The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amitti:
“Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it,
because its wickedness has come up before me.”
Jonah 1:1-2 New International Version (NIV)
“Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon
and stay there. I have directed a widow there
to supply you with food.”
I Kings 17:9 (NIV)
The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amitti:
“Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it,
because its wickedness has come up before me.”
Jonah 1:1-2 New International Version (NIV)
But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.
He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound
for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed
for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
Jonah 1:3 (NIV)
Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such
a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.
All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god.
And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.
But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down
and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said,
“How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god!
Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish!”
Jonah 1:4-6 (NIV)
Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots
to find out who is responsible for this calamity.”
They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.
Jonah 1:7 (NIV)
He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord,
the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?”
(They knew he was running away from the Lord,
because he had already told them so.)
Jonah1:9-10 (NIV)
Instead, the men did their best to row back to land.
But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before.
Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die
for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing
an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.”
Then they took Jonah and thew him overboard, and the raging sea
grew calm. At this the men greatly heard the Lord, and they
offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.
Jonah 13-16 (NIV)
“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing
in heaven over one sinner who repents than over
ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
Luke 15:7 (NIV)
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free,
nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:23 (NIV)
A story about second chances!
A story about a BIG God!
Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah,
and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 1:17 (NIV)
What mission has God given you that you are running from?
God’s mission for your life is possible!