The Wrong Thing Done the Right Way? - Apr. 23rd, 2023

[Title:]

Doing the Wrong Thing the Right Way, or, “Deliberately Heading the Wrong Direction While Traveling in a Proper Manner.”

[Text:]

Jonah 1:1–3 KJV 1900

1 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

[Pre-Introduction:] 

Preliminary remarks, thanks, honors, invitation for children to children's services, metadata (location, time, speaker, subject, reference)

[Introduction:] 

Illustration of standing at the crossroads of decision

Jeremiah 6:16 KJV 1900

16 Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

10,000 Sermon Illustrations The Crossroads

The Crossroads

More than at any time in history, mankind faces a crossroads—one path leading to despair and utter hopelessness, the other leading to total destruction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.

Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State, U. S. News and World Report, Jan. 9, 1989

[Sermonic Proposition:] 

Be Greater than Jonas, Don't Do the Wrong Thing, Even Though You Might Know How to Do It the Right Way

     -It may be perfectly legal, you may have the means, your heart may desire it above anything else, you may have the know-how, or know some-one who does, it may be a wonderful sounding destination (exotic Mediterranean beaches), but somehow, because of something God has shown you in His Word, deep down inside, you just know its the wrong direction, DON'T DO THE WRONG THING, even though you may be fully capable of doing it by the book. You may find yourself working out of the wrong book, because its not HIS BOOK.

God Sees All - A pastor was driving home from a Saturday night speaking engagement at a youth rally. On his way to the freeway, he was traveling on a small country road. As he came to a crossroads, there was a traffic light. The light was red. There were no other cars in all four lanes. There were no buildings. The pastor thought, “No one sees me, so I’ll just go through.” Suddenly he thought, “But God sees me.” Not only does God see all, He knows all our thoughts and motives. He keeps records and we will be judged by the records He keeps.

[AMG Bible Illustrations, Bible Illustrations Series (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 2000).]

[Sub-introduction:] 

Textual observations (see Canvas markings for ideas, words to define, connections, contrasts, context, culture, background items to clip)

Jonah is one of fourteen Old Testament books that open with the little word “and.” These books remind us of God’s “continued story” of grace and mercy. Though the Bible is comprised of sixty-six different books, it tells only one story; and God keeps communicating that message to us, even though we don’t always listen too attentively. How long-suffering He is toward us!

[Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Amazed, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 71.]

In dealing with any book of the Bible, we need to distinguish between what Dr. G. Campbell Morgan calls the essentials and the incidentals. The incidentals in the Book of Jonah are the fish, the gourd, the east wind, the boat, and even the city of Nineveh. The essentials here are Jehovah and Jonah—God and man—that is what the book is all about.

[J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary: The Prophets (Jonah/Micah), electronic ed., vol. 29 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), xiv.]

[First Main Point:]

God Makes Things Clear through His Word Regarding His Direction & Objective Will for His Servants (Jon. 1:1)

Jonah 1:1 KJV 1900

1 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

“Dove” & “Son of [God’s] Faithfulness/Truth”

Note “Word of the LORD” (3x’s in Jonah; “word/preaching/saying” 7x)

Several principles are revealed about the relationship between God’s Word and our duty.

1. God’s Word is a Pre-requisite in discerning our duty.

Before Jonah could know God’s will, God’s Word had to come first in his life. We must know the Word before we can ascertain God’s will for our lives. If we do not know the Word, we will walk in ignorance of our most important responsibilities in life. Do you really believe your duty to the Lord is to just come to church for a few days a week? Do you think you are doing God a favor by just going to church and sitting on a pew? Does a soldier get medals for going to the Army dining hall and eating a meal? No! Do you think we are going to get rewards from the Lord by just coming to church and feeding on His Word? There is more to the Christian life than this beloved. We are to be missionaries to our family, friends, foes, neighbors, and loved ones. We are to actively serve the Lord in our church and get involved in the ministry.

2. God’s Word has Priority in determining our duty.

Duty which comes from the Word of God has top priority. True manhood is always sensitive to the leading of the Lord.

3. God’s Word is Practical in declaring our duty. God’s Word is practical and applicable. It is never out of touch with the circumstances of our life.

[Rod Mattoon, Treasures from Jonah, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2003), 9.]

A - Arise & Go to the Heart of Paganism (antichrists) (Jon. 1:2a)

Jonah 1:2a KJV 1900

2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

Describe Nineveh

NINEVEH

Jonah’s assignment for spiritual warfare was Nineveh. It was located in Assyria and was the seat of government. This city was located on the Tigris River. It was named after the Babylonian moon goddess, Ishtar. After the Tower of Babel and the tribes migrated out of Mesopotamia, Asshur or Nimrod, and his family moved north to establish Nineveh.

In the ancient, Assyrian language, Marduk (the sun god of Babylon) was called Nanu. According to legend, Ishtar married Nanu, changing her name to Inanna, after whom the city of Nineveh was named. The name Ishtar in the ancient cuneiform writing is depicted by the sign of a fish within an enclosure. Dagon was worshiped in the city. He was the fish-god who was half man and half fish. If people witnessed Jonah being thrown up by the fish on the shore, such news would travel quickly. It is easy to see how a city that worshiped a fish-god may have received Jonah as a divine messenger.

Nineveh is located 75 miles south of Turkey, in present day Iraq. It was called a great city four times in the book of Jonah.

It was great in several ways. First, Nineveh had a famous history. It was founded by Nimrod or Asshur himself as we have already mentioned.

Genesis 10:9–12 KJV 1900

9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, 12 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.

Nineveh was also huge. It was a large population center of 600,000 to 1,000,000 citizens. The fourth chapter tells us that there were 120,000 who could not discern between their right or left hand. These were most likely very young children. The possible square mileage of the land was about 350 square miles.

The fortifications were awesome. The walls were 100 feet high and wide enough for three chariots abreast. Great palaces adorned the city. Education was also a priority. Nineveh was the leading educational center in Assyria. Agriculture and ranching played a vital role in a city that abounded in grazing land. There was an abundance of livestock according to 4:11. This would make the city self-supporting in its food supply. This would also play an important role if they were surrounded by an enemy. The city could not easily be starved into submission.

Nineveh had some great features but some nasty ones too. It was noted for its wickedness. God said, “There wickedness has come up before me.” We have heard similar words like this before in the Bible.

Genesis 4:10 KJV 1900

10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.

Genesis 18:20–21 KJV 1900

20 And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

Nineveh was a powerful city, but its greatness was no substitute for its spiritual anemia and apathy.

Mark 8:36 KJV 1900

36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

God described the city by the word “wickedness.” Why?

1. They were guilty of evil plots against the Lord.

Nahum 1:9 KJV 1900

9 What do ye imagine against the Lord? He will make an utter end: Affliction shall not rise up the second time.

2. They exploited those who were helpless and were cruel in war.

Nahum 2:12 KJV 1900

12 The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, And strangled for his lionesses, And filled his holes with prey, And his dens with ravin.

3. It was a blood-thirsty city and filled with perversion.

Nahum 3:1–4 KJV 1900

1 Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery; The prey departeth not; 2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, And of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots. 3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: And there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; And there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses: 4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, The mistress of witchcrafts, That selleth nations through her whoredoms, And families through her witchcrafts.

Historical documents reveal the cruelty of Nineveh.

* Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 B.C.) recorded these words, “I stormed the mountain peaks and took them. In the midst of the mighty mountain I slaughtered them; with their blood I dyed the mountain red like wool. The heads of their warriors I cut off and I formed them into a pillar over against their city. Their young men and their maidens I burned in the fire.” Regarding one captured leader he wrote, “I flayed him. His skin I spread on the wall of the city.” He wrote of mutilating the bodies of live prisoners and stacking their dead bodies into piles.

* Shalmaneser II (859–824 B.C.) bragged about his treacheries after one military campaign, “A pyramid of heads I reared in front of his city. Their youths and maidens I burnt up in the flames.”

* Sennacherib (705–681 B.C.) wrote of his enemies, “I cut their throats like lambs. I cut off their precious lives as one cuts a string. Like the many waters of a storm I made the contents of their gullets and entrails run down upon the wide earth. Their hands I cut off.”

* Ashurbanipal (669–626 B.C.) described his treatment of a captured leader in these words, “I pierced his chin with my keen hand dagger. Through his jaw I passed a rope, put a dog chain upon him and made him occupy a kennel.” In the Egyptian war, he boasted that his officials hung Egyptian corpses on stakes and stripped off their skins, covering the city walls with them. This is how they got the reputation for being a bloody city. These people were ruthless.

There are several historical links between Jonah and Nineveh. Gaebelein states that there is a seal belonging to the reign of Amasis II of Egypt (570–526 B.C.) which shows with remarkable clarity a man emerging from a sea monster. This seal is cited by an archaeologist named Knight in a book entitled Nile and the Jordan, which was published in 1921. The figure has been identified as Jonah. Another link is a mound in the upper Tigris valley under which the remains of ancient Nineveh were discovered. This mound is called “Neby Yunas” (“The Prophet Jonah”) and has been called this for centuries.

[Rod Mattoon, Treasures from Jonah, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2003), 12–14.]

Where do we see wicked philosophies that breed violence and persecution arising today?

B - Cry Against Its Verified Wickedness (Jon. 1:2b)

How do vain philosophies, pagan rudiments, and profanities trend toward ONE-WORLD religion, and persecution of those of "The Faith/Way"?

Discuss Article “The Return of Paganism”

Explain this point, Illustrate it, apply it through Christo-Centric Historio-Redemptive program, MOVE ON.

[Second Main Point (Chiasm):]

Instead, We Directly Flee from Our God Ordained Responsibility to Confront Worldly Evil & Wickedness (Jon. 1:3)

A - We Arise, But for to Descend Away (So We Think) from the Face of God

It’s possible to be out of the will of God and still have circumstances appear to be working on your behalf. You can be rebelling against God and still have a false sense of security that includes a good night’s sleep. God in His providence was preparing Jonah for a great fall.

[Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Amazed, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 73.]

B - Down to Joppa (Portal/Terminal)

Jonah went down to Joppa, while Jesus went down to Jerusalem; 

Jonah went down into a wooden boat to sheol, while Jesus went up on a cross to Paradise; 

Jonah sought his own life and lost it, while Jesus lost His own life only to find it.

C -  We Search Until We Find a Hopeful Vessel for Our Secret (So We Think) Absconding

We Flee from His Face, 

We Search Until We Find an Escape, 

We Pay the Fare Thereof, 

We Ultimately Fall Further from His Face

C' - We Are Headed (So We Think) to the Edge of the Earth, In the Opposite Direction from Where God Called Us to Go

Note the emphasis on “Tarshish” in our text

She Kept Throwing Stick

Years ago an old Scottish woman went to country homes to sell thread, buttons and shoestrings. When she came to an unmarked crossroad, she would toss a stick in the air and go whichever way the stick pointed. One day she was seen tossing the stick into the air several times. “Why do you toss the stick several times?” someone asked. She answered, “It has pointed every time to the road going to the right, and I want to go on the road to the left. It looks smoother!” She kept on throwing up the stick until it finally pointed toward the road she wanted to go.

—Walter B. Knight

[Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 1610.]

B' - We Pay Whatever It Takes to Avoid Responsibility 

We Essentially Become Responsibly Irresponsible

A' - Down to the Boat and Away (So We Think) from the Face of God

Things have an uncanny way of coming back to where it all began, so goes the account of the McLean House, See Article “The Peculiar Story of William McLean”

Illustrate how McLean is more representative of Jehovah than Jonah (i.e., he was not “running from war” but taking care of his family), when the need arose, McLean said “Yes,” on both accounts (beginning & ending).

[Concluding Application & Invitation to Act:]

For What Are You Spending Your Energy & Resources? What You Want? Or What You Know God Wants?

Clincher - Three Ways to "Want" Something: Your Way, God's Way, or Both?

Psalm 37:4 KJV 1900

4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

What evil are you not willing to confront in your own life? What wickedness and depravity are you running from? How long will you continue to let wicked sinners continue to hurt themselves and others while you sip coconut milk under your own palm tree while the world continues to go to hell in a hand-basket? What will God have to allow in your life for you to finally step up and stop tolerating pagan philosophies and ideas that can only lead to violence and bloodshed?

The Choice Is Yours (Matthew 10:34–39)

A northeastern United States pastor once changed places with a prison chaplain. One day while preaching a chapel message he spotted a childhood friend who had become an inmate. Upon the conclusion of his message, he approached his long-lost acquaintance and inquired about his demise. In their conversation there was much joy in their childhood memories until the inmate made a startling acknowledgement. He spoke of the crossroads that each of them had come to in their lives. The pastor had chosen to follow Christ while the inmate had followed a life of sin. The Bible often speaks of choices that must be made in the life of an individual. Matthew 10:34–39 is the summary of Christ’s parable about following Christ and forsaking all else: “He that loveth father or mother more than me … and he that taketh not his cross and followeth after me, is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:37-38).

Matthew 10:34–39 KJV 1900

34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

[AMG Bible Illustrations, Bible Illustrations Series (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 2000).]

Be Greater than Jonas, Don't Do the Wrong Thing, Even Though You Might Know How to Do It the Right Way