This Sunday we get into the text of the book of Jonah. Our preaching text will be Jonah 1:1-3. These verses form a kind of introduction to the book, they set the stage for all of the events that will unfold throughout the narrative. In these verses we are confronted with what God does, “The word of the Lord came to Jonah”, and with what Jonah does, “But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord”. Now, there are several things to be unpacked on both sides of this coin and we will, by God’s grace, do that on Sunday. In the meantime though, we should read these verses in the context of the whole account (chapters 1-4) and ask ourselves, “Does my life resemble Jonah’s in any way?”. If ever there was an individual in the Bible that we can relate to, it is Jonah, right? How many times have we done what Jonah does in these verses? How many times have we risen up to run, to do what we think is best? Where does that come from? What is behind that sort of response to God? If we are taking the position of Jonah’s judge as we read this we will never see its implications in our lives. We need to ask the Lord to show us the truth about our own hearts so that we can grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ as individual believers and as a local body. May God be glorified in us through the outworking of His Word in our lives!
Sermon Title: “Fleeing From The Presence Of The Lord”
Sermon Text: Jonah 1:1-3
Meditation Passage: Psalm 139:1-12
Call To Worship: Isaiah 12
Benediction: 1 Peter 1:13-15
Songs For Sunday:
All Creatures Of Our God And King
Holy Spirit Living Breath Of God
Jesus! What A Friend For Sinners