Runaway Prophet

Get Up & Go

Jonah 1:1–3 (NLT) The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” 3 But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.

BOOK OF JONAH

BIG IDEA: Our Lord is a God of boundless compassion not just for insiders like “us” but also for outsiders like “them”.

MAIN STORY: A subversive story about a rebellious prophet who despises his God for loving his enemies.

BIG IDEA: (vv1-3) When God said to get up and go to his enemies, Jonah got up to get away from his God.

3 Keys To Understanding This Story

1. God’s heart & are revealed in His words.

(vv 1-2) The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”

2. Jonah’s heart condition is reflected in his choice between two .

(vv 2-3) ...to the great city of Nineveh ... ...a ship leaving for Tarshish.

3. Jonah to get up and get away from the Lord.

3 But Jonah got up and went… to get away from the Lord...hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.

Spiritual Checkup

1. for God’s voice that always says “get up and go.”

2. Be about your desire for a “Tarshish” lifestyle.

QUESTION: Has God captured your heart in such a way that anything He calls you to is a joy to accomplish, not a burden?

3. yourself to go with Jesus’s compassion.

We look to Jesus, not Jonah.

1. Jesus himself to accept this mission to “get up and go”.

Philippians 2:6–8 (NLT)

2. Jesus was by “doing the will of God…”

John 4:34 (NLT)

3. Jesus was by compassion when he wept over the sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew 9:36–37 (NLT)