Hearts In Conflict

MESSAGE TITLE: HEARTS IN CONFLICT

SERIES: HEART ISSUES (A STUDY IN THE BOOK OF JONAH)

Verses used: Jonah 1:1-17, Proverbs 4:23, 1 Samuel 16:7, Psalm 139:7-12, 2 Chronicles 16:9, Hebrews 12:6, Ezekiel 11:19.

Key verse: Jonah 1:1-3

1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

Sermon Notes:

God’s heart is just.
God’s heart is merciful in that He is sending a warning to them to repent from his prophet!
God’s heart is patient but forceful in dealing with his rebellious prophet.
God’s heart is always about bringing people into a deeper knowledge of Him.
Our fallen hearts are not thinking clearly when we run away from God.
When you and I run from God we run from his purpose in life for us.
When you run from God you hurt the people who are close to you
Sin splashes.
You can run from God but you can never out-run God!
Some questions to consider this week:

Group notes

Icebreaker: Talk about a time when you were young that you ignore authority figures and it got you into some trouble.

Read Jonah 1:1-3. What did God ask Jonah to do? Why do you think Jonah ran? Why do we turn our backs on the clear commands of God? Was there a time in your life when you ran from God? Why?

Read Psalm 139:1-12. What do these verses say about God’s knowledge of you? If God knows us so well, why do we still run?

Read Proverbs 3:5,6. What is the promise of these verses? Read Proverbs 3:13-18. How should we view the wisdom and truth of God? Do we think/believe that God know/wants what is best for us?

Read Jonah 1:4-10. What impact did Jonah’s decision to run have on those around him? How have you seen this to be true in your life? Why do we believe the lie that sin is isolated?

“Sin will always take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay.” How have you seen this to be true in your life?

Read Jonah 1:11-17. Why were the people around Jonah hesitant to do what he asked? Why can’t we see the impact of our running on others (or if we see it, why don’t we stop? Why do you think God allows others to be impacted by our disobedience?

Read Proverbs 3:11-12. In the case of Jonah, why is God allowing difficulty? Why won’t God allow Jonah to get comfortable?

Are you running from God in any area of life right now? Can we pray for you?

Something to think about this week . . .

Are you running from God? Are you tired of running? Are you ready to stop and come home before it gets any worse?