Whose agenda

are we

following?

have we

become so

comfortable in

this world that

we no longer

stand out?

We blend in

so much that

people don't

even know we're

Christians.

Do your

community,

your family,

our friends,

our work

colleagues notice

a difference in

the way that we

live, the way

that we talk,

the way that we

think and the

way we approach

people?

Do they see

a fundamental

difference that

we are living

for something,

for someone

else?

So our lives

as Christians

shouldn't be,

should be

counter-cultural,

not cultural

conformists.

That's Jonah's

background.

He was a

prophet in a

rebellious nation

under a

rebellious king

who lived a

life of peace,

plenty,

and promise.

dominants.

The second

thing I want

us to think

about this

evening is

Jonah's book.

Now turn back

with me to the

book of Jonah.

And the big

question we need

to ask when we

come to any

book of the

Bible is,

who was it

written by,

and who was

it written for?

Now we aren't

told who wrote

it, but there

are details in

this book that

only Jonah

himself would

know.

So personally,

I think this

book was written

by Jonah after

the events,

after everything

had taken

place.

So Jonah was

written to the

Israelites, the

people that we

were just

thinking about in

Jonah's background.

Let me tell you

why I think

this.

As you go

through the

book, you'll

see that Jonah

has certain

ideas about who

and where,

to who,

sorry, and

where God's

love and mercy

should be shown.

And the

whole point of

this book is

to help the

readers see that

God's love,

God's compassion

is not limited to

a certain people

in a certain

place, but it

extends far,

far wider than

we can even

begin to

imagine.

So if you're

looking for a

statement that

summarizes Jonah

and this sermon

series, it is

that the Lord

saves.

Let's dive into

the specifics of

the book itself.

See, Jonah's

one of those

books that most

people who've

spent any time

in church at

all will have

heard it.

Children's

Bible story

books will

normally have a

story about it,

but do we

really understand

what this book

teaches?

For example,

most of you,

when you think

about the book

of Jonah,

will think,

and hopefully

you can engage

with me a little

bit and join in

and finish this

sentence for me,

Jonah and the

whale.

Jonah or the

big fish.

That's immediately

what we think

about, isn't

it?

Well, Jonah has

four chapters.

It is made up

of 48 verses,

and guess how

many of those

are dedicated

to the fish?

Two.

Jonah 1.17.

Now the Lord

provided a huge

fish to swallow

Jonah, and Jonah

was in the belly

of the fish three

days and three

nights.

And then in

chapters 2,

verse 10,

and the Lord

commanded the

fish and it

vomited Jonah

onto dry ground.

One mentioned

when Jonah was

swallowed and the

next when he was

spat out on the

sea, on the

beach.

See, I don't

think, I don't

know, I don't

think we know

this book as well

as we think we

do.

Because we

associate it with

an event that's

actually only

mentioned twice,

or referenced

twice, and in

passing at that.

So what I want

us to do is

forget everything

we know about

Jonah and

have the Bible

inform our

understanding of

it.

See, the book

can be summarized

like this.

God tells Jonah

to go to a

scary people,

the Ninevites.

Jonah runs the

opposite way.

Prophet goes to

the sea, he's

eaten by a

fish.

Jonah repents

in that fish

and is puked up

on the beach.

Jonah goes to

the bad people

of Nineveh.

They repent.

Jonah is

angry.

And so

usually the

application that

people come to

when they read

Jonah is, Jonah

is a bad

racist man.

Do not be

like Jonah.

But that

doesn't quite

fit.

Because in the

New Testament,

in Luke 11,

Jesus compares

himself to

Jonah.

So surely

we can't say

that Jonah is

bad and we

shouldn't be

like him.

This book

does raise a

lot of

questions that

we'll get

to over the

next four

weeks.

Questions like

why is

Jonah so

angry, both

of the

Ninevites and

at God?

Why exactly

didn't he want

to go to the

Ninevites?

What are his

motives behind

all of this?

Why does this

book end the

way it does?

See, Jonah

isn't like any

other prophetic

book in the

Old Testament.

Most other

books focus on

the message of

the prophet.

They're basically

full of speeches

that God has

commissioned

prophets to go

and communicate

to people, to

call them to

repent and

turn to God.

But Jonah

isn't really

about his

message, but

it's about his

journey.

Jonah's actual

message is in

chapter 3, verse 4,

where it says

this, 40

more days and

Nineveh will

be overthrown.

The shortest

sermon you've

ever heard in

your life.

A message that

is actually only

five words in

the Hebrew

language.

See, Jonah's

a bit like a

Hollywood thriller

movie.

You know those

movies, they're

full of ups and

downs, plot

twists and turns.

One minute you

think the main

character will do

one thing, but

then you're left

absolutely confused

as it twists and

they do something

completely different.

That's Jonah.

He is a classic

example of Hebrew

literature, which

Archie will touch

on next week.

There are intricate

structure, parallels,

humour, irony, all

put together in a

masterpiece to help

us see the truth

that the Lord

saves.

But why did

Israel get this

book?

Well, my personal

opinion is that

Jonah wrote this

after the events

took place because

he got home to

the nation of

Israel and he

saw the danger

of their view of

God.

He saw how their

understanding of

God's love and

mercy was restricted

to them as a

people.

And so in

humility, Jonah

penned this book

using himself as

an example of

that change that

needed to happen

in the hearts of

Israel.

See, it's as if

Jonah got back to

the land of

Israel after all

of this had

happened, saw

those attitudes

that he saw in

himself and he

says, everyone

come in, story

time.

Let me tell you

about a time in

my life that you

need to hear as

well.

See, this book

focuses on God's

control over all

creation, people and

planet alike and it

is God's decision

salvation who he

showers his love

and mercy on because

it is the Lord who

saves.

That's what this

book will teach us.

But the third and

final thing I want us

to think about this

evening is Jonah's

challenge.

And by that I mean

what this book means

for us today.

So it presents us

with that wonderful

truth that the Lord

saves.

And the impact of

that message has

consequences on how

we view ourselves

as Christians and

how we view and

act towards non

Christians around

us.

See, as Christians

we understand the

gospel.

We know the

life-saving message

of Jesus' death and

resurrection which is

wonderful but it

can also produce

pride in us.

See, it can lead to

what I call Christian

snobbery.

The idea that

because of our faith

we're somehow

better than everyone

else out there

can lead to

Christians looking

down on others

instead of showing

them love and

being witnesses to

them like we were

called to do.

This book also

views, so challenges

the way we view

other people.

Now Jonah did

express a sense of

toxic nationalism and

racism towards the

Ninevites.

As an outsider

looking in on the

city of Nineveh,

Jonah saw a

ruthless people,

brutal in their

attacks and who

would stop at

nothing to expand

their borders.

Historical paintings

and artifacts

highlight the

brutality of this

kingdom that was,

would become the

biggest power at

the time.

and who would

eventually attack

and conquer the

northern kingdom

of Israel.

See, it's as if

when Jonah heard

God tell him,

go and preach to

Nineveh, he said,

the Ninevites?

Why would I

preach to the

Ninevites?

They don't deserve

a relationship with

God.

They only deserve

punishment for their

sins and their

stupidity.

they don't deserve

forgiveness.

Now, maybe we

don't use those

words, but that

sentiment is alive

today.

Because like Jonah,

in our time of

peace and plenty,

we have forgotten

the urgency and

the necessity to

share the good

news of Jesus

Christ with all

people as we've

been thinking in

the book of Acts

in the morning

service.

See, we're

tempted to look

at others and

their conduct and

think that we are

superior to them

and they don't

deserve the gospel.

We might see a

non-Christian living

out a party

lifestyle and

feeling the

effects of that

on their body,

on their mental

health, on their

finances, and we

might think they're

being stupid.

What we should

actually be doing

is coming alongside

that person because

they're hurting.

standing on the

sidelines in

judgment whilst

people are hurting

is never something

we should do.

And it is not

something the Bible

tells us to do

either.

The problem was

that Jonah looked

at other people and

all he saw was

enemies instead of

viewing them as

people in need of

God's salvation.

See, Jonah looked

at Nineveh and saw

people deserving of

judgment.

Jesus looked at

people and saw

he saw all the

chaotic worlds that

we live in.

He saw the mess of

their lives.

He saw rebellion and

sin.

And what did he say?

Matthew 9 verse 36

Matthew 9:36

says, when he,

Jesus, saw the

crowds, he had

compassion on them

because they were

harassed and helpless

like sheep without a

shepherd.

So as you look out of

the people on this

world, they are not

enemies.

They are human beings

made in the image of

God who need to be

told the life-changing

message of Jesus.

And we need to

remember that it is the

Lord who saves.

No amount of

religiosity, no amount

of moral living will

ever be enough.

Nobody is saved

outside the saving

work of God through

his son, Jesus Christ.

And the turning

point to an extent

for Jonah was when

he was in the belly

of the fish.

God worked out his

sovereign plan by

sending his man into

the depths for three

days and three nights.

How does that change

come about in our

hearts?

Well, through the

greater servant, the

ultimate servant of

God, Jesus, the

suffering servant who

was nailed to a

cross, murdered the

though innocent,

placed in a borrowed

tomb for three days

and yet who rose

victorious, defeating

sin, defeating death

and bringing forgiveness

to all who would

call on his name.

That is the change

of heart that we need

in order to view this

world not as enemies

but to have compassion

on them because they

are harassed and

helpless like sheep

without a shepherd.

God's love for you.

God's love for you.

God's love for you.

This book, Jonah,

challenges us and

challenges our view of

God, our view of

others and our view of

ourselves.

The message that it

leaves ringing in our

ears is the Lord

saves.

The book of Jonah

ends with a question

and is deliberately

being written like that

so that the reader can

ask themselves that same

question.

At the end of Jonah

in chapter 4, God

simply asks Jonah and

I'm paraphrasing but he

basically says, and we

need this question today

too, isn't it right,

God says, for me to

show love and mercy to

all people, not only

those that you think

deserve it?

So you think back to

that movie recommendation

from a friend.

That turns out to be

much more complex than

they said it would be.

Jonah is like that.

On the surface, it is

simple but it presents

us with a lot of hard

questions.

The book of Jonah isn't

a kid's story that we

can easily skip over

because it's short and

simple but it is part of

God's word and it will

challenge our minds, it

will stretch our

imagination of who God

is and how he

approaches people and it

will encourage us to see

that his limitless love

and mercy extends way

beyond we can even

imagine to people who

are harassed like sheep

without a shepherd.

Let's pray together.

Heavenly Father, we thank you

for your word.

We thank you for the

wonderful news that you

alone are the one who

saves.

Father, forgive us for the

times where we have looked

down on others, where we

have thought that we are

superior because of our

faith in you.

Lord, help us remember

that we are solely saved

by your grace and that

nobody is deserving of

salvation.

But also, Lord, we ask

that you would be with

those who maybe think

that they are beyond

salvation, that they've

done too much, that they've

gone too far.

As we journey through the

book of Jonah, would the

truth ring in their minds

that there is no one who

can out-sin God's grace?

Father, would you lift our

eyes to Jesus?

And would we be better

disciples of him as we

wrestle with the book of

Jonah?

We ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.