Jonah 3: The Power of God's Word
Notes
Transcript
The Journey so far:
Jonah called
Jonah runs
Jonah is brought back
Jonah receives the word of God again
Jonah receives the word of God again
Jonah 3:1–3 (ESV)
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 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.
you have no mission without the word of God
you have no mission without the word of God
Jonah shares God’s word
Jonah shares God’s word
Jonah 3:4–5 (ESV)
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.
You do not have a better message than the word of God
You do not have a better message than the word of God
The people of Nineveh repent
The people of Nineveh repent
Jonah 3:6–9 (ESV)
The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 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. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”
Trust the word of God to work
Trust the word of God to work
God relents
God relents
Jonah 3:10 (ESV)
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.
Jonah and Nineveh can be contrasted
Jonah and Nineveh can be contrasted
But also, Jonah 3 demonstrates walking in faith
But also, Jonah 3 demonstrates walking in faith
Learn, share, trust
Learn, share, trust
Isaiah 55:10–11 (ESV)
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.