Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

Today we’re kicking off a three-week series from the Old Testament book of Jonah. The story of Jonah is one of the most well-known stories in the Bible. If you grew up in church, then you know the story of Jonah. If you didn’t grow up in church, you might still know the Jonah story.

The familiarity of this story actually creates a problem. Sometimes we can become so familiar with a story or teaching in the Bible that it loses its punch. It can just be, “Oh yeah, I’ve heard that before. I know all there is to know about that.”

You don’t know all there is to know about anything in the Bible. There is always something new to learn. There is always something fresh to uncover. There is always something in the Bible that God can use to take us deeper. That’s the miracle of the Bible. The more you know the Bible, the more you understand how much you still have to learn. Charles Spurgeon said, “Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years.”

This series is one of those moments where the Bible is going to widen and deepen right before our eyes. If you don’t know the story of Jonah, it’s cool. You will by the end of this series. If you are all-too-familiar with the story, God is going to rock your world as we take a fresh look at it.

We’re going to go through the entire book of Jonah in the next three weeks. So today, we’re going to begin in the beginning. Starting in Jonah 1:1, the Bible says, “The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. (Jonah 1:1-3, NIV)

That’s how the story of Jonah begins. And the first thing we need to notice is that this was unexpected. The voice of God came to Jonah from out of nowhere.

Can you imagine what that was like? Jonah was just minding his own business, doing his thing, when all of a sudden, he hears a voice. And this voice claimed to be God. Most of us would think, “Time to up your medication there, Jonah.”

But it was the actual voice of God. And it was completely unplanned and unexpected because God is incredibly unpredictable.

In Romans 11, the Bible says, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” (Romans 11:33-34, NIV)

God’s wisdom and knowledge are richer and deeper than we’ll ever know. His judgments and decisions are unsearchable. We can never trace out his paths. Who are we to think that we know the mind of God? Who are we to give Him advice? He is so far above us. He is so far above our ability to comprehend. And He is so far above our ability to predict.

But that hasn’t stopped the church from trying to form God into something safe. Something understandable. Something predictable.

God is none of those things. He is God. He is almighty. He is untamed. He is unpredictable.

In Isaiah 55, God said, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV)

For a couple thousand years now, the church has tried to minimize the majesty of God by downgrading Him into explainable terms and systematic theology. And in the process, the wonder and awe that is God has been lost. And it’s time to reclaim it.

I don’t want a God that I can understand. I don’t want a God that I can predict. Because if I can fully understand Him…if I can predict His ways…He ceases to be God. Instead, He becomes a lot like me. And I don’t need someone who is like me. I’ve got all the me I need. I don’t need another me. I need God. In all His wonder. In all His majesty. In all His unpredictableness. That’s the God that I need.

But it does force us to ask a question. If this is God…if He really is that unpredictable…then how do I react when He messes with my plans? If He is beyond our ability to comprehend…if His paths are beyond tracing out…then that automatically means that God is going to throw me some curveballs. Some things that I never saw coming. How do I react in those times?

Jonah gives us a great example of what not to do. This move of God in his life was unexpected. It was also unwanted.

Jonah rebelled and ran. God spoke to him from out of nowhere and said, “Here’s the plan I have for your life. Go to Nineveh. Preach against the wicked practices of that city. Warn them of the wrath that is coming.”

Nineveh was east of Jonah’s home. Instead of going to Nineveh, he bought a ticket on a ship headed for Tarshish, which was due west. He went in the exact opposite direction that God told him to go. Tarshish was about as far away from Nineveh in the ancient world as you could possibly get.

The whole reason for this journey is simple. God told Jonah to do something that he didn’t want to do. This move of God was unexpected, and it was absolutely unwanted.

In Nahum 3, the Bible says, “Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims! The crack of whips, the clatter of wheels, galloping horses and jolting chariots! Charging cavalry, flashing swords and glittering spears!

Many casualties, piles of dead, bodies without number, people stumbling over the corpses— all because of the wanton lust of a prostitute, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft.” (Nahum 3:1-4, NIV)

You know what city these verses are describing? Nineveh! This city was well-known for its brutality and atrocities. So before we’re too quick to pass judgment on Jonah, just think about this. This is where God told him to go. And once he got there, he was supposed to preach against this city. He was supposed to go and preach an extremely offensive message to these cruel and brutal Ninevites.

Would you have gone? Or would you have run away? Jonah ran, and a lot of us would have done the same thing. This wasn’t a nice, cushy assignment. God laid something in front of him that could have cost Jonah everything. Maybe even his life.

When God moves in your life, it will cost you something. When He calls you to do something, you can bet that there is a price tag attached.

But here’s the thing…the cost of disobedience is always higher. It doesn’t seem like it at the time. When we’re in the moment, the cost of obeying seems so much higher than the cost of disobeying. But rebellion always carries a hidden price tag that is much, much higher than we wanted to pay.

We see that truth played out in the Jonah story. Jonah got on the boat and set sail for Tarshish instead of Nineveh. God sent a massive storm that threatened to capsize the ship. The crew was freaking out, but Jonah was sleeping in the hold of the ship.

They finally went and woke him up. When they figured out that this storm was all because of Jonah, they started asking him who he was, what he was doing, etc.

Starting in verse 9, “[Jonah] answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.) (Jonah 1:9-10, NIV)

Did you see how Jonah identified himself. He said, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord.” Isn’t it interesting that Jonah claimed to worship God and, at the very same time, he was running away from God? He claimed to worship God while he was disobeying God.

You ever done that? I’ll tell you this: that happens in this room every weekend. Every single Sunday, people come into this room to worship God while they are completely running away from what He wants them to do. They claim to love and serve God while they are ignoring the call of God in their lives. And if that’s you, I hope you’re so uncomfortable that you want to walk out of here right now. I wouldn’t advise that, though. We’ll talk about you after you’re gone.

Now, check this out. The story continues in verse 11. “The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked [Jonah], “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”

“Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” (Jonah 1:11-12, NIV)

The ship was ready to break apart in this storm. The whole crew was in jeopardy. And it was all because of Jonah’s disobedience.

Your rebellion doesn’t just affect you. Your sin doesn’t just affect you. When you ignore God’s call in your life, it doesn’t just affect you.

If you think that your decisions always and only affect you, then you are one seriously self-centered jerk. The decisions you make have ripple effects that go a lot further than you could ever imagine.

That’s what I mean when I say the price of disobedience is always higher than the cost of obedience. When God moves in your life, it will cost you. It can be a dangerous and scary thing to follow a move of God.

But when you disobey God, the cost is far greater. The entire crew of this boat was in danger because of Jonah’s rebellion. Who is in danger because of your decisions? Who is being hurt because you are running from what God wants you to do? Who is being wounded by your disobedience?

If you say, “No one. It only affects me,” you’re deluded. You have been absolutely blinded to the truth. Your rebellion doesn’t just affect you. It has a devastating impact on the people closest to you. The people you care about the most are the ones who are hurt the most by your rebellion.

But don’t make any mistake about it. You will also pay a high, high price yourself. The crew wasn’t the only ones being hurt by Jonah’s disobedience. Jonah himself experienced some pretty serious effects from his own decisions.

When the crew had no other alternative, they threw Jonah into the sea. Immediately, the sea became calm. But as for Jonah, here’s what the Bible says in verse 17.

“Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” (Jonah 1:17, NIV)

Jonah didn’t drown, which was God’s grace to him. But he did have to spend three days and nights in the belly of a huge fish.

Can you imagine that? Can you imagine the complete darkness? Can you imagine the smell? Fish stink on the outside. I’ve never smelled one on the inside, but I’m guessing it’s pretty nasty. Can you imagine the burning and pain as the stomach acids ate away at Jonah’s flesh?

Jonah paid a price for his disobedience. He spent three days and nights staring at sushi from the inside. That’s a pretty high price to pay.

What price are you paying for your disobedience? What has been taken away from you because of your rebellion? What has happened to you because you chose to run away from God and His will in your life?

What is your Nineveh? What is that God is calling you to do? Where is He calling you to go?

What is your Tarshish? What are you doing instead of God’s will? Where are you going instead?

Everyone here is headed to either Nineveh or Tarshish. You’re either following God’s will for you, or you’re running away from it.

In Luke 11, Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Luke 11:23, NIV)

There are all kinds of gray areas in our faith. There are all kinds of disputable matters where the Bible isn’t clear one way or another. But when it comes to the state of your heart, when it comes to your commitment, Jesus said you’re either in or you’re out. No gray area. No fence-riding. In or out. Either you are following the will of God for your life or you’re not.

So where are you going? Nineveh or Tarshish? Are you headed where God has called you to go, or are you going in the exact opposite direction?

If you’re going in the opposite direction and it feels like it’s the easier road, remember this: going to Tarshish felt right for Jonah. That storm didn’t come immediately. The crew didn’t immediately throw him into the ocean. He didn’t immediately find himself inside that fish. But just because consequences are delayed doesn’t mean that they aren’t coming. Just because you don’t think you’re paying a price now doesn’t mean that the cost will never come.

Disobedience carries a high, high cost. Higher than we would ever want to pay.

But here’s the great news. There is always a chance to turn around. Wherever you are, whatever direction you’re heading, whatever is going on in your life…there is a chance to turn around.

God is a God who specializes in the second chance. And the third chance. And the fifth chance. And the 20th chance. And the 100th chance.

That’s what we see in Jesus. Listen to this exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees in Matthew 12. This is incredible, because it gives us a whole new take on the Jonah story.

“Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to [Jesus], “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.” (Matthew 12:38-41, NIV)

God used Jonah’s three days and nights inside the fish as a foreshadowing of the three days and nights Jesus would spend in the tomb. But just like the people of Nineveh repented when Jonah preached to them (we’re going to talk about that in a couple of weeks), we also get the chance to repent because of what Jesus has done for us.

The concept of repentance is very simple. To repent means to turn around. To do a 180° turn in your life.

In Acts 26, Paul said, “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.” (Acts 26:20b, NIV)

That’s repentance. A conscious decision to turn around. To turn away from my will and go in the direction of God’s will.

If you’re on your way to Tarshish, you can still turn and head for Nineveh. If you’re going your own way, you can do the 180°.

The power of the forgiveness we have in Christ is the power of the second chance. It’s the power of the 180°. It’s the power of the new direction.

A lot of us know the story that Jesus told about the lost son, or the prodigal son. The story of Jonah is famous. The prodigal son story is even more famous. In fact, you could make the case that this story is the most well-known, most beloved story in all of human history. That’s not overstating it.

In this story that Jesus told, there was a young son who demanded his share of his inheritance from his father. The father granted his request, and the son hit the road. He blew it all…his entire inheritance…in wild living. He was the one that bought a round for everyone at the bar. He was the one that always knew where you could score a hit. He was the one that took a different woman home every night. His lifestyle made the Playboy Mansion look Jr. Varsity. That is…until the money ran out.

It amazed this kid how quickly his “friends” disappeared. When the money was gone, so were they. And it was at that same time that a severe famine hit the entire land.

It got so bad that he hired himself out to a farmer to feed pigs. You’ve got to understand that for a Jewish boy, this was as low as you could possibly go. Pigs were unclean animals. Jews weren’t even supposed to touch them. But this Jewish boy was working for a Gentile farmer, feeding unclean pigs.

He never thought he would wind up here. He wasn’t even totally sure how he got here. His life wasn’t supposed to end up like this.

And that’s when the boy says this in Luke 15. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father…” (Luke 15:17-18a, NIV)

He was hoping that his father would accept him back as a slave, but instead the father threw his arms around him and kissed him. He put sandals on the boys feet. Slaves didn’t wear shoes. Sons did. He put his best robe on him. He put a ring on his finger. These were symbols of full reinstatement into the family.

Now, think about this story, as well as the Jonah story. They both paid a price for their disobedience and rebellion. The son was feeding pigs while he himself was starving. Jonah spent three days and nights in the nastiest, most disgusting place imaginable.

But both of those places…both of those low points were also turning points. Neither one of them ever thought they would end up where they were, but they also made a decision not to stay there.

I love the line that Jesus used to describe the boy’s turning point. “When he came to his senses…” When he looked around and saw the reality of the situation…when he realized the price he was paying for his disobedience and rebellion…when he realized what had happened to him because he ran away from his father…he came to senses and said, “No more. I’m going home.”

That’s the opportunity that you have today. Have you been running away from God’s will for you life? Have you been too scared to do what He is calling you to do? Have you been too rebellious to submit to His will for you?

Fear and rebellion are really, really bad motivations to do anything. If you go that way, it’s not going to go well for you. And some of us know that because that’s the direction we’re heading.

But today can be your 180° day. It can be the day when you turn around. It can be the day when you stop heading for Tarshish and start heading for Nineveh. It can be the day when you stop running away from God and His will for you life, and start running toward it.

In Isaiah 45, God said, “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22, NIV)

That word “turn” implies a change of direction. God invites us to turn to Him and be saved. And He reminds that He is God and there is no other.

In other words, His direction is the only valid direction for your life. Anything else will cause you to crash and burn.

That’s why we invite you to turn to Him today. Because Jesus died for you…because Jesus rose for you…there is a new direction waiting for you. It’s time to claim it. It’s time to turn and allow God to do the work in your life that He’s always wanted to do.

Mike Edmisten

Tags: consequences, Jonah, obedience, Prodigal Son, repentance