Jonah: The Relentless Love of God-Sermon Only-Week 1-2026-06-07

Abundant Grace Community Church Sunday Worship Service LIVESTREAM Jonah: The Relentless Love of God Sunday, June 7th 2026 Phil Courson Jonah 1:1-17 You can run from God’s will, but you cannot outrun God’s grace. 1. The Call Jonah Rejected (v. 1–3) “Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” God’s command was simple: “Arise, go.” But Jonah did the opposite. v.3,4 - “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish (Modern-day Spain) from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So, he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence of the LORD.” “presence of the LORD…” – notice its capital LORD (Yahweh), not Lord (Adonai) “…he paid the fare…” – running from God will always cost you something Jonah was not ignorant. He was not confused. He simply did not want God to show mercy to Nineveh. Jonah loved grace for himself but not for his enemies. Jonah would rather disobey God than see Nineveh saved. Before we judge Jonah too quickly, we must examine our own hearts. How often do we resist God’s call? God says forgive, but we hold bitterness. God says go, but we stay comfortable. God says speak, but we remain silent. God says surrender, but we cling to control. “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!” (Psalm 139:7,8) II. The Storm God Sent (v. 4–10) v.4 - “But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea…” This storm was not random weather. It was divine intervention. Sometimes the storms in our lives are simply part of living in a fallen world. But sometimes God sends storms to wake us up spiritually. Verse 5 says he was asleep. What a picture of spiritual hardness. Jonah is running from God, surrounded by judgment, yet he sleeps. Sin dulls the conscience. Pagan sailors are praying while God’s prophet sleeps. The captain rebukes Jonah: “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish?” The pagan sailors appear more spiritually sensitive than the prophet of God. Jonah confesses in v. 9: “I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” III. The Sacrifice Jonah Offered (v. 11–16) The storm grows worse. The sailors ask Jonah: “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” Jonah answers: “Pick me up and hurl me forth into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” Jonah recognizes that he deserves judgment. At first, the sailors resist. They row harder trying to save themselves. Human effort cannot calm divine judgment. Finally, they cry out to the Lord and throw Jonah into the sea. Immediately the sea becomes calm and the sailors respond with fear, worship, and sacrifice to the Lord. The irony is remarkable, pagan sailors are converted while the prophet rebels. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 12: “behold something greater than Jonah is here.” Jonah points us to the gospel. Jesus Christ is the greater Jonah. Jonah ran from God’s will. Jesus perfectly obeyed the Father’s will. Jonah endangered others through his sin. Jesus saved others through His righteousness. Jonah was sacrificed unwillingly because of guilt. Jesus willingly laid down His life though He was innocent. Jesus entered the storm of God’s judgment for sinners on the cross. The wrath we deserved fell upon Him. The sea became calm for the sailors because Jonah was cast into it. The judgment of God is removed from believers because Christ bore it fully. IV. The Grace Jonah Could Not Escape (v. 17) “Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.” We often read this as judgment alone, but the fish was also grace. The fish was not God destroying Jonah; the fish was God preserving Jonah. The story of Jonah is ultimately not about a faithful prophet but a faithful God. Jonah is inconsistent, selfish and rebellious, but God remains steadfast. Conclusion Jonah points us to Jesus Christ, the greater Jonah who entered the depths so we could be rescued forever. You can run from God’s will. But you cannot outrun God’s grace.