Jonah: The Fulfillment of My Life Mission – Pt 1 | Jonah 3 | Mike Prah
Mar 12, 2022 | by Mike Prah
DEALING WITH MEDIOCRITY: LIVING MY BEST LIFE EVER series
JONAH: The Fulfillment of My Life Mission – Pt 1 of 3
Jonah 3:1-10
Mike Prah – March 12, 2022
"We are God’s masterpiece created anew in Christ Jesus to do good works, He has planned for us long ago" Ephesians 2:10, NLT
Ch. 1: Jonah Rebelling & Running From God
Ch. 2: Jonah Repenting & Running Back To God
Ch. 3: Jonah Restarting & Running With God
“The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai” Jonah 1:1, NIV
“Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah A SECOND TIME!” Jonah 3:1, NIV
GOD DELIGHTS IN SHOWING US GRACE & MERCY
JACOB: cheated his brother out of his inheritance
MOSES: murdered a man
RAHAB: was a prostitute
Samson: wasted his talent & ended up in prison
DAVID: committed adultery & had the husband killed
PETER: denied Jesus at His arrest
ZACCHAEUS: was a hated, dishonest businessman
“A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. BUT if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets ANOTHER CHANCE.” Proverbs 28:13, LB
“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! It is only the Lord’s mercy that has kept us from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT+LB)
EVERY NEW DAY IS ANOTHER CHANCE FROM GOD. WHAT DO I DO WHEN GOD GIVES ME ANOTHER CHANCE?
1. I MUST LIVE WITH PROFOUND GRATITUDE
Jonah told God: “I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. For how can I thank you enough for all you have done? What I have vowed I will surely fulfill my promises. For my deliverance comes from the Lord alone. And the Lord ordered the fish to spit up Jonah on the beach, and it did” Jonah 2:9-10, NIV+NLT
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GIVE THANKS TO GOD
“It is good to say thank you to the Lord, to sing praises to the God is above all the gods. Every morning tell him, ‘Thank you for your kindness!’” Psalms 92:1-2, LB
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COMMIT MY LIFE TO GOD’S MISSION FOR ME
“...Give yourselves completely to God -- every part of you -- for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes.” Romans 6:13 (LB)
2. I MUST MAKE MY LIFE MISSION MY TOP PRIORITY
“Do not let the grace that you received from God be for nothing!” 2 Corinthians 6:1b (NCV)
Paul: “I don't care about my own life. The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me—to tell people the Good News about God's grace.” Acts 20:24 (NCV)
“Then the Lord spoke to Jonah AGAIN: ‘Go to that great city, Nineveh and warn them of their doom, as I told you to BEFORE!’” Jonah 3:1-2 (LB)
CIRCUMSTANCES MAY CHANGE ME, BUT THEY NEVER CHANGE MY MISSION!
“God's gifts and His call can never be withdrawn; he will never go back on his promises!” Romans 11:29 (LB)
“God never changes His mind when He gives gifts or when He calls someone.” Romans 11:29, GW
3. DON’T DELAY – OBEY TODAY!
“Jonah immediately went to Nineveh as the Lord told him” Jonah 3:3a, GW
DELAYED OBEDIENCE IS DISOBEDIENCE
4. I MUST EXPECT GOD TO USE ME
“Jonah entered the city and walked for about a day. Then he said, “In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed.” Jonah 3:4, NLT
“The Ninevites believed God… They humbled themselves putting on sackcloth...even the King sat down in the dust! Then the King proclaimed a public fast …Then let us all pray urgently to God, and let us turn from our evil ways and let us stop all our violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.’ … When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not do what he had warned he’d do.” Jonah 3:5-10
Steps to a Personal & National Revival
- Humble ourselves | 2. Fasting | 3. Pray Urgently | 4. Turn from Evil | 5. Stop Violence
“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! It is only the Lord’s MERCY that has kept us from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness; His MERCIES begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:22-23, NLT+LB