“Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him. Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.” [Jonah 1:15-17]

God doesn’t waste your storm

“But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” [Matthew 12:39-40]

Do you spell God with a capital “G” or lowercase “g”? How big is the God you’re serving?

“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. He said, “I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’ “I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.” Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.” [Jonah 2:1-10] 

Repentance should be our first response, not our last resort.

What is repentance? Repentance is admitting wrong and asking for forgiveness. Repentance is a change in mind. Repentance is the first step towards reconciliation.

Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:8 did the one thing God told them not to do and have sinned.

Guilt and shame are powerful tools of the enemy.

In the book, Soul of Shame, Dr. Curt Thompson says, “We are only as sick as the secrets we keep. And shame is committed to keeping us sick.”

You messed up. You have shame. You feel like God won’t love you anymore. You feel lost or broken.

Go to God first, not as a last resort.

The end result of a life not surrendered to God, is death.

“I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple.” [Jonah 2:6-7]

“Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.” [James 1:14-16]

 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Romans 6:23]

Repentance leads to worship and obedience.

The direction of your heart will determine the direction of your life.

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Application Questions

1. What stood out to you from this message and why?
2. What is one thing God is telling you to START doing because of this message?
3. What is one thing God is telling you to STOP doing because of this message?
4. How will this message change how you act at home, work and in the your relationships?