We welcome you to Stone's Hill today!

A typical Stone's Hill service has:

* music (so feel free to sing out);

* some announcements (things that are upcoming that you can be a part of);

* a message out of the Bible (God speaks to us through his Word);

* and an opportunity for you to respond to the message (either immediately in the case of a decision that needs to be made OR in the future as you live out the message in your daily life.)

So relax and enjoy your morning! We're so glad you are here!

MESSAGE TEXT
Jonah 1:4-16
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Introduction
As we work our way through the exposition of the text today – Jonah 1:4-16 - I want you to notice the irony – the things that happen in the plot or the things that are said that you don’t expect. A pagan sea captain with colorful language no doubt, telling a prophet to pray? Pagan sailors praying while the prophet slept. Irony is sprinkled throughout the text. We the reader can see it, but Jonah can’t. That’s what makes it ironic. It’s obvious to us, but he’s blind to it. He has a blind-spot in his self-perception and he’s self-sabotaging his life and ministry.
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By the way, we all have them. Do you have any blind spots?…If you answered no, you now know where your blind spot is! Usually, everybody else can see them, except for us. We are blind to our own biases. A blind spot is an area in someone’s life in which he continually fails to see himself or his situation realistically. This unawareness often causes great damage to the person and those around him. That’s why it’s so important to do life in community because others can reveal the very thing that sets you back or hinders you from being the blessing God wants you to be in the world.
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Common blind spots: a narrow perspective (tunnel vision) Take a step back and consider other viewpoints rather than lose track of what’s happening around you; insecurity - Difficulty giving credit to others or feeling threatened by the growth of others or the attention they get for their contribution; big ego – I’m gifted and no one else can see my value and I know best; favoritism – unable to comprehend the faults of your golden child or your crush or even your country. That was Jonah.
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God uses irony to reveal a character flaw, to arrest our indifference, and to jolt us into action. Pagans are trying to save his life and Jonah is indifferent to them – lacking interest, concern, or sympathy. The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference (Elie Wiesel). Fortunately, Jonah finally got the message and does something right.
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Proposition
Jonah is filled with irony. Our lives are filled with irony. And perhaps, one of the greatest ironies of all: We’re running from the One we seek. God is the Great Pursuer and the One doing the pursuing is actually the object of our longing. Yet we remain indifferent to this reality.
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Contextualization
To reset the context of Jonah, the following brief four points not only cover the flow of Jonah’s story, but it provides everyone’s life outline.
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I. The Soul’s Flight – we’re a fugitive from God.
II. The Soul’s Quest – we’re creating our own Eden.
III. The Soul’s Gridlock – we’re not in control.
IV. The Soul’s Arrest – we’re in a spiritual dilemma.
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Application
The irony in some very important life-lessons:
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A blessing can only be truly appreciated when you’ve been deprived of it.
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Some of the best things that happen in our lives occur when we’re not ready for them.
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God is at His best working out His plan when we are at our worst thwarting it.
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We love the ones who are indifferent to us and hurt the ones who truly love us.
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Our best life really only comes to us when we realize that our life is not our own.
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Conclusion
Does Jonah remind you of anybody else? When Jesus speaks of “the sign of Jonah” and calls himself “greater than Jonah” (Matthew 12:41), he means that, as Jonah was sacrificed to save the sailors, so he would die to save us. God has spoken through the prophet, promising deliverance from the storm of judgment to the entire crew through the sacrifice of one man who is willing to lay down his life. Why didn’t Jonah just jump into the sea? God wants him to point to something besides an intentional drowning. See, Jesus didn’t kill himself. Jesus chose to offer himself to take the place for our sin. He laid His life down for others. That’s what Jonah points too when he said “Pick me up and throw me into the sea.”
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Greatest irony in our text: that Jonah’s cantankerous, hyper-nationalistic life will be a Christ figure and point to Jesus. See the similarities: Two Jews sent by God on a mission with a message of repentance that brought life to those who responded because of a great act of sacrificial love. But also see the difference: There is this obvious and very great difference between Jonah and Jesus. Jonah was thrown into the sea on account of his own sins. Jesus was nailed to the cross on account of your sins and mine. He was without sin. He became the sacrifice for our sins. He bore our guilt. And in His death He absorbed the judgment of God on our behalf. Invite Him in today!