Jonah 3
Notes
Transcript
god is good his love endures forever
I told you this morning how God spoke through me when I was struggling
Doing it again at Christian Challenge
I was sick… Heather told me to think about staying home
I am much to prideful for that, I cannot stay home, I have to speak
medicated myself and went
I got a call from Lillie later that year asking if I spoke in Hays
she said that a girl at a conference she spoke at quoted me
in true form for my family, that does not impress them, Lillie laughed at girl that she would ever quote me
Later I was in KC at Midwestern for a conference and a young man came up to me and ask if my name was Doug,
I thought he knew me from my daughter’s church in KC we had been there a few times with them
no, it was of course challenge
1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time:
2 “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach the message that I tell you.”
We have the same way starting off…
the word of the Lord came to Jonah, Jonah got up
but he did not run this time
he went to the city of Nineveh
He has instructions
speak what I tell you
it doesnt tell us he had time to clean himself off
3 Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the Lord’s command. Now Nineveh was an extremely great city, a three-day walk.
4 Jonah set out on the first day of his walk in the city and proclaimed, “In forty days Nineveh will be demolished!”
a three day walk and he gets one day in…
gives a short sermon, in forty days, your city will be destroyed
5 Then the people of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth—from the greatest of them to the least.
6 When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
So many people believing that he king even believes and begins
then issues a decree
7 Then he issued a decree in Nineveh: By order of the king and his nobles: No person or animal, herd or flock, is to taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink water.
8 Furthermore, both people and animals must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call out earnestly to God. Each must turn from his evil ways and from his wrongdoing.
Quit doing anything wrong…
make the animals fast as well
this would make the animals noisy.
I left for camp earlier this summer and I accidently forgot to feed the cat
there was nobody at home, when Heather got home from where she was that cat was so loud
9 Who knows? God may turn and relent; he may turn from his burning anger so that we will not perish.
10 God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—so God relented from the disaster he had threatened them with. And he did not do it.
If God could use a rebellious prophet delivered onto the shore by a great fish, then no one is beyond His ability to redeem, restore, and use for His glory. Four realizations from Jonah 3.
God Works Through Broken People
God Works Through Broken People
I want to dispel something… there are not perfect people
all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God
last night we talked about all of us have sinned,
the Bible is full of people that are broken sinners that God uses
My favorite is Peter…
who after denying Jesus three times probably felt pretty broken
but after Jesus’ resurrection, when the disciples were fishing, they see Peter on the shore, he dives in and swims to shore
about 100 yards
Jesus is on shore making some breakfast
John 21 is the entire story, but it is the beautiful restoration that I am sure Peter remembered for the rest of his life, every time he smelled grilled fish.
In the book of Acts you can see amazing things that Peter does
he preached and thousands of people believed in Christ
1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time:
2 “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach the message that I tell you.”
This was not because God did not have somebody else
when we share the gospel it changes our hearts as well
God works in us, to love people and see people the way that he does as we share
Your sin does not prohibit you from serving the Lord
Jonah was not a default pick
meaning that God had nobody else to send
Your forgiven / overcome sin can give you the story that connect with others
my favorite story of that is the first missionary sent out in Mark 5
God’s Word is Power
God’s Word is Power
4 Jonah set out on the first day of his walk in the city and proclaimed, “In forty days Nineveh will be demolished!”
5 Then the people of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth—from the greatest of them to the least.
Wow what a short sermon… maybe I preach too long
change these messages down to one sentence of two…
students may love it, leaders think we would be in church time way too long.
Why would they listen to Jonah
prophets were known to be of some wild character
Jonah walks into town smelling like fish vomit… because he is
in todays world… we are not listening to him
you are seeing somebody like this and walking by on the other side of the street…
but it is not Jonah’s looks, speaking ability or even how he smells, the word of God has power
12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Look what the word of God does for us…
Many look to it make them feel good when their sad
it can help with that, but maybe not the way you think
it reveals us to be sinners but God loves us enough to send his son
That is what this verse says, the word examines the thoughts and the intentions of the hearts
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
Paul proclaims the gospel
gospel = good news
what is good… Jesus came, lived a perfect life and died in our place
this news is for everyone
The authority in the message is not Jonah’s but from God
and God’s word is powerful
He will examine your heart break your heart concerning the sin
Jonah’s assignment was never dependent on him but God
God’s Word Starts Revivals
God’s Word Starts Revivals
6 When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7 Then he issued a decree in Nineveh: By order of the king and his nobles: No person or animal, herd or flock, is to taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink water.
Get a good picture of what is happening here… a gentile king is commanding that his people and their animals fast
what is a fast - denying themselves food and water
praying constantly for the Lord to relent
what does it mean to relent = hold off
How does the word get all the way to the king, a major movement in the city
when so many people are coming to the Lord
I believe a revival actually an awakening is coming
in the 18th century there was an even called the great awakening
preachers like Jonathan Edwards would preach and everyone would come to hear him
it began to change hearts, then cities, and even began to cause social reforms
I believe we will see another event like that, but I do not believe it will start with my generation
I believe it will start in yours
I have been so impressed with this youngest generation
they ask real questions… maybe not this group
I have been asked everything from fights between imaginary things to the hardest thing to explain from scripture
What I have seen in this generation is real desire to know and understand God’s word
not just what some guy says about it, show me the truth and let me decide for myself
but I have also see a true desire to live it out
if what the bible says is true, then I have no choice to live what it says
a generation living out that kind of faith can be a huge change in our world
But it starts with you… do you believe the Bible
God Does Not Need You… He Desires to Use You
God Does Not Need You… He Desires to Use You
If it is God working through me, his word that has power and changes hearts, does he really need me at all… No
In verse one… He told Jonah to go
Jonah goes, gives the message that God told him to give
even if it was a pitiful attempt
a flawed individual, who we will find out did not even love these people
but God did some amazing things through it
10 God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—so God relented from the disaster he had threatened them with. And he did not do it.
God does not need you perfect, he needs you willing
20 For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse.
all of creation cries out to the glory of God
but he desires to call his people by his people
saved people save people
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
You were created to do good works,
not to do good works to save you
but works that point people to God
14 How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher?
that is somebody to proclaim the word of God
15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.
I have beautiful feet…
I mean they are a little hairy
yes it is ironic that I can grown hair on my feet but not my head and before you ask me tomorrow, I do not use shampoo on my feet
