Scripture Reading Jonah 1:4-16

Then the L ORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.

The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.” Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.

So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the L ORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?”

They knew he was running away from the L ORD, because he had already told them so. The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”

Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried out to the L ORD, “Please, L ORD, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, L ORD, have done as you pleased.” Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the L ORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the L ORD and made vows to him.

Scripture Reading Jonah 3:3b-10

Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink.

But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

SURPRISED BY RESPONSE JONAH 1:4-16; 3:3B-10

Sailors’ ResponseJonah’s Response “CRIED OUT TO god” (V.5)“LAID DOWN TO SLEEP” (V.5) “HURLED CARGO” (V.5)“FEARED GOD????” (V.9) “ARISE, SLEEPER!” (V.6)“HURL ME INTO THE SEA” (V.12) “CAST LOTS” (V.7) “FEARED” (V.10) “WHAT CAN WE DO?” (V.11) “CALLED OUT TO THE LORD ” (V.14) “HURLED JONAH INTO SEA” (V.15) “FEARED GOD EXCEEDINGLY” (V.16) “OFFERED SACRIFICES” (V.16) “MADE VOWS” (V.16)

Ninevites’ ResponseJonah’s Response “BELIEVED” (V.5)“DISPLEASED” (4:1) “FASTED” (V.5,7,8)“ANGRY” (4:1) “SACKCLOTH & ASHES” (V.5-8) “CALLED OUT MIGHTILY TO GOD” (V.8)

{ ROMANS } IT’S NEWS I’M MOST PROUD TO PROCLAIM, THIS EXTRAORDINARY MESSAGE OF GOD’S POWERFUL PLAN TO RESCUE EVERYONE WHO TRUSTS HIM, STARTING WITH JEWS AND THEN RIGHT ON TO EVERYONE ELSE! GOD’S WAY OF PUTTING PEOPLE RIGHT SHOWS UP IN THE ACTS OF FAITH, CONFIRMING WHAT SCRIPTURE HAS SAID ALL ALONG: “THE PERSON IN RIGHT STANDING BEFORE GOD BY TRUSTING HIM REALLY LIVES.”

ANYWAY People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered, LOVE THEM ANYWAY If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives, DO GOOD ANYWAY If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies, SUCCEED ANYWAY The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow, DO GOOD ANYWAY Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable, BE HONEST AND FRANK ANYWAY What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight, BUILD ANYWAY People really need help but may attack you if you help them, HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY Give the world the best you have And you'll get kicked in the teeth, GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU'VE GOT ANYWAY.