Hantlas’ Small Group
Study of the Bible
Jonah: God’s Mercy on Repentant Peoples
1. Pray each and every day as you read that God would open the eyes of your heart to see Him, know Him, & love Him.
2. Read Message of the Old Testament. You may also listen to the sermon audio at gracetempe.org/wp/?cat=61. But it is recommended that the sermon audio is an adjunct to, not a replacement of, reading.
3. Read Jonah per the suggested reading plan. Try not to get lost in details, but focus on the birds’-eye view of the book to learn the message that God is teaching through what you are reading. Jonah, the shortest book in the Old Testament, is short enough that you will be able to focus on more details than we are used to and spend more time meditation and applying them.
4. Memorize Outline. Mentally connect the outline to what you are reading. Do you think this is an accurate outline?
5. Answer Questions from the back of Jonah chapter in MOT (or on next page of this handout). Each day after you read you might want to skim through the questions to see if there’s any that you can begin to answer based on the day’s reading or what you remember from the chapter.
6. As you read take notes on:
-Look for what God is teaching you about Himself. What does Jonah reveal about God?
-Look for what God is teaching you about sinful humanity.
-Look for things that might reveal the reason why Jonah was written (Purpose statements, commentary/teaching on events, structure, repetition, patterns, etc.).
7. Select at least one verse from Jonah to memorize. Why did you choose this one? What does it mean. What impact in your heart and life should be made by writing this verse on your mind and heart?
Suggested Reading PlanWeek 1
Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / Saturday / Sunday / Monday / Tuesday
Jonah (once or twice as you are able) / Jonah 1
check web for resources / Jonah 2
check web for resources / Jonah 3
check web for resources / Jonah 4
check web for resources / Message of the Old Testament
Week 2
Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / Saturday / Sunday / Monday / Tuesday
Message of the Old Testament continued / Jonah 1-2 / Jonah 3-4 / Jonah & Piper’s Sermon: “Eagle Edom Will Come Down” / Jonah overview & catchup on missed resources if necessary. Assess how God’s spirit has applied and should apply in the future what you have learned to your heart and life.
Message of the Old Testament Questions: Jonah
1. Based on the first three paragraphs in the introduction to this sermon, why is heaven a suitable place for God-lovers? Why is hell a suitable place for Godhaters? Are you a God-lover or a God-hater? Given how high the stakes are for this question, how sure are you of your answer?
2. What is the most important reason why we should treat the book of Jonah as historical? What principle can we learn here for reading and interpreting the Old Testament generally?
3. Are you ever tempted to feel that some sin that you committed in the past (or continue to struggle with) puts you beyond the reach of God’s grace? What encouraging news does the book of Jonah have for you? How can you encourage others who struggle with the same temptation?
4. The book of Jonah accomplishes at least two grand tasks at once: it demonstrates God’s love for the nations, and it exposes the hypocrisy in the hearts of God’s own people, much like Jesus’ diatribes against the Pharisees. Let’s consider each of these purposes in turn.
· First, can you name any other god who loves the nations as much as the God of the Bible? Who is the most loving person that you know? Describe, if you can, what that person would be like if he or she were many times more loving than he or she already is. Now, what do you think God must be like? Toward you? Toward your non-Christian friends? Toward your enemies? Toward the enemies of your nation?
· Second, how does the book of Jonah expose you as a hypocrite? When and where have you responded to Jesus’ Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) as Jonah did by fleeing to Tarshish? What names could you give to “Tarshish” in your life—that is, where do you go to flee from God (a city, home, com fort, food, video games, alcohol, the telephone, a vacation spot, fantasies of success, etc.)?
5. Second, how does the book of Jonah expose you as a hypocrite? When and where have you responded to Jesus’ Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) as Jonah did by fleeing to Tarshish? What names could you give to “Tarshish” in your life—that is, where do you go to flee from God (a city, home, com fort, food, video games, alcohol, the telephone, a vacation spot, fantasies of success, etc.)?
6. Christian, are you surprised by your conversion, or does it feel like “a given”? No matter one’s age at the time of conversion, why should every Christian be surprised by his or her conversion? In other words, why is every conversion as remarkable as Jonah’s deliverance through a great fish?
7. Christian, is there some relationship, job, or opportunity in your life of late that you have “messed up”? What encouragement might you take from the God of second-chances in the book of Jonah for your particular situation?
8. Is it possible for a church to be known both for excommunicating unrepentant sinners and for being a church that gives second chances? Is this a desirable goal? How can a church work toward this?
9. How can you strive to have a bigger and bigger heart that looks more like God’s? Specifically, how can you learn to love more broadly and deeply?
gracetempe.org