Sign of Jonah
Notes
Transcript
Sign of Jonah
Sign of Jonah
Good morning, here we are the first Sunday of October, 2021…
For those who are interested, we are just 83 days till Christmas. So you better be getting those lists and start checking them twice.
Did you have a good week?
You know when I think about life, we recognize there are good and bad things that happen every day.
Some exciting and some dull, but they are portions of our life. And I think it would be safe to say we like the exciting things in life.
We want to be entertained and we want to see everything that is happening around us.
Think about it, let a wreck happen outside our homes and what do we do? We start looking at the window, we might walk outside to see how bad the cars or trucks look? We might offer to help if we can, or fell like it is in our ability.
How many times have you seen a firetruck do by you while in the car and someone says , lets follow it and see where they are going.
Why do we do all this.... We desire to see what is happening! Some of our motivations are good and pure and some are evil and full of sin and consequences.
The same was true in the days of Jesus, many people came to see Him, not to behold Him as the one sent from God but to see this guy and all the special works he did.
Now we know some came who were pure in heart and the sought the touch of God, to be changed and healed… But it just wan’t the norm usually.
And this day, some will seek Jesus, asking Him to prove who He was even though he has lived, walked and served in front of them daily. What more proof did they need?
So lets look at our text....
1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.
So remember for a moment what happened last week, Jesus and His disciples traveled over to the region of Tyre and Sidon over by the Mediterranean sea. And now we can say with some assurance that Jesus has come back to the region of Galilee, maybe Capernaum since He is met with Pharisees and Saducees.
Now I say that with a positive assurance since I doubt highly if they would have traveled after Jesus into a pagan land.
So lets begin this morning with this information and see what is happening with Jesus as these leaders come to question Him.
Lets begin with this first thought today. Very naturally, you can probably imagine my first thought today, it come right out of the text for us today.
1. They Came to Test Him
The opening verse tells us that they, referring to the two larger religious leaders, the Pharisees and the Saducees came to test Jesus.
Now these two groups didn’t always get along, the Pharisees and the Saducees both claimed to be the best, preeminent group. They each said they were the best, so they were bitter opponents of one another…
The Saducees are probably the older sect, they are a descendants of Abiathar, who was the High Priest during Solomon’s days and His family held the office of High Priest until the days of the Maccabees. (Inter-testamentary period).
The Pharisees develop after the Maccabean period and are what we would call Separatists. They refuse to have anything to do with the Greek influences coming into their region. They are not going to take on the language or customs of Hellenism. They consider themselves to be the pure, unadulterated people of God.
But regardless of their problems with each other, they could lay aside their differences and work to oppose Jesus.
So exactly what does that mean if you say i am coming to test you?
Are you coming to see my proficiency in Geometry, or perhaps in translating Biblical Hebrew?
Well the answer really doesn’t refer to something like that , but it is close in meaning one might say.
They has recently heard of Jesus healing so many, raising the dead and casting out demons and not to prove who Jesus says He is, They come to Him with the attitude of…Prove it to us.
They has convinced others and themselves that He worked out of black magic, straight out of hell.
All that Jesus had done thus far were earthly signs, they wanted to see a heavenly sign.
Like Moses (who they thought caused Manna to drop from the sky) but it was really God who made the Manna that fell from heaven, or like Joshua who after praying witness the sun and the moon stand still for God’s purposes.
The real issues is this… the marvelous miracles that Jesus preformed, they were meant to authenticate the message He preached, the Kingdom of God was near and God was calling people to come and follow Him.
The religious leaders challenged the fact that Jesus was sent from God, so they were asking Him to prove it to them again .. when they had witnessed it for themselves and heard the testimony of many witnesses.
They didn’t believe even though Jesus was living His life and ministry right out in front of them.
My friends how could they reject what they saw and heard for themselves?
The best answer is hardness of heart. People do not see or hear because they choose not too. The same is true today, people choose not to believe out of the hardness of their heart,.
No one likes to be told they are wrong, or accountable before others, and they certainly don’t want their sin condemned. Yet Jesus stands here lovingly calling people to believe, to come and see that He is not calling people to condemnation but to Salvation.
Jesus wants to see each person saved, walking with Him in the fulness of His grace and mercy. For some it is to late, but it is not to late for you today.
Come and see the Lord is good.
Will you come and see for yourselves? Will you believe.
Now this brings me to my second thought...
2. Jesus says “You Cannot See What is Right in Front of Your Faces...
Jesus isn’t one who pulls punches with those who debate His work, His ways or the Father’s work.
He will give a good rebuke toward those who oppose Him and the Father’s work in Him for the sake of jealously.
Lets turn again to the text as Jesus responds to their request of a sign from Heaven.
Look again at verses 1-3
1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
These men come to Jesus out of envy, the common people are rejecting them and following after Jesus. And as their hearts grew hard, the Scripture says they came to test Jesus.
Now here is a thought I want you to see. Who was behind all this? Was it the Sanhedrin, the ruling council in Jerusalem?
Was it the High Priest over the Temple and thus the the one who was over the religious life ?
I think it goes much deeper than that… I think it applies to the devil himself.
Do you remember as they was fasting and praying in the wilderness for 40 days, the Scriptures tell us that the devil came to tempt Him, asking him to proof who He was by revealing Himself through 3 divine miracles to prove that God was with Him.
He is leading the religious to request this again...
But look at how Jesus responds to their unrighteous request.
Verse 2 says He answered them...
2 He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
Jesus rebukes them for paying attention to the skies and the weather and not the truth of the Prophetic that was being lived out in front of them.
Think about this, people often look at the morning and evening skies hoping to be able to tell what the day or the next morning will hold to them.
How many times have you in your life time heard Red sky in the morning sailor’s warning and red sky at night Sailor’s delight...
We think we can tell if in partially the weather of the heavens.
Jesus is rebuking the religious leaders for being able to understand the weather, the skies over them but they cannot understand and interpret the work and sign of God.
They have come asking for a sign, when He has given them nothing but signs.
How many dead people have to raise, How many limbs have to be restored, How many blind have to receive their sight, how many deaf must be able to hear. How many times must He walk on the water for you.... Just how many times must Jesus do all these things before you believe the word and work of God in your midst.
Now please know, I am not saying we just believe any ole works, cause they could be of the devil, but when the message and work is clearly from God, you have tested it as true in your heart, your prayers etc.. And God has revealed himself to you.
Child the call is simple, come and see, believe and know it is true.
Even Thomas put it to a little test, and His confession rand out.. My Lord and my God.
Now this brings a thought to mind.....
A, How many times do you need to hear from God before you surrender and believe?
B. God speaks to you, even now you are thinking about it, God through the Spirit is bearing witness to your heart… And if you know that is happening, don’t write it off as just a thought… take hold of what God is leading you to do and follow Him.
C. I believe some of you, God is calling to ministry, He is calling you to step our and confess, I am called of God and begin that journey.
D. Some of you know God is calling you to confess a pet sin, rebuke it and trust Him
E. Maybe you need to rededicate your life to Christ, do it today when we call for the altar call.
F. Some of you, God is telling you to step out and do something different, you are to serve, witness, give or go and tell on mission.
He is calling you… He has spoke many times, today confess that it is God and you are going to follow Him, His ways no matter what.
Please do not harden your hearts...
One last thought for today my friends… are you ready.
Jesus he will only give them one sign....
3. Sign Of Jonah...
There is a difference in asking God for help, to help you have faith that you might believe.
When I think of asking God for help, I think of Gideon in the Old Testament, He didn’t consider himself as worthy or able, and when God choose him to lead, there was a time that He needed a little help.
He asked God to take the fleece he had and bring dew on it one evening and make the ground around it dry and then we asked God to make the ground wet and the fleece wet. And in both of these God did so....
Why? I believe Gideon’s heart was pure and his motives pure, He truly desired faith so that He could step out in greater faith and fight for the Lord, serving Him and Him alone.
I think today, God understands when we genuinely seek Him asking for help. Help to believe like the father whose child was possessed by an unclean Spirit.
In Mark chapter 9, The disciples couldn’t cast it out and so they came to the Master and the father said, If you are able, if you can, please help. And Jesus spoke him Him about lack of faith. listen to Mark 9:23-24
23 And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
Jesus helps the pure in heart and motive..
That was not the case with the religious leaders, they were skeptics, they didn’t believe anything of Jesus even though must has been shown to them and to many people.
So with their request for a sign, Jesus rebukes them and then gives them this answer in verse 4
4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.
Wow, no punches pulled…
The phrase and evil and adulterous generation refers to those how are unfaithful to God.
These men were evil, we know this from their motives, they came to test him, literally tempt him… in a way they say… if you are the son of God, prove it. Just like their father the devil had done before them.
Jesus never turns away the pure in heart.
They came seeking a sign, the spectacular if you will. Jesus pushes them back to the Jonah.
Jonah’s salvation and deliverance from the sea by the means of a whale was proof to the Ninevehites that God had called them to hear and repent of their sin and turn back to God.
I remember a preacher many years ago said, could you imagine standing on the beech and all of a sudden and whale comes up and throws up ole Jonah, he smells terrible, his skin and clothes are bleached out from the acid in the whales belly… He looks like a ragged ghost and he says repent..
What do you do… you repent....LOL
But Jesus says the only sign given will be the sign of Jonah...
Remember Jonah was in the belly of the whale 3 days before being cast out… Jonah is a type of Christ, a picture of Jesus in the Old Testament, and whale and picture of the grave.
Jesus is alluding to his upcoming death, burial and glorious resurrection. Jesus would die for the sins of the world upon the cross, and they would bury him in a empty tomb, one borrowed from Joseph of Airamathea.
And on the third day Jesus would come forth out of the grace, different as well, but this different was in the glory of the Father
His resurrection the greatest sign, that God had indeed saved his people from their sin, and now that He lives we live as well.
You know its hard going to the Funeral home.... we hate leaving that person, we hate taking them to the cemetery and then going home without them.
But Friends all those in Christ Jesus are not left alone, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
Just as Jesus raised, so will all those in Christ, Amen. We are destined for the promised land.
His death, what they hoped to do to him, His burial which they thought meant it was over was just the beginning my friends.
He came forth from the Grave, and the earth shook, men and women heard the witness of the angels
Jesus is alive.... He has risen
Aren’t you glad you have a risen, alive and exalted Savior ! Man I am and that should cause us to praise HIs high and Holy Name. Praise you Jesus!
Their sign would be our promise of a new day… I am looking for his coming!
Are you looking for His coming?
Do you remember what I asked you while ago...
I believe some of you, God is calling to ministry, He is calling you to step our and confess, I am called of God and begin that journey.
Some of you know God is calling you to confess a pet sin, rebuke it and trust Him
Maybe you need to rededicate your life to Christ, do it today when we call for the altar call.
Some of you, God is telling you to step out and do something different, you are to serve, witness, give or go and tell on mission.
He is calling you… He has spoke many times, today confess that it is God and you are going to follow Him, His ways no matter what.
Please do not harden your hearts...