A Whale of a Thanksgiving

Jonah 2

 

INTRODUCTION:

 

Great Times of Thanksgiving

  1. Israel’s thanksgiving after deliverance from Egypt (Exod. 15)
  2. Thanksgiving at the dedication of the temple (2 Chron. 5)
  3. The first Thanksgiving in America

 

History’s most unusual Thanksgiving.

  1. Jonah giving thanks inside a big fish.
  2. He gives thanks and praise to God.
  3. Jonah had a whale of a Thanksgiving.

 

    I.        THIS THANKFUL MAN WAS IN A DANGEROUS PLACE

A.     How Jonah found himself in trouble.

1.     His call to go to Nineveh (ch. 1)

2.     He fled from God in a ship heading for Tarshish.

3.     The great storm and the great fish.

4.     Jonah had thought his life was over.

B.     Thanksgiving follows deliverances from danger many times.

1.     This was true of the first Thanksgiving in America.

2.     The cold winter and sickness had claimed many lives.

3.     Encouragement came with a good harvest.

4.     It was time to give thanks.

C.    We live dangerous lives

1.     Only a heartbeat from death.

2.     We are alive by God’s grace.

3.     We have more than we deserve.

D.    We ought to be thankful.

 

  II.        THIS THANKFUL MAN HAD PRAYED A DESPERATE PRAYER

A.     “I cried by reason of mine affliction” (v. 2)

B.     Jonah cried out to God because he knew he was in trouble.

C.    We’ve all been in trouble.

1.     We were all lost in sin. (Rom. 3:23)

2.     We deserved nothing but death (Rom. 6:23)

3.     God in love met us in our sins (John 3:16)

4.     Christ died to pay for our sins (Rom. 5:8)

5.     Salvation became available by faith (Rom. 10:9-10)

D.    We all ought to be thankful (Ps. 103)

E.     Some of us have been desperate over other problems.

F.     We’ve prayed and God has delivered us.

1.     Our thanksgiving ought to reflect our deliverance.

2.     God has been good to us and we should give thanks.

III.        THIS THANKFUL MAN HAD NEARLY GIVEN UP

A.     “When my soul fainted within me.”

B.     When discouraged he called on the Lord.

1.     He made vows to the Lord

2.     He started giving thanks to the Lord.

C.    God heard and rescued him.

D.    God has heard our prayers and rescued us many times.

 

CONCLUSION:

We are alive today and we should be thankful.

 

God has brought us safely to this day.

 

Let’s have a whale of a thanksgiving!