The Missions Mandate

"The Missions Mandate"

Jonah 1:1-16

Jonah 1:1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. 4 But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. 6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, what meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. 7 And they said everyone to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. 8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? What is thy country? And of what people art thou? 9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. 10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. 11 Then said they unto him, what shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? For the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. 12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. 13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. 14 Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, we beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee. 15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.

Introduction:

I. The Prophets Authority

a. The Word and his calling

Jonah's authority came from "...the word of the Lord." Our FWB treatise states that God's word is our rule for faith and practice! The authority we have from any and all endeavors comes from Scripture. This is true of all missionary activity, then and now. We believe that all Christian's are "called" to be a witness but there are times when God gives a specific "call" to go to a particular nation, people group or in the case of Jonah, a great city.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

b. The work and his calling

Jonah was to "...arise..." and "...go to Nineveh..." First let's have a geography lesson and it will give you some idea of just what God told Jonah to do and what Jonah planned to do instead. First, the sea port of Joppa, is located about thirty miles northwest of Jerusalem) Nineveh is 600 miles East/Northeast of Jerusalem and

Tarshish is the most distant city in the known world, 2200 miles to the West clear on the edge of SPAIN.

Nineveh was a large city: It required three days to travel from one side to the other (3:3; cf. 4:11). Originally built by Nimrod (Gen. 10:8-11), it was on the east bank of the Tigris River. The city was advanced culturally but its people were arrogant and corrupt. Nahum the prophet spoke against Nineveh as a bloody city full of lies, violence, sensuousness, and idolatry. Their soldiers were infamous for their cruelty. Although God knew of their wickedness, He nevertheless commissioned Jonah to go and preach to them. God sent him there not only for Nineveh's spiritual welfare, but also to shame Israel in a dramatic way. Israel was religiously self-indulgent and did not bother to evangelize the surrounding nations. So when Jonah went alone to preach to Nineveh and the entire city repented, it was a sharp rebuke to Israel's attitude. It seems God often sends individuals to accomplish His work when a larger group does not obey. This is true in the local church as well.