Colin Smith on Jonah

In this episode of Help Me Teach the Bible, I talk with one of my favorite Scottish preachers, Colin Smith, about how the book of Jonah reveals the steadfast love and mercy of God. Smith is senior pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and teacher on Unlocking the Bible. Topics in this episode include:

ways the book of Jonah is taught inadequately
reasons Jonah would not have wanted to go to Nineveh
the pagan sailors’ response to the offer of a sacrifice that saves
Jonah in the fish—a picture of being in Christ
the heart of the book: “Salvation belongs to the Lord”
Jonah’s fearless message of judgment and grace
what to do with “God relented”
how grace either makes a person worship or makes a person angry

Here are some additional resources you may find helpful in preparing to teach Jonah:

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Sermons on Jonah by Colin Smith
Sermons on Jonah by Alistair Begg
Sermons on Jonah by Tim Keller
“The Sign of Jonah,” a sermon by Christopher Ash

For further study, here are some books you may find helpful, including titles from Crossway, the sponsor of Help Me Teach the Bible:

Jonah: Navigating a God-Centered Life by Colin Smith
Man on the Run!, a children’s book on the Jonah story
Man Overboard by Sinclair Ferguson
The Gospel Transformation Bible (with notes on Jonah by Colin Smith)

Subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or on other devices to get this and subsequent interviews in the Help Me Teach the Bible series with Nancy Guthrie. Help Me Teach the Bible is also available on Stitcher.

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Nancy Guthrie (MATS, Reformed Theological Seminary) teaches the Bible at her home church, Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, in Franklin, Tennessee, as well as at conferences around the country and internationally, including through her Biblical Theology Workshop for Women. She is the author of numerous books and the host of the Help Me Teach the Bible podcast from The Gospel Coalition. She and her husband founded Respite Retreats for couples who have faced the death of a child, and they’re cohosts of the GriefShare video series.

Colin Smith (MPhil, London School of Theology) is President of Open the Bible and Pastor Emeritus of The Orchard church in northwest suburban Chicago. He can be heard daily on the radio broadcast, Open the Bible, and at openthebible.org. Colin is the author of many books, including: Fly Through the Bible, Hike Through the Bible, Heaven, How I Got Here, and Momentum: Pursuing God’s Blessings Through the Beatitudes. He is married to Karen, and they have two married sons and five granddaughters.