A Conquered People

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Jonah Series Overview

The Conquest of Nineveh

Conquest usually involves military might but God has a different strategy for overtaking Nineveh.

In this chapter we are going to see something spectacular

One man is going to turn a whole city upside down.

A city that was an enemy of God, is now a city who will be conquered by God.

A mighty city with thick walls and heavy gates is conquered, not by a mighty army, but by a single man.

Tim Keller calls Jonah a One man army.

STORY OF SGT ANTILOCK

Antilock secured the victory for his men, and they came in to participate in the victory.

Jonah IS NOT like sergeant Antilock, Antilock ran to the battle, but Jonah fled.

What made Jonah realize he needed to go on mission?

He had to experience grace. He had to be broken. The storm is what Broke Him.

Think about the story of Jonah. Jonah is thrown into the sea to die; his “death” brought literal salvation to the sailors, he stayed in the whale 3 days and nights and was later returned to dry land. Jesus entered our storm, he took our sin that would bring us death, and he silenced the storm of our life. He was buried in the ground 3 days and nights only to return again.

Whats the difference? Jonah ran away from Nineveh but Jesus wants to run to Nineveh.

Jesus is the better Jonah. Think about Jonah’s story. Jonah sinned, he was thrown into the sea to die, his death saved the sailors, he was in the whale for three days and nights and then started his mission. Jesus, who was without sin, is thrown into the sea of our sin, He is killed but his death provides salvation for everyone else who would come to him in faith. Jesus stays in the tomb three days and nights only to defeat death and continue the greatest rescue mission of all time.

Jesus is our Antilock! Jesus is the one who charged the strongholds of our hearts and conquered our sin. And in this story God has to first conquer Jonah, before he will conquer the Ninevites.

Jonah reflects something in each of us, we have each ran away from the plan of God and he has pursued us, just like God is pursuing Nineveh.

God is pursuing you, like he is pursuing Jonah, but understand God is pursuing Aberdeen, like he is pursuing Nineveh.

God conquers Nineveh but first he had to conquer Jonah.

How does God Conquer Nineveh?

1. God Conquers with Broken People

וְThen 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.

וְ

God Will Conquered Nineveh even despite Jonahs weaknesses

“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.” Jonah 3:1-3

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.

God Will Conquered Nineveh even despite Jonahs weaknesses

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.God Will Conquered Nineveh even despite Jonahs weaknesses

When we see God perform great acts in History, he uses broken people.

God wants to use your brokenness for his glory.

God is counterintuitive to our way of thinking

Our way = put the best people forward, follow success, put yourself around smart people.

God’s way = God uses those at the bottom of the ladder. In fact God wants to kick the ladder out from underneath us!

God wants to use your brokeness to reach your Nineveh!

2. God Conquers through Destruction

“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!”

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!”

God is going to bring about a physical destruction and the only way to stop it, is for spiritual destruction to take place.

God wants to destroy the idols in our life.

God had to destroy the idol in security and comfort, national pride and arrogance before Jonah could effectively communicate God’s word.

God had to destroy the idol in security and comfort, national pride and arrogance before Jonah could effectively communicate God’s word.

What was Nineveh’s Sin?

They were merciless, they did everything Rodney has mentioned before.

The Sin of Sexuality and violence.

What is Aberdeen’s Sin?

Do you know where the concentration of this sin is located...on our main street. Do you know where we want to put a church? Right in the middle of it.

God wants to destroy the idols in our city, he wants to destroy the idols of prostitution, drugs, assault, drunkeness, abuse. And he wants to use us to do it.

3. God Conquers through Repentance

God conquers through change of the heart, not by military force.

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.

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.

Repentance means owning your sin

The People of Nineveh Repent

6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 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, 8 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. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

Repentance Means you Own your Sin

Getting pulled over.

How many of you have plotted what you would say if you got pulled over to get out of your ticket?

I have been pulled over many times and here’s the kicker…ready… I always deserve it!

I’m trying to get out of something I deserve by making excuses rather than just owning it and moving forward.

Nineveh owned there sin, and they came into right relationship with God.

When true repentance happens, true forgiveness happens.

There are so many times my little 3 year old will push down or tackle my defenseless ten month old. And it’s so bad sometimes that we have to discipline her. But before we do we plead with her to repent and say she is sorry, just so we can forgive her.

If we want to be forgiven by God we must first come to him in repentance.

If we want to see Aberdeen changed, if we want to reach our city we must be people of repentance, we must be conquered by God and experience his grace.