Flawed Messengers, Flawless Message: God’s Power in Imperfect Hands

Introduction

Today, , we're going to look at Jonah chapter 3, where we will see God's faithful sovereign pursuit of mankind on full display.

But, Before we jump into our text this morning , let's recap quickly. Imagine this scene:

God's voice thunders, "Jonah, go to Nineveh and prophecy against their great”wick”

But our reluctant prophet has other plans. He hates the people of Nianevah so much that Instead of heading east to tell them what God has said, Jonah flees in the opposite direction Going Down to Joppa, then He goes down into a ship that is headed as far away from Nineveh as Possible. In His mind He beleives that if He runs far enough away God will just leave him alone and use somebody else! But as Jonah will soon realize that was not God’s Sovereign Plan.

Soon, our fleeing prophet is snoring away below deck while a raging storm begins to build stronger and stronger threatening to tear the ship apart.

The pagan sailors, each crying out to their own gods, start tossing cargo overboard. Meanwhile, Jonah is still below deck fast asleep in his rebellion against God! The captain, wide-eyed and frantic, shakes Jonah awake. "How can you sleep when we are all about to die?

`Call on your god! Maybe he'll notice us and we won't die!"

Little does this captain know, Jonah's God is the very reason they're in this mess! Desperation leads to divination, and the lot falls on Jonah. He is Busted! The sailors look at Him and say what Hive you done that is so bad that Your God wantsa to kill all of us?

Jonah explains his rebellion, and in a twist that would make any evangelist proud, Jonah preaches a mini-sermon right there on the deck. He simply tells these men that if they want to be saved they have to believe and Obey His God- Who happens to be the God of the universe including the sea. Jonah tells them that if they want God to stop the storm then they need to throw Him over board into the Sea.

In Jonah’s rebellious mind He is still thinking if I could just die then all of this will be over and I wouldn't have to deal with Neneveh anymore!

These hardened sailors, trembling in fear, cry out to Jonah's God for forgiveness even as they prepare to toss Jonah into the raging sea.

Splash! Jonah plunges into the depths.

But just when he thought He had finally outwitted God, God appoints a great fish to come up and swallow Jonah Whole.

Jonah now finds Himself now in the belly of a giant fish- Down in the bottom of the sea!

For three days and three nights, Jonah stews in a pungent cocktail of seaweed and stomach acid.

Talk about a time-out! Jonah is literally in a place where all he can do is think about HIs actions and his rebellion against Gods plan for his life. From this slimy pit of despair, Jonah finally after 3 long days pours out his heart to the Lord.

His prayer is one of confession but also one of Praise. He proclaims ”I called out to the Lord, out of my distress and He answered me." "The waters closed in over me." "Yet you brought up my life from the pit."

As Jonah's song reaches its crescendo He proclaims – "Salvation belongs to the Lord!" –

And God commands the fish to head to the nearest shore line and In a spectacular display of aquatic regurgitation, Jonah is vomited up onto dry land, seaweed hairdo and all.

Can you image being someone down at the beach for the afternoon when all of the sudden a giant fish swims up to shore, Opens up its mouth and pukes up a human body on to shore.Gross! and then that body stands up and starts pulling all that smelly seaweed off and throwing in the ground!

As Jonah stands there, dripping and probably smelling like low tide, one thing's clear: God's not done with Jonah yet.

The real adventure is just beginning! And that, my friends, brings us to chapter 3, where we'll see God's sovereignty shine in ways that'll blow your minds even more than this fish tale!

My desire for us this morning is that

Through this story in our text, we'll see that God is in control of all things, working out His perfect plan, even when we can't see it ourselves.

Let’s Jump into our text;

turn in your Bibles to Jonah Chapter 3-

Jonah 3:1–2 (ESV)

1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.”

I. God Sent and Jonah Went

In my Human heart- As I look at the story of Jonah and How rebellious and hateful he was towards Gods plan I would have given up on him and found someone else to use.

Right? I’ve done this often in my life “ if you dont want to work with me then Ill find someone who does and then they can get the reward!

I dont know about each of you but I am so thankful that is not who our God works.

This simple two verses brings so much hope to broken sinners like Me!

Our God is a God of second chances.

He still desires to use us for His purposes, regardless of our past failures.

Many of you know this about my life But when I was a teenager I really believed that God was calling me into ministry. and so I went to a Bible college in Ankeny Iowa to get a degree in ministry to be a pastor. But in my second year there. I chose to sin, and because of my sin Amy and I were both kicked out of that Bible College.

It was humiliating and hard knowing that everyone else was looking down upon me because of my sin. In fact, not one person from the school ever reached out to see how I was doing even though We knew many were talking about what we had done.

And I really thought that God would never use me in ministry again. Why would he want me to be the guy who is to stand in front of church telling them how to live for His glory - When in my own life I couldn’t even do it my Self!

Christian understand this truth that took me many years a to fully believe!!!! God still desires to use us for His purposes, regardless of our past failures.

On Thursday I was at that college Speaking in chapel to over 500 students and faculty sharing my heart for the gospel message!

God used me a sinner -someone who is so undeserving of his forgivenss in His sovereign Plan of proclaiming the gospel of Grace in this world.

Now, I know what some of you might be thinking. "But pastor, you don't know what I've done. Surely God can't use me anymore. I have run too far, I have sinned too much for God to ever want to use my life for His glory!!,

“ Let me tell you, my friends, that couldn't be further from the truth.

God wants to use your brokenness to proclaim His goodness and His mercy and Grace and forgiveness to this world!

Listen to Pauls words in Ephesians 2:10 which says,

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Notice it doesn't say "for those who've never messed up" or "for the perfect Christians." No, it says "we" - all of us who are in Christ Jesus.

Think about the man who wrote these words for a moment. The apostle Paul… He was a man who persecuted Christians, who stood by and approved as Stephen the first martyr was stoned to death.

His entire life’s mission was driven by a great hatred for Jesus and He wanted to wipe out every Christian He could find!

Yet God not only forgave him but used him as the greatest missionary of all time - spreading the gospel throughout the known world. and writing most of the New Testament Scriptures We lean on today as the church

You might say, "But that was then. What about now?" Well, let me remind you of 2 Corinthians 5:17

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Christian when You came to Christ,God didn't just clean you up form your sin He completely eradicated its stain from your life.

That means that When God looks at you, He doesn't see your past sins; He sees a new creation in Christ. A person who has been redeemed through the precious blood of His son Jesus Christ!

Romans 8:28 assures us that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." All things - including our failures and sins when we repent and turn back to Him.

Listen, my friends, God's not sitting up in heaven with a clipboard, checking off people He can no longer use because they've sinned too much.

No, He's actively working to redeem your story, to use even your failures for His glory.

Amy and I have spoken often with each other that We are so thankful that our story didn’t end in our dispair, but it continues with Gods Grace and restoration pouring into our lives!

God didn't leave us in our sin, He didn’t say well now you've gone to far to ever be affective for my glory, Or even that We embarressed him too much.

God forgave us and cleansed us from all of that unrighteousness and in His sovereignty has allowed us in a sense a second chance to serve Him with our lives and to be part of his mission of making and equipping followers of Jesus,.

Remember church family, the Christian life is not about your perfection, it's about His perfect love working through you.

I love the words of 2 Corinthians 12:9

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

this verse reminds us that God’s grace is sufficient in our lives , and His power is made perfect in our weakness.

So today, if you're sitting there thinking you're too far gone, that God could never use you again, I want you to reject that lie.

Instead, cling to the truth of 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Jonah’s story here is a beautiful reminder that God hasn't given up on you. He hasn't abandoned His plans for your life.

…You have not ran too far for God to not redeem

In Fact, Like Jonah, He uses our brokenness for His glory - Why- Because it is in our weaknesses, it is when we dont feel qualified that God’s name is magnified trough our lives.

Now, let's look at what happens when Jonah finally obeys God's call.

look with me at verses 3-5

Jonah 3:3–5 (ESV)

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. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 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.

Ninneveh was so big it took 3 days to go all the way through it. But apparently on the first day of Jonah going through the city a revival began to break out!

II. Jonah Spoke and Nineveh Awoke

Think about this message for a moment

This wasn't exactly a TED talk here in Nineveh.

Jonah delivers a simple, eight-word sermon. “ Forty Days from Now Nineveh will be destroyed”

No fancy rhetoric, no compelling arguments, just a straight forward warning from God.

And yet, this brief message from a disgruntle messenger, sparked a revival that radically affected the entire city.

Here's the beautiful irony: God used a broken, reluctant prophet to reach hundreds of thousands of people for His glory.

look at verse 5 with me

Jonah 3:5 (ESV)

5 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.

Can we just pause and marvel at this for a moment?

This is nothing short of miraculous!

Think about how we stand in awe at the story of the miraculous feeding of the 5 thousand people by Jesus on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

We love to marvel at the fact that Jesus took a boys lunch of 5 small loves of bread and 3 fish and from it- He was able to feed everyone there until they were full with plenty of leftovers for the disciples to take with them..

What Jesus did in that moment was amazing- It proved How powerful he was as God!

But here in Jonah, We're talking about a city so wicked that their reputation for violence and evil had left fear in every other culture around the world.

If there was ever a city that did not deserve Grace this was IT!!!

If there was ever a city that the world would say ts ok if they were to die because of their sin - this is that city.

Yet, when these sinful people heard these simple 8 words from God spoken to them from a reluctant prophet, this entire city of Satan following wicked sinners- from the king to the lowliest servant - turns to God in repentance.

Friends that is miraculous, This wasn't just a few people deciding to be a bit nicer. This was hundreds of thousands of hardened sinners suddenly awakening to their need for God.

It was a miracle that cannot be explained accept that when God decides to save sinners, nothing can stand in His way.

So What can we learn from these simple verses?

God doesn't need us to be perfect gospel communicators.

He doesn't require eloquent speeches or theological degrees.

He doesn't even require us to have our spiritual act together!

He simply asks for our willingness to share His message, because He is the one who will do all of the work of salvation in the hearers hearts

Church, our roll in the gospel Message is that we are the conduit , a pipeline carrying living water from its divine source to thirsty souls who are in desperate need of that life giving water.

The power isn't in the pipe; it's in the water flowing through it.

Our job as the sent church today , is very similar to Jonah. It’s not to purify the water or pressurize it; our job is simply to be available and willing to let it flow through us to the people who are in need of its saving power.

Like Jonah, we're called to be faithful messengers, not master persuaders.

The awakening of hearts, the transformation of lives - that's God's department.

We're just the delivery service for the most important message in the world.

The message That God loves sinners and that there is no sinner to far God for God to not want to save!. He wants to offer them Mercy and grace- to save them from an eternity in Hell and give them eternal life with Him forever

So, Christian, the next time you feel inadequate to share your faith, remember Jonah.

Remember that God can use a few simple words from an imperfect messenger to awaken an entire city.

Remember that it's not about your eloquence or your perfection - it's about God's power working through your willingness.

Nineveh's awakening wasn't because Jonah was an amazing preacher. It was because God is an amazing God.

And this same amazing God wants to work through you and your brokenness today.

Now, we come to the climax of our story in Jonah 3:10

Jonah 3:10 (ESV)

10 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.

III. Nineveh Repented and God Relented

Here we see the breathtaking sovereignty of God in extending mercy to people who we would never think deserves God’s Mercy.

But don't be mistaken – this doesn't mean God changed His mind or that His plans were altered by human actions. Rather, this is exactly what God intended all along.

God’s Plan from eternity past was to save those undeserving, Unholy Satan Worshipping sinners in Nineveh all along.

God's sovereignty doesn't just extend to judgment; it also encompasses His desire to pour out mercy and grace to everyone who calls upon His name.

He is sovereign in His decision to show compassion even towards those who have hurt us deeply!

Not because its fair. Not because its right… but because that’s what God has deemed best for our lives and for theirs, Because that is what Will bring God all the glory!

As God declares in Exodus 33:19, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

Think about the profound implications of this statement .

The same God who had every right to destroy Nineveh chose instead to show them mercy.

this means that The same God who is perfectly holy and just is also perfectly loving and gracious.

Friends do you understand that this world which included us before Christ, has been condemned to Die by the same God who condemned the people of Nianevah to Die because of their sin, and unless they repent of their sins they will spend an eternity in the Lake of fire.

and that would be perfect justice,

But the same Gracious God who showed Mercy to that great city of Nineveh wants to offer that same perfect mercy to everyone who cries out to him today.

Ephesians 2:4–5 (ESV)

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

Church, God’s Mission has not changed after he saved Nineveh, He is still in the business of saving underserving sinners from death and He wants to use you, like Jonah, with all of your brokenness to be the conduit that carries this message of Grace to the world whom he loves!

BRING IT HOME

"Brothers and sisters, hear me well: Your past failures, your present struggles, your moments of doubt and disobedience – they have not disqualified you from serving the Lord.

On the contrary, they have uniquely qualified you to be a living testimony of God's transforming grace.

You see, your story of redemption – from the depths of your sin to the heights of God's forgiveness – that story is the gospel in action.

You are a living testimony of How far God is willing to go to redeem lost sinners in this world.

Church, It's not despite your brokenness, but through it, that God showcases the extravagant reach of His love.

Remember, Jonah wasn't used by God because he was perfect. He was used precisely because he wasn't.

His reluctance, his rebellion, his raw humanity – these became the canvas on which God painted His mercy for all of Nineveh to see.

It was through Jonah’s Brokenness that God’s Glory shone the brightest!

So, child of God, don't let shame silence you. Don't let past failures fool you into thinking you're unworthy to make and equip more disciples.

Your scars are not signs of disqualification; they are your qualifications to be a gospel proclaiming messenger for Christ .

They are proof of how far God's grace will go to save undeserving sinners – sinners just like you, just like me, and just like those God is calling you to reach.

If God has saved you You are not defined by your worst moments, but by the God who redeemed you.

Your mess has become your message.

Your trials have become your testimony.

So go and proclaim the gospel of Christ, empowered not by your perfection, but by God's grace working in and through your life!.

Go forth and tell the world of a God whose love runs deeper than our sins, whose mercy stretches further than our mistakes, and whose power shines brightest in our weakness.

And Who knows Maybe God has chosen you to be the simple voice that will reach hundreds of thousands of People for His glory!

Let's pray.