
It is Time to Finish the Mission
Jonah 1:1-7 (NLT)
Stand Alone Message | Mick Veach | lead pastor | first aired on 11.14.2021
I. Introduction
Read Scripture
1 The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”3 But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.
4 But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. 5 Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship.
But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. 6 So the captain went down after him. “How can you sleep at a time like this?” he shouted. “Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives.”
7 Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. —Jonah 1:1-7
A. Do I have what it takes to finish the mission of Jesus?
B. Our Excuses are numerous
- I don’t know the bible
- I am struggling in my life
- I am shy
- I don’t want to be rejected
C. My story
Born and raised in a small town in Indiana never saw anything beyond that town until the age of 17
a. Grace Anderson reached out to me
b. Do you remember when you experienced Jesus?
C. Honduras—Gen 12:1-3Prayer groups changed me and the world
a. Taylor University
b. Columbia
c. USSR fell and Albania opened upD. What does the bible say about the Mission of Jesus?
- Romans 10:13-15
- Matthew 28:18-20
- Acts 1:8
E. Three Truths from Jonah that will help us to Mission the Finish
II. Three Truths found in the Jonah Story
A. God is
Question—why is this story in the bible?
- God has chosen to us people
V. 2—Jonah GO
a. To the hated Assyrians
b. Can’t choose your missionHe has always been calling, He was calling before Jonah and God has been calling since Jonah
- Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah
2 Chronicles 16:9—The eyes of the Lord…
Matthew 24:14—Finish the mission and go home
Examples
a. William Carey
b. Haystack Revival
c. Missionaries with their coffinsQuestion is not is God calling but are you listening?
Colombia 1987—Acts 20:24—are you willing to die?
Azerbaijan—5 Christians amongst 8 million
Jonah ran from his call
a. He would rather die than obey God’s call
b. Go to Nineveh
c. Jonah runs from his call—to a boatAre you running from his call on your life?
Sin of Omission is screaming at the church today
Key Point—God is calling all his children into his mission
B.
is Required
Jonah’s disobedience is a lesson for all of us
- V. 16—in his disobedience an entire ship makes vows to God
3:2—God gives Jonah a second chance
a. A large fish is God’s mercy to Jonah
b. Jonah agrees to go NinevehExample of Obedience
a. Standing up for Jesus in high school led to obedience in college
b. 9/11 in Azerbaijan—tough obedience
c. Many stories of my obedience
d. I am at KCC out of obedienceTrust and Obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus
Many say the following about obedience
a. God is a joy kill
b. He will make me go to Africa and live in a hutObedience has a cost
a. Jesus said pick up your cross
b. The cost of Azerbaijan and Detroit
c. Samuel Lamb
d. Baton being PassedObedience leads us into messy relationships
- John 8—drop the stones
Key Point—Jesus calls us to obey in all areas of our life
C. God Turns
to Victories
3:10—The entire city turns to God
a. It was impossible but God came through and an entire city repented
b. Jonah did not even careNumbers 13—only 2 declared we can see the impossible possible
a. KCC we can do this
- Develop our housing
- Reach out into our community
- Woodfield
- Friendship house
- Streams of Hope
- Hand2Hand
- Mission trips
- India
- Mozambique
God wants to the impossible through you
- Do you believe God can do the impossible?
God is calling us to reach the Unreached
a. 10/40 Window
b. Back to Jerusalem Movement
c. South KoreansMatthew 9:37-38—All we need is laborers
A new generation is being raised up to finish the mission
DL Moody—the World has yet to see…
William Carey—Expect great things…
Biblical Support
a. Rev. 7:9
b. Is 6—whom shall I send?Key Point—God makes the impossible Possible!
III. Call to Action
A. Pray—Break my heart for what breaks Yours
B. Go on a short term trip
C. Pray for missionaries
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