When God wants to get the attention of one of His servants, He has many creative options. In the case of Jonah, God took extreme measures. The belly of a great fish is hardly a vacation, and Jonah go…

It’s common to hear people explain the Gospel as if being saved is a decision a sinner can make whenever they choose. But the story of Jonah provides clear evidence that God is the one who over…

God has amazing ways of getting us to say yes. He does not make us puppets; rather, He arranges conditions so that we will choose to do His will. Sometimes those conditions can be tough, and they sta…

Sometimes, circumstances overwhelm us, forcing us to turn to God for a way out. Jonah was certainly overwhelmed in the belly of a great fish. For Jonah, that experience truly marked his death to self…

God wants His servants focused on God’s agenda, not their own. It took extraordinary measures to get Jonah back on the road to Nineveh, but he finally went, in body if not in heart. In this mes…

Many people have dogs who won’t do what they’re told. Only when put on a leash will they go where they are supposed to go. But sometimes we are equally stubborn. Jonah finally preached to…

Some of God’s servants have to go through the school of hard knocks before they learn to obey God from the heart. Jonah finally went to Nineveh, but still with a hard heart. He had no real conc…

Jonah finally obeyed God but took no joy in the revival that followed his preaching in Nineveh. His self-focus prevented him from seeing the big picture. Instead, he sat down, asking God that he migh…

After Jonah preached, he got angry and depressed. Then God sent a sequence of events to teach the wayward prophet some pointed object lessons. In this message we will find a plant, a worm, and a scor…

Some people think their own well-being is a constitutional right. They feel they deserve the best things life can provide. But Jonah’s experience with a shady plant in the desert teaches us thi…

Jonah preached in Nineveh only after God literally dragged him there. But was his heart ever broken by that which breaks the heart of God? In this message we discover the final lessons we can take ho…

In the book of Revelation, seven local churches, located in modern day Turkey, received a personal word from Jesus. These words tell us what He thought of those churches, and by extension, we know wh…

Famous paintings give the impression that Jesus had long hair and a kind face. But the Jesus of Revelation is a Christ with eyes of flaming fire. His words thundered to seven churches in the first ce…

With hair as white as snow and eyes of flaming fire, Jesus fills the pages of the book of Revelation, and His judgment on the world is fierce. But we also see His disposition toward seven ancient chu…

What can we learn from what Jesus said to the Church in Ephesus? Ephesus was a major city along the coast of what is now Turkey. Acts 18 tells of Paul’s founding of its local church. In Revelat…

Jesus had messages for seven churches in the early chapters of Revelation. For the first church, the message was a mix of good and bad. He gave the good news first, but then came judgment on a matter…

Jesus has clear expectations of His local churches. He spoke to seven churches in Revelation facing conditions which are similar to the present. What does Jesus want to see? He wants repentance where…

We don’t know a lot about the New Testament church at Smyrna, in what is now modern Turkey. But what we do know speaks volumes about what Jesus thought of this church. Few of us face the persec…

In many places, being a public witness for Christ can cost you your life. Jesus knows every time one of His followers makes the supreme sacrifice, and in Revelation, He commends a church willing to f…

In the true church of Jesus, persecution is assured. Jesus urges us to be faithful unto death, that we might obtain the crown of life. It’s not a promise of health and wealth in this world, but…

In the book of Revelation, Jesus addressed the church at Pergamum in what is now Turkey. In the strongest terms, He decried their willingness to adopt false teachings, which actually advocated immora…

Teachers play a crucial role in the formation of youth. In the same way, Bible teachers have enormous influence on the members of a church. False doctrines are easily spread. Jesus tells an ancient c…

Jesus addressed seven local churches in the book of Revelation, and He spoke of those who “overcome.” So, who are the overcomers? Will you and I receive the promises only overcomers can c…