Snow day! Perfect for quiet contemplation ~
The coming series that will be preached at Durkeetown is going to be from the book of Jonah. No, we will not view the Veggie Tales version - sorry fans of the BIG IDEA.
We will, however, try to understand the story by considering the following questions:
* In what ways are we like Jonah? (1-4)
* What were the idols Jonah had to forsake? (2:8)
* How deep is the mercy of God? (2-4)
* Why will the men of Ninevah rise up in judgment? (Matthew 12:41)
In preparation for this series I wrote this note to myself ~
If I am going to agitate people towards a winsome, passionate and contagious faith in Jesus Christ, I must not "preach AT them" or be impatient WITH them.
Instead I should model and encourage Durkeetowners toward the gospel.
I will endeavor, by God's grace, to be more like Barnabas was with Saul, the church at Antioch (Acts 11:21-26) and John-Mark (Acts 15:39)
than Saul-Paul was with John-Mark and Barnabas (Acts 15:36-38).
The ultimate goal is the gospel coming into our lives to transform us,
deepen us and enrich us so that we are not
bigoted, racist, self-righteous idolaters like Jonah was.
Receiving the gospel should be our "great-fish-deep-sea experience with God.
Only as this happens will we see His salvation as
superior to all idols - even the idol of American Christian religion.
Instead I should model and encourage Durkeetowners toward the gospel.
I will endeavor, by God's grace, to be more like Barnabas was with Saul, the church at Antioch (Acts 11:21-26) and John-Mark (Acts 15:39)
than Saul-Paul was with John-Mark and Barnabas (Acts 15:36-38).
The ultimate goal is the gospel coming into our lives to transform us,
deepen us and enrich us so that we are not
bigoted, racist, self-righteous idolaters like Jonah was.
Receiving the gospel should be our "great-fish-deep-sea experience with God.
Only as this happens will we see His salvation as
superior to all idols - even the idol of American Christian religion.
My hope then in preaching Jesus in the book of Jonah is to:
* Agitate us so that we believe God still has compassion on people who are far from Him
* Embrace our gospel responsibility to go forth and proclaim the gospel. To disciple people in the gospel. To make visible the King and his Kingdom among us.
* Live reconciled as one people because we are all now with Jesus who has reconciled both them and us to God.
As the gospel finds its way in our lives we will experience what the King of Ninevah hoped for - "God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish. (Jonah 3:9)
* Agitate us so that we believe God still has compassion on people who are far from Him
* Embrace our gospel responsibility to go forth and proclaim the gospel. To disciple people in the gospel. To make visible the King and his Kingdom among us.
* Live reconciled as one people because we are all now with Jesus who has reconciled both them and us to God.
As the gospel finds its way in our lives we will experience what the King of Ninevah hoped for - "God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish. (Jonah 3:9)
I have a question about Jonah - He went through the city proclaiming 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown - they repented and God relented. Could Jonah's displeasure, in part anyway, have to do with Deut. 18:20-22 - was he afraid/angry in part because God did not do what He said He would do thereby leaving Jonah open to death because "the word did not come to pass or come true"?
ReplyDeleteI don't think Jonah's displeasure is connected to the Deut.18 passage. Two reasons I believe something much deeper is at play in his life. Both reasons can be found in Jonah 4:2: 1) It seems that Jonah assumed God would relent and the threat of destruction would be removed if the people repented. He would much rather have seen them destroyed; 2) Jonah's admission that the potential for God's mercy on Ninevah was the reason he left for Tarshish in the first place - "in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish".
ReplyDeleteJonah couldn't keep God from killing him at sea because God had a job for Jonah to do - and Jonah couldn't keep God from killing the Ninevites because God had a job to do in saving them. All of this makes Jonah a very bitter person.
Yes I see that. I have started studying Jonah, and my intro says he prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II...Israel was oppressed by the Arameans; but, because of the Lord's great compassion, Israel was spared destruction and delivered from this oppression. Jonah witnessed firsthand the restorative compassion of God extended to His wayward people and yet... How often do I experience God's compassion yet.... This is going to be a great study! Thanks :D Hopefully we won't have to learn by being in the fish's belly for 3 days and nights and then vomited up! But then whatever God appoints is best!
ReplyDelete