God's Mercies Are New Everyday!

Introduction

I hope you have had a memorable Memorial Day weekend. We watched family movies last night. What great memories. Clay and Rachel are staying with us and he was insistent that he showed Rachel that he had a great childhood. lol. Momma was sporting some curves. I am blessed beyond measure to have my wife and family. Those are great memories.

Let me ask you. Are there other memories. One’s that you know you could have made a difference in their lives if you had spent more time sharing Jesus with them? If only you had the boldness to witness to them and invite them to go with you to church, would things may have turned out differently? Well, God’s mercies are new everyday and it might just be today that the Lord gives you an opportunity to share with somebody Jesus that has been on your bucket list.

In Will McRaney’s book, The Art of Personal Evangelism: Sharing Jesus in a Changing Culture shares some disturbing information. 60% of the churches in America have a median age of sixty or higher. This statistic was drawn from work done in the year 2000 by Bill Easum in addressing the American Society for Church Growth. I imagine the statistic is even a higher median age today.

Will McRaney, The Art of Personal Evangelism: Sharing Jesus in a Changing Culture (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2003).

In his book, he makes this statement:

This does not bode well for the future of the church. Someone needs to sound the alarm, ring the bell, shout from the mountaintops. He continues with these remarks:

95 to 97 percent of American Christians do not share their faith with others. From courses that Mr. McRaney has taught at seminary in the area of Personal Evangelism training, his findings revealed that a large number of seminary students of the present day are inexperienced in sharing their faith. One student who had his PHD had never led anyone to Christ.

This morning we will see that our God is the God of second chances. As you are turning in your Bibles this morning, turn to Jonah 3:1-10, the first verse states:

“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time.” Aren’t you glad the Lord gives us times that we can get it right? Aren’t you glad that the Lord in His great mercy allows us to correct our wrongs? Say amen this morning.

Not always, but there are those times the Lord allows us to wipe the slate clean and begin afresh in the direction He would have us to go.

The Art of Personal Evangelism: Sharing Jesus in a Changing Culture (Introduction)

A wise man expressed much wisdom and passion, summarizing what the Christian church needs to hear. He said, “Any religion that does not consider itself valuable enough to share with nonbelievers is fated to crumble from within.” Was this statement made by a great Christian? an evangelist? maybe Billy Graham? Was this a warning to Christians? No, the statement was made by Yosef Abramowitz, a Jew, in an article “Taking on the Southern Baptists” in his warning to fellow Jews. Southern Baptists at an annual convention had voted to dedicate a year to the evangelization of Jewish people. He also said, “If Jews shrink from the task of proselytizing, it might send a signal that Judaism isn’t worth spreading to others.” Is it possible with the lack of personal evangelism that evangelical Christians are unintentionally sending the signal that Christianity isn’t worth spreading to others?

Like Jonah there are reasons that many do not enjoy sharing our faith. Possibly different reasons and for some maybe the same reasons. As we look this morning at Jonah’s second opportunity to reach the people of Nineveh, let’s look at how God honors our corrective actions when our heart may not necessarily totally right in what He calls us to do. Let’s gain an understanding this morning that God can even bless half hearted effort if it is done in Jesus’ name. And the Lord can bring joy to the task of sharing our faith with others. Amen?

Jonah 3:1-10

Jonah 3:1–10 NKJV

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. 4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? 10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.

Prayer

Message

Jonah’s reluctance to go to Nineveh was simple. Jonah loved the Lord. Jonah had a relationship with the Lord. But Jonah had a hatred for the people of Nineveh. Jonah was not by himself. Most people of that day did not like Nineveh. They were violent, pagan, vile people.

Nineveh I remind you was the capital of Assyria. They would spear people alive on sharp poles and leave them to roast in the hot desert sun. They would behead countless people and stack their bones up in front of the city gates to send a message. Can you imagine being skinned alive?

We note from Nahum 3:10 that they would dispose of babies and children to avoid the responsibility of them. These people were horrendous and I can see why Jonah wanted no part of them.

Nineveh was a large city with a circumference of 60 miles. We know from Jonah 4:11 that at least 120,000 people lived there and in spite of all of their heinous living, God loved them.

Dearly beloved, this day in time we live in a modern day Nineveh. God is calling us yet again to reach the River Region for Christ. We too for all apparent reasons do not want to reach the lost. I hope our reasons are different but in some cases may not be. Yo may have a struggle with a certain people group but I assure you God loves them.

I believe our greatest fear of witnessing is rejection. Some may feel you do not know sufficient Bible doctrine to teach someone how to be saved. Others are fearful of forgetting an important detail in leading someone to Christ. And yet others are just uncomfortable talking to perfect strangers. All of those are legitimate fears and are reasons to resist. But we learn today in spite of half hearted, pushing, shoving and screaming the whole way that if we are obedient, God blesses.

Let me ask you a basic question this morning. Can you think of a single activity you did for the first time that came about easy? The first time you try to ride a bicycle usually results in skinned knees. The first time you cast a rod the lure ends up any and everywhere but a fish’s mouth. The first time you swing a golf club, you either miss the ball, hit it twenty feet or deep in the woods.

I remember going back to school for my Masters in Ministry as to how things had changed and I had changed as it relates to the methods of higher learning today. But think about those activities and many that came to your mind. You might have thought about cooking. Good cooking involves trial and error. The fact is the longer you stuck with it, the better you usually get. And you will discover that as well when you share your faith.

You have a Picture to Paint of a Changed Life vv. 1-4

Brother Luke, you are reaching this morning. I do not see anything in that text that reveals that Jonah shared anything about his life and how he had been changed by the Lord.

Matthew 12:39–41 NKJV

39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

Jonah went begrudgingly, he went hesitantly, but Jonah went. “and preach to it the message that I tell you.” How in the world did this people repent over such a simple message?

The only words we know for fact are the words recorded in the word of God. He said, “yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” We do not even know as recorded in the word of God if Jonah used the word “God” as he spoke. We know in :

Jonah 1:9 “9 So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.””

Jonah was more complete in the message he shared to those pagan sailors. He called God Yahweh which signified that He was the God of the Hebrews and that He was the sovereign God of the universe who made the earth and all that is within it. I hope that Jonah spoke of Yahweh. I hope he spoke of the true God of the universe. But there was something that happened in his life that spoke volumes without him saying a word.

Let’s visualize this scene. Here rolls in this Jew all alone rolling into town shouting from the top of his lungs. “yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown!” Look with me at what he notices as as he walks through the city gate. He sees firsthand all the dead corpses laying by the waste side. He gazes through the gate just before entering and he sees the human torch poles that still had remains on the poles from the night before. He sees flies hovering around a person that was skinned alive barely breathing laying against the walls of the city. And, only by the strength of God, he continues to press on and make his way into the city. I want to say it again, here is a Jew, all by himself and brother, sister, let me tell you he literally was a lamb among wolves.

He saw firsthand with eyes that see and ears that hear the crying out of people that have been victimized by this evil people. Possibly 100’s or 1000’s around him, yet he cried out, “yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” He is yelling it at the top of his lungs.

The fact that he was a Jew in a pagan city would be alarming. The fact that he had the nerve to say this by himself would be alarming. But here is the real kicker, Jews from the desert were dark in complexion. Jews had a distinctive look just as the people of Nineveh had a distinct look. Jonah walks in looking like an albino (acid bleached) making this declaration; with unction I will add.

Can’t you hear the people’s comments as they saw the sign, Jonah was a picture walking into town. “I heard about him. He was swallowed by a whale and lived to tell about it.” The news had traveled far and wide. The new believers on the ship that had tossed Jonah overboard talked about it the last time they were in town. They shared how they felt, so guilt ridden for their actions of throwing him over. They felt an emptiness and shame for the sin they committed in giving over his life for the rest of the men on the ship. And they went on to say, “oh glorious news, Jonah lived!” I can not believe it but he did. The gastric acid from the stomach of the big fish gave Jonah a great reminder every time he saw his reflection, he was reminded of the gracious and powerful Lord that saved His life.

You are Preceded

Nothing can explain the effect the simple message Jonah shared on the people other than realizing the Holy Spirit preceded his message and preceded his visit. At every turn, God had His providential hand in the matter. The same God, Yahweh was with him in the big fish was the same God with him at this fearful time in his life. The very fact that Jonah could walk the streets sharing such a message was the same fact that “God will never leave us or forsake us.” . The fact that the Lord provided Jonah the unction to utter the message. God providentially knew all of the comments, the fables or so called fables about Jonah that may have preceded him before he arrived. God’s Holy Spirit set the table for Jonah to dish out a spiritual feast upon the people of Nineveh.

Joshua 1:5 “5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Isaiah 43:2 “2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.”

Regardless of your general attitude toward sharing your witness (that is not my gift) or the fact that you feel ill equipped, God will precede your visit and He will set the table for the spiritual feast.

You are a Picture

Without a doubt the Holy Spirit was present as Jonah shared. We know that because God’s Word states:

1 Corinthians 3:6 “6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.”

But as simple and lacking as Jonah’s Words were, nothing could hide the fact that Jonah stood in the presence of the Ninevites as a saved man. The evidence was real. They could see it first hand. There was no denying that he was lost and then found. He was dead and he was alive again.

Dearly beloved, let’s be clear what the message is the message of the good news. The news is God’s news, God’s message, but its God’s message as it relates to you. How has God changed your life? How has the picture of your life changed?

As I looked back on those movies last night I saw something especially I would enjoy again. Being lighter.

Ill. Facebook-we are hungry for things that seem too good to be true.

Facebook creates ads that appeal to our desires. they use people like Phil Mickelson, Billy Gardell and Mike Pompeo’s miraculous weight loss to share to us that we can enjoy the same conversion. There is no arguing with the before and after of their lives.

As well, whether those products that are being marketed to bring change in those famous people’s lives really works, there is no arguing with the change in their lives. No one can argue with a changed life in Christ. How do you lead someone to Christ? Paint the picture of your life before and what is different today.

God Wants to Pardon by a Change brought about in the Lord vv. 5-10

Oh dear church, God wants to honor, God wants to bless, God wants us to see victory in sharing our faith because the Lord loves everyone. He loves you but he loves the most vile sinner you know.

As vile as the people of Nineveh were, God loved them. God loves the River Region. God loves your brash boss. God loves your fouled up neighbor. God loves your friend that has chosen an alternative lifestyle. God loves your family member that has given their life over to drugs and drinking. God loves everyone.

Why is this important? We tend to forget that God wants you to be successful in sharing your faith because He wants more than you ever will to see the lost come to the saving knowledge of Jesus. Jesus wants His creation in harmony and right relationship with Him.

Jonah 3:5-6 “5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes.”

Notice that the people “believed God.” The Scripture does not say that they believed Jonah. They believed God. They knew the change that came about had nothing to do with Jonah. As they evidenced Jonah’s life they realized that nothing but the Lord could bring about what they witnessed.

“Proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth.”

The picture of one fasting and wearing sackcloth is a picture of confession and repentance. By the conviction of the Holy Spirit the people of Nineveh realized their lives were not in harmony with God. Sin is the great separator. And the people of Nineveh realized that somehow embedded within those eight words that Jonah stated, “yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown” that their lives were not pleasing in the sight of God. Why the change? How could such a great transformation take place with few shallow words?

Matthew 13:11 “11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.”

The Lord in His mysterious way speaks to hearts that instills a desire for something different. We were made in the image of God. God as Creator has a drawing of His creation that only He can bring about.

A person becomes convicted of their former life and they cry out to God to bring the change. The fasting and sackcloth was the picture in Bible times to reflect anguish over past sins and a yearning for a changed life.

Sacks at its origin mentioned in the OT represented change.

Genesis 42:25 “25 Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them.”

Joseph providentially ended up in Egypt to deliver the people of Israel from hunger. Is it possible today that the Lord has spoken to you in this message to bring about change?

Maybe you feel a sense of conviction in an area of your life that you know is not pleasing in the Lord’s sight?

Jeremiah 4:8 “8 For this, clothe yourself with sackcloth, Lament and wail. For the fierce anger of the Lord— Has not turned back from us.”

Sackcloth represented uncleanliness.

Leviticus 11:32 “32 Anything on which any of them falls, when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is any item of wood or clothing or skin or sack, whatever item it is, in which any work is done, it must be put in water. And it shall be unclean until evening; then it shall be clean.”

Sackcloth and other garments were used to cover the dead. Sackcloth meant that one was dead to a former life.

Jonah 3:10 “10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.”

In God’s great mercy, he relented from the doom He was going to bring upon the people of Nineveh. From the king of the people down, everyone fasted and put on sackcloth as a statement of a changed life.

Oh listen dearly beloved this morning. As Jesus went to the cross and suffered and died for the sins of the world, three days later He arose from a tomb. In John’s gospel account, Jesus’ sackcloth, burial clothes were laying in the tomb folded and put away.

Do you want to put away today the fasting and the sackcloth, the guilt and anguish over a past life? Do you want to experience wholeness, completeness in Christ Jesus?

God’s Word states that we can become a new creation in Christ Jesus, that our old lives can pass away. Do you desire that today?

Be Amazed 1. The Marvel of an Undeserved Commission (Jonah 3:1–2)

“The victorious Christian life,” said George H. Morrison, “is a series of new beginnings.” When we fall, the enemy wants us to believe that our ministry is ended and there’s no hope for recovery, but our God is the God of the second chance. “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time” (Jonah 3:1). “Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me” (Micah 7:8, NKJV).

Do you want a new beginning today? Do you want to share your faith with the Nineveh’s of this world? Listen to the psalmist.

Psalm 30:11 “11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,”

Let’s pray.