A Fish Story for God's Glory

In our lesson today, instead of a man catching a great fish, a great fish catches a man. The man is not left off the hook either. This historical event has been debated for centuries. So many have desired to disprove it, deny it, and despise it. They can't seem to swallow it. It is the best fish story in the world. It is such a great fish story about God's glory that even Jesus brought it up during His ministry. Let's hear what Jesus had to say about it again in Matthew 12:39-41, "But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here." Jesus declared that Jonah spent three days and three nights in the fish's belly. He further stated that this fish story pointed to a greater glory. Jonah did not remain in the fish's belly a fourth day.
This morning, we are going to travel with Jonah overboard the ship into deep water and the dark places of the earth. This would be three days he would never forget. He would experience some things we could hardly imagine. He would be prepared to carry out God's mission towards the Ninevites. The title to today's message will be "A Fish Story for God's Glory".