A Call to Action

Intro

- Illustration- Sheila- wash her off and she goes straight back to rolling in the dirt

o God pursues us and rescues us intentionally. He wants to restore us and use us for a purpose

o But how often do we experience his great mercy and his loving correction only to head straight back into the mess of sin

- Recap of Jonah

o Running from God

o The Storm- fear

o The great fish

o Jonah’s repentance

- Read Jonah 3:1-10

- God pursues us for a purpose, to bring us back to our mission so that others can hear the Gospel and experience the great mercy of our God for themselves.

Back on Mission

A. God rescues Jonah for a purpose

1. God pursues us because he loves us

a. We are his children

2. He doesn’t just send Jonah home and say, “Be ready next time!”

3. He rescues us because he wants to use us

a. You see, failure doesn't take us out of the fight

(1) We talked about how scripture is full of people that messed up, but God continued to use them

b. Now this is not an excuse for failure

(1) Jonah's disobedience was not without consequence

(2) But God had a purpose for Jonah still

B. Jonah’s second chance

1. Almost identical to his call in chapter 1

2. God is concerned for his missionary, not just his mission

a. He is working in the process-

(1) Look how much time he spends on bringing Jonah back to himself- this is half the book!

(2) This is as much about God working in Jonah’s life as it is about him reaching the nations

b. God empowers us to fulfill his calling

(1) Wiersbe- “The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God can’t keep you and the power of God can’t use you.”

3. God is molding and shaping us

a. Our failures do not define us, but when we turn back to God, he uses them to grow us into the people he wants us to be

b. And this is exactly what he was doing with Jonah

C. Jonah’s message (4)

1. A heavy focus on judgment

a. "overturned"- used in the prophesied destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

(1) Can also mean to turn around- to transform

(2) Repentance or destruction- your choice

(3) Jonah knew this from the beginning- this is what caused him to run

b. We often leave this part out

(1) Illustration- “sugar coat”

(2) Jonah's message was divine

(a) It was not his own

(b) We don't get to determine the message, what we think will go over well

(c) Twisting it to fit our audience or our own

c. The reality of judgment should give us an urgency in our witness

d. What else did Jonah say? - there was more, but it isn’t recorded

(1) The focus is not so much on the message, but on Jonah's obedience to deliver it, and God's working in the hearts of the Ninevites

(a) It’s not about us

The Gospel Brings Radical Change

A. The Gospel has power

1. The response to Jonah's message was immediate

a. Amazing how quickly it spread!

b. The gospel is powerful!

(1) 1 Thess. 1:5 “because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.”

c. God works in people’s hearts, not the cleverness of Jonah's speech

2. These wicked people saw their rebellion and turned to God

3. Jonah didn't have to preach beyond the first day, but everyone heard

a. illustrates the power of multiplication- each one reach one

B. The Gospel is for everyone

1. From the least to the greatest- beggar to the king

2. It is often those who have nothing that see their great need of a savior

a. Illustration- homeless vs. affluent- east side vs west side

C. The Gospel requires action

1. Repentance requires brokenness, humility, and a desire to make things right- Fasting and putting on sackcloth (5-8)

a. Even the animals- shows the seriousness of their resolve

(1) do we have that same resolve in our pursuit of righteousness? Or do we just try to do the minimum?

(a) Illustration- house- paint- you can make it look good on the outside, but the inside is what counts

b. The king- arose from his throne, removed his kingly robe, put on sackcloth, sat down in ashes

(1) We may think much of ourselves, but we are nothing apart from God

2. The king’s decree (7)

a. goes beyond a show of repentance (fasting and sackcloth) and to a complete change of behavior

(1) Sometimes our initial emotions and attitude toward our sin can hid our true intention to continue in it

(2) God want’s our hearts

(a) Joel 2:12-13 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.

b. Like the sailors and the captain, the king acknowledges that God is completely sovereign

3. Repentance requires action

a. Fervent prayer- calling out to God

b. Give up- turn from evil ways and violence

(1) Matt. 3:8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. - (NLT)Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.

A God Ready to Forgive

A. The Ninevites threw themselves on the mercy of God

1. They hoped for mercy, but they did not expect or demand it

a. They realized that they were still deserving of wrath even after they had repented

b. Repentance does not force God to let us off the hook. It is not our action that brings his forgiveness, it is his mercy alone

c. Repentance is not a work to be rewarded

B. God saw their genuine repentance

C. God relented from his judgment

1. Jeremiah 18:7-8 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it.

2. The pronouncement of judgment is not absolute, but conditional

3. 2 Peter 3:9- The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Conclusion

- So What

o Are you pursuing the mission God has for you, or are you still like chapter 1 Jonah, running from God?

o Are you faithfully sharing the message of the gospel and allowing God to Change hearts?

o Does your repentance show a change of heart, or is merely an outward show?

o Are you grateful for the mercy God has shown you, and are you eager to share it with others?