Jonah 1:1-16 // A Runaway Prophet

Text: Jonah 1:1-16

Introduction: 

Over the next several weeks, what I want us to do is go through the book of Jonah together. 

• In going through this book, I want us to see what God wants from Jonah, and ultimately what God wants from us. Ultimately, God may not want us to board a ship and go to Tarshish, but God has given us the gift of Gospel (the good news of Jesus), and that’s not a gift we can or should keep to ourselves.

  • The Gospel should be the gift that keeps on giving. God gives us life and freedom, and we should want to show others where they can also find life and freedom. 

Generally speaking, I’m sure we all know the story of Jonah.

• God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah decides to disobey God, and go to Tarshish. Jonah climbs on board a ship, a big storm comes, Jonah gets thrown overboard, a big fish swallows Jonah whole. He takes the first air conditioned submarine ride in the digestive tract of a whale, gets vomited up on the shore of Nineveh where proceeds to preach win the …