| *** How
to Deliver a Courageous and Compassionate Message to All *** The simple story of Jonah goes back
thousands of years. At first mention, the story might conjure up images of a
man praying from the stomach of a big fish. But God is painting a much bigger
story for us.He is painting an illustration for us to learn through the life
of Jonah about His nature, the nature of mankind and His impending judgment
and ultimate loving kindness for all. Background • We read in (2 Kings 14:25)
that Jonah prophesied during the reign of King Jeroboam ll of lsrael. • King Jeroboam ll was one of the longest
serving kings of lsrael during a time when lsrael’s boundaries were extended
to what they once were under Solomon. • The book of Jonah is unique in that
it is a historical narrative and there is no record of fire prophecies of
Jonah. • Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria and one of the largest
cities in the known world. (Gen 10:11) Often times Jonah is used as an
example in lessons of how not to act, instead of looking at the bigger
picture it offers. Character 1) Look
________ instead of dwelling on past circumstances. a. Jonah _____ and had _______
communication with God after running away from His presence. (Jonah 2)
Motive 2) Significant events and
memorable moments in life influence what _____ we make. a. You have a
powerful ability to _________those around you. Jonah recognized his wrong
doing when he was on the boat,
and sloshing about inside the fish. He had no idea about the lasting impact
his life would have on others. (Jonah 1)
Time 3) Time is one of the very
few items in life we have _______ over. Choose what you do, and how you do
it, carefully. Are you spending your time running away from those around you,
or are you spending it around those you enjoy spending it with? a. God does
not view time as we do. (2 Peter 3:8, Psalms 90:4) Compassion 4) God had compassion for the
city of Nineveh because they followed his command, while Jonah burned with
stubbornness and anger.a. Jonah ________ compassion for stubbornness and
anger. (Jonah 4) |
