Introduction

  • II Kings 14:25

You can’t hide from God!

  • Jonah 1:1-10, 17; 2:1, 10; 3:1-2 – Jonah tried to escape God’s command but could not.
  • Romans 10:9, 10; Acts 2:38 – God has commands for us today. We cannot run and hide from them!
  • Psalms 139:1-12 – God knows even our thoughts. There is no hiding from Him! He knows everything about us.
  • Ecclesiastes 12:14
  • Matthew 12:36
  • Hebrews 4:12
  • If we can’t hide anything from God, how can we cope with that?
    • Romans 3:10
    • The only option is to throw ourselves on his mercy.
    • I John 1:9

God’s word works.

  • Jonah 3:1-10 – This is possibly the most successful instance of preaching anywhere in the Bible!
  • Jonah’s message was simple and negative.
  • Luke 10:27-29 – When the Bible message is simple, leave it simple!
  • Matthew 12:41
  • There are negative elements to God’s message. We cannot try to hide it or take the teeth out of that message.
  • Matthew 7:13
  • We do ourselves and others no favors to pretend that hell is not real.

God expects us to love souls.

  • Jonah 4:1-11
  • The Assyrians were a brutal and merciless people. Israel held a deep-seated resentment against them.
  • God wants us to love everyone’s souls!
  • Luke 9:59-62
  • Luke 23:34 – If Jesus could have this attitude toward His murderers, can’t we love others also?