Following God (5)

Introduction involving second chances.

Let’s play a game… what do all these characters have in common.

Ebeneezer Scrooge

And that’s exactly how it begins again with Jonah in Jonah chapter 3:1.

Jonah 3:1 ESV

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,

Let’s dive into this as we begin. But first we are going to need to recall a few things. “Now the word of the Lord came....” This should ring a bell of familiarity because we began the book with these very words.

What is important about these words?

For starters, we recognized that this was a common phrased used describing the life of a prophet. Prophets were God’s messengers. The literal word for them is Nabi’ meaning spokesman. They communicated to the people exactly what God had told them to say. Again, recall two things about the way they brought the message. 1. They were to deliver the message exactly as God instructed them. 2. If they didn’t, God would take their life.

We didn’t talk about this last time, but one of the questions that bothered me was why was a prophet needed. Didn’t Israel have other spiritual leaders. What about the priests, the kings, or the Levities. Didn’t they perform the spiritual duties as well as teach the people the will of God.

The Bible doesn’t say this specifically that the all the priests failed during the rebellious times of Israel, we obviously have examples though of the Kings of Israel failing. So why the need for the prophets. Prophets began long before the kings. In fact, Abraham was the first recorded prophet in scripture.

Regardless, prophets were needed because a large part of their ministry was pronouncing judgment and correction upon the wrongs of the nation of Israel since their primary role was in connection to Israel. To me, that places prophets on the top of the totem pole. Their words were so important that even the high priests needed to listen.

And this was the role of Jonah. A prophet sent by God to carry out his Word though difficult as it may be. Here as in the first time, the word of God came to Jonah and instructed him in a very unique task.

Jonah 3:2 ESV

“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.”

We recall that this was a very unique request in a variety of ways. For one, Ninevah was apart of the Assyrians Empire, major enemy number one of Israel. Two, this city was a vial place known especially for its violence.

They impaled live victims on sharp poles, leave them to roast to death in the desert sun, they beheaded people by the thousands and stacked their skulls up in piles by the city gates, they even skinned people alive. They followed a policy of killing babies and young children so they wouldn’t have to care for them.

Nahum 3:10 ESV

Yet she became an exile; she went into captivity; her infants were dashed in pieces at the head of every street; for her honored men lots were cast, and all her great men were bound in chains.

I want to stop real quick and park on that thought. Jonah called to minister to vile people. What would that command look like for us today. What would be our modern day equivolent? Who are what we might think of the most vile people of today? Where would we find them. Some would suggest that a LGBTQ gathering, or a pro-choice rally, or a liberal convention or an extreme agnostic/atheists meeting, or a muslim country. Some I know look at young ganster kicks on the street and scowl at them. Many avoid those “troubled” kids and want nothing to do with them, let along go evangelize to them. I don’t know what group would be most difficult for you but I’m sure you’ve felt the same disdain for these kinds of groups as Jonah did for the Ninevites. I know I heard that many in conservative america say the liberals are the enemies and have not compassion on them whatsoever. Don’t even want to be near them because unlike us we are true patriots. But that was Jonah’s problem with God’s command. He probably considered himself a patriot to Israel, GOD’s ACTUAL CHOSEN PEOPLE. But the problem wasn’t so much his patriotism to the nation of Israel, but the priority that patriotism took on in his heart. He was more of a patriot to Israel than He was to God. That’s why he had such a hard time with the command and refused to abide by it. It didn’t mesh with what he deemed right, and he didn’t obey because his worship was only on Himself. He pretended to worship God, but clearly it wasn’t worship of God because true worship of God puts aside our subjective longers and values God and God’s will alone. That is the primary in what instructs our hearts and what motivates our actions.

Thirdly, this was a unique request in that God had never before instructed or would ever again instruct a prophet (at least recorded in scripture) to go tell a nation other than Israel to repent. That was extremely odd. And you can again understand perhaps why Jonah again struggle with it. Why can’t you send the other prophets, why me? could have been a thought he had. Regardless this was the command that he was given, but notice a big word in this verse in Jonah 3:1

Jonah 3:1 ESV

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,

It came to him a second time.... What is this, by the way.... is it not once again an act of God’s Grace....

Did Jonah do anything to deserve this second chance.

Let’s recap even further.

IV. God’s Grace (1:4-3:2)

A. In the Storm

B. In the Fish

C. In the Repeated Command

In recap, let’s Contrast Jonah’s actions and God’s

Jonah’s Actions

-Prophet by election, not choice

-Questioned, doubted, disobeyed command

-When he didn’t understand, Looked for a logical solution instead of a spiritual solution to his dilema (looked inwardly to himself, instead of upwardly to God.) “run from God’s Presense” - fastest and fartherest way possible

-Hid himself in the ship (antisocial)

-Slept during a storm (his solution to resolving guilt)

-Didn’t confess even though lots were being cast to determine who was at fault

-Would rather die than obey God’s command (his request to be thrown overboard is not an act of heroism or concern for others because up until this point, nothing in his life had been directed or lead by a desire to do righteousness, only to act upon selfish motives. And that doesn’t change until confession is made. And that hasn’t happened yet.

-Not absolute certain of this, but the phrasing then Jonah prayed might indicate that it took 3 days and 3 nights before Jonah finally called out to God.

All this happened when Jonah was supposed to be God’s man. The one whom people could rely on to speak the truth of God.

But what do we see of God? Grace upon grace upon grace upon grace....

God’s Actions

-First it was by the grace of God that he was even a prophet to begin with. He didn’t work for it, didn’t earn it.... God gave it to him likely from birth as he did Jeremiah and the other prophets.

-Second, God used a storm to suspend Jonah’s journey giving him clues that this wasn’t right. Opportunities to reflect on his guilt and his sin and repent. But what does Jonah do with the guilt, sleeps. Pushes it off. Sleeping off wrong is never that option. Some lay in bed hours unable to sleep, that’s the Grace of God. Others, sleep right away when they have done wrong.

-Third, God used the captain, THEE CAPTAIN, of the ship to go get Jonah, an unbeliever, to tell him to call out to his God, when Jonah should have been doing this along. Jonah himself couldn’t even identify his need for God but others around them identified their need.

-Fourth, God used the cast lots as yet again an opportunity to come clean. When Jonah didn’t come clean, God sovereignly made it so the lot would fall on him. God’s corner of Jonah wasn’t merely of shaming him but a way of disciplining him. Had not God cornered Him in this way, where would Jonah have been. Haven’t we learned this through church discipline. When the first doesn’t work, we go with more, and it does feel like we are cornering them, but this is all done in love so as to bring about restoration. God’s act in bringing Jonah’s sin to light was an act of Grace, not allowing him to remain in the destructive pattern of sin.

Also, I want all of us to understand, was it really God’s desire for Jonah to be thrown in the ocean. God’s desire from the get go was restoration and obedience. Following Him from a right heart. Was Jonah volunteering to be tossed, was that what Jonah needed to do to get restoration with God. Perhaps consider what may have happened had Jonah just prayed to God then on the boat. He laid bare his wrong doings to the others but never confessed them to God. The first recorded prayer from Jonah after rejecting God’s command comes when he is in the belly of the fish.

Now God did indeed use the fish as a part in Jonah’s restoration and chastening, but that’s because Jonah would not repent.

-And that’s the fifth grace area, God sparring Jonah’s life though repeated instances of open rebellion and stubbornness characteristized Jonah’s life. The fish was his life boat. Not just physically but spiritually as well. As we mentioned last time, it was better than any hospital that Jonah could have ever received.

(Linda)- I have some people very near to me that have struggled all their life with anxiety, and depression, so on so forth.... and they continued to go to therapist after therapist, medication after medication, and what they found is that what they needed could never be found in a hospital or at a therapy, but could only be found in the freedom that is provided by Christ alone. And they are “professed Christians” but had made idols in their heart that they were not aware of. These idols brought so much misery, but God freed them from this and brought a newness that no hospital could ever provide.

-Which brings us to this last point of God’s grace in Jonah’s life… In the Repeated Command....

Not deserved but beautifully given by a great God.

“The victorious Christian life,” said George 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. - Warren Wiesbe.

This last week, I heard a devotional and one I often heard growing up that if we are unfaithful to God, He will give that opportunity to serve Him to someone else? Is this though true? Is this consistent with the Word of God and God’s character? Does this characteristize how God treated Jonah?

How did God deal with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob… the Father’s of God’s covenant people. Abraham doubted God many times, he lied about his wife being his sister because he feared what men would do to HIM rather than trust God to make him a great nation, on top of that he doubted in the Lord that he would provide a son to Him. He bargained with God and tried to provide a son on his own measures and abilities, but God planned for him to have it thru Sara his wife and in his old age. Isaac: Not much is written about him. only 2 or 3 chapters (being the main character) but what is written about him isn’t flattering. He knew what God had planned for his twin boys. He heard God say that the older will serve the younger, yet he favored the older and was inclined to bless the older dispute that God told him to bless the younger. Jacob of course is known as being the deceiver. Yet, even those these guys lied, doubted, manipulated, and lived selfishlessly.... did God pass them over. Did he say well, you haven’t been faithful so I’m giving the opportunity to someone else. What about the other godly men that we look up to… the David’s or the Peters. Did God say well you fumbled there so I’m putting you on the bench and starting someone else instead. NO… That is not what we consistently see in scriptures. Not only is it not consistent with scriptures and the characters we see there, but it’s not consistent with what we see of God.

Let me again point this out in a different way?

Who lives our Christian life?

If you said both that’s a good answer. If we do wrong, who’s to blame, only ourselves. If we do good, who’s to credit, only God.

That should play out in this way.

Here is a verse that I have forever seen in the wrong way.

Proverbs 24:16 NASB95

For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity.

Boromir- redemption arcs- gaining back his honor (righteousness)

Christ gave us our righteousness the first time, & it is through Him that we continually receive our righteousness even when we fall. He that begun the work, He will complete it.

Philippians 1:6 ESV

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

So all glory be to Christ.

As encouraging as these examples are of restoration that doesn’t excuse us working out our faith with fear and trembling. Wiesbe again says, “the person who says, ‘I can go ahead and sin, because I know the Lord will forgive me” has no understanding of the awfulness of sin or the holiness of God. God in His grace forgives our sins, but God in His government determines that we shall reap what we sow, and the harvest can be very costly. Jonah paid dearly for rebelling against the Lord.”

Before we move to the next point, I want to make an observation. Jonah was God’s man. Did anyone around Jonah know he was at fault. Did anyone around Jonah know he was to blame. To be honest, it would appear that there was no obvious reason for any of them to suspect that he was at fault. They were even more surprised when they found out what his occupation was and what he had done.... running from God. We can fool others but we can’t fool God. As we recap the events in Jonah, my mind can’t help but wonder how many of us are doing the same thing. Fooling others… “we are here”.... “putting in our time”… but are currently and actively disregarding his commands.

I find it more ironic and divine that we have spent the last several months speaking of disciple-making, church membership, and even church discipline and I can’t help but also wonder if the Lord so placed the timing on the preaching of Jonah to fall before and after this topic of local church involvement and conviction. God’s commands have been made clear and I wonder if there are some in this congregation that are harboring the same rebellious spirit that Jonah possessed. Questioning the commands, doubting the commands, running and hiding from God’s commands.

We’ve heard how we are to rebuke in the spirit of restoration, we heard how we are to take being apart of the local body seriously and that entails being accountable to a church in membership, we’ve heard how vital it is to be apart of all our that God is doing in this body, because we are members of one another and we depend on each other. And yet, through all these commands, I know there are people who have still yet to obey the Lord’s commands. I hope this bothers you. I hope that you aren’t caught sleeping in your guilt just like Jonah was. Because if you are, and you are a child of God, guess what comes next… the belly of the fish.... thrown into utter despair. And more important than that, you are driven away from the presence of God.

1 John 1 is clear on this.

1 John 1:5–10 ESV

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

It doesn’t finish there.

1 John 2:1 ESV

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

It’s time for us to receive that righteousness and freedom once again. Take serious the commands of God. Any sermon, any opening of the Word of God that imparts truth to you and commandments for you to obey, ought to be actively on your minds. How many of you go home after a sermon and literally figure out how you can incorporate what you heard today. How many of you intentionally make time to practice that week what you heard.

Forgotting is just as bad as ignoring. And ignoring is just as bad as flat out rejecting when it comes to the commands of God because it speaks to the importance the Word of God has on your life.

We don’t and shouldn’t forget the things that are most important.

Let’s transition now to our next point and we will use this verse as a transition....

Romans 2:4 ESV

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

We have just looked at God’s kindness and grace upon to this point, and what does this lead to repentance.

V. Various Repentance (2:1-3:10)

God did alot of really neat miracles throughout this book up to this point (caused a violent storm, had lot fall on Jonah, calmed the sea, commanded a fish to swallow Jonah and transport him safely to land), but the greatest of all these miracles has come and is coming. Breaking a men’s rebellious hearts to yearn for repentance and restoration. Restoration means to restore or bring back what was once dead. That’s the greatest miracle. He did that for Jonah and He is going to do that for a wicked city.

Let’s pick up back in chapter 3 verses 1-4

Jonah 3:1–4 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. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

Before we dive into what happened to the city, we will see a few important details preceding the repentance in Nineveh.

That Great City

Literally “that great city to God”

Why was it so great a city to God?

Emphasizes its size

“three days journey in breath.” the circumference then was about 60 miles. The inner wall was 50 feet deep and about 100 feet tall. It is said that the wall around the inner city boasted some 1500 towers. But included in Jonah’s description was also the outer suburb portion of the city. It was huge. Some 600,000 people which is massive for a city of that time. That compares to the city of Detroit today and all its suburbs.

but also it’s importance

-And here again we see more of that wonderful and mysterious love of God for all peoples. God cares for these people. Jonah 4:11

Jonah 4:11 ESV

And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

-It’s also important based upon it’s role in Jesus own ministry to bring light and understanding to the hard-hearted Jewish nation.

Contrast two repentance’s once more because both of these are questioned as to their validity. We’ve spoken of this in some length last time but I would like to shed more light on this topic.

We see two supposed repentance's back to back. And what I would like you to compare is this. In what way are Jonah’s and Ninevah’s repentances alike. This is one of the reasons people question whether or not they were genuine.

Both repentances are followed by a period of obedience but then turn once again to disobedience. Jonah it’s pretty obvious. He follows God’s command and goes to Nineveh and goes as he is told. But not shortly after that, what do we find Jonah doing. Pouting, angry, and even wishing suicide. Not really showing fruits of repentance. Not only that but Jonah never actually has any mention of repentance or sin in his prayer in chapter 2. So was it really a confession? What about Nineveh's repentance? We will look at that in more detail in a minute, but those of us that know the narrative know that God spared the city because they supposedly repented. What became of this city btw? What happened after Jonah left here. Did their changed spirit last long?

We know from the rest of scripture that it wasn’t but just 37 years later that the Assyrians returned to their violent ways and in the year 722 the came in and destroyed the Northern Kingdoms of Israel. And then God would later destroy the city as recorded in the book of Nahum. So how is it that there repentance could be real or genuine.

A. Jonah’s Repentance

We already mentioned the reason for doubting Jonah’s repentance, now let’s look at perhaps why one might believe it was genuine.

1. Admitted to running from God before others

(not yet repentance- still wasn’t ready to obey)

2. Prayed to God for help

(finally… hadn’t prayed up till that point)

3. Quoted scriptures

(Psalms)

4. Showed fruits of a changed/repentant heart

-like faith (God will rescue him & God will hear his prayer)

-thanksgiving (seeing the fish as his deliverance rather than his death)

-commitment to do what God asks (requires some level of trust)

-praise of God (Salvation is of the Lord)

-obeying

I don’t think we fully appreciate his obedience here because we know what chapter 4 revealed about his heart.

Jonah 3:3 ESV

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.

Travel from wherever the fish spat him out to Ninevah was about 550 miles. BTW, some speculate that the fish spat him out in Joppa, exactly where he boarded the boat in the first place to run from God though there isn’t enough evidence to prove this. Regardless, commentators suggest a travel time of at least one month to travel from his home country to the city of Ninevah. That’s a long time to think about and wrestle with thoughts about what was going on. Perhaps Jonah struggled alot with heading that way again, perhaps he had a new found appreciation. Perhaps, he put all the past feelings aside and was ready to put God first. And that seems evident as verse 3 describes. He went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. He was determined to do everything according to God’s word this time regardless of how he felt about it. One thing he learned for sure, God is gonna have His way in your life. No point trying to run from it. It will only be worse for you if you do.

So when Jonah arrived in the city, on day one he began to preach a very simple message. “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown/destroyed.” Was this Jonah own vindictive message to the people. Was this his version of the gospel. No, if he had spoken anything other than God’s words, it would not have been good for him. God would not have allowed that. These were God’s words. Was gonna happy to share them because they lined up with his desires to see the nation destroyed? I don’t fully know. Scripture only reveals this small phrase from what Jonah spoke. But surely there must have been more. Could this message alone be enough to save them?

Interesting side note on 40 days. 40 days is not an uncommon thing in scripture. God is a God of perfection and deep thinking. Completion and Complementing. What do I mean by that.

Throughout scripture, the number 40 seems to be identified with testing or judgment. During Noah’s time, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. The Jewish spies explorer Canaan for forty days. God tested and judged Israel in the wilderness for 40 years. Goliath taunted the armies of Israel for 40 days, and here God gave 40 days for the people of Nineveh to repent.

Regardless of whatever exactly was spoken, verses 5-9 seemed to indicate a repentance.

B. Ninevah’s Repentance

Jonah 3:5–9 ESV

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. 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.”

First we need to mention how much of an absolute miracle this is. We could single-handedly call this the greatest revival that has ever taken place. The most incredible missionary effort ever. How did one man’s message from a far away country, a country that Assyria had no respect for, actually penetrate the vial hearts of over 120,000 people. That it brought renewal not out of constraint or political power but actually emerged from the ground up.

What may have made Jonah’s message so believable may have had something to do with his appearance, scars that may have still been present even after the long journey. But that really doesn’t matter because salvation belongs to the Lord. He is 100% in control of salvation. This was gonna happen because God was sovereign over it all. Jonah did nothing but obey. His sermon wasn’t any greater that of peoples. His was just the words of God that penetrated hearts. Jonah delivered the message but God did the actual work.

So did they truly believe.

One commentator noticed the differences in beliefs between the two gentiles salvations in this narratives. The sailors upon being rescued from the storm offered up sacrifices to YAHWEH. Whereas the repentant Ninevites used a different word for God. One that is more broad and not specific to YAHWEH. Perhaps this is out of ignorance and lack of understanding perhaps this is from their unbelief. There might be something there that is note worthy, but two convincing verses say that it was genuine.

1. Verified by their fruits

One they like Jonah, displayed fruits that are in accordance with repentance and salvation. A nation that is and has always been fully wicked actually for soon time turned from their evil ways. They repented. They acknowledged they were wrong and that God is the only one that could save them. This is the gospel message.

2. Verified by Jesus

Further proof of the genuineness of their salvation lies in the fact that Jesus taught it as a criticism to the hard jewish hearts in Matthew 12. Look what takes place here.

Matthew 12:38–41 ESV

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just 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. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

This is called the sign of Jonah. Jesus makes 2 important thoughts here. Just as all Jews believed that Jonah was in the belly three days and came out again, Jesus would do the same thing and all should believe. A sign.

Second, the Ninevites believed and repented immediately at the preaching of stubborn Jonah. Why does Jesus mention this. “the men of Nineveh shall stand up with this generation (the Jews of that day) in the judgment and shall condemn it (that generation) because they repented at the preaching of Jonah.” Who is condemning how. The Ninevites are condemning the scribes, pharisees, and unbelieving Jews of Jesus day because they never believed in Jesus and they had far less to go on then the Jews did and a far lesser preacher than the Jews did. (Jonah compared to the Son of God himself Jesus.) So Jesus confirms the Ninevites salvation as well as uses it to condemn the unbelief of the Jews.

So what do we make of the wickedness that would return to Nineveh and Jonah. Well 37 years later and Israel had quite some cycles of wickedness themselves in less time than that. As for Jonah and his quick change of heart. All I can say is this.

Remember what we said again in the past...

Repentance is more than a one-time event. It has a start time, but it must continue and mature. Therefore, repentance is an event but is also a process.

Jonah’s repentance began in the belly of the fish but his sin of idolatry still wasn’t fully revealed to him yet. He reconized that he could no longer fight God in obeying him and committed to trust God even if it wasn’t fully there. By the way that does resemble faithfulness more than hypocrisy when we do things even when we don’t feel like it or understand it. But Jonah still had a long way to go when batttling

C. God’s Repentance

And so do we.

Jonah 3:10 KJV 1900

And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

If that sounds funny to you, that’s good because it should. Does God really repent? Other words that different translations have used are relented like in the ESV or changed his mind like in the NLT. But does God really change his mind. This statement might really throw us for a loop if we are not careful.

VI. Deeper Wickedness (4:1-9)

VII. God’s Grace Again (4:2-11)

A. Continued Grace (v. 2-9)

-His character (v.2)

-His words

-His Actions (plant, life lesson, gracious discipline)

B. Convicting Grace (v.10-11)