(v.2) (Jonah 3) The Least Likely, Most Unexpected Repentance.

INTRODUCTION:

What is man compared to God?

When we consider that God is the most powerful, most wise being in all the world - who are we next to him.

ILLUSTRATION:

Perhaps the closest comparison would be a astrophysicists and a two year old.

When my kids were 2 years old -

> They loved blocks.

They would build them as high as they could.

but as big as they made them … they couldn’t build anything as big as a house.

Further,

> They could talk,

but there words were limited to cup, thank you, and more please, No.

Now consider,

what would it be like to send a 2 year old to a conference full of astrophysicists.

The 2 year old can build, and can talk.

But there is no comparison between the 2 year old and a room full of astrophysicists.

That is us and God.

When we consider that God is the only uncreated being in all the universe.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1)

That means God was the one who

laid the foundations of the ocean,

and carved the peaks of the mountains,

and sparkled the stars, moon, and planets in the Sky.

- who are we next to God?

David wrote this idea down in Psalm 8 and in fact asks that question in Psalm 8:3-4.

Psalm 8:3–4 ESV

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

Which means, when are majestic Father speaks

What ought to be our response?

Behold, God shouldn’t care for me - because I am so small and he is so majestic.

So I should be incredibly humbled and listening when God speaks.

From Jonah 3,

We ought to Respond to the Word of God

And this text gives us 2 ways we ought to respond to the Word of God.

******************PRAY**********************************

The first way we ought to respond to the Word of God is by being:

1. Faithful Proclaimer’s of the Word.

We see Jonah receiving the Word a second time in Jonah 3:1-2.

Jonah 3:1–2 ESV

1 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.”

That verse ought to stand out to you as you consider what it says.

Doesn’t this sound familiar?

In fact, it is an exact quote from Jonah 1:1; except this is the second time it is been given.

The God who shouldn’t even notice us - spoke twice.

And we see Jonah this time obeying the Word of God.

Jonah 3:3–4 ESV

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!”

He should have done this the first time - the magnificent God has spoken.

But because of God’s mercy he gets a second chance.

Praise God we follow a God of 2nd chances.

If the prophet who ran from his presence of God,

defiantly slept through a God-sent storm,

and then refused to pray to him for 3 days in the belly of a fish

Got a second chance.

COMPARISON:

Then I think those who have been saved by the death of God’s own son will be given 2nd and 3rd and 4th chances.

If you running from God - don’t run because he is a God of second chances and Jonah is exhibit A.

But also,

we have a similar responsibility as Jonah.

Do I believe that all believers in the New Testament are prophets?

Absolutely not.

(a) We follow a prophet - Jesus (Lk 11:30, Jn 6:14)

But we do follow a prophet - and his name is Jesus.

Luke 11:30 ESV

30 For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

John 6:14 ESV

14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

So Christ is prophet, priest, and King.

And before Christ went to heaven to be with Father,

He left us an important responsibility.

(b) Our call to proclaim the Word - the Gospel. (Mt 28:18-20, 1 Co 15:1-4)

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We may not be prophets, but the great prophet told us to

make followers of Christ

and teach them all of his teachings.

In essence,

just like the Word of God came to Jonah,

the Word of God has come to us.

Perhaps a summary of that message we received from Christ can be found in 1 Cor 15:1-4. Paul summarizes the Gospel in those 4 verses.

1 Corinthians 15:1–4 ESV

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

Just like Jonah had a responsibility to proclaim the Word of God to the Ninevites.

Matthew 28:18-20 makes it our responsibility to proclaim the Word of God to all nations.

Are you commited to proclaiming the Gospel of Christ?

We can say that we are,

but

when is the last time we shared Christ with someone?

when is the last time we invited someone to come to the chapel?

when is the last time we comforted the hurting with the peace of the Gospel?

As Christians,

we ought to so filled with the hope found in the Gospels - that it overflows into witnessing and helping others.

Further,

when is the last time we invested in unsaved relationship - so we can can lead them to the Gospel.

Having opportunity to witness at times can simply be talking with our neighbor.

But often it takes building a relationship - perhaps with coworkers, or people you share hobbies with - in order to have an opportunity to witness.

- You can’t speak to those you don’t know. You can’t help the struggling who you don’t have a relationship with.

- Part of a commitment to being a proclaimer of the Word is having Gospel-centered, Truth-Saturated relationships with unbelievers.

Further, Scripture often speaks of our lives equally being a witness of the Gospel.

Much of 1 Peter speaks of living holy in light of suffering, discrimination, and persecution.

- partly as a witness to unbelievers.

Peter tells wives to subject themselves to their husbands as a witness in 1 Peter 3:1-2.

Peter tells Christians in general to respond to evil with good in 1 Peter 1:13-15.

Why?- so that they can witness of the hope found in Christ.

Does your purity display the hope found at the cross?

Does you love and compassion show the hope found at the cross?

The story of Jonah demonstrates that believers can neglect, run, or ignore the call to proclaim the Word of God.

We can fail to proclaim the Word that God sent us.

As NT Christians,

we ought to respond to the Word by faithfully proclaiming the Gospel.

The 2nd way we ought to respond is by being

2. Repentant Receivers of the Word.

Another aspect we see demonstrated in this text is the responsibility to also be Repentant receivers of the Word.

Let’s look at a pagan people who are the least likely, most unexpected people to repent in the Middle East during Jonah’s day.

(a) The least likely to repent: The Ninevites, the brutal enemies of Israel.

Jonah 3:5–9 ESV

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. 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.”

Wow, imagine this.

The Ninevites are the social and cultural icon of the Assyrian nation.

The same Assyrian nation that Hosea and Amos prophesied would conquer, destroy, and exile the N. Kingdom of Israel.

Further, they are known for their incredible brutality

Inscriptions have been found showing the Assyrians

Skinning their enemies alive.

Beheading their enemies.

Poking the Eyes out of their Enemy.

And forcing them to ground the bones of their ancestors.

[https://www.biblearchaeology.org/publications/bibleandspade.aspx]

This was a wicked people!

> So We probably are not surprised by their judgment.

> It makes sense why Jonah didn’t want to call Nineveh to repent.

These are exactly the people we picture of people want God to judge.

but we are surprised by God’s Mercy - sending a prophet to warn a nation like this.

And of their Repentance. - Who would have thought a nation like that would repent.

Yet, the texts describes the city responding with deep despair, mourning, lamenting, and fear.

As we read the account of their repentance,

notice it began with the people.

Jonah declares in v. 4;

Jonah 3:4 ESV

Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

(b) The belief and repentance of the king and city of Nineveh. (Jonah 3:5-9)

and v. 5 declares the people believed.

Jonah 3:5 ESV

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.

Observe their response - they called for a fast and put a sackcloth on their heads.

They sound like people who are mourning - and they are because in 40 days God was going to overthrow their city.

Their lives, the future of their children, their possessions, the lively hood was all going to be ashes.

Perhaps as equally surprising was the response of the King.

It is rare to see a great King in those days humble himself.

When we consider the Egyptian Pharaoh in Exodus - he boldly and defiantly refused to let Israel go.

King Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonians would not even humble himself to save Daniel in the Lions Den in Daniel 6.

But the King of Nineveh humbled himself.

v. 6 tells us:

Jonah 3:6 ESV

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.

The King Humbled himself - literally removing all Kingly nobility, and sat down in ashes.

He also used his authority to command all of the city to do what many of the people are already doing.

Listen to the incredible decree of the King:

Jonah 3:7–9 ESV

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.”

What began as a popular movement has now became the law of the Land.

Picture this, you go down the streets, into the markets, walk the city gates -

All of Nineveh is pleading to God for mercy and forgiveness.

All of Nineveh is fasting in despair, hoping God will relent his judgement.

All of Nineveh is wearing sackcloth - a sign of mourning and despair.

Talk about a new dress trend.

What a dramatic turn of the heart?

What incredible humility and plea for mercy?

Let’s take a moment here - and talk about repentance.

I dislike the term “repentance” because we misunderstand what it means?

And it’s most basic level, like this text,

True repentance is a radical turning from the love of sin - to a love of God and his ways.

The term here is not some spiritual term.

> “to turn” is the same term used throughout the Old Testament for physically turning.

> Naomi told Ruth to turn back to her people. Same term.

Which means - true repentance is a radical turning from your sin to God and his ways.

That’s what is pictured here.

The crying out, the fasting, the sackcloth all showed a deep regret of sin and whole out call to God for mercy.

And how does God respond?

(c) The mercy and grace of God. (Jonah 3:10)

v. 10 tells us this.

Jonah 3:10 ESV

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.

Again,

The Ninevites were the least likely people in the Middle East to repent!

And the Ninevites were the least likely people for God to forgive.

But they did repent and they did receive mercy.

APPLICATION:

Are you praying that someone will get saved - but they won’t?

A Family member, a friend, a coworker, a neighbor.

Let not the depth of their sin, nor the depth of their resistance make you despair.

God is in the business of turning the least likely people into worshipers of the one true God.

Is there anyone here today - who has guilt and regret because of past sin?

Often, we will get our life choices back in line with God - but we hold on to regret and guilty feeling unworthy.

Don’t, instead rest in God.

If he could have mercy and steadfast love to a violent, evil, pagan nation who sought to conquer his own people - will he not have mercy on you?

If anybody deserved judgement - it was the Ninevites.

> Their repentance is as striking as a prophet of God fleeing the presence of God.

> And perhaps even more striking that God had mercy on them.

But he did.

Also,

I want to ask - are you struggling with sin today?

If you are, be like the Ninevites.

A Repentant Receiver of the Word.

By the Gospel of Jesus Christ

- choose to turn from the love of sin to a sanctified love of God.

- choose to radically hate that sin - and call upon the great mercies found in Christ.

- That may be believing in Christ for the first time

- or it may be running to the mercies always available to you as a believer in God.

But may we respond to the Word as Repentant Receivers.

CONCLUSION:

In Jonah 3,

- God spoke to Jonah.

- God spoke to the Ninevites.

And in it - we see there response.

(1) Like what the expectation was for Jonah,

we ought to be Faithful proclaimers of the Gospel of Christ.

(2) Further, like the Ninevites,

we ought to be repentant responders to the Word.

We ought to appropriately, and urgently respond to God’s Word.

When we consider who God is. - the creator of all the World.

When we consider that God is our incomparable superior.

Superior in his:

Holiness

Wisdom

and Power.

Are we not left wondering why he would ever speak to us?

Yet that majestic God has spoken to us,

and that ought to humble us and lead us to urgently, desperately heed his Word.

Do we realize,

what we hold in our hands - our Bibles.

May we faithfully, Repentantly Proclaim and Respond to God’s Word.