What is stopping us from obeying God and being in the presence of God? What is in us that causes us to disobey God and go in the wrong direction? What causes us to come against other people?

As we study the book of Jonah, we can see that Jonah had bad roots. He came against the plans of God. He had a hard time obeying God.

If you have a bad root inside you, you will not be able to change until you take it out.

Jonah 1:1-2
1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”

God told Jonah to arise and go to Nineveh, to preach. But Jonah wanted to escape from God’s calling and command.

Israel was going in the wrong direction at that time. They were turning away from God and serving idols. North Israel was pretty prosperous and strong but the king was very wicked and lacked morals. The country prospered so they thought they were good. They believed that God was with them. Sometimes a wicked person prospers. That doesn’t mean that they are good. They will be judged sooner or later.

God called Hosea, Amos, and Jonah as His prophets. Hosea and Amos preached strong messages. They spoke the truth about God’s judgment. Jonah preached a peaceful message so the people of Israel liked him. He didn’t go through too much persecution.

God commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh. When God gave him this assignment, his true colors started to show. He looked like a good prophet, a peaceful man but he was actually a bitter man. He was able to hide his bitter roots for a long time, but now they were starting to show.

God told Jonah to arise. But Jonah arose and ran away.

When you rise up, which way do you run? Do you run to the calling of God or away from the calling of God? Do you rise up for the truth or to save yourself? We need to rise up for God.

When God says, “arise” something important is happening.

Genesis 13:17
17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”

Joshua 1:2
2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel.

Daniel 10:11
11 And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.

Acts 10:13
13 And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

When God tells you to rise up it means He will be with you to help you and work through you.

God commanded Jonah to rise up to teach Israel that they were living under deception. They were overly confident. They believed that they were special to God. They believed they were so special that He would only bless and prosper them. God wanted to show them that He loved everyone, even those in Nineveh.

We must know who we are. We must examine our hearts and see who we are. What is in your heart? What is stopping you from praying? From studying the Bible? From serving God? From loving others? There is a bitter root in your heart. You might have been born with it. You might have allowed that bitterness to take over because you are dealing with pain or unforgiveness. You must take care of that bitter root in your heart. Look inside your heart. What is stopping you from moving forward with God? From feeling the presence of God? From knowing the freedom God provides? From being set free from bondage? Take out that bad root. Live a humble life before God. Accept God’s plan for your life. Accept your destiny in His kingdom.

If you have a bad root in your heart, you become numb to sin.

God commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh but he rebelled against God. He ran away from God’s calling and assignment.

Passage: Jonah 1:1-17

In Jonah 1, when Jonah ran away from God, he didn’t feel guilt. When he fell asleep in the boat during the storm, he didn’t feel bad. The Gentiles woke him up and told him to pray. What a humiliation. But Jonah didn’t seem too embarrassed. He proudly told them that he served God and that he had disobeyed God. Then, instead of repent and call on God, he told them to throw him into the sea. He wouldn’t even jump overboard by himself. He wanted them to be culpable, too. He wanted them to commit sin with him by throwing him into the sea. That’s terrible. We don’t see any signs of repentance in all of Jonah, chapter 1.

But in Jonah 2, Jonah experienced death inside the fish. He went to training school. He was finally learning something. He realized that he wasn’t that special to God to be able to get away with anything. He finally repented. He realized that he was no one without God.

The good news is that God gave him a second chance. God commanded the fish to spit him out after he repented. God told him again to arise and go to Nineveh.

What happened when Jonah obeyed? The people of Nineveh repented and they were saved. When you obey God, people will become saved.

When you arise, which direction will you go? If you arise to run away, you will face judgment. If you arise to obey, many people will be saved.

God bless you,
Pastor Sun East