THE STORY OF JONAH
More than a story about a runaway prophet or tale about a whale, Jonah lets us in on the heart and the mission of God. Through this series we will discover that we are both on God’s mission and ARE God’s mission.
Crawford Loritts says, “On our way to accomplishing something, God is making us someone.” That is the heart of the book of Jonah. God sends Jonah on a mission while shaping the heart of Jonah at the same time.
If you have ever read Jonah, you know the interesting nature of the story line. I have read Jonah, taught Jonah, and wondered if I was like Jonah. I believe there is something our young church needs to hear through this short book.
We will spend eight weeks walking through this narrative. Here is a touch of what I hope God does in our hearts.
- Breaks up hard hearts bent on running.
- Reminds us of His faithfulness.
- Points us to Jesus, the one greater than Jonah.
- Draws our hearts to the tomb of Jesus, by way of Jonah in the great fish.
- Moves us to a place of compassion for people far from God.
- Brings revival to our place in our time.
I mentioned Jesus twice in the bullet list. This is for good reason. More than anything, I want this book to point to Jesus. There is a gospel-centeredness to Jonah, and I want us to find it along the way.
Jesus identifies with Jonah (Matthew 12:40), but he is also the one greater than Jonah. (Matthew 12:41) Jesus should shine through this book as we compare and contrast.
What does this mean for you through the week on days like Thursday or Monday? It means Jesus has compassion for runaways. Jesus willingly entered the depths of darkness to rescue us so we can have a new life. God sent Jesus on a mission to seek and save the lost. There is curial message of repentance and faith in Jesus through this story. Unlike Jonah through, most in his generation rejected him.
One final thought. Stephen Witmor wrote, “Why does this comparison between Jonah and Jesus matter? It matters because it points us to our perfect Savior, a Savior who willingly died for our sins (rather than his own) and was then raised from the dead by God into unimaginable and eternal splendor. He was rejected by many of his own generation, but will be praised forever by his people. This is the gospel according to Jonah.”
Crawford Loritts says, “On our way to accomplishing something, God is making us someone.” That is the heart of the book of Jonah. God sends Jonah on a mission while shaping the heart of Jonah at the same time.
If you have ever read Jonah, you know the interesting nature of the story line. I have read Jonah, taught Jonah, and wondered if I was like Jonah. I believe there is something our young church needs to hear through this short book.
We will spend eight weeks walking through this narrative. Here is a touch of what I hope God does in our hearts.
- Breaks up hard hearts bent on running.
- Reminds us of His faithfulness.
- Points us to Jesus, the one greater than Jonah.
- Draws our hearts to the tomb of Jesus, by way of Jonah in the great fish.
- Moves us to a place of compassion for people far from God.
- Brings revival to our place in our time.
I mentioned Jesus twice in the bullet list. This is for good reason. More than anything, I want this book to point to Jesus. There is a gospel-centeredness to Jonah, and I want us to find it along the way.
Jesus identifies with Jonah (Matthew 12:40), but he is also the one greater than Jonah. (Matthew 12:41) Jesus should shine through this book as we compare and contrast.
What does this mean for you through the week on days like Thursday or Monday? It means Jesus has compassion for runaways. Jesus willingly entered the depths of darkness to rescue us so we can have a new life. God sent Jesus on a mission to seek and save the lost. There is curial message of repentance and faith in Jesus through this story. Unlike Jonah through, most in his generation rejected him.
One final thought. Stephen Witmor wrote, “Why does this comparison between Jonah and Jesus matter? It matters because it points us to our perfect Savior, a Savior who willingly died for our sins (rather than his own) and was then raised from the dead by God into unimaginable and eternal splendor. He was rejected by many of his own generation, but will be praised forever by his people. This is the gospel according to Jonah.”
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