Grace Alone: A Gracious God & A Fickle Prophet

Adoration

Psalm 139:1–6 ESV

1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. 5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

Confession

Thanksgiving

Psalm 139:23–24 ESV

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Message

Jonah 1:1–3 ESV

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

Jonah 3:1–3 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.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord.

Historically, October, has been called Reformation Month.

October 31, 1517 was historically when Luther nailed the 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.

It’s in this month that I aim to help us remember.

Hebrews 13:7–8 ESV

7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

The Bible commands that we remember the leaders/teachers, those who spoke the Word of God to us.

One of the habits that I will unswervingly commit to as a pastor is to help us remember.

We are commanded to REMEMBER and IMITATE them.

Augustine of Hippo

Augustine is one of the most important theologians of the first 1,500 years of church history.

Even if you don’t know his name, you have been shaped by this man.

Background & Early Life

Augustine grew up in a small town “near Carthage in North Africa” which is now modern day Algeria.

His family was middle-class Roman officials.

They were typical pagans.

Religious festivals to the “gods” of Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, and the like.

Homes would often have “household gods” and small shrines they would build.

Fortune tellers, dream interpreters increased.

Augustine describes his former life like this…

Pillars of Grace (AD 100–1564) Augustine of Hippo

“I dared to grow wild again with various and shadowy loves … I became corrupt in Your eyes, pleasing myself … unholy desire … boiled confusedly within me, and dragged away my unstable youth into the rough places of unchaste desires, and plunged me into a gulf of infamy

Though his father died at the age of fifteen, his mother was a devout Christian.

All the while he lived a grossly immoral life.

She refused to have him move back home with her because of his gross immorality.

Pillars of Grace (AD 100–1564) Leaving for Rome

“A son of so many prayers cannot be lost.”

Augustine’s close friend unexpected died.

This destroyed him.

Pillars of Grace (AD 100–1564) Seduced into Manichaeism

“This darkness fell upon my heart and wherever I looked there was only death. My country became a torture, my father’s house pure melancholy. All the pleasures I had shared with [his deceased friend] turned into hideous agony now that he was gone. My eyes sought for him everywhere, found him not. I hated all familiar sights because he was not there.”

He was enamored with a heretical sect of Christianity because of his wrestlings with the problem of evil.

Augustine moved to Rome and began sitting under the preached word because his worldview was being shattered.

He began to question if he was wrong about Christianity.

After sitting under the preached Word for a time he began wrestling with the truths of Christianity.

He became convinced of the gospel, but still struggled to put aside his sin.

Until one day, sitting in a garden heard “Take up and read, take up and read!”

Pillars of Grace (AD 100–1564) Seeking Truth as a Catechumen

“I snatched it up, opened it, and in silence read the paragraph on which my eyes first fell: ‘Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof’ (

According to Scripture alone we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone.

Why a series on Grace Alone?

Grace is not merely divine sentimentality.

God merely having good feelings toward us.

Grace is God’s unmerited favor toward undeserving sinners.

God’s Free and Sovereign grace is magnified over and above ethic lines, self-righteousness, and even fickle prophets.

Pillars of Grace (AD 100–1564) Doctrine in Focus: Preserving Grace

“The grace of God, which both begins a man’s faith and which enables it to persevere unto the end, is not given according to our merits, but is given according to His own most secret and at the same time most righteous, wise, and benevolent will.”

Important Background for Jonah

The book of Jonah doesn’t clearly tell us the author.

But it’s safe to assume that Jonah wrote it.

Jonah was clearly a person who lived because the Bible records it, Jesus referenced him as being a real historical person.

When did Jonah live?

Scripture places Jonah as living during the time of Jeroboam II reign in Israel which is likely between (793-753 B.C.)

(Referenced in 2 Kings 14:25)

It was about 150 years after the death of King Solomon.

The nation was divided between Northern and Southern Kingdoms.

The ten tribes in the Northern Kingdom and two tribes in the Southern.

The Northern Kingdom was enjoying population, territory, and commercial growth.

By every metric, they would have been seen as “blessed” by God.

Yet Jonah seems to tell a different story.

The people of the Northern Kingdom were struck through with rampant idolatry.

Worshipping a golden calf in Northern Israel, Tel-Dan.

Setting up a second altar of worship to this golden calf.

Though they deserved God’s wrath, they had been recipients of His mercy again and again.

You would think Jonah knew full well of the grace of God.

Especially because his people had received so much grace from God so far.

Jonah lived before the destruction of the Northern Kingdom destroyed in 722 B.C.

Sovereign Grace toward a Sinful People

Undergirded in the book of Jonah is the mission that Yahweh is on.

To understand the book of Jonah correctly one must first understand the mission that God is on.

His mission first toward the people of Israel…

Covenant mercy to the smallest people.

Deuteronomy 7:6–9 ESV

6 “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations…

But what happens if the people that God’s glory has been demonstrated to refuse their calling?

If the objects of Yahweh’s self-revelation refuse to do their divine commission?

The story of Jonah is a snapshot of this larger story.

It’s the story of a rebellious prophet.

It’s the story of a surprisingly repentant people.

It’s the story of a man’s journey of grace.

Not only is the story of Jonah dominated by the mission of God.

It’s also dominated by the sheer mercy of God.

Who was Jonah?

Jonah 1:1 ESV

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai…

Jonah’s father, Amittai, was a prophet in Israel whose name meant “faithful.”

Jonah’s name means “dove” which represented a sign of “love”, “affection” or “peace.”

We think of the dove leaving Noah’s Ark and as a sign of peace and judgment being passed.

Yet here is a man who is literally named “Dove” and he’s to go and proclaim a message to a people he hates.

Instead of being a messenger of love and peace to Nineveh.

Jonah will be a flittering and unfaithful “dove” that rejects his calling.

The foolish son of a faithful prophet.

Sovereign Grace toward a Fickle Prophet

Jonah 1:2 ESV

2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”

There is a sense of urgency here for Nineveh.

Yahweh calls Jonah to go quickly to Nineveh!

The reason Yahweh gives is that their evil as a people has arisen before His face.

Their evil is before Him and it is displeasing.

Warnings of judgment to pagans.

Like God did in Noah’s day (Genesis 6:13), God will destroy the people of Nineveh.

Nineveh was a lawless people.

God describes them as people who…

Jonah 4:11 ESV

do not know their right hand from their left…”

Their sin blinded them in such a extreme way, that it made them stupid.

Sin always makes people dumb.

Sin makes us like beasts.

Nineveh thought little about God.

But God did not reciprocate.

Though they wanted to ignore Him, He refused to ignore them.

Application: Our Own Generation

“The same is true today: people may deny God, but God does not deny them, does not ignore their sin, and does not fail to extend his mercy for their salvation.”

Though Nineveh thought little of God, He was greatly concerned with their desperate and awful place before Him.

Jonah 1:2 ESV

2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”

Yahweh calls Jonah to Nineveh

Who was Nineveh?

They were the capital city of Assyria.

A world super-power that hated Israel.

They would be the people who eventually destroy the Northern Kingdom.

Nineveh was Israel’s enemies.

Nineveh was Israel’s enemy like ISIS is enemies of the USA.

They would especially raid Jonah’s hometowns while he lived in the Northern kingdom.

Why would God call Jonah?

It’s not superhuman ability that makes a person worthy to receive the word of God.

To receive the Word of God makes a person what they’re not.

God is not saying…

“After you resolved to be a better person then I will show you grace.”

Jonah is a great example that God does not put conditions on his grace.

His grace isn’t conditional upon anything in us.

God delights to demonstrate His glory through the most unlikely and surprising vessels.

Jonah 1:3 ESV

3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

Jonah flees from the presence of Yahweh.

Jonah gives a rapid picture here.

Rapid movement away from Yahweh’s call.

“he went down…”

Not only was it rapid movement away, the word is used for “he went down” is usually typically used as a way to refer to death.

People go down into Sheol.

People descend into death.

Jonah is “going down” away from the presence of Yahweh.

“away from the presence of Yahweh”

Theologians and historians are unsure where Tarshish is exactly, but one thing is abundantly clear.

It’s the opposite direction of Nineveh.

If Nineveh is East, then Tarshish is West.

Psalm 139:7–8 ESV

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

Talk about sin making us stupid.

Jonah thought he could flee God’s presence.

Yahweh’s Word is where His presence is.

There is a real sense that when Yahweh calls a person, to avoid the call is to avoid Yahweh Himself.

Why would Jonah disobey the Lord’s call on his life?

Hatred for his enemies & Love for his people.

We must remember that the Ninevites were Israel’s enemies.

They were at odds with the people of Israel and longed for their destruction.

We have to remember that disobedience to God is never merely from what we hate the most.

It actually is born out of our loves.

Jonah had a love for country and kindred that surpassed his love for the LORD.

It’s not wrong to love country and kindred.

We live in a very twisted and warped world that tries to convince us we should love foreigner more than our own neighbors.

This is a sick and twisted thing, but the problem for Jonah here is not just love for kindred.

It’s a priority of his loves.

He loves his people more than he loves Yahweh and His Word.

Knowledge of the Grace of God

Jonah knew God’s grace.

He understood His grace.

Jonah 4:2 ESV

That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.

He knew God was kind to undeserving people.

He knew that when God confronts our sin, His purpose is to save.

Just because someone has a knowledge of the grace of God, doesn’t mean they live in light of it.

Jonah had experienced the grace of God toward his own people.

Application for Christians – Christians that demand for Mercy for themselves and judgment against other wicked sinners.

Stingy View of Grace

To view the grace of God as something that’s only “for us”, whoever the us are is a problem.

Jonah had no problem receiving God’s grace toward the people of Israel.

He had no problem being a part of a nation under God’s unmerited favor.

But you know there is an impoverished view of God when a person begins to almost fear that grace will run out.

Grace is not like a piece of the pie.

If you get too much of it, there won’t be enough to go around.

Grace is more like a fountain that unworthy sinners stand under.

And if a person would realize that there are those who stand outside of it, will freely want to bring those who have not yet receive it themselves.

Transition

God pursued Jonah.

God could have used or called anyone else in Israel to go.

But He chose to show mercy to a stubborn and hard-hearted man in the midst of the ocean.

Jonah 1:4 ESV

4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.

Not because He had to, but He called and commissioned him.

He sent a storm and had pagan sailors throw Jonah overboard.

Jonah 1:17 ESV

17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

After Jonah prayed from the belly of the fish, God lavished mercy upon him.

He chose to lavish grace upon this one man and have the fish spit him up.

Jonah 2:10 ESV

10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

The stubborn and rebellious prophet was hard-hearted to Yahweh’s word.

Yet the fish did immediately as it was instructed.

Human pride is worse than even animal stubbornness because animals unknowingly reject their masters.

Humans know exactly the sort of Being commanding them, yet they kick against the goads.

They know the truth and yet they arrogantly disobey.

Did Jonah deserve to be rescued from the fish?

No!

He deserved nothing!

He deserved actually to be eaten and never remembered.

Yet we have this story of Jonah.

Yet we have a Gracious God being kind to a fickle prophet.

Sovereign Grace toward a Penitent Prophet

Jonah 3:1 ESV

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

In a sheer act of mercy, Yahweh has the fish vomit Jonah up.

And the Word of Yahweh comes near a second time to Jonah.

Yahweh’s Word still fulfilling Yahweh’s purposes.

And here again it’s set like flint toward the people of Nineveh.

Application to Unbelievers

You may think this is too good to be true.

“That was nice for Jonah, but I’m not Jonah.”

But God delights to take those who are on deaths door and recommission them.

Yahweh reaffirms His call for Jonah a second time.

Jonah 3:2 ESV

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

Jonah shows us that God is patient and kind even to those who are meant to speak on his behalf.

Romans 2:4–5 ESV

4 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? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

The audience is Christians but the target are unbelieving Jews to explain more fully his gospel of grace.

Their hearts are hard and unrepentant and they practice evil and they’re not repenting.

The “hard and impenitent heart” is one that rejects coming to Jesus Christ for life.

The soft and repentant one is the one who comes again and again to Jesus for fresh cleansing.

The Jews have the law yet they are deceived in their ability to keep it on their own.

His patience and kindness is never meant to lead us away from him, but it’s meant to draw us near to him.

That represents the people of Israel as a whole.

God’s kindness leads Jonah to rebellion.

Jonah responds in obedience.

Jonah 3:3 ESV

3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord.

Jonah responds correctly to the Word of Yahweh.

He obeys and listens to the voice of Yahweh and he goes.

And the Lord Jesus says of Jonah…

Matthew 12:40 ESV

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.

Matthew 12:41 ESV

…something greater than Jonah is here.

It’s at this point that the Lord Jesus is very different than Jonah.

Jonah was a rebellious prophet.

Jesus is the faithful prophet that speaks God’s Word.

Jonah shows the trajectory of salvation for Israel.

Jonah is called.

Jonah refuses.

Jonah repents.

Jonah is recommissioned.

Jonah preaches and many are saved.

Jonah is angry.

Provoking his people to jealousy through the Gentiles.

Romans 11:11 ESV

11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.

Salvation came to Israel.

She rejected her mission.

She was redeemed and protected until the birth of Messiah.

Salvation has come.

And they reject Him.

Romans 11:17–18 ESV

17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.

God’s Free and Sovereign grace is magnified over and above ethic lines, self-righteousness, and even fickle prophets.

Benediction

Romans 11:33–36 ESV

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.