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God Who Sent a Fish to Rescue Jonah

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[Jonah 1:17]

But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah,

and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

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In the northern land of Israel there was a prophet named Jonah.

One day God appeared to the prophet Jonah.

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God gave Jonah a command.

“Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and shout out loud to that city,

and their sins have come before me.” It was God's word to tell them through Jonah that

if they go to the great city of Nineveh and do not repent of their sins,

they will face the great judgment of God.

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Jonah did not want to obey God's command.

So he made plans to run away from God's eyes.

And he made up his mind to go to'Tarshish', which is the exact opposite of'Nineveh' that

God told him to go.

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Jonah went to the port of Joppa to catch a boat to Tarshish.

There was just a boat going to Tarshish there.

Jonah quickly paid his wages and got on the boat with others.

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Jonah's ship left the port and began sailing.

Jonah sat down on the deepest sole of the ship.

Because he thought God would not know if he was hiding there.

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God, who knew all this, sent a great wind over the sea.

The big wind caused big waves in the sea. Jonah's ship began to shake so much that it broke.

The ship was going to break anytime soon, so the people on board fell into great anxiety.

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Feared sailors began to pray, calling on the name of the god they believed in.

In order to lighten the boat, they threw things they valued into the sea.

Those on board did everything they could to live. But Jonah wasn't there.

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Jonah fell asleep in the sole of the boat.

The captain of the ship, who found her sleeping Jonah, said, awakening her Jonah.

“Why are you sleeping? Get up and cry out to your god. Maybe your God can save us.”

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People thought that this great difficulty came because someone had sinned against God.

So they drew lots to find those who have sinned. In the lottery draw, Jonah,

who ran away from God's eyes, won the lot.

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Only after winning the lottery draw Jonah told the people that he was breaking God's command

and running to Tarshish. Those who heard Jonah said to Jonah,

"How did you do such a terrible thing." Said scoldingly.

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The wind and the sea grew stronger and stronger without knowing to stop.

People asked Jonah, "What can we do with you to make that sea quiet?"

Jonah said, “I know that this great storm came because of me.

So if you throw me into the sea, it will be silent.” Said.

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They heard from him that if Jonah was thrown into the sea, the sea would be quiet,

but people could not. So, with all their might, they tried to row the ship toward the shore.

However, the storm was rather intensified and to no avail.

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People cried out to God not to punish them for throwing Jonah into the sea.

Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea.

As soon as Jonah was thrown into the sea, strangely enough,

the sea calmed down, as if when it was.

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Those who saw this figure realized how great and true God is, and offered sacrifices before Him. They offered sacrifices to God and pledged that God is the only true God.

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The loving God did not leave Jonah drowned.

He prepared a large fish for Jonah to swallow Jonah.

Jonah prayed to God in the belly of the fish to repent of his sins.

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Jonah spent three days in the belly of a fish and restored a relationship with God.

God commanded the fish to spit Jonah out safely on the land.

God is omniscient and omnipotent, and there is no place that does not exist anywhere

in the world.

It is really foolish to think that some people like Jonah can escape the eyes of God.

We, who believe in Jesus and become children of God, must learn through Jonah that

it is the most blessed to live by obeying God's word.

Realizing that God is always with me and protecting me,

you should become children of faith who love God more.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)