The Sign of Jonah
Notes
Transcript
Opening Comments:
Opening Comments:
Please meet me in your copy of God’s Word Luke 11:26-32. If you’re using one of our church Bibles that is found on page number 817. I’ve titled the message this morning, “The Sign of Jonah.” This is the Word of the Lord, let’s read it together.
26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”
28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
30 For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
32 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.
Prayer:
Prayer:
"Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you today with open hearts and minds, seeking to understand and apply your truth to our lives. We know we can only do this with your help. As we explore our passage , we ask for guidance and illumination from the Holy Spirit. Help us to hear your voice and respond in obedience. May your Word be our anchor, our comfort, and our guide. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen."
Introduction:
Introduction:
Todays passage picks up in the same place we left Jesus 2 weeks ago in our time together as he addressed the crowd for their blasphemous accusations against him after casting out a demon that was making a man mute and unable to speak. The accusation was that Jesus had the ability to cast out demons because he was in league with “Beelzebul the prince of demons.” Jesus responded to them by telling them that their argument was illogical and inconsistent and that the source of his power was God. Jesus ended his rebuke of these blasphemers by pointing out that they were either for him or against him and there was no blessing apart from obedience to God’s word.
But beyond those who were openly blaspheming Christ, there were a second group of people there who were demanding Jesus give them some sort of sing from heaven to prove that he was indeed the messiah. This is the crowd he now addresses here before us in our text today.
A statement of condemnation. (v.29a)
A singular sign. (v.29b-30)
A sentence of judgement. (v.31-32)
1.) A statement of condemnation. (v.29a)
1.) A statement of condemnation. (v.29a)
Luke 11:29 (ESV)
29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign,…
Jesus calls them an “evil generation” because they seek for a sign.
Generation- refers to a majority of the people alive in Israel at the time.
In other words Jesus was condemning an entire nation of people as evil.
Why? What is it about seeking for a sign from God that is so bad?
After all, these aren't a bunch of idol worshipping Gentiles, these are very religious Jews. Who worship Jehovah. Not the typical group you would think of as “evil.”
The people here seeking a sign had a major flaw in their religious practice. It was only an outward righteousness but inwardly they were wicked. They went through the motions of being devoted to God but inwardly they weren't.
Nothing demonstrated this more than there request for a sign after already having seen so many.
At this point, Jesus detractors had seen him preform miracle after miracle, exorcism after exorcism and they still rejected him.
Add to that that none of those things were necessary to prove he was God more than his mere existence in the flesh.
With these people no sign was going to be good enough. No matter how many signs they were given they would have kept asking for more. Because the issue wasn't a lack of evidence, it was their own self righteousness.
They hated that Jesus had pointed out their sinfulness and because of this, no sign was going to suffice. No matter what miracle Jesus did it was never going to be enough to satiate their sinful hearts.
In fact, in asking for a sign, what they were really doing is blaming Jesus for their unbelief by claiming it was His fault they were rejecting him because he hadn't done enough to convince them. And since he hadn't convinced them, then that somehow proved he was working with Satan.
They set themselves up as the judge over him. They became the embodiment of what Paul described in Romans 1.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
Application: You are not the standard for who Christ is based on your supposed belief or unbelief. You are not the arbiter of truth. Jesus is. He is God rather you believe or reject. He doesn’t owe you any more sign than he has already given you.
2.) A singular sign (v.29b-30)
2.) A singular sign (v.29b-30)
Luke 11:29–30 (ESV)
29 …but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
The kind of sign these people wanted was not going to be given to them. There would only be one sign and it would be miraculous. In fact, it would forever prove Him to be God, Messiah and Savior. Jesus calls it the sign of Jonah.
This is not the first time Jesus has referenced this, he brought it up to the people in Galilee where he gave more detail.
39 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.
40 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.
Who was Jonah? You can go read the book that bears his name in the Old Testament to get the full detail, but Jonah was a prophet from a small village near Nazareth who was very well known.
God told Jonah one day to go the the gentile city of Nineveh to preach that God was going to bring judgement if they did not repent. The problem, the people of Nineveh were vicious enemies of God’s people and Jonah didn't want to go preach to them. He wanted them judged.
So instead he boarded a ship bound for Tarshish (a city now in Spain) which was the opposite direction. God intervened and brought a great storm that was going to sink the ship. Jonah realized this was God’s doing because of his disobedience and told the crew to throw him overboard and the storm would cease and they would be saved.
When they did, God provided a big fish (likely a whale) to swallow Jonah and carry him down to the depths for three days and nights. (Some believe Jonah may have actually died.) While in the fish’s belly Jonah cried out to the Lord and the fish vomited Jonah onto the shore a few days journey from Nineveh. Jonah ran to Nineveh in one day, preached, and the entire city repented and was saved.
Because of his deliverance from certain death, Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, which convinced them he spoke for God.
Jonah’s experience is very analogous to that of Jesus.
Both proclaimed coming judgement and called for repentance.
Jonah was swallowed by a big fish, Jesus was going to be swallowed by the grave.
Jonah was miraculously delivered after three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; Jesus would actually rise again from the grave.
Jonahs deliverance from certain death led the way for him to have a powerful ministry; Jesus resurrection led the way for all men everywhere to be given the opportunity of eternal salvation.
Jesus was saying here that the singular sign that would prove he was the Messiah would be his resurrection.
4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
Jesus was far greater than Jonah but sadly even his own resurrection from the grave failed to persuade those whose hearts were set against him and hardened.
37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,
Application: The people of Nineveh repented but the so called people of God never did.
Hear me this morning, if you can’t accept the resurrection of Jesus as enough evidence of his deity and your need to repent and believe, no other sign is going to do the trick.
The problem isn’t with Jesus, its with your hard heart.
The great and grand sign that Jesus gives to all, especially those who think they need the miraculous in order to believe, is the miracle of his atoning death on the cross, burial, and triumphant resurrection.
This is the gospel.
The resurrection makes Christ everything!
He is the sign!
He is the gospel!
Nothing more is needed.
You must repent and believe. Millions of signs and wonders wouldn't make the world turn to Christ, belief is a choice, an act of the will, not a convincing of the mind. If the resurrection isn’t enough, no other sign will be either.
3. A sentence of judgement. (v.31-32)
3. A sentence of judgement. (v.31-32)
31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
32 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.
Jesus once agains harkens back to two old testament examples that his crowd would have been very familiar with saying that at the final judgement they will rise to condemn them for their rejection of Christ. The Queen of the South (Queen of Sheba) and the men (people) of Nineveh.
A.) The Queen of the South. (1 Kings 10:1-13)
Solomon was the greatest king in Israel's history. At the height of his power he was the wisest and richest man to ever live and Israel flourished under his leadership as the last king of a unified Israel. . His fame spread far and wide throughout the world because of this. His fame even reached down as far as southern Arabia. So much so, that the queen of that land made a several weeks long arduos journey (more than 1,000 miles) just to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
She risked her life, set aside her duties for many many weeks, to take what would have been a gamble to see if all she had heard about Solomon were true and would he even see her when she arrived.
She was willing to risk it all just to sit and hear the wisdom of Solomon.
Yet, the people of Israel had one greater than Solomon in their midst and were rejecting him.
Solomon had wisdom derived from God; Jesus is the wisdom of God.
30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
Colossians 2:2–3 (ESV)
2 …which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Alexander Maclaren the great expositor of years gone by said this about Jesus:
In Christ, as in a great storehouse, lie all the riches of spiritual wisdom, the massive ingots of solid gold which when coined into creeds and doctrines are the wealth of the Church. All which we can know concerning God and man, concerning sin and righteousness and duty, concerning another life, is in Him Who is the home and deep mine where truth is stored.… The central fact of the universe and the perfect encyclopaedia of all moral and spiritual truth is Christ, the Incarnate Word, the Lamb slain, the ascended King.
Luke, Vol.2- That You May Know the Truth- PTW- R. Kent Hughes
The Queen of Sheba was a pagan idolator, with no knowledge of the true God, while they had the entirety of the Old Testament at their very fingertips. Yet, she found salvation and the forgiveness of sin after hearing Solomon expound to her about the true and living God, while they rejected Christ, the King of Kings who was far better than Solomon.
Application: On the day of Judgement her diligent seeking will stand as a witness against all those who didn't seek after Jesus. Her seeking will leave you without excuse. There is nothing whatsoever that should keep you from seeking Jesus. The Queen of Sheba faced every obstacle and still kept going until she reached the truth. Her example leaves you without excuse.
B.) The Men of Nineveh
The men of Nineveh who we’ve already discussed had much less information and far fewer privileges than the generation of Israel who rejected Jesus.
Jonah was a reluctant and rebellious prophet; Jesus is the sinless lamb of God.
Jonah went to Nineveh to proclaim the cities demise; Jesus came to
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Jonah never preformed one miracle in Nineveh; Jesus preformed countless all throughout Judea, Galilee, Jerusalem and all over Israel.
Yet, the pagans of Nineveh repented while the uber religious men of Israel rejected the Messiah.
Application: Their rejection of “God with us” prove that they deserve the eternal punishment all those who reject Christ will receive. The repentance of the Ninevites will be used as a testimony against those who refuse to repent and believe on Christ. Their repentance leaves you without excuse. The Ninevites show that anyone can turn to God from their sin, no matter how great. Not a single person will have an excuse for rejecting Jesus on the day of Judgement.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Don’t be like the men of Israel who blasphemed and rejected Christ by blaming him for not doing enough to convince them.
19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
