Jonah the preaching prophet.
Jonah 2.10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Picture Jonah- as lays on the beach, exhausted, drained, stunned, skin, clothes bleached by the acid in the fish stomach, stinking!! Not fully understanding what has happened to Him but knowing something very fishy has occurred!
He scrounges up eyes as he looks at the sun!
Then for the first in three days take a breath of clean sweat air! That air made so much more sweeter when we read Jonah Chapter 3 verse 1
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time:
Underline that verse. It is like the light shinning through a stain glass window and it shows the multicolored display of God’s amazing grace.
There are three things to say.
1. Re-commission
Look again at Ch 3:1what music to our ears.
- the most comforting vvs in the entire book.
What grace! This is our God. Remember God was NOT dependent on Jonah!
He is the God of the second chance- God of grace, the God of total forgiveness if we truly repent.
Poem
There is a very poignant poem by Loiuse Fletcher called the Land of Begin again.
I wish that there were some wonderful place called The Land of Begin Again, Where all our mistakes and all our heartaches and all our poor selfish grief… Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door and never be put on again I wish that there were some wonderful place called The Land of Begin Again.
Do you ever feel like that? If only I could start over. If only I had a chance not live with consequences of my wrong judgements and choices. If only I had a second chance! If only I had yesterday again today.
Do you ever feel like that? Well because of the wonder of God’s grace…..
The Word of the Lord came to Jonah a Second TIME. Two words- AMAZING GRACE.
Vss 2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.”
Compare that with Ch 1:2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.’
Is this different? Am I reading things into the text by saying Ch 3:2 has more overtures of grace to it than the Judgement that is announced in Ch 1:2
Is our text saying in a subtle way that Jonah has received much grace and now he is therefore to be a messenger of Grace to sinful, corrupt Nineveh.
Apply- Should not those who receive grace be the ideal messengers of grace.
2. Response
vss 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent.
Jonah went. He obeyed. What a waste of energy. If only he obeyed the first time! Sometimes we make things so much harder. If we take on the Lord in stubborn rebellion who is going to win.
Illust- Ant for its size is very strong. But if an ant were to take you on in a tug of war who wud win? Our hearts sometimes can be stubbornly strong. But if you fight against the Lord, the sovereign God who will win?
Prov 13 15. Good understanding gains favor, but the way of the unfaithful is hard. 16. Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool lays open his folly.
Prov 28: 13. He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
Jonah went. He obeyed Do NOT under-estimate that it was still a hugely difficult thing for Jonah to do. He goes to his enemies.
What must he, Jonah have been thinking as he approached Nineveh? I am sure there was fear. An overwhelming sense of inadequacy. A desire to be somewhere, else anywhere else.
Application- Obedience can be costly. It usually is. Deny yourself, pick up cross and follow. That’s costly obedience.
Living for the glory of Christ and not for self .That’s costly obedience
Going to Nineveh and preaching against. That is costly obedience.
3. We see a Revival
Do you believe this evening that the word of God can really change lives?
Do you believe that people on Copnor rd, New rd, Station Rd,could affected by the Gospel?
What about Copnor, Fratton, Hilsea, Southsea, Portsmouth itself?
Do we believe that Portsmouth can that be transformed by the simple preaching of this book and the mighty work of God’s Spirit?
What about London? With it’s 7 million people? IS it possible?
Look at vvs 4-7
And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”
5. So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.
6. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes.7. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, “Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water.
John Piper makes the point that Jonah doesn’t stand at the city limits at shout at the city.
He goes right into the city.
He walks the streets, smells the smells, sees the sights, hears the sounds, eats the food.
With them. Among them.
As a good prophet of the Lord.
Right in the gritty places of life.
Not sending the message in via a third party.
But going right in – himself.
In among the enemy.
Into the foreign culture.
Into the unsafe space.
Into uncomfortable territory.
Into a zone where he might be challenged.
That’s where the prophet goes.
That’s where the church goes.
Not hiding from the culture, but engaging it.
Not hiding from our neighbours, but welcoming them.
Not waiting till they come to us, but finding ways to go to them.
Going into Nineveh.
We are told only 8 words that Jonah spoke to Nineveh. This was a summary.
Vvs4 “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.”
It is evident that he preached an unpleasant, hard hitting, direct message with no punches pulled. It was clear, urgent and certainly not entertaining.
Wot happened vvs 5 The Ninevites believed God. AMAZING!
Apply to modern church- you have entertainment, you must make people feel good. You have to market the gospel. Not the Biblical way! Not the true Gospel.
Look again vvs 5-7
Such was the power of the word of God that everyone was affected. From the greatest to the least. Vss 5 Even the king is moved. Even he humbles himself in sackcloth.
This is a sign of genuine of repentance and sorrow for sin.
This is a work of God on a massive scale. It is only God who changes the people of Nineveh. But Jonah already Knew this.
Remember last week- key statement- Jonah 2.9 SALVATION COMES FROM THE LORD.
Do you see the potential and power of the clear preaching of the word of God?
Oh to live in days when the power of God is revealed trough the gospel by the Holy Spirit.
Do you see what happens in Nineveh? There is genuine and heartfelt repentance. There is a throwing of oneself on the mercy of God.
God is great in mercy.
Here is this great, cruel, pagan, city- crying out to God for mercy. And what happens? God forgives.
Look at vv 10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it
What a wonderful vvs 10 is. It is the character of God to show compassion, to forgive, to pardon if genuine repentance is shown.
What an invitation everyone has this evening. If God will show mercy to godless Nineveh will he not also show mercy to you, if you will repent?
God pardoned his enemies, he forgave great sinners.
Three great lies the devil uses.
1) You are too good for the gospel
2) You are too bad to be saved by the LJC.
3) You have plenty time. Don’t worry to much, don’t be too urgent!
If the people Nineveh repented and found mercy is there not hope for each one of us.
But what a glorious encouragement Jonah 3 is to preach the gospel.
What a glorious encouragement Jonah 3 is pray for he preaching of the Gospel!
If God could turn a wicked, pagan, immoral city like Nineveh by using a disobedient prophet- what can he do in Portsmouth?
Pray for the power of God to be seen as his word is proclaimed.
Pray for this community, this city.
Have confidence in the word of God to change and transform.
May the God of Jonah, the God of Nineveh, So come in power that many would be brought to find that He is a gracious God and that the Lord Jesus is a sufficient saviour.
AMEN.
Tags: Jonah, OT, Sermon, Sermon Notes