Sermon Discussion Questions
Passage: Jonah 1:1-17
Title: Mercy and Running
1. How does Jonah respond to God’s command and why does he respond in this way?
2. Can you think of other examples in the Bible of someone trying to flee from God’s presence? What other Bible passages talk about God’s presence? (see Gen. 4:16, Job 1:12, Ps. 139:7-12)
3. When have you tried to run from God’s presence and how did that turn out for you?
4. What are the consequences of Jonah’s disobedience? Why does God act in this way?
5. In what ways were the mariners wiser than Jonah?
6. How did God use Jonah despite his failure?
7. In what ways does this story foreshadow the ministry of Jesus? How does Jonah differ from Jesus? Where do we see glimpses of the gospel in Jonah 1?
8. How has God used you in the lives of others in unexpected and humbling ways? What might be the equivalent of the Ninevites in your own life?
9. Read Mk. 10:43-45. Spend some time praying that we would not run from God’s presence but enjoy Him and obey Him by the grace of the gospel. Pray that God would use us to bring the gospel to even the most unlikely hearers.