Your mission is to live like Jesus and love like Jesus and invite others to do the same.
Jonah 1:1-3 – 1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
Have you ever been in a situation where you knew exactly what God wanted you to do, but you deliberately chose the opposite? Not because you misunderstood His will or you lacked clarity. But because you simply didn’t want to obey. If you have, you’re not alone. Rebellion isn’t something we learn; it’s something we inherit. Ever since Adam and Eve chose their will over God’s in the Garden of Eden, every generation has repeated the same pattern. We don’t naturally drift toward obedience; naturally, we drive away from it.
Take the example of children. You don’t have to teach them to disobey. It comes naturally. No one teaches them how to resist authority— they simply do what every child born into a fallen world naturally does.
The Problem
The problem isn’t merely that children disobey their parents. The problem is that every human heart resists God’s authority. People need to know that we are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners. From toddlers testing boundaries to prophets fleeing their calling, our natural inclination is to replace God’s will with our own.
That is exactly what happened in the book of Jonah. Jonah wasn’t confused about God’s command. He didn’t mishear God’s voice. His rebellion wasn’t impulsive— it was intentional. He knew exactly what God wanted him to do, and he deliberately chose the opposite direction.
As we begin our summer series, in the first message, “Resisting God’s Will,” we see that we don’t simply drift from God; we actively choose our own way over His Will.
The Big Idea
Every time we choose our will over God’s will, our preference over His providence, and our plans over His purposes, we choose consequences over blessing because rebellion always costs more than obedience.
In Jonah 1:1–6, we see that unfold in three movements: the mission, mutiny, and mercy. These movements also reveal that Jonah is far more than the story of a runaway prophet. It is a mirror held before every human heart. Jonah’s struggle is our struggle. His rebellion exposes our own and his story invites us to ask whether our hearts truly beat in rhythm with God’s.
The Mission (Jonah 1:1-2)
We begin with the first movement, the mission, to establish the historical context of the story.
The mission is the calling begins in Jonah 1:1, “1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai…” Notice that the story begins not with Jonah’s disobedience but with God’s grace. God always takes the initiative. That pattern runs throughout Scripture. God called Abraham out of idolatry. He appeared to Moses in the wilderness. He anointed David while he was tending sheep. He called Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Jonah, and all other prophets in the Old Testament.
He does the same to us. Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” Our salvation, as well as our calling, begins with God’s initiative.
Jonah’s mission exposes three realities of every calling: the missionary, mandate, and message.
The Missionary
Before we look into why Jonah qualifies as a missionary, it might be helpful to know that Jonah’s prophetic ministry began long before this story. In 2 Kings 14:25, talking about Jeroboam II, the king of Israel, says, “25 He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, ….” It was he who prophesied that a large portion of Israel under the Assyrian Empire occupation would be restored to Israel, and it came to pass. So, Jonah was not an inexperienced prophet. This means that even mature believers can struggle with obedience. It shows that past faithfulness never guarantees present faithfulness. This is why, every day, we must choose again and again to surrender to Jesus by repenting and obeying daily.
Jonah occupies a unique place among the prophets. Most were sent to Israel or Judah. Jonah was sent beyond Israel’s borders to a foreign nation. In that sense, Jonah becomes the Old Testament’s first foreign missionary. That reminds us that God’s missionary heart has always been for the nations. The Great Commission didn’t begin in Matthew 28. It began with God’s promise to Abraham that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him. Israel was to be a light to the nations. From Genesis to Revelation, God has been pursuing people from every tribe, language, and nation.
We can easily begin thinking that God’s mission exists primarily for people who look like us, think like us, or live like us. But God’s heart is much bigger than ours. The gospel, the good news of Jesus, is for everyone, everywhere. Thus, God’s grace, unmerited favor in Christ, pursues every undeserving soul.
The Mandate (Jonah 1:2a)
It’s in the Word of the Lord, Jonah 1:1-2a, “1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2a “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city…” The mandate couldn’t be clearer. Jonah was commanded to go to Nineveh, the great city.
How great was it? It was great in every way— in size, population, history, wealth, influence, and military might.
Jonah 3:3 tells us it took three days to walk from one side to the other. Many reputable Bible scholars estimate its population to be between 600,000 and 1,000,000, based on Jonah 4:11.
It had a great history. Nimrod, the grandson of Noah, founded this city. After building the Tower of Babel, where he led people to rebel against God, Genesis 10:11 tells us, “From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh.” By the time Jonah received his orders, Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, one of the most powerful and feared empires in the ancient world. It was notorious for its brutality. The Assyrians ruled through terror, celebrating unspeakable acts of violence as demonstrations of their power. Their kings proudly recorded their atrocities on palace walls for future generations to admire. They boasted of burning cities and public executions. Some enemies were impaled on sharpened stakes. Others were flayed alive. This is how they celebrated and memorialized their victories. The Assyrians believed fear was the most effective weapon of conquest. With this background knowledge of Ninevah, Jonah’s reluctance becomes understandable— not justifiable but understandable.
Imagine asking a Jewish survivor of a Nazi concentration camp to return to Germany as a missionary immediately after the war. That begins to capture what Jonah must have felt. So, Jonah is the missionary, with a clear mandate to go to Ninevah.
The Message (Jonah 1:2)
God continues, in Jonah 1:2, “2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” Jonah’s assignment was to proclaim God’s coming judgment. This shows that God sees. Nothing escapes His attention. Nineveh may have believed that its violence guaranteed its future, but heaven had witnessed every injustice, every act of cruelty, and every abuse of power from the days of Nimrod, yet God’s warnings revealed His mercy.
Think about it. If God intended only to destroy Nineveh, why send a prophet at all? Because every warning is an invitation to repent. Throughout Scripture, God’s warnings are acts of grace. The Bible says, “He does not delight in the death of the wicked but desires that sinners turn from their sin and live.” Even His announcements of judgment reveal His compassion. That is why faithful preaching must do two things: comfort the broken and warn the wandering.
Imagine a doctor refusing to tell a patient they have cancer because he doesn’t want to upset them. That is negligence. Likewise, a preacher who never warns people about sin has not truly loved them.
I will fail you if I tell you Jesus loves you but never tell you that Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death and that hell is a real place, and that Jesus calls it “a fiery furnace” in Matthew 13:42, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. In Mark 9:48 Jesus describes it as a place where worms do not die, and the fire is not quenched. Truth spoken in love is one of God’s greatest expressions of mercy.
Application
If God pursued Nineveh, He can pursue anyone. No sinner is beyond the reach of God’s grace. No life, no nation is beyond the reach of His mercy. That includes your neighbor, coworker, prodigal child, or a difficult family member.
Next time, we will pick up at Jonah 1:3 to see Jonah’s response as we look into the next two movements.
Closing Thought
As I close, let me ask you a question: Is there someone you have quietly concluded deserves God’s judgment? Nineveh represented everything Jonah feared and everything he believed deserved God’s judgment. Yet this is precisely where God’s grace shines brightest. The darker Nineveh’s wickedness, the brighter God’s mercy appears. Sometimes the greatest obstacle to God’s mission isn’t the wickedness of the world— it’s the reluctance of God’s people.
I can tell you stories of gangsters and terrorists turning into gospel preachers because someone thought they were not beyond hope, someone dared to preach the Word to them. Romans 10:14-15 says, “14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?” Then it says, “And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent?”
Action Step
You have been called and commissioned by Christ. You have been sent on a mission. You have been made a missionary in your house, office, school, and neighborhood with a clear mandate and message. It is in Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus commanded us, “18 All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Appeal
Go to where Jesus has called and sent you. Rather than choosing your will over God’s will, your preference over His providence, and your plans over His purposes, do what you know He wants you to do. Because if you don’t, you will willfully choose consequences over blessings, and rebellion always costs more than obedience.
Your mission is to live like Jesus and love like Jesus and invite others to do the same. That is what being a disciple and student of Jesus means. That is your mission of life as single person, a married person, a young person, and an older person. Jesus was obedient to the point of death and death on the cross, how about you and I?
Perhaps God has already made His Will clear in some area of your life. Perhaps it is forgiving someone who has hurt you. Perhaps it is seeking reconciliation. Perhaps it is serving, giving generously, sharing your faith, or ending a relationship you know does not honor Christ.
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