Jonah: A Man on the Run (2)

Jonah 3:1-10 Running with God

You know what time of year it is? It’s that time of the year where we start to find ways to get outside, get working on those lawns, and for some— it’s finally getting warm and pleasant enough to get out on the golf course again! Yeah!

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve really come to appreciate the game, the challenge that it represents— it was frustrating for me to play as a young man— but I’ve learned patience and ultimately I found that there are certain types of people that I love to play golf with.

It’s great to play with someone who is really good sometimes, but that’s not who I would prefer to play with— someone that dresses really good, or has really good equipment— no. It’s the group of guys that are really generous with the “mulligans”. Yes, you know what a mulligan is— right? It’s when I hit a bad shot— like into the water, or off into the woods— and they say to me, that doesn’t count— take another shot. Yeah— and I love to play with people who both give and need to receive Mulligans— not only in golf- but sometimes in life too— Can you imagine if there were mulligans in life? Like— I’m driving down the highway, and going a little too fast—, or I hear from the bank that my account is somehow over drawn— or better yet, I’m talking with my spouse, (now we’re getting somewhere!) or my boss, and I just “shank one” into the woods—before the words even hit their ears, I’m asking for a do over--- a mulligan.

The past few weeks, we’ve been studying about this guy named Jonah— He was a guy that has received multiple mulligans in life. We have learned that Jonah’s story and out stories are not too different. We realize that there are times in our lives when we are running away from God. We’ve learned:

Week one: We might run from God, but you can’t outrun God.

In week two we spent the whole Sunday in the belly of a big fish. We learned:

Week two: It’s never too late to pray.

God is a God of second chances.

God’s discipline is thorough, but his grace is guaranteed— God is the God of second changes.

Let’s pray for our study today.

Jonah 3:1 NIV

1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time:

Verse 1 there is one of the greatest verses in the whole chapter— maybe in the whole bible.

After all that Jonah has done, running away, causing harm to himself, and even those around him— descending into a very dark and deep place. He turns back to God, and God gives him another chance.

I just can’t emphasize this enough— this story, it’s really not about how far away we can get from God— because Jonah was really far away— it’s a story about God’s love and forgiveness, his grace in Jonah’s life— and what we will see today, the love and grace God has for a very wicked people.

Your’e sitting there— and you say “i get it”— and you’re having an argument in your head. “Pastor Charlie, you don’t know how far I’ve run— you don’t know what I’ve done. “ and If you did know, you wouldn’t be talking about second or third or fiftieth chances.

If you;re in that place today— like you have been in conflict over all this because you don’t think God could ever use you again after all you’ve been through— after all you’ve done. But I’m here to tell you today, that that’s garbage. That’s a lie that the enemy of God, the devil is telling you. What I want you to do today and any day that he is whispering that in your ear— when he reminds you of your past, you remind him of his future. OK? That’s what I want you to do. Because I’m here to promise you:

God can do anything for anyone, anytime He wants.

Even after a divorce— God can use you. Even after that abortion, God can use you. Even after some other moral failure, God can use you. Even after that whole decade of addiction— he’s the God of second chances. And he’s not just the God that’s so far off, giving second chances to some people who lived all those years ago in the bible— he’s the God of today— extending to us His love and his grace for what we’ve done also. Right now, right here in our lives. That’s the truth, and you can take that check to the bank.

But a truth that we need to realize is that:

God gives Jonah the same assignment.

Yes, he gives Jonah a second chance— but the directions are still the same. He says GO to Nineveh. I know you didn’t want to, I know you were running away from this— but do it.

Jonah 3:2 NIV

2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”

He doesn’t change the message— It’s the same in chapter 3 as it was in chapter 1. He doesn’t back down— “like , oh I guess I’ll send someone else, or I guess we can change that plan for you Jonah—”— NO. the mission is still the same.

When our kids were little, they were sometimes a little crazy. Just like any other kids, right… and we would occasionally have a hard time putting them to bed. Like they would just fall apart when we would say that it’s time for bed. They would flop around, and throw a fit— or want just one more story, or just one more drink of water, or just one more question mom… But we would just tell them two simple things--

You can throw a fit all you want— you can try to distract us, or fight it— all you want. That’s fine. but:

It’s still time to go to bed. That’s it. Thank-you very much, best wishes...

And it seems kind of like that with Jonah right here- right>? It’s as if God says’ “Jonah, you can run all you want, you can pitch a fit all you want— but still time to go to Nineveh!

Delayed obedience does not change the instructions.

So Jonah makes his way to the great city. As I was thinking about this this week— If God has gone to all this trouble— a couple things must be true:

If God has gone into all this trouble, #1 The citizens of Nineveh must really need this message--- and #2 Jonah must be an outstanding preacher.

We know from general bible scholars that from whatever beach Jonah was vomited up on— to Nineveh would have taken at least a couple weeks travel time. And he would have had the time to walk and think, talk to God about just the right message, and how best to craft the words, and the strategy on how to deliver it… the illustrations he would use, and just the right locations and people to talk to. Like Jonah’s message to them, is probably going to be like AMAZING>>>>

Jonah 3:4 NIV

4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

Period. That’s it? What? There’s like no opening, no fancy illustration.

Jonah 3:5–6 NIV

5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.

Sackcloth and ash or dust was a sign of great sorrow and repentance. This stranger walks into town. He says a simple phrase. And even the king hears him and believes.

Like that’s it. It would be like me coming up here today, taking a moment and stating.

40 more days, and Walnut Creek will be overthrown. And just drop the microphone. That’s just what he did.

Like this is what happened when the King made a decree:

Jonah 3:7–9 NIV

7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

I’m thinking to myself this week— Why did that message work? How could that have worked? The answer? GOD

I did a little research into the city and the times—Guess what we find? God.

Some bad events were happening :

Two Plagues

Solar Eclipse

Warrior Tribes

Get your mind into the context— it’s a king and a grand city, hundreds of thousands of people, they are dealing with two plagues— losing life and people to the sicknesses. There is a change in the sun and the sky— there’s threats of stronger people coming to fight through and take them over. You see what is happening here? It’s what we’ve been talking about the whole time! Through this whole story..

They have been prepared by God to hear what Jonah had to say. Jonah just says “40 more days, and you’re all going to be overthrown.”

And they believed, and repented. Done.

Not because Jonah had selected just the right way to bring the message— Not because he is some grand wonderful wordsmith to craft just the right logic or philosophical argument to convince anyone— But because God was preparing the circumstances and their hearts to hear from him:

God is working in the lives of everyone you meet.

We need to remember that when God gives us the prompt or inclination to speak to someone about Jesus— or to invite them to church, we shouldn’t back down.

Just because someone looks like they have it together— or they look like they are ok, or they even seem like they would be offended for you to bring up God in your conversation with them— Looks can be deceiving.

God is working— just like he was working on Nineveh— Nineveh didn’t look at ALL like a city ready to turn from the wickedness it was known for.

The Ninevites were some of the meanest—harshest people of their time. These Assyrian people looked like they would not have been open to Jonah’s message— but they were. God went ahead of Jonah. Look at that message— it’s the very same way with you and me.

I promise you— God is always working, doing things, that you and I cannot see— so that people will be open and ready to hear the message that you have.

Look at it this way:

We don’t start at step one with anyone. We join God in where he is already working!

Sometimes we get all freaked out because we think we need to have everything just right— in order to talk to someone about Jesus.. I need to explain the OT, then I gotta talk about the NT, then I’m going to have to explain where the dinosaurs went, and, and , and ....

No— You must just speak what you know. Take the time to graciously and authentically share what God has placed on your heart. Your experience with him. That’s it. No more- no less.

I have a little illustration to share with you. If you have a copy of our News for today. I want you to take a look at the back of the last page. You should see a little number written on that back page. These numbers range from about 2-8.

For our little experiment today— this number represents the number of times you will need to hear about Jesus in your life in order for you to become a believer. That’s how many times you need to hear the Gospel before you believe it.

Now— can you remember at the beginning of the service, when we greeted each other? Now I want you to try to remember how many people you talked to during that time… How many interactions did you have? Can you remember? Now take your number on the back of your page— and subtract your greeting number… Did you become a believer? How many of you talked to enough people to exceed your number on the page?

Now how many of you had just 1 more number remaining? Raise your hand for me— Think about that… If just one more person would have talked to you about Jesus— you would have believed.

What does all this mean for us today?

You know that family member that seems so far away from God right now?

You know that coworker, or neighbor, who you know would really need to get connected to God?

They all have a number--- we don’t know what that number is? But God help us, if we were supposed to be a part of his plan to bring them into the kingdom! To change their eternity forever! I promise you, God is building his case in their lives. He is already working--- We don’t start at ground zero with anyone.

But Pastor Charlie, You don’t know my neighbor- my boss, my spouse.... Their number is like 62! That’s their number! My kid? He’s at like 160! That may be true… But DON”T GIVE UP. They may look like a Ninevite.... But what God needs from us— is to go, to obey. To follow through with the assignment that he has given.

To bring this home even more— I read a quote from Saint Augustine this week:

“Without God, we cannot.

Without us, God will not.”

Saint Augustine

Who will you boldly share Jesus with this week?

You never know what God has been doing in their lives. You’re message may not even be all that sophisticated— but you just take that step and you share what God has taught you… and maybe they say “you know, you’re right, I believe”… And you go— “WHAT?” You believe?

We’re starting a little trend here--- But you could say it like this:

Who is your Nineveh?

Who is the person or group that God may be calling you to speak to? To share a message with? Who is your Nineveh?

Does your Nineveh have a name?

Let’s pray.

Thanks for this story— make us bold. Let us know where we can join you in your work in this world.