Running from God

The Bridge Church - Reno

Running from God

February 20, 2022 • Pastor Bill West • Jonah 1:1–6

God calls Jonah to leave his country and go to Nineveh, Israel’s enemy, to preach against it. Jonah refuses to go and runs in the opposite direction. Many Christians are upset that we live in such a lost and depraved society, and we pull away from it even when God calls us to reach out to love and share God’s gospel with them. We seem content to sit back and condemn it rather than reaching out and engaging it. It appears that we hope they will receive God’s judgment instead of His mercy. Jonah’s refusal to follow God’s will and run will bring him and others great danger. We lose when we refuse to reach out to those around us. The message of God’s grace, love, and mercy must be made available to the entire world. Yet we turn away from those who need it most. There are those around us who are far from God and very different from us. God cares deeply about how we relate to and treat those not like us. God calls us to treat those who are from other races and religions in respectful, loving, generous, and just ways. Jonah is refusing; what are we doing?

Running from God

Motivated by Compassion

March 27, 2022 • Pastor Phil Burdoin • 2 Peter 3:9, Jonah 4:5–11, Ezekiel 18:23, Ezekiel 33:11

We see Jonah’s real motivation for preaching to Nineveh when he goes outside the city to wait for God’s wrath. But it never comes; instead, God forgives them. God’s grace is an amazing gift we want for ourselves, but we often hope his grace will be withheld from our enemies. Jonah is happy when he receives comfort from the shade of a plant and angry when he suffers from the heat. He wept over the plant but would not weep over the lostness of his enemies. What about us? We often believe that God takes pleasure in judging sinners, but he does not. He takes pleasure when people repent of their sins and turn to Him. We should weep over the sad situation of those far from God and do all that we can to love and serve them and share the truth of the gospel with them. God is patient, wanting us to go to them so that they may hear. The question for us is the same as God asked Jonah: Should we not be more concerned for lost people than we are about our own comfort? Motivated by Compassion

Jonah is Angry

March 20, 2022 • Pastor Bill West • Jonah 4:1–4

The people of Nineveh were evil and depraved-they hated everyone, including Israel, and did all kinds of horrible things to them and others. The Jews despised them, and God’s call to Jonah to preach to them was an offensive call-that is why he resisted. God’s grace is an amazing gift to us, but we often want it to be withheld from our enemies. There often seems to be a contradiction between God’s justice and His mercy. Jonah knew that God was gracious and merciful and would be willing to forgive the people of Nineveh. That is why he did not want to preach to them, and even when he did, he still hoped they would refuse to repent and receive God’s wrath. We often struggle with taking the message of God’s grace and hope for some people because of their lifestyles and actions. We often hope for God’s justice for them and, like Jonah, may become angry when we see God’s grace and mercy extended to our enemies. Jonah is Angry

Reluctant Obedience

March 13, 2022 • Buky Ventura • Jonah 3

God works to get our attention because he desires to give us a second chance. He is always willing to provide us with a second chance. It is never too late to do the right thing in your life. Where, in your life, is God giving you a second chance? Who in your life needs to hear the message of hope and grace? Reluctant Obedience