Jonah 1 (NLT) Big Idea God’s kindness & mercy extend to Jonah’s enemies, the Ninevites. Ultimately, God’s invitation is for Jonah to love his enemy as God does. God sends a prophet with an . 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. God hurls an to get his attention. Jonah 1:4-16 (NLT) 4 But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. 16 The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him. God arranges a fish to express his . Jonah 1:17 (NLT) Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights. Jesus is our true and Jonah. Matthew 12:41 (NLT) “The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent. 1. Jesus was to sacrifice. 2. Jesus’ was greater. 3. Jesus’ resurrection power was over . What now? Accept His mission to extend grace beyond your comfort zone. Be careful not to miss this — God might be using affliction to get your attention. Let Jonah lead you to fix your eyes on Jesus. CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION 1. What kind of people have you come to believe are too “evil” or “wicked” to receive God’s mercy? 2. Have you ever experienced (or seen) the way God sometimes uses affliction* to get our attention? What happened? *v4 …the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. 3. It’s easy to believe that God was punishing Jonah’s rebellion by arranging a fish to swallow him. How is it more accurate to interpret the fish as God’s mercy instead?