God's Heart for the World

Big Idea:

God’s heart is to save everyone.

Intro:

Good morning. Welcome to Church Online. Happy Palm Sunday to you! If you didn’t know, Palm Sunday is when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and people symbolically celebrated him as King with Palm branches. He was on His way to finish His mission on the Cross.

Today, we’re finishing our sermons series “The Big Story Book.”

We’ve been:

Discussing familiar Bible stories and seeing their divine purpose.

Showing how the OT and NT are connected. And how they reveal God’s plan to save the world.

Emphasizing Jesus as the most important Person in this story.

And our two final stories will, once again, highlight the most important message in this “Story” We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get started...

God’s heart for the world:

Jonah & the Whale:

During the time of Israel’s Kings, there was a puppet named Pinocchio, and all he wanted was to be a real boy! Wait, that’s a different whale-story!

...We meet a prophet named Jonah. And he was sketchy. His calling was legit. I mean Jesus referred to him as a prophet (Matt 12:39). But he did act like God’s representative. For example...

Jonah 1:1–3 NLT

The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.

Typically, God’s prophets don’t run from Him. Something about Jonah is off. But, before we’ re too hard on him… how often do we ignore or run from God when He asks us to do something difficult?

And what God was asking was truly difficult. God was sending Jonah to the Assyrians. They were Israel’s enemies. They were wicked people!

...But God had His reasons. And when know “His ways are not our ways.”

But those reasons weren’t good enough for Jonah. So, he ran. But how do you run from omni-present, all-powerful God? You don’t. Which is why a storm came upon Jonah’s ship. Everyone on board starts freaking out. They can sense it’s not a normal storm. This is kind of storm happens when the gods get mad.

The pagan sailors casted...

Jonah 1:7 NLT

Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit.

They look at Jonah and say...

Jonah 1:8–10 NLT

“Why has this awful storm come down on us?” they demanded. “Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?” Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.” The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned.

To survive, the solution they came up with was to throw Jonah into the ocean. Weird, but it worked. The storm stops. And an UNEXPECTED thing happens next...

Jonah 1:16 NLT

The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.

Hold onto that verse for later. Verse 17 goes on...

Jonah 1:17 NLT

Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

…hence, the Pinocchio reference.

Now, in the belly of the fish/whale, Jonah appears to get his heart right. He seems to repent. He remembers his identity as the Lord’s prophet. He even declares...

Jonah 2:9 NLT

But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”

And God accepts his apology...

Jonah 2:10–3:3 NLT

Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach. Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.” This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all.

But two MORE UNEXPECTED things happen:

Jonah gives a half-hearted 8-word message, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4). That’s it? Maybe… that’s truly all God told him to say. Then again, Jonah doesn’t have the greatest reputation for representing God’s heart - we’ll see that later - so it’s likely Jonah changed the message...

Nevertheless, and UNEXPECTEDLY, the entire city repents and turns towards God!

In a surprise move, the king of Nineveh declares...

Jonah 3:7–9 NLT

Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city: “No one, not even the animals from your herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything at all. People and animals alike must wear garments of mourning, and everyone must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence. Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change his mind and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us.”

Two thoughts:

God’s grace can save an entire city. It’s happened before and it can happen again. Do we believe God can do that here in Glastonbury? That He could save everyone? Do our prayers and actions line up with that expectation?

God’s grace saves the UNEXPECTED. No one EXPECTED the wicked Ninevites to respond, but they did! Who is in your life would you never EXPECT would come to church? To surrender their lives to Jesus?

And before we finish Jonah’s story, I’d like to jump to our NT story, where we find more UNEXPECTED (or if you will, DIFFERENT - our 2021 vision theme) things happening...

The Woman at the Well:

In John 4, Jesus is traveling from Judea (the southern part of Israel) to Galilee (the northern part of Israel) and He does something UNEXPECTED… He travels through Samaria (the middle part of Israel). The reason this is UNEXPECTED is because all “good Jews” went AROUND Samaria. Samaria was filled with unclean people. They were enemies of Israel. And, it was flat-out dangerous for Jews to travel through Samaria!

Nevertheless, they get to the town of Sychar and something UNEXPECTED happens. Jesus tells his disciples to go into town for supplies, and He will wait ALONE by the well. That’s UNEXPECTED because it’s dangerous to be alone in Samaria. Nevertheless, they obey.

While Jesus is alone, the UNEXPECTED happens! In the middle of the day, a Samaritan woman comes to draw water alone. This is UNEXPECTED because it wasn’t safe for her to be alone. It was additionally strange because usually women (in a group) came in the cool of the day (not at noon) to gather water. Why was she out here? Something isn’t right!

Jesus, being super thirsty, asks, “Please, give me a drink.” (Jn 4:7 NLT). Which starts the following conversation...

John 4:9–15 NLT

The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”

The woman doesn’t appear to fully understand what’s happening, but Jesus does. She came to draw out water, but He is strategically drawing out faith. Yet, before that can happen, like the Ninevites, a sin problem needs to be addressed...

John 4:16–18 NLT

“Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her. “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”

You see, this woman was living in shameful sin. She was on her 5th husband, and number 6 was on the way. This loose lifestyle was sinful even for Samaritans. It would’ve been a disgrace to be seen with her, which is why she’s alone! She didn’t care. Obviously God didn’t care about her anymore. She was too far gone. Why even try to change?

But Jesus cares. And He is strategically drawing out faith from her heart. But true faith is always accompanied with repentance. And it’s always difficult for people to be honest about their sin. In fact, the woman senses this and tries to side track the conversation. She says...

John 4:19–20 ESV

The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”

But Jesus masterfully uses her words for His own purposes. He replies...

John 4:21–24 NLT

Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

She says..

John 4:25 NLT

The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Jesus replies...

John 4:26 ESV

Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

And in that moment, something UNEXPECTED happens. It all clicks for her...

John 4:28–30 NLT

The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” So the people came streaming from the village to see him.

All of a sudden, this broken and immoral woman UNEXPECTEDLY finds hope. She has met Jesus - the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior - and realizes He is offering her (someone nobody EXPECTED to be saved) a new life! Not only that, He redeems her life! She UNEXPECTEDLY goes from the unclean woman to a gospel preacher!

And I keep saying “UNEXPECTED” because I want us to see how God does things differently. But there’s a MORE IMPORTANT THEME to notice too. It’s the MAIN POINT of our two stories… and this entire Book: That God’s heart is to save everyone, even the people we don’t expect!

Look how that played out in our stories...

No one EXPECTED the pagan sailors to worship God - but they did.

No one EXPECTED the wicked Ninevites to worship God - but they did.

No one EXPECTED the Samaritan woman to worship God - but she did!

And the reason these UNEXPECTED things happen is because it’s God’s heart for all people to be saved. Yes, they have a free-will and must choose to repent and put their faith in Jesus… but it’s only happening because of God’s LOVE for sinners!

And we see this throughout the entire story.

It’s seen at the beginning - right after Adam & Eve sin. God tells them, “One day I will send a Savior to make it right.”

It’s seen at the end of this book, where Revelation 22 invites everyone, “Come and drink freely from the water of life.”

It’s seen in the most popular Bible verse, the chapter before the Samaritan woman story, where Jesus says...

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

It’s seen in the OT, like in Jonah’s story.

It’s seen in the NT, in stories like the Samaritan woman.

God’s heart is to save the world by grace thru faith in Jesus. And since it’s God’s heart, it must be ours!

What’s your heart for the world?

So, what is your heart for the world? Or, maybe I’ll phrase it this way: When you honestly examine your heart, is it like Jonah’s or Jesus’s?

We clearly see Jonah’s heart in Jonah 4...

After Nineveh repents, God forgives them.

Jonah 3:10 NLT

When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.

But in chapter 4, Jonah is sitting outside the town hoping that they repent of their repentance. That their heart for God is just a temporary fad, they’ll go back to evil, and God will finally bring judgment on them. Nice heart Jonah.

...It gets worse...

Soon, Jonah gets mad at God’s mercy!

Jonah 4:2–3 NLT

So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”

Then, a strange “UNEXPECTED” thing happens. As Jonah’s pouting in the heat, God causes a vine to supernaturally grow and it gives him shade. Jonah is all of a sudden happy. But then, God allows a worm to eat the vine, and the shade leaves. Jonah instantly goes back to mad over the loss of his temporary shade.

And God asks...

Jonah 4:10–11 NLT

Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”

It’s clear that Jonah’s heart is nothing like God’s heart.

…However, in John 4, we see Jesus’s heart. This one verse speaks volumes about His heart.

John 4:4 ESV

And he had to pass through Samaria.

The Greek word for “had” is “dei.” It’s a word that means a “divine appointment.” What does this tell us? It tells us that although John 4 is filled with unexpected events, nothing was a surprise to God. It was all part of God’s plan to save. Put another way, “Jesus intentionally went to Samaria just to meet this rejected woman.” Why? Because God’s heart is to save everyone.

What is our heart like? Is it like Jonah or Jesus? Do we have a desire to see people saved by faith in Jesus? Will we do things, unexpected things, even things that make us uncomfortable, so people can experience the Kingdom of God?

Let me challenge our hearts: Don’t be like Jonah. Be like Jesus!

Response - How to have God’s heart for the world?

So, how can we have Jesus’s heart? As we close, let me mention 3 simple steps:

1) Don’t run from God.

Jonah ran from God’s calling. His attitude was, “God, I won’t do what I don’t want to do.” When that’s our attitude, we’ll never have God’s heart. God’s heart is sacrificially generous. It sacrifices. It gives. If we want God’s heart, we got to be like Jesus, who sacrificially gave His life to save the world.

Will you sacrificially give up your reputation and invite someone to Easter service, so they can hear the gospel? Even if you think they’ll reject you or think of you differently?

Will you sacrificially give money so we can bring the gospel to our community?

Will you sacrificially give your time and serve next week, so you can help people experience the Kingdom of God next week on Easter?

Or… will you run like Jonah?

2) Have a Vision for the Harvest:

Sometimes we run like Jonah because our perspective is wrong. We look with earthly eyes instead of heavenly ones. Let me explain...

Jonah looked at Nineveh and ONLY SAW wicked people who deserved God’s judgment. That’s an earthly perspective.

On the other hand, Jesus looked at Samaria with heavenly eyes. Don’t get me wrong, He saw their sin. It was a problem. God is holy. He can’t and won’t ignore sin. But sin doesn’t determine vision, heaven does. And Jesus had heavenly vision.

After the woman told everyone about Jesus, a crowd of Samaritans came out to see Him. In the natural, the disciples would’ve been like, “Let’s get out of here Jesus! Before they defile us or kills us!” And that’s when Jesus challenges them to look with heavenly eyes, saying… “Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.” Jesus didn’t see an unclean people. He saw a HARVEST!

When you look around this town, your community, your school, your family and friends, your workplace… do you see wicked people who would never come to church? Or, do you see a harvest?

Having God’s heart requires a vision to for the harvest.

3) Invite people to “Come and See”:

God’s heart invites people to Jesus. That can be done with 3 simple words, “Come. And. See.” This is a super effective invitation. The Samaritan woman used this! She said, “Come and see… could he possible be the Messiah - or Savior?” (Jn 4:29 NLT).

Last week, I shared a “vision for the harvest” with you. I asked you to look around this room and think about next week’s Easter service. To imagine no empty chairs. The room filled with people ready hearing about Jesus! And at the end of the 2nd service, we look around and say, “We should’ve had 3 services!”

Let me add a couple things to that vision...

I think it would be a fun goal if our leadership team couldn’t sit down because we needed those seats for guests!

Additionally, I want you to picture that person who you love, who you’ve been praying for, but who you thought would never come to church, sitting right next to you!

Let me tell you, it can happen! In fact, God wants it to happen more than you do! His heart is to save the world!

I love the way John chapter 4 ends...

John 4:42 ESV

They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

Imagine that person turning to you and saying, “I now personally know that Jesus is indeed the Savior of the world! Thanks for inviting me to see Him for myself!”

So, who will you invite to Easter?

Btw, you can digitally say, “Come and See” by sharing the Easter invite/service on your social media pages.

And maybe there is a lesson we can learn from Jonah… Jonah said 8 “half-hearted” words and God used it to bring revival came to Nineveh. What kind of harvest could we see this Easter if we said the following 8 “full-hearted” words, “Will. You. Come. With. Me. To. Easter. Service?” I think we could see an unexpected revival here in Glastonbury!

Why do I believe that? Because God’s heart is to save the world. That’s what this Big Story Book is all about!

Let’s pray...

Father, we want your heart. We don’t want to be like Jonah, we want be like Jesus. Please transform our hearts this morning. Forgive us for our sins. The times we’ve been hard-hearted and run from you. Help us to sacrificially give our lives to You and Your mission. And we pray that many people would come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior this Easter. Many unexpected people would walk into the Kingdom of God! We pray you would do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, for the glory of Your name. In Jesus name, amen!

Thanks for joining us for Church Online. If this was your first time, fill out a Connect Card. We’d love to say hi and send you a gift. Also, if you have prayer requests, would like to get involved at TRC, or join a Life Group, there are easy ways to do that on our website (riverchurchct.com), or follow the links in the comments below, or you can text TRCconnect to 94000.

Also, next week is Easter! Join here next week to celebrate the resurrection of our King, Jesus Christ. Also, would you share the Easter Online Service? When you do, you help us tell more people about God’s heart to save the world.

Additionally, if you’re in the Glastonbury area, join us for Easter In-Person! We’re having two services (8:15 & 10am) at the Glastonbury Boathouse. Currently, we have plenty of room but seats are filling up quickly. For more info, or to register, go to riverchurchct.com. We’d love to see you there!