Preaching about the book of jonah

Regardless of which path we chooseobedience or rebellion god is the god of second chances. Bible, chiasms, ernst wendland, hermeneutics, jonah, reading. Most literature proceeds on the assumption that the author. Prepare your messages on gods word in jonah with sermon outlines or an entire sermon series. Jesus declared that the men of nineveh repented at the preaching of jonah mt. The opening call of god upon jonahs life was to cry against nineveh because of their wickedness 1. Many have debated about what happened to jonah, the prophet.

Jonah is a great book for young preachers looking to preach a minor prophet. Again, in jonahs recommissioning, the lord clarifies that he is to proclaim to it the proclamation which i am going to tell you 3. Lets examine a few lessons from this old testament prophet. We know how god wanted to send jonah to nineveh, but jonah ran from god, got swallowed by a. We could almost retitle jonah evangelism and the sovereignty. Before we dive into the book, let me provide the historical setting of jonah.

The book of jonah, or more accurately, the story of jonah is so well known that we can sometimes skip over it and ignore what the true message of the book of jonah is. It concerns a disobedient prophet who rejected his divine commission, was cast overboard in a storm and swallowed by a great fish, rescued in a marvelous manner, and returned to his starting point. Not only does sasson go phrase by phrase through the fourchapter book of jonah, discussing the book, discussing sources, but he provides us with an excellent translation, and. The book of jonah is more than just a delightful story for children. You will also find options for commentaries on jonah that help pastors, teachers, and readers with application of the bible, commentaries that approach the scripture versebyverse, classic christian commentaries, and much more. At least, it is said, the book must have been written after the destruction of nineveh in 612 b. The opening chapter of jonah is set in the midst of an intense storm, a really intense storm. This sermon deals with how the message of repentance can change hearts. The objection would certainly be raised in our day that jonah was a very poor missionary, entirely devoid of real missionary zeal.

One of the most intriguing facets of studying the book of jonah is locating its historical setting. And yet the men of nineveh repented at the preaching of jonas. The old testament and all the stories therein contained, were written for people living today. This book is about god and how great his heart is toward prodigal sons and daughters who run away from him. But rather than obeying, jonah turned and literally went the other way, unwilling to preach to them out of a sinfully. Among its distinctions are the conflict it has caused in interpretation and the vastly diverse creativity of sermons preached from it. The book of jonah is a remarkable story perhaps best known for the stubbornness of a prophet, the great fish that swallows and then regurgitates jonah, the conversion of the whole city of nineveh, and the rapid growth and death of a gourd. After 12years of fulltime pulpit ministry and having won a preaching award the prior year at the capital bible seminary, i thought i knew preaching pretty. He preached to the people of nineveh, they repented, and god saved the city from destruction.

Outline of the book of jonah one popular outline of jonah, which could be used in a sermon series, is. If what we read in the book of jonah is not sufficient to convince us that this was a genuine repentance, we do have the words of jesus to confirm it. If we in the church hope to impact our world for good, we must declare the lifechanging gospel of jesus christ. His name was jonah son of amittai from gathhepher near. Craig groeschel jonah messages free church resources. Our sermon ideas on jonah will help you preach a powerful message on the difficult commission of god. We know how god wanted to send jonah to nineveh, but jonah ran from god, got swallowed by a big fish, and then finally went anyway.

After preaching in nineveh and seeing the people turn to god, jonah is very disappointed. The story is presented much like that of elijah and elisha. It is unfortunate to see jonah respond in the way that he did. After 12years of fulltime pulpit ministry and having won a preaching award the prior year at the capital bible seminary, i thought i knew. Exegetical notes on jonah outline of the book of jonah one popular outline of jonah, which could be used in a sermon series, is. The book of jonah is different from the other minor prophets, for it is the personal experience of the prophet himself. Though the book contains no direct prophecy, the experience of jonah is itself a reflection of the message of god. How genre influences preaching jonah preaching source. This was a hard sermon that challenged our congregation to examine how we are like jonah, and what we should do about it.

So the book of jonah is a story about missions, but not in the way that most of us think. Jonah 1 jonah running from god a sermon by jeremy myers. A sermon on jonah 1 about defiance against the will of god jonahs defiance jonah 1 introduction. There is a final thing we see in the book of jonah and that is, jonahs disappointment. My son and i were bass fishing in a boat on the kanawha river in west virginia, when i hooked a really big bass. In a pair of articles on literary structure and the book of jonah, ernst wendland argues for what makes a chiasm valid, with a test case in the book of jonah. The book contains fascination interaction between men and god, which sasson brings out well. For a number of reasons, including the preaching to gentiles, the book is often assigned a postexilic date. Weve gone through the story in years past, but in connection with the book, i want to reiterate it one more time to you. Disobedience to gods will is a tragedybut so is reluctant, grudging obedience. Study the larger discussion about the genre of this book. Jonah or jonas, in the hebrew bible tanakhold testament, is a prophet of the northern kingdom of israel in about the 8th century bce. In this sermon we will study the book of jonah and glean some general lessons from the book. Running from god chapter 1 running to god chapter 2 running with god chapter 3 running ahead of god chapter 4 about jon.

During the opening session, david allen, dean of the school of theology at southwestern, stressed the importance of preaching the book of jonah because it reveals the missionary heart of god. My line got snarled on my casting reel, and i didnt have a lot of extra line to let out. A teaching outline for the book of jonah expository. Suggestions for study, preaching, and teaching the book of jonah. The book of jonah is a missionary book, teaching that the love of. That was a cry of proclamation, delivering the word of truth to them. Best jonah commentaries updated for 2020 best bible. It was the winter of 2003 and i was attending dallas theological seminary working on a doctorate with an emphasis upon preaching.

What is said in the context of discussing nonfactual forms might be of value to you in. Jonah sermon sermon outline by kevin cauley on the life of jonah and those lessons from it that are profitable for us today date written. Some weeks ago i sensed god directing me to the book of jonah. Preaching workshop unpacks book of jonah southwestern.

Summary of the book, so god tells the prophet jonah to go to nineveh to preach to the people. Seeing jesus christ in the old testament book of jonah. Intro to jonah biblica the international bible society. God never gives up on jonah, not when he runs away and not when he sits under a vine and pouts. This summary of the book of jonah provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of jonah. Jonah 3 new king james version nkjv jonah preaches at nineveh. In the book of jonah, you see the winds and waves, and even the fish, obeying gods commands. For details about this sermon and for related resources, click here. Seeing jesus christ in the old testament book of jonah will greatly aid us in understanding jonah and how jesus could refer to himself as, something greater than jonah matthew 12. Join us as we delve into the story of one man and his journey towards surrender. This is the conclusion of our series in the book of jonah. A man by the name of jonah was called by god to go and preach in a pagan city. Become familiar with the text of jonah, including translation exegetical questions. What comes to mind when you think about the book of jonah.

Given the veracity of the book of jonah, i would offer the following basic suggestions for studying, teaching, and preaching the book. Preach on topics including obedience, running from the call of god, and gods propensity to forgive the unforgivable. The book is the best account in the old testament, perhaps in scripture, about how the will of god and the will of man interact. The book of jonah is filled with valuable information and timeless lessons.

Jonah is the book of the bible we want to look at tonight. The book is named after its principal character, whose name means dove. Caught in a storm, he orders the ships crew to cast him overboard. Jonah sermon lessons from the life of jonah proposition. Perhaps we could reflect upon a few of these matters. That is the point of the book of jonah in the old testament. God works miracles through those who obey, though often times our nature rebels against him. Another story from the bible that many people know of is the story of jonah and the great fish. Jonah 3 nkjv jonah preaches at nineveh now the bible. It will examine structure, genre, and setting in order to ascertain how this book intended to teach about god and his mercy. First, we should note that this marvelous narrative has suffered the brunt of the critics barbs for a long while.

As our church begins to study jonah, i share the outlines from his second article. At the end gods will was done by an unwilling prophet. Not too long after the ministry of elijah and elisha, another prophet came onto the scene in the northern kingdom of israel during the rule of jeroboam ii 2 kings 14. Few stories illustrate this principle more clearly than the story of jonah. Understand jonah in relation to the scroll of the twelve. He is the central figure of the book of jonah, in which he is called upon by god to travel to nineveh and warn its residents of impending divine wrath.

In this essay, to further treat its tripartite theme, we will analyze and consider the book of jonahs historical context, literary milieu, and theological purpose and significance. How to respond when god gives you a second chance jonah 2. God does not want us to disobey him, but neither does he want us to obey out of fear or necessity. Grace in the book of jonah sermon by wade allen, jonah 1.