Jonah’s obedience, his true preaching bring true contrition andrepentance with divine help.
Jon 3:1And the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the second time, saying…
· By His grace and mercy God saved Jonah’s life.
· God can give us life out of death, if it pleases him.
· Many of us have experienced this.
· With him nothing is impossible.
· God spoke to Jonah.
· God still loved Jonah.
· God still wants him to be on the job.
· God wants to restore him to his prophetic office.
· Despite Jonah’s disobedience, the forgiveness of God was available to him.
· This forgiveness is available for the lost.
· This forgiveness is available for believers on a daily basis.
‘If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ‘(1Jn 1:8, 9)
· God still gives a second chance or opportunity to his people to return to their first love relationship.
“But I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love.
Remember therefore whence thou art fallen and repent and do the first works; or else I come to thee, and will move thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent.”
(Rev 2: 4, 5)
· Many times God gave you and me the opportunity to restore our relationship.
· If your relationship is broken do you want to be reconciled with the Lord?
· As long as we live God gives opportunities to us to be reconciled and restored and come back to our first love with him.
· God never breaks his relationship with man. Man is the one who takes the initiative to break this relationship.
· Man never takes the initiative to restore the relationship. It is God who first takes the initiative to restore the relationship.
· God did not ignore Jonah.
· God gave personal and individual attention to Jonah.
· God still wanted to continue his relationship with Jonah.
· He does the same for you.
Jon 3:2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
Arise
· God gives a command to a person.
· “Stand up, wake up, and get ready. Come to your senses.“
· “Be wise. Give up your laziness. Leave your slothfulness.”
· If a person repents then God opens his communications with him.
· God loves people.
· God wants to restore the relationship.
· God wants to restore people’s service and ministry.
go unto Nineveh, that great city
· God cares for the people in the cities.
· What is the life like in a great city in the twenty-first century?
· Every body is busy. Nobody has time for God.
· Time is money. Money is their god.
· There is a rat race. Every thing revolves around materialism.
· Social and moral values have ceased.
· Children do not obey their parents.
· There is no more moral integrity.
· Sin is no more sin.
· Every one is free to do whatever he or she likes.
“… every one turneth to his course, as a horse that rusheth headlong in the battle." (Jer 8:6)
· Where do you stand in your great city?
and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee
· God said to Jonah, preach what I tell you.
· Preaching is a holy duty.
· Angels were looking for this task but God did not choose them.
· He chose earthen vessels to manifest his glory and riches.
‘But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves.’
(2Co 4:7)
· God chose the foolish and weak of this world for this holy task.
‘For behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong; and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, yea and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are.’ (1Co 1:26-28)
· What kind of preaching do we preach?
· Do we preaching a sugar-coated word of God?
· Do we preach what the Lord tells us?
· Do we make our preaching corrupt?
‘For we are not as the many, corrupting the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we in Christ.’
(2 Co 2:17)
· Do we preach with compassion?
· Jesus was moved with compassion.
‘But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were distressed and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd.’ (Mat 9:36)
· Do we hurt people with our preaching?
· Do we put ointment on the wounds of our listeners through our preaching?
· Do we make their wounds deep?
· Do we kill people through our preaching?
· The letter (of the Law) kills but the Spirit makes the people alive.
‘…who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.’ (2 Co 3:6)
· Do we honestly preach the word of God?
‘Let a man so account of us, as of ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of
God. Here, moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.’
(1 Co 4:1,2)
· Do we please people through our preaching?
‘For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? or am I striving to please men? if I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ.’ (Gal 1:10)
· Before we preach the word of God to others, we must receive it from above.
· How can we give to others unless we do not receive?
Jon 3:3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of Jehovah. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city, of three days' journey.
So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of Jehovah
· Now Jonah is an obedient prophet.
· God taught Jonah in a very strange way to obey.
· When Jesus called Simon Peter, he immediately left the nets and followed him (Mk 1:16-18).
· When God called Saul, he made him blind then brought him to the point where he began to follow Christ.
‘And as he journeyed, it came to pass that he drew nigh unto Damascus: and suddenly there shone round about him a light out of heaven: and he fell upon the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.”’(Act 9:3-5)
‘And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing; and they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and did neither eat nor drink.”’ (Act 9:8, 9)
· God uses different methods for different people.
· God deals with us according to our temperament, mood and nature.
· God allows us to go through the furnace of fire. He gives us the amount of heat and fire which is perfect for us to mould us?
· Jonah learned the lesson of obedience in the belly of the great fish.
· The belly of the great fish was his seminary and his school.
· What and where is your school?
· How do you expect to learn the divine truths?
· How do you wish to learn the unchanging divine truths?
· Where can you learn the deep truths about God and his Scriptures?
· By the Sea of Galilee, on the road to Damascus or in the belly of great fish?
· The choice is yours.
Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city, of three days' journey
· God cares about great cities.
· God cares about towns.
· God cares about villages.
· God cares about the people in great cities, towns and villages.
· He cares about the families and individuals.
Jon 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
· He traveled sixteen to twenty miles that day.
· He preached very loudly in every street where the people were.
· He did not have any megaphone.
· His preaching was crystal clear and transparent.
· His preaching was straightforward and direct.
· His preaching was impartial.
· His preaching was bold.
· How do you and I preach the gospel?
· Do you fear people?
· Do you preach in vacuum?
· Do you preach a partial gospel?
· Do you preach a polluted gospel?
· Do you preach the gospel with ambiguity?
· Do you try to please people?
· Do you preach with passion?
· Do you preach with conviction?
· Do you preach with the authority from above?
· Do you preach in the power of the Holy Spirit?
· If we try to please people then we are not true servants of God.
Paul says, ‘For am I now seeking the favour of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ.’ (Gal 1:10)
Jonah told them a specific time period when the things would take place.
Jonah was brave enough to tell the people that after forty days the city would be destroyed.
As he received the message from God, he accepted it and preached it out.
He did not care what people would think about him.
God gave him courage to deliver the divine truth.
He was very confident in telling the end result to the people of Nineveh.
He believed what he preached.
He preached with total conviction.
Jon 3:5 And the people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
The people of Nineveh believed God.
God is the one who convicts people of their sins.
A human being can never convince or convict a godless person.
God is the Supreme Being who convicts people of their sins through the preaching of the word and his Holy Spirit.
The people believed what Jonah preached.
When people believe God they accept the preaching of the word.
The contrition and brokenness of the people of Nineveh.
God loves a broken heart and brokenness.
God loved David because he was broken. He had a contrite heart.
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”
Psalm 51:17
Are you a broken hearted person?
Do you think you still need to be broken?
Are you open for the brokenness?
If you are broken person then you are a blessed person on this earth.
If you are not fully broken then God will break you for his glory.
A stony heart is a great hindrance in the work of God.
God said, David is person after my own heart. (1Samuel 13; 14)
“ ….. : Jehovah hath sought him a man after his own heart, and Jehovah hath appointed him to be prince over his people, because thou hast not kept that which Jehovah commanded thee.
1Samuel 13:14
The people of Nineveh had faith in God.
The people of Nineveh believed in the person and power of God.
It is the duty of the preacher is to preach.
It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict the sinner.
Man’s responsibility is to preach.
It is God’s work to convict.
There is the responsibility of man and on the other hand the sovereignty of God.
They proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth
· It shows their total concentration toward God.
· They knew they were sinners. They knew they needed the mercy of God.
· Now they do not have any god or deity apart from true God.
· They gave up their worldly luxuries.
· The mercy of God means, ‘He does not give us the thing which we deserve.’
· As sinners we deserve death. God does not give us death but eternal life.
‘Itis of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.’ (Lam 3:22-24)
From the greatest to the least
· When a true revival breaks out, people do not care about their status.
· They see themselves as lost and sinners.
· They see their need of their salvation.
· Jesus is the Saviour of mankind.
“…and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” (Mat 1:21)
Jon 3:6 And the tidings reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
· The king left his throne. He sat on the ashes.
· A leader has a very vital role to play.
· He is the role model for his nation.
· He knew that the throne is a worthless thing.
· He knew his worth as well.
· The grandeur of the world is temporary.
· There is something more to live for.
· How much do we long for the material things which are temporary?
· The king identified with the common folk.
· We Christians have to identify with the people in their difficulties and
hardships.
· Jesus identified with sinful people and saved them.
· The king knew that he was just ashes and dust.
“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
(Gen 3:19)
· I am ash.
· Human beings were made out of dust.
· I will return back to ashes and dust.
· This is the true position, picture and condition of human beings.
· The nothingness of mankind.
· This is a picture of intense, true and profound mourning.
· A picture of total humility.
· Absolute brokenness.
· Unconditional dependence on the person of God.
· Although the people of Nineveh were wicked, they were open to the God’s
word.
· God’s word is for everybody.
· God’s word is like a burning fire.
“And if I say, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name, then there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with forbearing, and I cannot contain.” (Jer 20:9)
· Does the word of God burn in your heart like fire?
· Is this fire very weak and slow?
· Is this fire quenched?
· God’s word is like two-edged sword.
“For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”
Hebrew 4:12,13
· God’s word is like a fire and a hammer.
“Is not my word like fire? saith Jehovah; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?”
Jeremiah 23:29
· God’s word breaks things.
· God’s word consumes things.
· God’s word pierces things.
· God’s word is living.
· God’s word works.
· God’s word changes lives.
Jon 3:7 And he made proclamation and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink water;
· There was a decree from the king.
· The king and the people of Nineveh were promoting the message.
· There was personal fasting by the human beings.
· There was fasting by animals.
· There was a day of national mourning and fasting by people and animals.
· Do we mourn for our love ones who are away from God?
· The people of Nineveh set aside their gods.
· They recognized the one and only true God.
· We must proclaim what we know about God.
· We will be surprised to discover how many people listen to us.
· There is a secret work of God.
· They put on sackcloth.
· They fasted.
· They suffered.
· They punished themselves.
· They repented.
· They sat in ashes.
· It is a picture of true repentance and brokenness.
Jon 3:8 but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast, and let them cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in his hands.
· Jonah’s ministry was successful.
· Sometimes we are responsible for the failure of our ministry.
· While disobeying God, Jonah was responsible for the failure of his ministry.
· When he obeyed God, his preaching was effective.
· The king of Nineveh called on his people to change their ways.
· Repentance is essential.
· He called on them to cry to God.
· This means prayer with contrition.
· It may involve wailing before God.
· God hears the genuine cry of people.
· Prayer with tears is particularly effective: God honors tears.
· Jesus shed tears at the grave of Lazarus.
“ When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept.”
John 11:33-35
· Hannah was offering a prayer with tears in the temple for the birth of a son.
“And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.
1Samuel 1:15
· Later God blessed her with Samuel.
· Hezekiah prayed with tears and God gave him 15 more years to live.
“And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.”
Isaiah 38:3, 5
· God honors our tears.
· God cares for our tears.
· God can turn our tears into joy.
“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”
Psalm 126:5, 6
· God loves our tears if they are the tears of true repentance, not crocodile tears.
· They turned from their evil ways.
· True repentance brings a change in the thinking of a person.
· It can be a dramatic change.
· Sometimes it is a gradual change.
· There is always the need of genuine transformation.
Jon 3:9 Who knoweth whether God will not turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
The wrath and anger of God.
Although God is a God of love and compassion, at the same time he is a God of wrath and anger.
“And Jehovah passed by before him, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth,
keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation.” (Exo 34:6-7)
He is a jealous God.
“ …. : for Jehovah, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:”
Exodus 34:14
He shows his love to those who follow him
“Jehovah is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness.”
Psalm 103:8
He shows his anger to those who disobey him.
“His mischief shall return upon his own head, And his violence shall come down upon his own pate. “
Psalm 7:16
“Upon the wicked he will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.”
Psalm 11:6
“But God will smite through the head of his enemies, The hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his guiltiness.”
Psa 68:21
God can be merciful.
· Mercy is an attribute of God.
· He shows his mercy to those who fear him
God can change his plans.
God does not need the counsel of any person.
“Who hath directed the Spirit of Jehovah, or being his counsellor hath taught him?With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding?”
Isaiah 40:13-14
He is all-sufficient.
He is all powerful (omnipotent)
He is not dependent on any person.
God can change how he treats people.
· He knows best.
· He knows what to do and what not to do.
· He looks at the picture as a whole.
· The people of Nineveh really repented and God changed his attitude to them.
· His stated intention was to destroy them but when he saw their genuine conversion and repentance, he totally changed his approach to them
God can spare us.
He can allow people to live longer. He can extend our days on earth if it pleases him.
“Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.”
Isaiah 38:5
He can shorten the life of any human being.
“And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the ghost: and great fear came upon all that heard it. And the young men arose and wrapped him round, and they carried him out and buried him.”
Act 5:5-6
It is all in his hands and in his control
We must know he is God.
“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 46:10
We must honor him and show a proper reverence to him.
Jon 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil which he said he would do unto them; and he did it not.
God watches over people.
· God watches over us.
· When people truly repent, God withholds his wrath.
· Repentance is an inner change: an internal transformation.
The mercy of God.
· God responded in mercy by cancelling his threatened punishment.
· God has said that any nation on which he had pronounced judgment would be saved if they repented.
‘At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.
Jeremiah 18:7, 8
· God forgave Nineveh as he had forgiven Jonah. The purpose of God’s judgment is correction, not revenge. He is always ready to show compassion to anyone willing to seek him.
The compassion of God.
· God is still waiting for people to repent: he does not wish anyone to perish.
‘The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’
2 Peter. 3:9
God looks at the inner condition of person.
“But Jehovah said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for Jehovah seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looketh on the heart.”
1Samuel 16:7
· Today God is looking at our intentions, attitudes and inner motives.
· We cannot hide anything from a holy God.
· We are like an open book before the eyes of a holy God.
“For thou didst form my inward parts: Thou didst cover me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks unto thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Wonderful are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well. My frame was not hidden from thee, When I was made in secret, And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: When I awake, I am still with thee.”
Psalm 139:13-18
The people of Nineveh believed in the one true God.
· They believed in the God of Jonah.
· They forsook their own man-made gods.
· There are people even in our days who believe in God.
· There are those who do not believe in God.
· There are those who deny the person of God.
· It is like a blind man, the sun is shining but he is blind, he can say it is night time. It is all because of his blindness.
The pagan people of Nineveh believed Jonah’s message. What a miraculous effect
God’s word had on the evil people! Their repentance stood in stark contrast to
Israel’s stubbornness. The people of Israel heard many messages from the
prophets but they refused to repent. The people of Nineveh only needed to hear
God’s message once. Jesus said that at the judgment the men of Nineveh will
stand up and condemn the Israelites for their failure to repent.
“But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.”
Matthew 12:39-41
It is not our hearing of God’s word that pleases him, but our responding obediently to it.
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves. For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror:for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.But he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing.” (Jas 1:22-25)