Since God loves all nations, He summons us to love our neighbors across the street and around the world.
Sermons on Jonah: God’s Vision for the World and the Church
If God is loving why does the Bible also warn of His wrath and judgment? How can these two portrayals of God co-exist? The response of Nineveh’s king to Jonah’s message of judgment followed by God’s response to the king provides a portrayal of grace, the relationship between and reason for God’s love and justice.
At this point in the book of Jonah, the prophet Jonah actually obeys the call of God to go and proclaim among the Ninevites. What Happens When We Join God’s World-Wide Cause? What Could That Look Like for us?
Did you know that God has a vision for the world, and He wants you to be a part of it? He is making it known that Jesus is Lord of all. This good news is going to our neighbors, city, nation and eventually, to very ethnic group in the world. Why did God “hurl a great storm” at, and then “appoint a great fish” for Jonah? Maybe He really is committed to having His people see, savor AND share His glory across the street and around the world!
God will be exalted among the nations, so He demonstrates His grace by transforming fearful Mediterranean sailors into worshipers. Beyond the storm, God used Jonah’s rebellion in an unexpected way, to bring glory to His name and mariners to Himself. Have you responded to the Lord’s revelation of Himself to you? If not, will you? And, join His worshipers around the globe in calling out to the Lord, to the praise of His glorious grace!
God’s vision is to see people from all ethnicities glorify Him and for His people to join Him in this central venture. Yet, sometimes we all struggle to embrace the apparent sacrifice required to pursue God’s plan for global glory. How does God respond when His people reject His vision? In Jonah chapter 1, we discover that God pursues His people to train us to unite with Him in His mission for the world.
Jonah is a great story including a great city, a great tempest, a great fish, a great revival and a great closing question. Yet, Jonah is ultimately about a great God with an exciting global vision. In Psalm 46:10b He describes His vision this way, “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” So, let’s not waste our lives or our coming together as a church running from God’s call or dabbling in secondary pursuits. Whether He wants us to go, pray, give, support, send, mobilize and/or encourage, let’s join Him in His chief glorious, global and great endeavor!