God the Merciful Evangelist

Introduction

Sometimes there are words we hear that are so common we may have never taken the time to truly know what exactly they mean.

Grace, peace, compassion, and mercy are words like these.

We hear them in church alot and know they fit but need to see sometimes exactly how.

Mercy is a word just like that.

When we see what it really means we see how much more it is a beautiful and specific attribute of our great God.

Mercy is that which we receive in our most desperate time of need

The dictionary says Mercy is this

“compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power”

Compassion when one person has every reason not to be, but shows favor anyway

That is mercy

We saw God as unchallengeably Sovereign in chapter 1

We saw God as unimaginably Gracious in chapter 2

Now we see God as immeasurably Merciful in chapter 3 today

He is all of these attributes and more at all times to accomplish His will, His mission to save the lost.

This week we are gonna focus on God the Merciful Evangelist in 4 ways.

Mercy for Jonah

Mercy in His Message

Mercy for a City

Mercy in our God

Lets read chapter 3 and dive in

English Standard Version Chapter 3

Jonah Goes to Nineveh

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. 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.

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.”

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.

Mercy for Jonah (3:1-3)

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. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth.

Maybe you have seen a child throw a fit or been a parent or grandparent and been the one responsible for the tantrum.

It is strange to watch and wait patiently as they exhaust themselves and you are at peace in the midst of it because you know that it changes nothing.

They still need to do what you asked before the flailing...

The calm command the second time is mercy in and of itself…even more so with God.

After all we have seen in the first 2 chapters the Lord has calmly ordered a hurricane, commanded a fish, saved a pagan sea captain and crew…all with ease.

We are talking about the God of Ephesians 1:11 who works all things “according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will.

Jonah is back at the beginning. But not the same man...

He has been shown Mercy

1 Kings 13 tells of a prophet who disobeyed like Jonah has and was immediately devoured by lions.

God has shown His prophet Mercy

While the call is the same the Mercy has changed Jonah.

One way is that we can only share what we have experienced.

This is what Paul called his new converts too in Romans 6:13

But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God

Jonah experientially knows death to life mercy, sovereignty, grace, of God.

Now he is called a second time.

So much Mercy saturates this chapter.

Even in Gods call to His prophet in these opening verses there is mercy

God is still aware of the desperate lostness of Ninevah…that hasn’t changed so he doesn’t even repeat it this second time..he longs to show them mercy

He has taught Jonah “both that God’s will cannot be ignored, and as well, that He was a God of compassion whose will included forgiveness and rescue” Doug Stuart said

The wind, the hurricane, pagan sailors, and a fish were faithful servants now Jonah joins God’s creation in bending to His will.

God is even sovereign over the message as verse 3 says “the message I will tell you”

What happens all happens according to the word of the Lord…this brings it home.

Just as God has wanted it. despite the running and the quitting his post God wont take his resignation.

His task is to show unimaginable mercy from the mercy Jonah has received.

Do you and I realize how Merciful it is of God to NOT let things go how we want ?

It is His mercy to finally let us run out of rope and he break us to repentance

It is mercy. Unmerited Mercy

Think of this if you don’t see it let me ask this

Where would you be right now if he had not shown you unimaginable mercy to save you?

Who would you be now if he had not shown you mercy?

We don’t know how merciful He is or how bad we need it

How bad Jonah had to be shown it

He will need it

He will be just one man with an unpopular message as a man from an unpopular place.

The narrator takes a break to remind us if we had forgotten…the city was Nineveh

It was an exceedingly great city…and it was still to Jonah a hated city.

He would have no idea still if this was a mission to destroy the place as he still hoped.

The author here wants his readers to know just how important a city this is with his description…three days journey

This is more than an ETA on your Iphone map when you get directions.

Three days was a formula conveying importance.

Day one announce your arrival and declare your purpose

Day two to meet with the officials of your business dealings and present your puropses

Day three to receive a response and sent on your return..or executed if the offer was offensive

This was one man against the Greenville County Courthouse

Doug Stuart sums up this opening so well so we aren’t unaware.

Nineveh, the hated city, was to hear Yahweh’s word of warning, delivered by an authentic prophet, and thereby be given at least a theoretical chance to repent. Whether Jonah liked it or not, he went. And there is nothing here to suggest that Jonah liked it any more this time than the first.

After fits, and running, hurricanes and fish…God’s will has not changed.

God shows his merciful will through his message

Mercy in His Message (3:4-5)

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.

So here he is on day one and it is go time.

And you are thinking that is the worst sermon ever!!!! Thats It? !!!

Well.......

Verse four is wonderful to see expounded on in the rest of the bible

Jonah is making as little of himself as possible but Jesus tells us more of Jonah’s message on day one in Ninevah.

In Matthew 12:39-41 and Luke 11:29-32 Jesus speaks of the sign of Jonah

He is talking of more than the obvious three days and three nights in death before a resurrection

He also meant Jonah’s sermon the day he entered Ninevah.

Jesus critiqued the blindness of Israel with the ready response without miracles performed in hated Assyria. Mat 12

He said 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

Jesus spoke of Jonah’s sermon…Jonah wanted all the attention of the power of God....

Jonah preached the whole Gospel.

Surely his skin would have had permanent damage from steeping in stomach acid for 72 hours

Surely he would have had a passion behind his confidence in the God who sent him

What Jesus says is more is that Ninevah needed only the God ordained, spirit filled proclamation of the story of reality, and the final hell that awaited them.

Jesus says of the jews of his day and us today that it is not a sign that will make the message.

It is the Spirit infused message of mercy and the awakening of the Spirit to make dead bones live that saves.

The message was pure mercy because it was the whole message.

We do no one any favors not proclaiming that we are in desperate trouble as long as we are separated from God.

Jonah held no punches back…neither did Jesus. he spoke of hell more than anyone else in the bible.

Richard Baxter has a book from the 1600’s that crushes any pastor who reads it today.

He calls out the fear we have in declaring the bad news before the good of the gospel

Baxter says ““We have a base man-pleasing disposition, which will make us let men perish lest we lose their love, and let them go quietly to hell, lest we should make them angry with us for seeking their salvation: and we are ready to venture on the displeasure of God, and risk the everlasting misery of our people, rather than draw on ourselves their ill-will.”

Jonah preaches the whole counsel of God…for their to be good news we have to tell the bad state of reality separated and lived in rebellion to our creator

Look how the people respond in v5

Immediately when presented the story of reality and the God who has the power to deliver they respond en mass.

what happens here is insane. please see this.

Why does he make the point that his preaching began then, and not mention the other days (or distances)? The answer is simple: the people of Nineveh “beat him to it.” They repented before he could even get into the full task of preaching to them. According to the usual expectation of ancient protocol, Jonah would have preached widely throughout the city on the second and third day to all who would listen. Only then would he depart, the full visit being complete. On the first day he would not have had the opportunity yet to see the king, if protocol were followed. And the full impact of his mission would hardly be felt until the third day, when everyone had heard, from the least to the greatest, and the formal requirements of bringing important concerns to the attention of an important city would be obliged. But all this was short circuited by the eager response of the Ninevites. Jonah was just beginning to warm up, just starting the process, and they were already believing God en masse (v 5).

Stuart, D. (1987). Hosea–Jonah (Vol. 31, p. 488). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.

The power of this language would have hit the first jewish readers in the stomach.

Remember this is God’s message. God told Jonah He would give him the words he would say

So the 40 days was everything these first readers needed to hear…and why Jesus used these Ninevites as the future Judge of Israel.

Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 40 as a time to repent was the number

Jesus was in the wilderness 40 days tempted, Israel failed their 40 year temptation

For non jews to not even need a day that their ancestors needed all 40 of was scandalous.

That God would show that kind of mercy, and pagans would respond in a way God’s people never had was absurd Mercy

This is a message of mercy to Nineveh…and an example of the response of the nations God is making His

This is a scandalous mercy

Look at this man Jonah in awe of the Mercy of God writing looking back.

The most miraculous survival story ever…and barely mentions it

The greatest one day revival in the history of God’s people ever to this day…and gives the bare minimum of his message.

Doesn’t mention himself again in this chapter after he preaches

All he can do is look back in awe at God.

All he wants God’s covenant people , thats believing Israel then and the church today, all he wants us to know is the character of God so we hold fast when it is dark, remain in the fight for the mission of God to save the lost , and never lose sight of the mercy we have been shown in the Cross

The Message spreads like wildfire....

Swiftly and sincerely the people of wicked but important Nineveh believed Jonah’s warning and began to act upon it. Already on the first day (v 4a) of the three (v 3) and of the forty (v 4b) people were ceasing eating and were changing into sackcloth, the mourning garb of the ancient Near East.

Stuart, D. (1987). Hosea–Jonah (Vol. 31, p. 489). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.

The mercy of God to treat the least of these as his own son.

He shows them the same formula Israel saw

threat of disaster

acts of repentance

divine intervention to avert disaster

He showed them how to respond as Isreal did.

In Gods Mercy He took the least of these. Clothed them as he did his son and made them His own

What a picture of the Gospel.

Mercy for a City (3:6-9)

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.”

Remember God had prepared the harvest for Jonah to step into, the people were battered from war and political failings.

They were in the midst of a second great famine more than likely.

Their reliance on all the world offered in affluence and self was crushed.

In mercy God had rid them of their crutches…like a piece of fruit so ripe in harvest bumping the tree sends it falling

How many times do we presume to know the hearts of who God is calling us too?

How many places and people and opportunities have we written off because we don’t trust the one who goes before us

It was Mercy they were prepared to desperately need

The Ninevites needed only that initial word, so ready were they to turn from their evil practices. Jonah’s words reached eager ears right away. And the Ninevites themselves repeated the message all over the city until it touched even the king (v 6). Three days of preaching by Jonah himself would not even be needed. Like the Hebrew women who gave birth before the midwives could arrive (Exod 1:19), the Ninevites responded to God’s message almost before the preacher could finish his speech!

Stuart, D. (1987). Hosea–Jonah (Vol. 31, pp. 488–489). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.

This progression of the events only God could do to leave no doubt what he always intended.

Remember the original audience.

They know their history.

They know the kings who led Israel in her last days in sin until they were exiled and occupied.

They know the insider treatment of being God’s favorite they thought

In Jeremiah 36:9-31 the prophet Jeremiah warned Israels king Jehoiakim with the same warning formula Jonah gave here

Israels king didn’t believe it. He never accepted it himself let alone ordered the wayward nation to repent.

Look now at the gut punch that a pagan king unaware of the history with God does what God’s own people and kings refused to do.

The king of Ninevah takes the posture Israels King should have taken

Our Merciful God (3:10)

English Standard Version Chapter 3

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.