A Whale of a Wake-up Call
I. Quick RECAP
A. Don’t FOCUS on the FISH!
B. Let the Story SURPRISE You
C. Let the Story EXPOSE Your FLAWS and Your NEED
II. SLEEPING on the JOB (Jonah 1:1-17)
A. Jonah’s Inevitable DESCENT to the DEPTHS (v.3, 5; 2:3)
B. The Unintended CONSEQUENCES of SIN (v. 4-5, 6-7, 10, 14)
C. The SLEEPING Man of God and the WIDE-AWAKE Pagans (v. 5-6, 9-10, 16)
III. The INFAMOUS Fish (1:17-2:10)
A. SWALLOWED up by the NATIONS? (1:17; Ezek. 29:3; Jer. 51:34; Psalm 124:2-5, Lam. 2:16; Hos. 8:8)
B. A Watery TOMB or a Fishy WOMB? (2:1-6)
C. What’s MISSING in Jonah’s PRAYER? (2:8-10)
IV. Let’s Get Our BEARINGS…
A. The Dangers of SPIRITUAL SLUMBER (1:5-15; Eph. 5:8-16; I Thes. 5:6; I Cor. 15:34)
B. The VEHICLE of God’s DELIVERANCE (Rom. 5:3-5, 8:28; James 1:2-4, I Cor. 1:18)
C. A SEVERE Mercy and a COSTLY Grace (Matt. 12:38-41)
Questions for Further Reflection
1. Kid’s Question: Is there anything new you have noticed about Jonah’s story over the last 2weeks?
2. Have you ever been able to discern a cycle of heading down, down, down? What, if anything, roused you from your slumber?
3. When have you experienced the consequences (intended or unintended) of someone else’ssin? When have you brought about negative consequences in other people’s lives through your sin?
4. What has the big fish meant to you in this story? Do the scriptures regarding Israel being swallowed up change the way you read this passage?
5. How does viewing Jonah’s being swallowed through the lens of deliverance change your understanding of this episode?
6. What are some positive things that we can take away from Jonah’s prayer in chapter 2?
7. How do you think we can stay vigilant in our spiritual life?
8. When has God used difficult experiences to wake you up, grow you, or in some other way deliver you?
9. What parallels do you see between Jesus and Jonah (negative or positive)?