Jonah 3 - God loves to bring sinners to life!
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Big Idea:
Big Idea:
God loves to bring sinners to life!
Intro:
Intro:
Good morning [Church Online]...
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is this...
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
One way I could summarize this verse is, “God loves me and wants me to have life.” And when I say “life,” I don’t just mean physically alive - like breathing, although that is true too. I’m talking about “eternal life.”
And eternal life isn’t just living forever, but living the way God designed us to live. Filled with purpose. Flourishing in fruitfulness. If my life were a fruit tree, God wants my life to produces fruits like this...
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
And I believe that God wants that not only for me, but for all of us. The book of John teaches us that God so loved the world that He sent Jesus to save us. And Jesus saved us that we might have life, and life more abundantly!
But here’s the reality… although that’s God’s ultimate desire for us, the process of achieving that in this broken world is messy.
In theology, we have this word called “sanctification.” And one way to define it is to say, “The process - over time - of a sinner becoming more like Jesus.” Meaning, experiencing a harvest is a messy, time-consuming process.
We’ve been exploring this truth in our sermon series on Jonah. Jonah is a spiritually immature prophet. A true prophet of God, but his life is a mess. Yet, God still has a plan for his life. And so God brings Jonah on a journey through his mess to bring forth a harvest.
And one main purpose of this book is to be a spiritual mirror. We should read these verses and see our own spiritually messy lives. But we should also read with hope… knowing God desires to lead us to a harvest too.
And I believe this important because this year our church is focused on growing in spiritual maturity. And to do that, we need to understand that it’s a messy process.
Without oxen a stable stays clean,
but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.
That is, if you want a fruitful harvest, you need a strong ox. But you also need to expect that strong ox to make a poopy mess in the stable. If you overvalue a clean stable (avoiding the mess), you’ll never experience the harvest.
This principle is true for our personal lives too. We must be willing to deal with the mess in our lives if we want to experience the abundant life.
Additionally, the church should expect this of our community. God placed us in our community to bring forth a harvest. To go and preach the gospel to our neighbors so that they might find eternal life in Jesus! This is God’s desire!
who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
… but know this… it’s going to be messy!
My life started out a mess. I know some of you know my story, but we also have new people who don’t... So, although I’m the lead pastor of this church [although I preach from this pulpit], I have not been exempt from the mess.
I didn’t grow up in the church. My dad’s family never went to church because the Catholic church kicked my grandpa out for getting a divorce. My mom’s side was a disaster. By the time my mom was born, my grandma had 7 kids by 7 different dads.
My mom got pregnant with me as a teenager. My parents got married young and then divorced. And my single mom raised my brother and I in poverty. It was a mess.
I didn’t even hear about Jesus until I was around 10. But even this story is messy. I think I might have received Christ back then, but I’m not sure. I remember memorizing Bible verses, loving worship music, and getting baptized. But when my mom left the church, my teenage years definitely did not look like someone who followed Jesus.
I have to admit, theologically, that part of my faith-journey is messy to me. I personally believe that once someone is “saved” (puts their faith in Jesus), they are always saved. I believe this for many reasons, one primary reason being, “How can you ever become un-born again?” Yet, it really feels like I walked away from my faith. That if I died during that season, I would not have end up in heaven. Some solid Christians believe you can lose your salvation… is that what happened?
On the other hand, I didn’t die! And in my early 20s, I surrendered my entire life to Jesus. And I’ve been following Jesus ever since. So, maybe those in-between years were “Jonah” years? I was running from God. I don’t know. It’s messy.
And still… even though I’m trying to run towards God with all my heart now, my life is still messy. But I also thank God for the harvest He has allowed me to experience according to His faithful promise!
I share this to say, “Bringing forth a harvest always includes a mess.” That’s what the book of Proverbs says. It’s been true for my life. It’s probably true of your life. And, as we’ll see today, it was true for Jonah too.
Today, we begin chapter 3...
God has asked Jonah to preach to the wicked Ninevites.
Jonah refuses and runs away on a ship.
God stops him with a storm and throws him into the sea.
Jonah repents, gets swallowed by a giant fish, and prays a lament.
And God causes the fish to vomit him out onto dry land.
… that’s where we pick up today.
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,
Exegesis:
Hey, aren’t we glad that our God is the God of second chances? He’s a God of grace. Grace being: Giving goodness even though we don’t deserve it.
The sense of verse 1 is God hit the reset button for Jonah. He gets to start over.
And think how much effort went into this second chance. Jonah created a huge mess. Yet, God is patiently pursued Jonah. Not because God needs Jonah. Not because Jonah deserves it. But because of grace. Because God loves Jonah and wants him to give life!
God never gives up on Jonah.
God never gives up on Jonah.
Some of us need to hear that today. God didn’t give up on Jonah and guess what… God doesn’t give up on us. No matter the mess, God’s ready to hit the reset button, when we need it.
Verse 2… “Arise [hang on to that word for later], go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah arose [again, remember that word] and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD...”
Hey- that’s a good way to live, right? According to the word of the LORD. That’s when good things happen. The impossible becomes possible when God directs our steps.
The opposite - living according to our own selfish desires - results in more mess, even if that isn’t our intention. We may have the best intentions, but if we don’t consult God, expect a mess. The Bible says...
There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.
Have you ever ready the book of Judges? That book is a train wreck - a spiritual mess! You know why? Because...
In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.
When we don’t live according to the word of the Lord, we make a mess. But the spiritually mature build their lives upon God’s word and experience the harvest! They see the impossible happen. That’s what Jonah discovers. Look at verse 3...
So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth.
Jonah arrives at this extremely wicked, exceedingly great city. The thought is, “How could God do anything good in this place?” Seems impossible!
Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
This passage is filled with Old Testament language that would have been familiar to Jonah’s original Jewish audience.
Jonah’s message of judgment sounded similar to the angel’s message to Sodom and Gomorrah.
The time frame of forty days would’ve reminded them of the times when Israel rebelled in the wilderness and God wanted to destroy them, but Moses prayed 40 days for them. And God gave grace instead.
The repentance of fasting and sackcloth mirrored the actions of Israel’s spiritual heroes - Jacob, David, and Job.
And I believe the phrase, “And the people of Nineveh believed God...” would’ve pointed people to the father of their faith, Abraham...
And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.
What we see here is genuine repentance, faith, and salvation. We see the truth that God loves to bring sinners to life. The impossible has happened. Salvation has come to Nineveh!
Furthermore, it’s a challenge to Jonah’s readers… The wicked Ninevites are acting like our spiritual heroes - They believed God!
Will we do the same?
Additionally, there are two other things for us to notice...
First, look at verse 4, “Jonah BEGAN to go into the city...” That word “began” is interesting. It can mean “to start something,” which is how it’s translated here. But it can also mean “to profane, defile, or render unholy.” That’s two pretty extreme differences. Translating it can be kinda messy!
Maybe that’s the point? I wonder if there’s a sense where the author is saying, “And Jonah began to step into the mess of the city...” Because as we know, in order to bring forth the harvest, we must deal with the mess.
Maybe there’s a mess in your life. Or you’re facing an impossible task. And you think, “How am I supposed to fix this train wreck?” Sometimes, the best thing we can do is step into the mess according to the world of the Lord. And remember that...
God’s not afraid of our mess.
God’s not afraid of our mess.
Secondly, did you notice how short Jonah’s message is. Now, some believe Jonah not giving God’s full message because he’s still being a punk. I understand that perspective, but I personally don’t agree. Rather, I think Jonah said exactly what God wanted him to say, which wasn’t much, so that we could see a greater truth at work...
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
I think Jonah’s short message shows us the power of God’s word! God’s word produces faith and it saves people. And for those of us who are seeking to see our broken communities find life in Jesus, this is good news! We don’t need a fancy show. We don’t need gimmicks. We don’t need to wear Jordans. All we need is God’s word. That’s the power of God unto salvation. That’s what accomplishes the impossible! Because look at what happens next...
The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
Look, no one expected the wicked king of Nineveh to do this. It would’ve seemed impossible. But that’s what God does… He does the impossible.
For nothing will be impossible with God.”
God loves to save the impossible people. I believe I was one of those impossible people.
Maybe you believe it’s impossible for God to save you.
Maybe there’s people in your life who you personally think it’s impossible for them to be saved.
When I keep saying that I believe God is going to bring revival to New England. That He will save many people in this town of Glastonbury. Maybe you think, “He hasn’t been in Connecticut long enough. I’ve been here all my life. That’s impossible!”
Remember this...
God loves to do the impossible.
God loves to do the impossible.
Additionally, remember that word “arise?” God told Jonah to “arise.” He refused and ran instead. Now, he gets a second chance. He arose in obedience and look what happens… the king of Nineveh arises. The impossible happens.
I wonder how many impossible things AREN’T happening in our community because the church refuses to arise?
Maybe God’s message to us this morning is similar to what the captain of the ship told Jonah, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise!!!” (v. 6)
I believe God is calling our church to ARISE and be lights in the darkness. To step into the mess and bring forth a harvest by placing our faith in the God who does the impossible!
And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.
Basically, the king is saying, “It’s time to take our sin seriously!” There’s a lesson for us here: Sin is no joke. God judges sin. Sin brings death. Therefore, like the king, take it seriously.
There’s an additional lesson... While sanctification (the process of growing more like Jesus after we’ve been saved) is a messy process, there’s still an expectation of transformation. Spiritual growth should be happening!
And if there’s no life change… if sin isn’t taken seriously, we ,ay need to deal with a hard truth… maybe we didn’t genuinely repent and put our faith in Jesus. We’re just pretending.
Jesus teaches this possibility...
“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Jesus then explains the parable to us...
The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
Here’s the point… Don’t be deceived. Salvation produces the fruits of transformation and spiritual maturity. If we remain in our mess, there’s likely a problem. We might not be saved.
This is a messy situation to consider. But if it’s a reality, we may need to consider the worlds of the apostle Paul...
Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.
If your faith is fake, it’s not over. It’s just messy. And God’s ready to step into that mess. In fact, you hearing this today might be proof of that. And according to our passage today (God’s word), your next step is to copy the king of Nineveh… take your sin serious, repent, and trust God with your life...
Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”
I have good news. While the king of Nineveh didn’t know if God would be merciful, we can be much more confident! Because here’s what we know now thousands of years in the future...
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Additionally...
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
When we repent and ask God to save us TODAY, we know a promise the king didn’t know… We know God delights to give sinners life!
The promise of the Holy Spirit to the entire world is...
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
If you need God to save you from your mess, come as you are. God will give you LIFE! That’s what both Jonah, the king, and the people of Nineveh experienced...
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
We can trust Jesus to give us life.
We can trust Jesus to give us life.
Because God loves to save sinners...
God saved Jonah.
God saved the pagan sailors.
God saved the wicked city of Nineveh.
God saved me.
God wants to save you and our community.
The question is, will we trust Him? Or continue to live in our mess? Because that’s an option too.
After John 3:16, Jesus says...
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
In other words, God will allow us to choose the darkness. We can remain in the mess, but that’s not God’s desire! Remember...
who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
He loves us and wants to give us life!
Response:
Response:
As we close, know this: There is a God in heaven who loves us.
He has not given up on us. He has not given up your family, friends, or community.
He’s not afraid of our mess.
In fact, He is ready to save us from it. He delights in fixing impossible messes.
He’s the God who makes the dead come to life!
But we must trust Him first...
The Ninevites responded to the preaching of Jonah, the poopy, spiritually immature prophet. And Someone greater than Jonah has come. Jesus, the Son of God, is here. And He preached...
The people of Nineveh will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent.
My friends, don’t do that. Don’t pass on the salvation Jesus offers us today and stay in the darkness. Respond and repent. Let Him give you eternal life!
If you need to do that today, pray with me now...
God, I’m giving my worries, my mess, my life to You! I repent of my sins. I want to change - I need it! I want to grow spiritually. I want to find life. I want to experience the harvest. So today, I put my trust in Jesus. I’m going to seek Him. I’m going to obey Him. I’m going to follow Him. I’m going to trust Him. I’m going to let Him transform me. I’m going to take my sins seriously. I’m going to put my faith in the One who loved me and gave Himself for me, so that I could experience LIFE! In Jesus name, amen.
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