Somebody Wake Up The Preacher

Somebody Wake Up the Preacher!
Text: Jonah 1:1–6

The book of Jonah opens with a storm at sea, frightened mariners, and a sleeping prophet hidden in the bottom of a ship. The irony of the scene is staggering. The man who knew God was asleep while the lost men around him feared for their lives. Jonah chapter one is not merely the story of a runaway prophet; it is a warning about what happens when spiritual leaders become careless concerning the will of God.
This story also serves as a prequel and foreshadows the storm in Mark chapter four, when Jesus slept on a ship amid another storm. Yet there is a vast difference between the two men. Jonah slept while running from the will of God, but Jesus slept while perfectly submitted to it. Jonah endangered the lives of those around him through disobedience, while Jesus calmed the storm through obedience.
The old joke has been, “If the people in the congregation are falling asleep, somebody wake up the preacher.” While humorous, the truth behind the statement is sobering. When pastors, deacons, teachers, and spiritual leaders depart from the word and will of God, the church (both local and universal) suffers along with the world that should be reached by it. Jonah’s life reveals at least three dangerous steps that eventually led him to fall asleep during a violent storm.

Jonah Went Contrary
God commanded Jonah to arise and go to Nineveh, yet Jonah deliberately went in the opposite direction. Nineveh was eastward, but Jonah fled westward toward Tarshish. Instead of submitting to God's command, Jonah attempted to outrun God's will.
Jonah’s home region was Galilee, in the territory of Naphtali. From there, he traveled south to Joppa, a journey of roughly sixty miles, before boarding a ship headed thousands of miles away toward Tarshish, likely in Spain. The passage repeatedly emphasizes Jonah’s downward spiral.

• He went DOWN to Joppa
• He went DOWN into the ship
• He went DOWN into the sides of the ship
• He later went DOWN into the sea
• Then DOWN into the fish

"Nobody backslides upward." Sin and disobedience always take a person farther than intended. It makes people pay more than they intended and stay longer than they intended. The preacher who goes contrary to God’s word will eventually bring trouble not only upon himself, but upon those around him.
Jonah’s disobedience also revealed his disregard for God’s authority. Verse three says, “But Jonah rose up…” There is a spirit of self-will and pride in that statement. Rather than surrendering to God’s command, Jonah decided to pursue his own direction.
The danger in churches today is not merely false doctrine from the outside, but spiritual leaders who knowingly drift from biblical conviction while continuing outward religious activity.

Jonah Went Conveniently
Jonah “found a ship” going to Tarshish. Everything seemed to fall conveniently into place. There was room aboard the ship, and Jonah conveniently had enough money to pay the fare.
One of the great dangers in the Christian life is mistaking convenience for the will of God. There will always be a convenience factor connected to sin. The devil often makes disobedience appear easy, affordable, and accessible. Jonah likely interpreted the open opportunity as a workable escape from God’s calling. Yet convenience does not mean something is godly.
Many Christians and churches today have exchanged conviction for convenience. It is easier to compromise than contend. It is easier to blend in than stand apart. It is easier to pursue comfort than obedience.
Convenience is often the first step toward betrayal. In Mark 14:11, Judas conveniently found an opportunity to betray Christ. Lot conveniently pitched his tent toward Sodom. Jonah conveniently found transportation away from the "presence of the LORD." The chapter repeatedly emphasizes that Jonah desired to flee “from the presence of the LORD.” Rather than walking with God, Jonah chose to walk with pagan mariners heading in the wrong direction. Convenience was the second step toward spiritual sleep after Jonah had already gone contrary to God.

Jonah Went Carelessly
Jonah’s carelessness is fully revealed when he goes down into the ship and falls asleep during the storm. The lost mariners were terrified. They cried out to their false gods and desperately threw cargo overboard to save the ship. Meanwhile, the prophet of God slept.
Jonah’s carelessness endangered everyone around him.
He did not care for his own safety. He did not care about the mariners' safety. He certainly did not care for the people of Nineveh, who desperately needed the message God had commanded him to preach. Jonah also became careless concerning his occupation and reputation. When questioned by the mariners, Jonah identified himself more by nationality and religious heritage than by his calling as a prophet of God.
Pastors and Christians alike cannot afford to become careless concerning their testimony, occupation, or reputation. Scripture repeatedly warns believers to walk wisely before the world and maintain a good report. Carelessness eventually leads to drowsiness, and drowsiness eventually leads to spiritual sleep.
Acts 20 warns "overseers" to watch carefully over the flock of God because spiritual dangers are always present. Romans 13 commands believers to awake out of sleep. Ephesians 5 declares, “Awake thou that sleepest.” 1Thessalonians 5 warns believers not to sleep spiritually like others, but to watch and be sober. God’s desire is for His people to remain spiritually awake.

Conclusion:
A sleeping preacher in a storm is dangerous to everybody on the ship. When the preacher sleeps spiritually, the church suffers. When the church sleeps spiritually, the world around it suffers as well.
Jonah chapter one warns believers that living contrary to God’s word, seeking convenient escapes from conviction, and becoming spiritually careless will eventually lead to spiritual sleep.
The church today desperately needs spiritually awake pastors, spiritually awake Christians, and spiritually awake churches that remain surrendered to the word and will of God.