Jonah: In You and Through You

Jonah 3:10 – 4:11

Scripture Summary:

Jonah and Nineveh are more alike than Jonah wants to admit. Jonah, in the belly of the fish, cries out for God's grace and mercy, and God delivers him. Nineveh cries the same cry to the same God and God responds in the same way. Grace. Jonah and Nineveh are in need of the same thing from the same God.

but Jonah can't accept that he is his enemy, and his enemy is him. So he finds himself in a place he is familiar with, feeling that same itch to get away–wanting to escape it all. Jonah wants to die, which is really just another form of escape. In the same way that Jonah ran to Tarshish, he is still running.

When we begin to take a long hard look inside ourselves for the root of our sin, we start to see things we may or may not like. Jonah is not running from God; he is running from himself. And no matter how far he runs, he will always have to keep running until he finally submits to the work that God wants to do in his own life.

Group Discussion Questions:

Are you surprised – like Jonah – that God did not destroy Ninevah?

How does remembering God's love and mercy help your relationship with God and others?

What things have you seen in others that made you angry only to later find those same things in yourself?

If you look at the root of your anger, what's the real source of it?

Where or to whom in your life have you been showing anger where instead you should be extending grace?

The story of Jonah is ultimately about God and what He is like. What His desires for the world are. It's a story that puts Jonah's desire alongside God's desire and build to a question: Will God's desire become Jonah's desire? Will God's hope for the world become Jonah's heart for the world?

Would you say that you want the same things God wants? Are His desires yours, too?

What calling has God placed on your life? Are you pursuing it?

What is one thing that you need to start letting God have control of?

What's one thing that God is concerned about that you have no concern for?

What are a couple of things you can do personally to align your dream for the world closer to God's dream for the world?

What are a couple of things your rGroup can do together to align your dreams for the world closer to God's dream for the world?

Jonah: The God of Second Chances

Text: Jonah 3:1-10

Summary:
God proves to be a God of second chances, not only for Jonah but also for the Ninevites.  Jonah preaches a message of repentance, the people turn from their sin, and the city is spared.


Icebreaker: When was a second chance last given to you?  (warning from a police officer, retake a test that you may have failed the first time, boss let you try a project again after you dropped the ball the first time)


#1. Starting in Jonah 1, how many "second chances" do you see in this text?
1:2- God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh but he says no
a. God sends a storm to stop Jonah (2nd chance)
b. The sailors tell Jonah to pray to God (3rd chance)
c. God provides a whale to save Jonah's life (4th chance)
d. God tells the fish to spit Jonah out on dry land (5th chance)

1:5- When the storm was raging, the sailors cried out to their own gods.
a. God spared their life when they threw Jonah over and they started to worship even though they chose their own gods the first time. (2nd chance)

3:4- God tells the Ninevites that destruction is coming
a. They repent and turn back to God, so in 3:10 God spares their life (2nd chance)


So what 2nd chances has God given you in your life?


#2.  So why did God allow Jonah, the Ninevites, and YOU to have a second chance?  Why didn't he just make them pay for their sins?  Why didn't he just find another prophet to use since Jonah was so reluctant?  Why doesn't God just turn His back on us?


#3.  In 3:5-9, we see that the King went ALL-IN on turning back to God.  He even made the animals fast!  Such a harsh message proves a few things:
a. God is very serious about our sins.
b. That we need to take drastic measures to turn from our sin and back to God.

-So why are so few people (including Christians) so nonchalant about their sins?  What are some common reactions to sins in our lives?  (ignore it, blame someone else, pretend like its not really that big of a deal).

-What does "sackcloth, ashes, and fasting" look like for you today?  In essence, what would it look like for you to get serious about your sin like Nineveh did?


#4- Jonah's second chance led to a decision, and his decision to obey God led to life change for the people of Nineveh.  How does it make you feel to know that your YES or NO to Jesus could impact your entire family, coworkers, neighbors, friends, and all of REVO? (sense of urgency, huge responsibility, need to get serious about it, weight on your shoulders)


#5- 3:10 closes with Scripture saying "God SAW what they DID."  Too often, we make verbal commitments to God in our prayers, but don't follow through with them in our lives.  What promises have you made God in the past that you need to put into action this week?  Knowing that everyone has a next step to take, what is your next step this week in lieu of this text?

Jonah: Prayers from the Gut

Read Jonah 2:1–10

Scripture Summary (read or paraphrase to your group):

In Jonah 2, we find the prophet in the belly of a great fish–where he spent three days and three nights. Often, we read Jonah's story and consider the fish to be an instrument of judgment. We think, "If Jonah had not disobeyed, then he would not have wound up in such a bad position." However, had God not provided the fish, Jonah would certainly have died (v. 5). Just before drowning, Jonah cried out to God in repentance (v. 7). In verse 7, Jonah "remembered" the Lord. This term is used frequently throughout Scripture. To remember does not simply mean to call to mind something that was forgotten. It is a call to action. A call to remember is a call to act on that which is remembered (see also 1 Cor. 7:23-32 for the role of remembering in the Lord's Supper). Jonah remembered what the Lord was like and acted on that knowledge by crying out to Him!

Even while Jonah was in the belly of a great fish, god heard and responded to his prayer. No one's rebellion places them beyond God's redemptive reach. In response, god provided the fish to rescue Jonah from the consequences of disobedience. The fish is a surprising instrument of salvation! Jonah realizes this and prays the prayer contained in this chapter. Its theme is captured in the last phrase (v. 9): "Salvation belongs to the Lord!" In Matthew 12:40-41, Jesus associates his death, burial, and resurrection with Jonah's time spent in the belly of a great fish. People, like the Pharisees, viewed the cross as an instrument of divine judgment. Anyone who died on a cross was considered cursed by God. However, God sent Jesus to die on the cross in order to save people from their rebellion. As God brought Jonah's life from the pit (v. 6), God would vindicate His Son, securing salvation for all who believe. He would raise Jesus from the grave after three days in the tomb. The message of the Gospel shows the world that "Salvation belongs to the Lord!"

Group Discussion Questions:

Jonah avoided talking to God because he was running from God. What kinds of things keep you from praying?

By the time Jonah prayed, he had been in the middle of a storm, tossed into the sea, swallowed by a large fish, and in the belly of it for 3 days and nights. How can you relate to this? What do you need to surrender in order for you to seek God first and at all times?

What happens when God wants a person to do something, but the person doesn't want God to do it?
(Jonah shows us that God has a way of bringing us to the place where we want what He wants.)

In chapter 1, the sailors literally cast Jonah overboard into the sea. But who does Jonah say cast him into the deep in Jonah 2:3? Why is that a crucial so crucial for Jonah, and to your life?
(Jonah sees that he has never been out of God's hands, though he tried to run from Him.)

What does it mean to remember the Lord?
(To act on that which is remembered.)

Why is it important to act on that which is remembered rather than to just think about it?

In what ways is the Gospel a surprising instrument of salvation?
(We've done so much wrong, yet God's salvation is free to us, but paid through His own son, Jesus.)

Why didn't God give up on Jonah? Why hasn't He given up on you?
(Because He had a plan for Jonah, and has one for you! He cares about the message and the messenger.)

How does knowing that no one is beyond God's redemptive reach shape your confidence in approaching and executing the Great Commission?

When Jonah decided to turn to God (repent), he prayed (2:1–9). As you look to God right now, what is your prayer?

Jonah: Hide and Seek

Jonah 1:1–17

Introduction:

Why do adults often think that stories in the Bible (like Jonah) are for children?

Vs. 1–3

What is it in your life right now that God has called you to do – and trust Him with it – that you're running away from?

What was Jonah's view of the Ninevites and why? Who do you tend to view in the same way?

How do you run or escape from God's commands? What is your Tarshish?

Vs 4–5

What simple "next step" are you falling asleep on?

Have you given up on God's plans because you've settled for the storms? What needs to change in order for you to realize God does have a better plan for you?

What's the danger in pretending we don't know what God is calling us to do? Is procrastinating disobedience?

Vs 6–15

Others are affected when we sin; especially those closest to us. How does this reality help you make the right decisions?

Who do you need to communicate with in order to restore the broken relationship because of your sin?

Vs 16–17

What people in your life do you think God wants to reach, and can use your confession and repentance in order to do so?

When was the last time God nudged you to speak his truth to someone who needed to hear it? How did you respond?

What storms have you faced in your life that reshaped how you understood God and the world?

Conclusion:

What step are you going to take as you leave rGroup today/tonight? Share how the group can support you.