Download Here:

The Selfish Missionary
Jonah 4:1-11
January 29, 2023

This morning will be the last time we study the book of Jonah.
That is NOT because we are concluding the story.

Namely because the story has no conclusion.

It is not hard to see all the parallels between the book of Jonah
And the story of the Prodigal son which Jesus gave in Luke 15.

One might even refer to the book of Jonah as “The Ballad of the Older Brother”.

The stories are nearly identical.
THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT
• Where the story of the prodigal focuses on the rejoicing of God when a sinner
repents,
• The story of Jonah focuses on the anger of the self-righteous at the mercy of
God.

BUT THE SETTING IS THE SAME.

It is fitting then, that like the parable of the Prodigal son,
The book of Jonah also has no end.

We don’t know how the story of the Prodigal ends.
• The story ends with the father pleading with the older son
• To come in to the banquet and celebrate at the return of the younger brother.
• We aren’t told in that story what the older brother does.

And the same is with the book of Jonah.
• It ends with a question.

(11) “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?”

But we are never told how Jonah responded.

And while I think we have enough information to
Make a pretty accurate assumption as to what Jonah decided,
Jonah’s response is NOT the point of the story.

You don’t need to know how Jonah responded
In order to learn what God is seeking to teach you.

Well let’s quickly walk through how we got to this point.

1. Jonah was a prophet and God told him to go and cry against Nineveh because their sin had offended Him.
2. But, as we learned, Jonah hated the Ninevites, he hated the mercy of God, and he hated the gospel that offered that mercy to them.
3. So Jonah fled from God and set sail for Tarshish.
4. God then sent a storm on the sea to prevent Jonah from escaping.
5. The sailors cast lots to find out whose fault this storm was and the lot fell to Jonah.
6. When they asked him what to do, he told them to throw him overboard.
7. Jonah would rather die than see the Ninevites warned of the coming judgment.
8. So Jonah was thrown overboard and as he sank, God taught him about the importance of mercy.
9. Jonah cried out to God from the depths of the sea, and God showed Jonah mercy by sending a great fish to swallow him and save him.
10. Because of God’s mercy Jonah sensed an obligation to fulfill his vows to the LORD and Jonah agreed to go to Nineveh and deliver the message.
11. When Jonah got to Nineveh he did as pathetic of a job of preaching the gospel as we’ve ever seen.

The entire message was, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown”
• No explanation why
• No explanation how
• No explanation of how to respond
• No offer of mercy

And yet, God’s word was enough and the entire city repented of their sin.

And we ended chapter 3 with
This amazing demonstration of the mercy of God.

Jonah 3:10 “When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.”

We have seen God’s mercy on display in many situations,
But this one may be the most remarkable.

• This cruel and pagan and bloody city
• Possibly 600,000 of them
• They repent and God forgives them all.

If the story had ended there
We would be expected to simply rejoice in what occurred.

It’s like when you read the story of the prodigal son.

We read:
Luke 15:22-24 “But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.”

And if that story ended there we would also simply rejoice.

But that story continues
• By telling us that the older brother who was working in the field,
• Heard all the commotion and grabbed a servant for an explanation.
• When the servant told him about the father’s mercy WE READ:

Luke 15:28 “But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him.”

Well, in like manner, the story of Jonah continues as well.

We have called our study of the book of Jonah, “A Heart Out Of Rhythm”
We have said that Jonah’s heart was out of rhythm with God’s heart.

And now as we come to the final chapter of the book,
It is time for you to begin to ponder
Just exactly what Jonah’s problem was.

• You could read chapter 1 and say: A LACK OF OBEDIENCE
• You could say: A LACK OF MERCY OR COMPASSION
• Maybe you would say: RACISM
• Maybe you would say: HALF-HEARTED

All of those things are true of Jonah,
But none of those things are the root problem.
All of those things are merely symptoms of the real problem.

Let’s look at this final chapter and learn about the heart of Jonah.

3 things
#1 JONAH’S SOUR PRAYER
Jonah 4:1-4

We read the words right off the bat that remind us of that older brother.
“But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry.”

The implication is that Jonah is unhappy at their repentance
Because he knows that God is a merciful God.

He doesn’t want the Ninevites saved.

That should be obvious just from his preaching.
Never was there a leaner gospel presentation than the one Jonah gave.
• He had purposely withheld information about repentance.
• He had purposely withheld information about God’s mercy.
• He gave them the bare minimum.

But as we saw last week, God’s word has so much power,
THE NINEVITES REPENTED ANYWAY.

And Jonah is angry.
He is angry because he knows God and he knows what God will do.

(2) “He prayed to the LORD and said, “Please LORD…”

Have you ever asked God “please”?
He must really really want it.

What does he want?
“Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.”

• Jonah is certainly upset that the Ninevites responded to the message.
• He is certainly upset that God has shown them mercy.

So what is it that Jonah wants God to do for him?
(3) “Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.”

THERE HE IS AGAIN.
For the second time Jonah chooses death over the salvation of the Ninevites.
• (The first time he opted to simply be thrown into the sea)

So here is Jonah, so displeased with the saving work of God
That Jonah would rather die than see the Ninevites receive mercy.

It is so much like that older brother in the parable of the prodigal.

And just like in that parable, we have God rationalizing with Jonah.

(4) “The LORD said, “Do you have good reason to be angry?”

There’s the question we all love when we are being irrational.

God simply asks Jonah for the evidence.
• Where is the evidence that you’d like to present which proves I was wrong in extending to mercy to these people who humbled themselves before Me?

Of course you’ll notice that Jonah had NO ANSWER.
In verse 5 he simply WALKS AWAY.

But what we see here is that Jonah’s sour heart
Never really departed.

He went to Nineveh out of obligation to God,
But he has totally missed the point of missions altogether.

Jonah hates that God saves sinners.

When I was a kid there was a boy named Donnie who lived next door to my grandparents and we hung out every day. He also got a ride with me and my grandpa from school every day. One day we got in a fight at school and I told him, “You’re not getting a ride with us today.” And when my grandpa pulled up Donnie ran up to him and said, “Hey Bobba can I have a ride?” And my grandpa said, “Sure, hope on in.” I was infuriated. I was mad at his audacity to think he deserved a ride, I was mad that my grandpa didn’t even ask my permission. I was mad that I had to ride home with Donnie.

That is Jonah.
God, if You’re going to let them live, then just kill me
Because I don’t even want to share the same earth with them.

And so he offers that sour prayer that God would just take his life.

Jonah’s Sour Prayer
#2 JONAH’S SELFISH POUT
Jonah 4:5-8

I don’t know if we have any certified pouters in the audience this morning,
But I know exactly what pouting looks like when I see it.

God asked Jonah if he had a good reason but Jonah couldn’t answer.

And when reason is not on your side
The only tool you have left is manipulation.

So Jonah is now going to manipulate God.

(5) “Then Jonah went out from the city and sat east of it. There he made a shelter for himself and sat under it in the shade until he could see what would happen to the city.”

This is interesting.
• God has already said He was not going to destroy the Ninevites.
• Jonah already knows about the compassion of God.

But, maybe if I pout, and God sees how unhappy this has made me,
Maybe then He’ll go ahead give me what I want.

So Jonah leaves the city and sets up a camp east of it
• And has decided to wait and watch for God to annihilate them.
• I guess he’s planning on waiting for 40 days.
• He’s just going to sit there with his arms crossed and his bottom lip pooched out until God gives in and bends to his will.

Now I do think there is something WORTH DISCUSSING right here.

You are all aware of Lance’s situation and have been praying for him.

One of the things I have been discussing with Amy is something God taught me during the days when Carrie was really sick and that is to pray boldly.

I was most convicted by the passage where Jesus says:
Matthew 7:7-11 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? “Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”

• I’m evil and even I know how to give good gifts to my kids.
• God reminded me that He is good
• And when I ask I should believe that He will answer and grant what is good.

Of course we could go from there to the Persistent widow in Luke 18
• Who keeps going in front of that unrighteous judge wanting justice
• And eventually because of her persistence he grants her request.
• We are told that that particular parable is to teach us that we “ought to pray at
all times and not to lose heart.”

Jesus talks about that widow and then says:
Luke 18:6-8 “And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

We notice that persistence was a sign of that woman’s faith.
And when Jesus gave that parable
He asked if He would find that kind of “faith on the earth?”

We think of the Syrophoenician woman in Matthew 15
• Who had the demon-possessed daughter.
• She came to Jesus and He ignored her
• So she started shouting at the disciples.
• Then Jesus basically told the woman “No” saying, “I was sent only to the
lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
• She still won’t stop
• So He gets even more direct saying, “It is not good to take the children’s
bread and throw it to the dogs”
• And she still won’t stop.

And in response to her persistence Jesus says:
Matthew 15:28 “Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once.”

And you see again an example of persistent prayer.
Jesus doesn’t call that woman arrogant or selfish or obnoxious.
He says her “faith is great”.

And so we learn that when we have a request before God
We should be bold and persistent and full of faith.

I bring that up because one could argue that
This is what JONAH IS DOING.

• He’s certainly persistent.
• He’s certainly bold.
• And he’s going to sit right here until God gives him what he wants.

NOW MY QUESTION IS:
What is the difference between that widow or that Syrophoenician woman and Jonah?

HERE IT IS:
• The widow and the Syrophoenician woman both prayed according to the nature
and character of God.

• Jonah prayed contrary to the character and nature of God.

Those two women called on God to be who He has revealed Himself to be. Jonah wanted God to break character and be something He is not.

JONAH WANTED GOD TO BE LIKE HIM.

WE ARE most certainly called to boldly approach the throne.
WE ARE given examples of relentless prayer.
WE ARE told that persistence in prayer is a picture of faith.

But that prayer must be consistent with God’s nature and God’s will.

You cannot manipulate God to be something He is not
Or to do something against His nature
Just because you want Him to.

BUT WHEN YOU PRAY ACCORDING TO HIS WILL
Then by all means pray with boldness and pesistence.

Jonah is off the mark here because
• He is totally out of touch with who God is
• And He is ignoring what God has revealed that He will do.

Well, God has a lesson to teach Jonah.
This, by the way, is object lesson #2 for Jonah.

LESSON #1 involved sinking in the water and being swallowed by a fish.
• That lesson was to teach Jonah THE VALUE OF MERCY.

LESSON #2 involves a weed, a worm, and a wind.
• This lesson will be to teach Jonah THE REASON FOR MERCY.

Jonah learned how good mercy feels
When that fish saved him from the depths.
Now Jonah is about to be taught why we are called to offer mercy.

So you see God’s intervention again.

GOD APPOINTS A WEED
(6) “So the LORD God appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant.”

• Apparently Jonah wasn’t any better of a carpenter than he was a missionary because the shelter he built didn’t offer him much relief from the sun.

• So God causes this plant to grow and cover that shelter and make a nice little shady oasis out of the place.

“And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant.”

(He has to think God is bending to his will)

GOD APPOINTS A WORM
(7) “But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it withered.”

• No sooner does Jonah get accustomed to his new shady life then does God move in to annihilate it.

• God sends a worm to eat that plant and the plant withered and died.

So now Jonah is back to square one.

And perhaps he would have just ignored this and let it go,
BUT GOD WASN’T FINISHED.

GOD APPOINTS A WIND
(8) “When the sun came up God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, “Death is better to me than life.”

The “scorching east wind” referred to here is also known as a Sirocco.
• It is a wind that originates in northern Africa
• And picks up moisture as it crosses the Mediterranean sea.
• It is hot and humid and incredibly strong.
• It was known as an annihilator of crops.
• One website says it can reach hurricane speeds during the summer.

And again, in our story, this is quite interesting.

Jonah has been sitting here east of the city
Waiting for God’s judgment to fall on the city,
But the only natural disaster that has occurred is hitting Jonah.

(Nineveh hasn’t been punished yet, but Jonah has been punished twice)

Jonah is facing the elements with no relief.

“and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, “Death is better to me than life.”

Well this is now #3

You have to see God’s mercy there even for Jonah
Because at this point we’d be tempted to say, “Fine, just die already.”

But God has a lesson for Jonah.
• So Jonah has voiced his discomfort and asked to die.
• Jonah then resorts to pouting
• And when that doesn’t work he wants to die again.

Jonah’s Sour Prayer, Jonah’s Selfish Pout
#3 JONAH’S SPIRITUAL PROBLEM
Jonah 4:9-11

God comes to Jonah with yet another question.

(9) “Then God said to Jonah, “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?”

• When God asked him that about Nineveh, Jonah had no response.
• BUT THIS TIME, Jonah is armed and ready.

He says, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.”

• Yes, God, as a matter of fact I do have a good reason.
• I loved that plant.
• I needed that plant.
• That plant benefited me.

Those are all selfish reasons,
But we understand where Jonah is coming from.

AND THEN COMES THE LESSON.

Now, before we get to it,
When we started this morning I told you it was time to begin to consider what Jonah’s problem was.

Obedience? Compassion? Racism? Effort?

What is the problem of Jonah?

Well let’s look at GOD’S RESPONSE to Jonah’s anger.
(10-11) “Then the LORD said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?”

• So Jonah you loved that plant.
• You had compassion on that plant.

Let’s examine your involvement in the existence of that plant.

• Did you create that plant? No
• Did you plant that plant? No
• Did you cultivate that plant? No
• We know you didn’t protect it from worms.

So your effort towards that plant was ZERO.

Ok, well, let’s consider the significance of that plant.

• Was it at least a plant that made a huge difference in the natural created order?
• I mean, was it a plant that had long provided shade for an entire civilization?
• Was it plant that provided food for many people?
• Was it a landmark like one of those Giant Sequoias that should just be preserved?

NO!
It “came up overnight and perished overnight.”

It was absolutely and totally insignificant.

And yet, you are upset that I poured out judgment
On that insignificant plan which you had no hand in producing.

NOW, “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?”

You see the contrast.
• The plant was insignificant – the city was great
• The plant was one – the city held 120,000 children (600,000 total)
• There was no intimate knowledge of the plant – God knew everyone in that city
• Jonah did nothing to create the plant – God created every single one of those people.

And so God has brought a matter of justice to Jonah.
If you have the right to have compassion for a plant,
Do I not have the right to have compassion for a city?

Here we are back to the PRODIGAL SON story again.
Can you see the father pleading with that older brother?

Luke 15:31-32 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. ‘But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’”

DO YOU SEE THE POINT YET?
DO YOU SEE THE PROBLEM YET?

Jonah and that older brother have the exact same problem.
THEY HAVE NO LOVE FOR THE FATHER

Listen, I’m NOT going to tell you that “It’s ok not to love people”.
Clearly it is the second greatest commandment.

• We are called to love people.
• We are called to lay down our life for our friends.
• We are called to love the lost.

But I also understand that we are fallen creatures
And sometimes that is a hard thing to do.

There are people in this world who are difficult to love.

You know people right here in this town who are hard to love.
• They are people that maybe offend you or irritate you
• Or people who you see as bringing no value to the society,
• Maybe they are even a corrupting influence.

And if truth be told, if you found out that they died today,
Your heart would not grieve.

There are people across the world that perhaps you feel the same way about.
• Maybe it’s a nation that houses terrorists like Isis.
• Maybe it’s a people like politicians or Hollywood whom you blame for the degradation of our society.
• Maybe it’s godless people who have done vile things.

And again, if God saw fit to utterly judge them
You might even rejoice in their fall.

And it is incredibly difficult then to say that you love those people.
• We think of abortion doctors…
• We think of sex traffickers…
• We think of drag queens who read stories to children…
• We think of people who engage in mass shootings…
• We think of drunk drivers who kill people…
• We think of people who call to tell you your car’s extended warranty has expired…

YOU GET THE POINT.
It is people who run up against our values of right and wrong.

And it is hard to go to people like that and offer them mercy.

SO IF THEY ARE HARD TO LOVE
HOW CAN YOU BE EXPECTED TO GO TO THEM?

BECAUSE GOD LOVES THEM

This is why I showed you that sermon excerpt from “Ten Shekels And A Shirt” this morning before the announcements.

As Paris Reidhead spoke of going to Africa and being frustrated because the Africans loved their sin and wanted to stay in it and he found his message was ignored and he wanted to come home.

But God reminded him, “I didn’t send you out there for them. I sent you out there for Me! Do I not have the right to receive the reward of my suffering?”

And Reidhead said that moment “changed it all and righted it all for no longer was he now serving man, he was serving the living God”.

Do you understand this about missions?
So often we treat it like it is our mission
And we employ God’s help and God’s power
To make our mission a success.

But God is not on our mission, we are on God’s mission.

And God has His children, His elect scattered all over this globe.
• We don’t know who they are, but He does.
• And He has ordained that the gospel we preach would be the means that would awaken His children and call them home.

And so the mission has been given.
Our God
Our Savior
The One who shed His blood for us on the cross
• Has commissioned us to go into the whole world and preach His gospel that we might locate and call His children home to Him.

Do you love God enough to search for His lost children?

Paul gave insight into his missionary zeal:
Romans 15:15-16 “But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given me from God, to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”

• Paul remembered “the grace given that was given to me”
• He understood his own debt before God.
• And so he goes out to minister the gospel, “so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable”

What was Paul hoping to give to God as an offering?
He was hoping to bring home His lost children.
• What an offering!
• What a gift!
• What a present to the Father!

THIS IS THE REASON FOR MERCY.
• We show mercy because our Father is merciful.
• We show mercy because it pleases God.
• We show mercy because we love God.

This is the second time some of us have studied Jonah in the last year.
Our Sunday School class sent through it a few months ago.

And when studying Jonah then my heart was convicted by a passage
That I had never really thought of before.

It’s actually Jesus’ teaching on the end times.
Matthew 24:9-14 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. “At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

Jesus is talking about the end.
And you know that the closer we get to the end THE WORSE THINGS are going to become.
• False prophets will arise…and they have.
• Evil men will grow more bold…and they have.
• Societies will grow more corrupt…and they have.

GOD SAID IT WOULD HAPPEN.

But there’s a verse in there that stopped me in my tracks.
It is verse 12, which says, “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.”

That hit me between the eyes
Because that is what so easily happens to me.

AS I WATCH SOCIETY
• The commitment to the church becomes less and less.
• Commitment to marriage is less and less.
• Parents no longer know how to raise children and children are allowed to run wild without discipline.
• Husbands don’t love their wives and wives don’t submit to their husbands.
• Men become effeminate, feminism is on the rise.

• Marijuana is legalized, gambling is glamorized, alcohol is routine, sex is just something people do.

• Kids lie and cheat in school, the culture loses it’s work ethic, people quit taking pride in their work, rudeness abounds, politicians are corrupt, the media lies.
• Foul language is more and more common

You get the point – “lawlessness is increased”
To the point you don’t even want to be around these people any more.

Now CERTAINLY a lawless culture
Will pay the penalty of the wrath of God for their lawlessness.

But that wasn’t the problem God wanted to deal with me about.

Jesus said, “because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.”

And I’m here to tell you that this is what was happening to me.
MY LOVE WAS GROWING COLD.

BUT LISTEN, it’s not just a lack of love for those in sin.

When you fail to obey the great commission to share the gospel with the lost, it reveals a lack of love for God.

Jonah’s love for God had grown so cold
That he actually rooted for the destruction of God’s children.

How far out of rhythm can a heart become
That our love for God can become so cold
That we no longer care about those whom the Father loves?

Church the DRIVING FORCE of our missionary involvement
MUST BE OUR LOVE FOR GOD.

And anyone who says,
• “I won’t share the gospel with my neighbor…”
• Or, “I’m not going to that nation…”
• Or, “I’m not giving to that mission…”
• Or, “I’m not praying for the lost…”

Anyone who says that must answer the question of God to Jonah:
“Should I not have compassion on _____________.”

And if you can give God a good reason
• Why He should not have compassion on His children
• Then you have just found an acceptable excuse as to why you don’t have to be involved in the great commission.

We call Jonah The Selfish Missionary
Because the opposite of love is self and that was Jonah.

The missionary who didn’t love God.

And yet, this terrible missionary has many of us beat
Because at least he went and shared the message.

How many today don’t even do that.

So before we condemn Jonah as a terrible missionary we first have to ask, “Have I even shared the message?”

SO THIS MORNING church I am challenging your love for God.
I am challenging my love for God.

And the measuring line will be our mercy toward sinners.

Download Here:

Praise The LORD! We’re The People of God
Psalms 148
January 22, 2023

As you know we are in the final segment of the book of Psalms.
Psalms 146-150 are called “The Hallelujah Psalms”

Each Psalm begins and ends the same way, with the phrase “Praise the LORD!”
Or in Hebrew “Hallelujah!”

These Psalms do a wonderful job of reminding us
Of the expectation of praise.

Psalms 29:9 “The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everything says, “Glory!”

Psalms 84:4 “How blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You. Selah.”

And certainly any glimpse we are given of heaven in the book of the Revelation we see that to be the case.
• Whether it’s the 4 living creatures of chapter 4 who do not cease to praise the holiness of God…
• Whether it’s the 24 elders who fall on their faces in worship every time they are mentioned…
• Whether it’s the great multitude of angels who praise continually…
• Whether it’s the multitude of the redeemed who voice the praise…

There is no doubt that praise is the language of Heaven.
Everything in His temple says “Glory!”
Those in heaven are ever praising God.

And we say that if praise is the constant language of heaven
We certainly do not wish to neglect it on earth.

These final Psalms help us to remember the PRIORITY of praise.

And tonight we come to the 148th.

The Psalm easily breaks into 2 categories and that is how we will study it tonight.
#1 THE OBLIGATION OF THE HEAVENS
Psalms 148:1-6

We notice that telling phrase at the beginning of the Psalm which says, “Praise the LORD from the heavens;”

And then we see listed
Everything that from an earthly perspective is HIGH and EXALTED.

If you are standing on earth, everything listed here dwells above you.

“Praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light! Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens!”

It is literally everything that is high & exalted & which dwells above us.
• Whether that is the clouds or the sun or the stars or the angelic beings which dwell in the heavenlies.

And we know that people on earth throughout the ages of worshiped these things because of their status.
• Certainly men have worshiped angels (demons).
• Certainly men have worshiped the sun and moon (Egypt)
• We see men today worship the stars (horoscopes)

Men have been tempted throughout the ages
To worship these things because of their position.

BUT HERE WE FIND that all of these things
Are called and COMMANDED TO WORSHIP GOD.

They are all called to “Praise Him”

I suppose it does pose a bit of a question:
HOW DOES SOMETHING LIKE THE SUN PRAISE GOD?

• We understand how an angel might praise God, but how would the sun do it?
• It has no mouth, it has no voice.
• How does the sun praise God?

I would answer that the sun PRAISES God
The exact same way the sun PREACHES about God.

How does the sun preach about God?
Psalms 19:1-6 “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.”

We’ve talked about general revelation of which the sun is an integral part.
• But the sun “pours forth speech” and “reveals knowledge” about God.
• There is no audible voice,
• But the sun preaches about the faithfulness of God.

HOW?
Because the sun does exactly what it was created to do.
And in this way the sun proclaims the wisdom and faithfulness of God.

And the sun would praise God in THE EXACT SAME WAY,
By fulfilling the purpose for which it was created.

The sun does exactly what it was created to do
And thus it praises God
Through it’s submission and obedience to His divine design.

NOW HUMANS, who are made in the image of God,
COULD LEARN A THING OR TWO FROM THAT.

Our praise is NOT JUST the vocal song of our lips,
But also when we live our lives according to the design of our maker.

Ephesians 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;”

That is the plan of God.
That is also a form of praise to God.
In many ways this is HIGHER PRAISE than you sing with your lips.

We remember Jesus quoting Isaiah and saying:
Matthew 15:8-9 “THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’”

Praise can be an empty thing
If it is not accompanied with the right life of obedience.

We are reminded of the admonition of Amos:
Amos 5:21-24 “I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. “Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. “But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

Praise for God moves beyond just a well hit note in the middle of a song.
Praise involves the fulfillment of the purpose for which you were created.

And for inspiration just look at the sun and moon and stars
Who praise Him continually by fulfilling their role.

The things in the heavens are called to praise.

BUT THE PSALMIST DOESN’T STOP THERE.
He gives his reason WHY.

(5-6) “Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created. He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away.”

Here there is one main reason why the heavens are commanded to praise.
FOR THEIR EXISTANCE

Their INITIAL EXISTANCE – “For He commanded and they were created”
And their CONTINUED EXISTANCE – “He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away.”

We often times speak of Him as both CREATOR and SUSTAINER.
Those are the reasons listed here.

FIRST that God, by His own power and sovereign prerogative created the heavens.

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

• Isaiah says, God “created the heavens and stretched them out.” (42:5)
• He also says God “marked off the heavens by the span” (40:12)
• Isaiah says He “stretches out the heavens like a curtain” (40:22)
• We have the account of Him making the sun and the moon and the stars.

If it were not for God they would not exist.
He conceived of them.
He created them.

• There was no Big Bang…
• There has not been some evolutionary process in the cosmos…
• God made these things by His spoken word.

And certainly He is praised for that.

Even in the heavens He is praised for that.
Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

So certainly the creation of the heavens
Demands the praise of the heavens.
They wouldn’t even exist without Him.

BUT their continued existence is also a reason for their praise.
For they continue to exist because of Him.

“He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away.”

That is to say that
• God has determined that the sun should remain, so it remains.
• God has determined that the stars should remain, so they remain.

There is such a great deception on the earth today
That incites fear that somehow the planet
Is under a threat of being ruined by the creature.

It is true that you can make your habitat less desirable to live in if you trash it. No one is denying that it is a wise move to take care of your surroundings.
Things like conservation make perfect sense.

But the notion that somehow we can threaten the existence
Of what God is sustaining is absurd.

God determined for it to last and it will last as long as God wants it to last.

Jeremiah 31:35-37 “Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The LORD of hosts is His name: “If this fixed order departs From before Me,” declares the LORD, “Then the offspring of Israel also will cease From being a nation before Me forever.” Thus says the LORD, “If the heavens above can be measured And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done,” declares the LORD.”

Jeremiah 33:20-22 “Thus says the LORD, ‘If you can break My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night will not be at their appointed time, then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levitical priests, My ministers. ‘As the host of heaven cannot be counted and the sand of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.’”

God’s created order IS SO FIXED that
God actually uses it as PROOF that He will keep other promises.

He not only created the heavens, but He sustains the heavens.

And for this, the heavens are commanded to praise Him.

THE MAIN POINT of these first 6 verses is an obvious one.

That the highest and most exalted things you can see
• Are still beneath God
• They owe their existence to God
• They are called to praise God

THAT IS TRUE.

And if that is true for the highest heavens,
Then certainly that is true on earth,

Which leads to the next point.

The Obligation of the Heavens
#2 THE OBLIGATION OF THE EARTH
Psalms 148:7-14

There the point is seen.
If the highest heavens are commanded to praise
Then certainly the earth is commanded to praise.

Though it is not included in this Psalm certainly we could go A STEP FURTHER
And say if the things on earth are commanded to praise
Then certainly the things under the earth are commanded to praise.

Philippians 2:10-11 “so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

So you understand the progression of the Psalm.

So here we see the call to the earth.
(7) “Praise the LORD from the earth”

Just as we were given a list things in the heavenlies that should praise,

NOW WE LOOK AROUND THE EARTH
And see another list of things that should praise.

• Everything from the created earth
• To the animals on the earth,
• Even to the weather that occurs on the earth.

It is all called to praise God.

And we could easily point out that they should praise God
For the SAME REASONS the heavenlies praise Him.

Surely they can also praise for their existence.
That God CREATED them and SUSTAINS them.

2 Peter 3:5-7 “For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.”

We will all stay as long as God desires.

AND YOU EVEN SEE AGAIN
How such inanimate things declare the praise of God.

(8) “Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;”

• When fire burns it does so at the command of God.
• When hail falls, when snow covers,
• When clouds send forth rain,
• When winds blow,
• They do so at the command of God.

They fulfill their purpose to the praise and glory of God.

That is all a form of praise and God deserves it.
IN FACT GOD DEMANDS IT.

But the real focus and obvious climax of the Psalm
Occurs when get beyond the physical creation
And to the pinnacle of God’s creation which is humanity.

(11-12) “Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth; Both young men and virgins; Old men and children.”

And again the point is not hard to discern.
God calls for all peoples to praise Him.

I don’t care who you are.
• No one is so important that he is not obligated to bow his knee to God.
• No one is so small that he will go unnoticed in his praise to God.

All men of all positions are commanded to praise.
It is the intention of God.

And it would be a foolish thing to resist that purpose.
• Like fire that refuses to burn…
• Like a sun that refuses to shine…
• Like wind that won’t blow…

All of those things would be a contradiction to their purpose
And so is a man who won’t praise his Maker.

THIS IS REALLY FOUNDATIONAL.
He made us and we are made to the praise of His glory.
• He made us in His image and we are expected to reflect Him.
• He made us with a soul that we might know and worship Him.

A failure to do this brings the sure and certain wrath of God.

Romans 1:21 “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

Angels were removed from heaven for failing to praise God
Someday men will be destroyed from the earth for the same sin.

We are called to praise.

But our obligation actually moves beyond just gratitude for our existence.

For while we are certainly called to praise Him for our existence
We are also called to praise Him
For the grace which He has bestowed upon us.

(13-14) “Let them praise the name of the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven. And He has lifted up a horn for His people, Praise for all His godly ones; Even for the sons of Israel, a people near to Him. Praise the LORD!”

Here we find Two More Reasons that we
(more so than the rest of creation) are called to praise.

“For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven.”

The first reason given is very simply that we praise God
Because He is the very pinnacle of the pyramid of praise.

• If you should choose to worship the clouds you are stopping far short of the highest form of glory.

• If you should choose to worship the sun or the moon you are stopping far short of the highest form of glory.

• If you should choose to get your guidance from the stars you are setting for advice far short of the highest form of glory.

1 Corinthians 15:39-41 “All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.”

Not ever star shines as bright as the other.
And none of them shine as God shines.

He is the highest form of glory
And therefore deserves the highest praise of all.

In fact, the Psalmist says “For His name alone is exalted”

By comparison, nothing else has any glory at all.

Isaiah pointed it out:
TURN TO: Isaiah 40:18-26

He said it again:
Isaiah 46:5-9 “To whom would you liken Me And make Me equal and compare Me, That we would be alike? “Those who lavish gold from the purse And weigh silver on the scale Hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; They bow down, indeed they worship it. “They lift it upon the shoulder and carry it; They set it in its place and it stands there. It does not move from its place. Though one may cry to it, it cannot answer; It cannot deliver him from his distress. “Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you transgressors. “Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me,”

Jeremiah pointed it out as well:
TURN TO: Jeremiah 10:6-16

You see it in all those passages.
Nothing and no one compares.

And humans are the part of creation
That is given the mental capacity to recognize that.

We see at creation that “man became a living soul.”

So we more than any other aspect of creation
Are called to praise God as the highest and most glorious.

He is the top, the pinnacle, the highest One.
• Not only did He create all things…
• Not only does He sustain all things…
• BUT HE IS ABOVE AND BEFORE ALL THINGS!

PRAISE HIM.

And yet there is STILL ANOTHER REASON
Why humanity, specifically His people, are called to praise.

Jeremiah actually alluded to it that passage we read:
Jeremiah 10:16 “The portion of Jacob is not like these; For the Maker of all is He, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The LORD of hosts is His name.”

Not only is God above all in every possible way,
But at the same time He is called “The portion of Jacob”

And Israel is called “the tribe of His inheritance”

The point being made there is that not only is He God,
But He is OUR GOD AND WE ARE HIS PEOPLE.

(14) “And He has lifted up a horn for His people…”

A “horn” is a symbol of power.

You may remember when we studied Zechariah how God spoke of breaking the nations that had afflicted Israel.

Zechariah 1:18-21 “Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, there were four horns. So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he answered me, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.” Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen. I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he said, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah so that no man lifts up his head; but these craftsmen have come to terrify them, to throw down the horns of the nations who have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah in order to scatter it.”

God spoke of the power of those nations and how He would break them.

But for His people “He has lifted up a horn”

The implication here is that God has made Israel a people.
God has empowered them to be a nation.

• It is a remarkable reality when you read the Genesis account. You have all the nations together as one and all people speak the same language.

• And then they try to earn their salvation by building a tower to heaven but God scatters them by confusing their language and instantly God makes many distinct peoples.

• And then out of one of those peoples God chooses Abram. Abram is not a nation, there’s not even a chance he could be a nation. But God determines to make a people out of him.

• And God lifts up the horn of Abram and eventually he has a grandson named Jacob whom God will change his name to Israel.

HOW DID THEY BECOME A PEOPLE?
GOD DID IT.

HOW DID THE CHURCH COME ABOUT?
How did all these people from every tribe and tongue all of a sudden become one people?

GOD DID IT.
1 Peter 2:9-10 “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.”

And certainly we are called to praise Him for that.
Peter said we should “proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”

He has made us a people!
He has raised us up!
PRAISE HIM!

AND NOT JUST FOR THAT.

(14) “And He has lifted up a horn for His people, Praise for His godly ones;”

Here the Psalmist speaks of some HONOR that His people have received.

We might see that at times in Israel in the Old Testament.
• There were times under David and Solomon where Israel could be called a people of honor.
• But those times were few and far between.

But we DON’T SEE the church as a people honored
Or praised in the world.

So what is the Psalmist talking about here?
What is our honor?

He goes on to say, “Even for the sons of Israel, a people near to Him.”

This is our honor. This is our praise.
It is our ability to walk in nearness to God.

OF ALL OF CREATION
Only man was made a living soul.

AND OF ALL MEN
Only the redeemed are allowed to draw near to God.

And those who do should see this not as an accomplishment,
But as a blessing of sovereign grace.

And if you are allowed to draw near to God the praise Him!

And that is how this Psalm ends:
“Praise the LORD!”

And that is why we say that Psalm 148 teaches:
“Praise the LORD! We Are The People of God”

And nothing and no one in all the created order
Is more obligated to bring God praise than us.

• If the heavenlies are expected to praise then certainly the earth.
• And if the earth is expected to praise then certainly humanity.
• And if humanity is expected to praise the certainly the redeemed.

AND THAT IS US.
SO WE PRAISE HIM!

1. We praise Him for our existence.
• Both our initial existence and our continued existence.
2. We praise Him because He is higher and more worthy of praise than any other thing.
3. And we praise Him because He has made us a people and brought us near to Him.

We “Praise the LORD!”

Download Here:

The God of Second Chances
Jonah 3:1-10
January 22, 2023

Our youth are currently studying the book of Genesis
And we have come to chapter 15 where Abram gets saved.

It is the famous verse:
Genesis 15:6 “Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”

It is the remarkable reality that God declares men righteous
Even while they are still sinners.

And this is a truth that must be grasped and certainly rejoiced in.

David contemplated this reality and he wrote:
Psalms 32:1-2 “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!”

It is a blessing to understand
• That even though I am a sinful man, God will justify me. That God will consider me righteous even when I am a sinner.

And certainly we rejoice in this personally.
But this also is: THE HOPE OF MISSIONS

Certainly we understand that there is an element of missions that is really simply ABOUT OBEDIENCE.
• We learned that from chapter 1.
• God tells you to go, so you go.

And we understand the SOVEREIGNTY of God aspect.
• Only God can save and ultimately whether or not people believe is up to Him, not us.
• And we’ve seen how active God is in the book of Jonah

And we understand that the priority of missions is the GLORY OF GOD.
• Men are saved so that they might bring glory to Him.

We understand those things.

AND YET, WE ALSO KNOW THAT WHEN WE GO,
We have a definite desire; A DEFINITE HOPE.

When we take the gospel to another individual
We certainly go with the hope that the individual will be saved.

Even Jesus in His earthly ministry said:
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Now the reality is that when we take the gospel to the lost,
THEY MAY REJECT IT.
• They may love their sin.
• They may want to stay in their sin.
• They may not fear God.
• They may reject the offer.

But what will NEVER HAPPEN is this:
When a sinner repents of their sin and places faith in Christ,
God will never turn that sinner away.

There have been plenty of people
Who have heard the plea of God to repent who have rejected Him,

But there has never been a time when
A sinner made a plea to God for mercy that God rejected that sinner.

HE IS A GOD OF SECOND CHANCES.

Think for a moment of Psalm 107, that’s what it’s all about.

Psalms 107:4-7 “They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region; They did not find a way to an inhabited city. They were hungry and thirsty; Their soul fainted within them. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses. He led them also by a straight way, To go to an inhabited city.”

Psalms 107:10-14 “There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, Prisoners in misery and chains, Because they had rebelled against the words of God And spurned the counsel of the Most High. Therefore He humbled their heart with labor; They stumbled and there was none to help. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death And broke their bands apart.”

Psalms 107:17-20 “Fools, because of their rebellious way, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their soul abhorred all kinds of food, And they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.”

Psalms 107:23-30 “Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters; They have seen the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind, Which lifted up the waves of the sea. They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in their misery. They reeled and staggered like a drunken man, And were at their wits’ end. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses. He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they were quiet, So He guided them to their desired haven.”

(The sailors in Jonah 1 could have written that stanza)

That is who God is.
Psalms 103:8-13 “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.”

We could give so many examples of this; we could tell so many stories.
• We think of the woman caught in adultery
• We think of the woman at the well
• We think of Zacchaeus
• We think of Saul of Tarsus
• We think of Matthew the tax collector
• We think of the prodigal son

Over and over we see the mercy of God
Not only promised but demonstrated.

And yet nowhere in Scripture there is a more shocking demonstration of the mercy of God than what we read in Jonah 3.

It is such shocking mercy that
Even after Jonah found a new appreciation for the mercy of God,
The mercy God offers here will prove to be too much for him.

We talked about how vile the Assyrians were.
• We talked about their brutality.
• We talked about how in a few years they would come and destroy the Northern Kingdom of Israel and greatly afflict the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
• Nahum actually calls Nineveh “the bloody city”

We know what they are.
Could God really show mercy to them?

Let’s look at Jonah 3 and see this God of second chances.

3 points
#1 JONAH’S DECISION
Jonah 3:1-4

Verses 1-2 simply says, “Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise and go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.”

THIS IS WHAT WE CALL A SECOND CHANCE.
It might have gone easier for Jonah had he listened the first time,
But even in his rebellion God has NOT ABANDONED him.

Jonah has repented and so we are now back on track.

And so this time Jonah seizes his second chance.
(3) “So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the LORD.”

That is a good decision.
Jonah seized his second chance.

And so now we see what chapter 1 SHOULD HAVE looked like.

“Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three day’s walk. Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

Historians tell us that
• Nineveh was a city of somewhere around 600,000 people.
• That is determined from the fact that there are 120,000 children in it who don’t know their right hand from their left (4:11)
• Archaeologists have discovered the city walls and the circumference of the city was about 7 ½ miles.
• And it would take a person 3 days to walk throughout the whole city.

SO JONAH BEGINS
And on day 1 Jonah has a very simple message for the people.

“Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

THAT’S IT.
It is simply an announcement of coming judgment.
• Notice that no reason for the judgment is given.
• Notice that no mercy is offered.

This is about as simple a message as one can give
Regarding the wrath of God on sinful men.

Jonah is grateful to God for saving his life
And Jonah is fulfilling his vow to the LORD,
But Jonah’s heart toward the Ninevites has not changed.

HE IS ANNOUNCING THEIR JUDGMENT AND THAT IS ALL.

That is Jonah’s decision
#2 NINEVEH’S DECISION
Jonah 3:5-9

Verse 5 is remarkable: “Then the people of Nineveh believed in God…”

These are vile pagans who now believe in God.

I WOULD HERE REMIND YOU
Of the pagan I told you about to begin the sermon who did the same thing.

Genesis 15:6 “Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”

• You do realize that Abram was also a pagan.
• You do realize that Abram also worshiped other gods.
• You do realize that Abram also lied and sold off his wife.
• You do realize that Abram also owned slaves and was greedy, etc.

And yet when Abram believed God, God
“reckoned it to him as righteousness.”

Jonah 3:5 is the EXACT SAME THING.

These people SIMPLY BELIEVED the message of God.
God said they would be destroyed and they believed Him.

Now, everything else you will see in these 5 verses
Is merely THE PROOF of their faith.

It is easy to say that they believed, but how do you know they believed?
• Well because they fasted and prayed and repented and called on God.

All of those things are merely EVIDENCE that they truly believed.

And as we said earlier, when sinners believe
God declares them righteous even though they remain sinners.

BUT CAN WE ALSO ADDRESS ANOTHER IMPORTANT POINT.

Every time I hear the story of Jonah preached
• And it comes to the point of Nineveh’s response
• I hear about how the Ninevites worshiped the fish God named Dagon.
• And I hear them speak of how Jonah probably smelled fishy
• And how he was probably bleached white from the stomach acid of that great fish he was in.

And I’m not denying that any or all of that COULD BE TRUE.
And I’m not denying that if it is true
That it may have certainly made an impact on the Ninevites.

But the Bible says nothing of Jonah’s smell or Jonah’s appearance.

The focus of the story is not all the extra-curricular things
That occurred to influence the faith of the Ninevites.

According to the story ONLY ONE THING INFLUENCED the Ninevites.
WHAT WAS IT?

THE WORD OF GOD.

Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

I’m NOT SAYING Jonah’s appearance had no effect,
But if it did, the Bible doesn’t mention it.

What we know is that when God’s word was spoken
The people of Nineveh instinctively knew it was true
And they believed it.

WHAT IS MORE they instinctively knew the word Jonah preached WASN’T the word of Dagon.
• Dagon’s word never pierced their heart.
• Dagon’s word never exposed their soul.
• Dagon’s word never resonated like this.

THIS IS THE POWER OF THE WORD OF GOD.
Even an incomplete message of judgment like Jonah’s
Has more power than all other gimmicks and strategies combined.

Isaiah 55:11 “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

There is such a misconception today
That if we are going to win sinners to salvation
That we really need to preach a message that will please them.

• You should AVOID that old “hell fire and brimstone” message.
• Talk about the GOODNESS of God.
• Talk about the mercy and LOVE of God.
• COERCE SINNERS to come to God because of how WONDERFUL He is.

THAT IS SUCH A FAULTY APPROACH.
The whole problem is that you are approaching people
Who are in rebellion against God.

They ARE sinning against Him.
They AREN’T seeking Him.
They AREN’T longing for Him.

Romans 3:11 “THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;”

Romans 3:18 “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”

You are dealing with spiritual death
You are dealing with a rebellious heart

THERE IS ONLY ONE THING with the power to convert a sinner into salvation and that is the word of God.

Jonah preached God’s word to the Ninevites.
• He offered no explanation
• He offered no additional input
• He offered no application
• Based on Chapter 4 we can assume he didn’t even try that hard.

He simply announced the truth of the coming judgment upon that city.

These people heard what God had spoken and they “believed in God.”

BUT LET’S LOOK A LITTLE CLOSER AT IT.

Let’s break this down into 3 points.
1) THE PARTICIPANTS (5-6)

This is nothing short of the MIRACULOUS working of God here.
When we read that faith occurred it was NOT A SINGULAR expression.

“Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them.”

THIS IS EVERYONE.

And we realize what must have happened here.
• It was a 3 days walk through that city.
• Jonah only completed one day of that walk.
• What happened is that as Jonah preached those who heard him believed
• And then they did what believers do. They became evangelists as well.

They started sharing the message they had heard
And in no time at all the entire city
Had become acquainted with Jonah’s message of judgment.

In fact, someone even had the conviction to take this message to the king.
(6) “When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose form his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes.”

There is no other way to describe this
Except as a sovereign work of God.

When have you ever seen an entire city repent?

• WE MARVEL at Pentecost because when Peter preached 5,000 believed.
• We see the miraculous hand of God that churches were established in places like Ephesus or in the region of Galatia.

But this is a city of 600,000 and they all believe “from the greatest to the least of them.”

EVEN THE KING BELIEVES.

If you’re wondering who this is, it is most likely Ashur-Dan III
• He’s the grandfather of Tiglath-Pileser III (who would attack Israel and Aram)
• He will be the great-grandfather of Shalmanezer V who destroyed Israel.

This pagan king believed in God.
Everyone.

2) THE PLAN (7-8)

“He issued a proclamation and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. “But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands.”

This explains why everyone in Nineveh fasted.
The king issued a decree.

This explains why we pray for the salvation of our leaders.
A political leader who fears God can have a huge impact on a nation.

But what is interesting here is that you see
A very pagan response to God.

• While things like fasting and wearing sackcloth and prayer are certainly elements of a true response to God
• We see nothing anywhere else of God ever requiring animals to wear sackcloth or to be held from water or anything like that.

What you have here is a pagan people who have only a pagan understanding of God.
• They know nothing of the true God.
• They know nothing of His expectations or desires.
• They are just responding to this message of judgment in the most sincere way they know how.

It is clear that Jonah has told these people nothing
About the requirement of God.

All they had was general revelation and 1 specific revelation.
Romans 1:18-23 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.”

• The Ninevites do not know God specifically, but they have gained a basic knowledge of Him through general revelation.
• They understand “eternal power and divine nature” and they are thus responding to Him the best way the know how.

THEY HEARD THE SIMPLEST MESSAGE POSSIBLE.
THEY RESPOND WITH THE SIMPLEST FAITH POSSIBLE.

(8b) “…and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands.”

Now this is another interesting point to be made.
• Jonah told them that judgment was coming.
• Jonah NEVER told them why.
• Jonah NEVER told them what God was upset about.

But the king immediately knew that everyone in Nineveh had to “turn from his wicked way and from the violence”
• How did they know what their wickedness was?
• How did they know that their “violence” was wrong?

Paul also explains this.
Romans 2:14-15 “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,”

The answer is that not only did they have creation as general revelation
But they also had the TESTIMONY OF THEIR CONSCIENCE
Which is also part of God’s general revelation.

• The Ninevites knew they were wicked.
• The Ninevites knew they were violent.
• The Ninevites knew this was wrong.
• The Ninevites knew that this offended the God who created them.

NOW IT HADN’T MATTERED TO THEM UNTIL TODAY.
But when Jonah announced that God was upset
They immediately knew that God was able to judge
And they knew why God was angry.

SO WE HAVE
• People who were as pagan as could be.
• They have heard only the simplest message possible.
• They have given the simplest response possible.

3) THE PURPOSE (9)

“Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.”

The purpose of this city-wide fast and turning from sin is clear.
They hope to appease God.

They hope that He will “turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger”

But again we see their LIMITED UNDERSTANDING.
Their hope begins with the statement “Who knows…”

DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT:
• They had no assurance whatsoever that God would relent?
• They had no knowledge at all as to if God ever showed mercy?

They didn’t have 1 John 1:9
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

They didn’t know what David wrote
Psalms 51:16-17 “For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

Interestingly enough, who did know that?
Jonah knew that.

Jonah will say in the next chapter “for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.”

But Jonah didn’t tell the Ninevites that.

BUT THEY REPENTED ANYWAY!!!

I FIND THIS ABSOLUTELY ASTONISHING.

We have a world filled with people today who have heard the promise of God that if you repent and trust in Christ you will be saved and still they refuse to repent.

Here we have a people who are repenting JUST IN CASE it might work.

IS IT ANY WONDER Jesus used the Ninevites as an example that would ultimately condemn Israel?

Matthew 12:38-41 “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

Jesus stood in front of Israel and promised to save them if they would repent and they dared to ask for proof.
• Before we pay the extreme price of giving up our sin why don’t You work a sign
so that we know that You are telling us the truth.
• I mean, we’d hate to give up our sin and then find out that we didn’t have to.

So many refuse to repent because they love their sin so much.

But the Ninevites.
• They were never told what their sin specifically was.
• They were never told to fast or to pray.
• They were never told to repent.
• They were never promised that if they would repent they would be saved.

And yet, their faith was great in God that they did those things
Just in case God might see it and extend mercy.

What a great picture of faith and repentance they are!

SO WE HAVE
• A pagan people
• Who have heard a simple message
• They respond with simple faith
• They are not aware of God’s merciful nature

WHAT WILL GOD DO WITH PEOPLE LIKE THIS?

Jonah’s Decision, Nineveh’s Decision
#3 GOD’S DECISION
Jonah 3:10

“When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.”

What do you call that?
A SECOND CHANCE

This bloody city
This pagan city
This ignorant and foolish city
And when they believed God, God extended mercy to them.

“God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.”

Some get all up in arms here because it appears like God is confused.
One minute He’s going to judge and now God changes His mind.

Liberal theologians who embrace what is called “Open Theism” – the belief that the future is open and even God doesn’t know what it is because He is waiting to see the human response before He writes it.

They love to use this story and this statement.

That is NOT what is happening.

The explanation is found in the hardness of Jonah
Not in the fickleness of God.

God had sent Jonah to warn Nineveh of judgment.
• Jonah did,
• He just failed to include the truths he also knew of God’s great mercy.

Had Jonah given them the whole truth you would see that
God’s warnings of judgment are ALWAYS redemptive in nature.

If they weren’t redemptive then why warn?
If God wasn’t giving opportunity to repent then why tell them?

God didn’t decide on a whim to go ahead and forgive the Ninevites.
God sent Jonah to warn them
Because He had determined to save them.

When God saw the repentance and faith He required,
He acted in PERFECT HARMONY with His will and offered them mercy.

GOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN MERCIFUL TO REPENTANT SINNERS
His response isn’t strange, it is who He is.

Matthew 5:3-7 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

Isaiah 57:15 “For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.”

James 4:6 “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”

And the point is emphasized that our God is a merciful God.
Our God saves sinners.
Our God declares sinners righteous while they are still sinners.

And all He requires from them is faith.

Now we’ll get back to missions and Jonah’s issues next week,

But we would fail if we didn’t take the opportunity
To make sure you understand the saving nature of our God.

Are you a sinner?
Have you offended God?
Have you offended Him in an incredible way?
The answer to all of those questions is “yes” by the way.

BUT DO YOU KNOW THAT?
• Are you concerned that perhaps you have sinned too much?
• Are you concerned that you are a lost cause?
• Are you convinced that it’s too late for you because you’ve been too bad?

Well look at the Ninevites.
They were so wicked even the missionary who went to them
Didn’t want them to receive mercy.

But even they were granted mercy when they believed God.

The promise was just as true for them as it was Abram.

And that promise is still true for you and for me.
Romans 10:13 “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

The apostle Paul understood this marvelous reality.
1 Timothy 1:12-16 “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.”

Paul said, look at me as an example.
• If Jesus can and will save me, then He can and will save anyone.

The Ninevites would undoubtedly say the same.

No one should read the story of Jonah
And then think they are beyond the merciful arm of God.

GOD SAVES SINNERS.
If that is you, then place your faith in Him.

What does that faith look like?
• It looks like repentance from your sin.
• It looks like brokenness for what you’ve done.
• It looks like desperately crying out to God for mercy.

THAT IS WHAT FAITH LOOKS LIKE.

Give it to God and He will declare you righteous
And spare you from the coming judgment too.

Download Here:

How To Make A Missionary
Jonah 2:1-10
January 15, 2023

As you know we are in the middle of our “Missions Month”
And you know that we are studying the negative example of Jonah.
Jonah is clearly a terrible missionary.

BUT if you’ve read the entire book of Jonah
You know that Jonah becomes
The most successful Old Testament missionary ever.

God takes this terrible missionary and yet uses him
To lead a city to repentance and to save them from judgment.

Somewhere in the story of Jonah we need to see THE TURNING POINT.
• We need to see what God did in his life that turned this wayward prophet into an ambassador for God.

Chapter 2 of the book of Jonah is that explanation.
Jonah 2 is where God makes a missionary out of Jonah.

That is important for God seeks to make a missionary out of all of us

WELL LET’S START HERE:

There are perhaps MANY REASONS WHY people fail to be the missionary God requires.

• I know we hear “fear” as the excuse quite often; most specifically fear of
failure, but also fear of travel, fear of people, etc.

• I know there is often a feeling of inadequacy that runs through people’s minds
when they contemplate a missionary call. Namely that I don’t know enough
or something like that.

• Maybe there are issues of an unwillingness to suffer or leave behind
comforts, maybe there are money issues, etc.

We hear a lot of different reasons and excuses
For people’s failure to participate in God’s Great Commission.

But if you look at the book of Jonah and you hear God’s explanation
As to why people fail to participate in the Great Commission,
God seems to expose a deeper and honestly more concerning reason.

If you read the book of Jonah and see it as God’s word
Then there is really ONE main reason why people
Don’t participate in the Great Commission.

A LACK OF MERCY

For all the problems of Jonah, this is really THE glaring problem
That GOD IS MOST CONCERNED about exposing and correcting.

You will not and you cannot be the missionary God commands
If you lack mercy.

We think just for a moment of the GREAT MISSIONARIES in the Bible.

Listen to Paul for a second:
Romans 9:1-3 “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,”

• That is a guy who is willing to go to hell if it would save his Jewish brothers.
• And indeed Paul experienced what many would consider to be “hell on earth” as he sought to win them.

We remember Paul’s friends trying desperately to get Paul
Not to go to Jerusalem where they knew he was hated.

Paul responded:
Acts 21:13 “Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

• Paul’s heart was filled with mercy.
• And more specifically it was overwhelmed with the mercy and glory of Jesus.

Certainly this true of God’s heart.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Or we think of the obvious mercy of Jesus.
Luke 5:27-32 “After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him. And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Or
Luke 19:1-10 “He entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Jesus is concerned about the people that everyone else overlooked.
And not just overlooked, but disdained.

Jesus cared about the people that other people despised.
Jesus cared about the people that other people overlooked.

JONAH IS JUST THE OPPOSITE.
I was listening to John MacArthur talk about Jonah this week and he called Jonah a RACIST. (That’s actually pretty fitting)

Jonah is like the Pharisees of the New Testament
Who had no mercy or compassion.
And is out of touch with God’s heart

We think of the famous Luke 15 (Lost coin, Lost sheep, Lost son)

You are aware WHAT PROMPTED those stories from Jesus.
Luke 15:1-2 “Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Those stories were given by Jesus
As a direct confrontation to the heart that had no mercy.

The Pharisee heart, like Jonah’s, was a heart that beats out of rhythm.
They hated it when sinners got saved and that is nothing like God’s heart.

Luke 15:7 “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

Luke 15:10 “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

But that was certainly NOT the Pharisee, or Jonah.
As we have said many times already, they were that older brother.

Luke 15:25-32 “Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. “And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. “And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ “But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. “But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ “And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. ‘But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’”

A lack of mercy will absolutely kill your missionary zeal.
If you are able to rationalize that people do not deserve mercy
Then it is not surprising if you don’t offer it.

WELL, THAT WAS JONAH.

We remember from studying chapter 1:
• Jonah hated sinners
• Jonah hated the gospel (because it offers mercy to sinners)
• Jonah hated God (because He relents concerning judgment)

• Jonah was disobedient – God said “Go”, Jonah refused.
• Jonah was disconnected – Even pagans had to tell him to pray
• Jonah was delusional – Thought himself to be a God-fearer

• Ultimately Jonah was a self-righteous man with no mercy.
• He would rather drown than see the Ninevites receive the message of the gospel.

SO, GOD IS ABOUT TO TEACH MERCY TO JONAH

You remember LAST WEEK that the sailors threw Jonah into the sea
And God appointed “a fish to swallow Jonah”.

Interestingly enough
• The word for “fish” in the book of Jonah is NOT the Hebrew word for “whale”.
• For all we know God created a special sea creature just for the purpose of
swallowing Jonah.
• The New Testament calls it a “sea monster”. (Matt 12:40)

And yet, what you will see is that this “fish”
Became a first-hand account of God’s mercy to Jonah.

So let’s work through chapter 2 and see how God makes a missionary.

#1 JONAH’S EDUCATION
Jonah 2:1-7

What we learn in the first verse of chapter 2 is that
God had a great lesson to teach Jonah
And by the time we get to chapter 2 Jonah has ALREADY LEARNED it.

(1) “Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the stomach of the fish,”

What you will notice is that this prayer is one of thanksgiving.
• Jonah does not see the fish as a trial to be delivered from.
• Jonah saw the fish as deliverance.

God saved his life with that fish.

That means that the education of Jonah
Actually occurred between verses 15 and 17 of chapter 1.

God educated Jonah in the sea.
And the main course curriculum was mercy.

When you think of MISSIONARY TRAINING you might be tempted to think of subjects like:
• Gospel familiarity (theological)
• Cultural Issues (about the nations)

But if a missionary never learns mercy
His theology and knowledge of the nations won’t help him much.

Jonah is being educated in mercy.
Let’s see how God does it.

1) DISTRESS

You notice that Jonah’s distress is NOT the fish.
Jonah’s distress was the sea.

You notice that now in the belly of the fish, Jonah is speaking in PAST TENSE.
• (2a) “I called out of my distress…”
• (2c) “I cried for help from the depth of Sheol;”
• (3) “For You had cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, and the current engulfed me. All Your breakers passed over me.”
• (5-6a) “Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me, Weeds were wrapped around my head. I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever.”
• (7a) “While I was fainting away…”

So you get a picture of Jonah’s distress.
• He had been thrown overboard and he began to sink.
• He was sinking in the sea, with the seaweed around his head and the roots of the mountains in view.
• The weight of the sea crushing him.
• Jonah had but a few moments before he would die.

It was absolute distress.
It is what we call a “near death” experience.

What was Jonah learning?
JONAH WAS LEARNING ABOUT THE SEVERITY OF JUDGMENT

Sometimes in our witnessing
We encounter people who seem to have no fear of hell.

The only reason that is the case is because
They have no accurate concept of hell.

Mark 9:43-48 “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED. “If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED. “If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.”

Jesus was clear that you’d be better off to gouge out your eye
Or cut off your hand than to go to hell.
You don’t want to go to hell.

But many lost people have no accurate understanding of hell
And so they don’t fear it.

But this can be a problem for the missionary too.

When a missionary loses touch with the reality of judgment
He will stop caring about saving men from it.

James Hudson Taylor said:
“Would that God would make hell so real to us that we cannot rest; Heaven so real that we must have men there.”
https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/7871218.Hudson_Taylor

Jonah had no problem with the Ninevites falling into the hands of God.
Jonah had forgotten just how terrible that would be.

So God reminds him here.
• Jonah gets a few seconds of a taste of God’s judgment.
• Jonah was granted the privilege of staring death in the face.
• Jonah experienced distress

2) DESPERATION

This is obvious.

Jonah may have had a low view of the severity of judgment
But it only took a few seconds to realize how awful it is.

And Jonah started crying out for help!

• (2a) “I called out of the my distress to the LORD”
• (2c) “I cried for help”
• (4) “So I said, ‘I have been expelled from Your sight. Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.’”
• (7b) “I remembered the LORD”

Just moments earlier,
• Jonah had been content to flea from God
• He would rather drown than see the Ninevites warned.
• Under the heavy hand of God’s judgment and Jonah has changed his tune.

He has decided that mercy is a good thing.
And what a blessing to know that
We are promised mercy when we call on Him.

Romans 10:13 “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Jonah remembered that too, and was eager to act upon it.

Jonah was a missionary who saw no need for mercy,
But it didn’t take God long to change his tune.

Jonah is granted distress so that he might be moved to desperation.

3) DELIVERANCE

Again, the sea is the judgment, the fish is the deliverance.
And from the fish, we see how Jonah prays.

• (2b) “I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice.”
• (7c) “I remembered the LORD, And my prayer came to You, Into Your holy temple.”
• (6) “I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever, But You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.”

God delivered Jonah.
God showed mercy to Jonah.

Jonah was first allowed to feel the sting of judgment
So that he would also be allowed to feel the relief of salvation.

I think of that prodigal…
Luke 15:22-24 “But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.”

What a blessing that was, and what a wonderful feeling!

We think of that woman caught in adultery…
John 8:10-11 “Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”

Again, what a relief!
• To be dead to rights in sin.
• To be condemned clearly by the Law.
• To be facing sure and certain judgment.

And then to be spared by nothing but pure mercy!
WHAT A JOY!

Jonah was just educated.
• He learned the severity of judgment,
• The availability of God
• And the joy of mercy.

All of those things are necessary things for a missionary to know.

Jonah’s Education
#2 JONAH’S DEDICATION
Jonah 2:8-9

After being reminded of mercy
We now see how Jonah has CHANGED HIS TUNE.

(8) “Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness”

That verse has some depth to it.

ON ONE HAND there is the theological reality
THAT THERE IS SALVATION NOWHERE BUT IN GOD.

As Jonah sank in that sea
• He could have called on any number of the pagan deities.
• He could have cried out to the sailors to throw him a rope.
• He could have relied on the advice of his childhood swim instructor.

But the reality is none of them could even hear him, let alone help him.

As Jonah faced judgment the exclusivity of God
As the only Savior become abundantly clear to him.

There was only One who could save him at that point.
IT WAS GOD.

Isaiah 43:10-13 “You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. “I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me. “It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “And I am God. “Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”

Isaiah 45:5-7 “I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other, The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.”

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

Jonah was emphatically reminded while he sank in the sea
That there is only One Savior.

What does that mean in terms of missions?

Without the knowledge of the One True God
The Ninevites will never receive mercy.
You can’t know mercy apart from God.

AND TODAY.
There is no mercy in Islam – Allah cannot grant mercy.
There is no mercy in Buddhism – Buddha cannot grant mercy.
There is no mercy in Mormonism – Joseph Smith or their fake Jesus cannot grant mercy.

Jonah saw the value of mercy and he was filled with the conviction that
IT ONLY COMES FROM ONE SOURCE.

A missionary should certainly know that.
If you care about mercy then you care about the gospel
Because that is the only place where genuine mercy exists.

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND Verse 8 is NOT JUST a theology verse.

Jonah says, “Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness”

For Jonah that is also a statement of repentance.
Jonah had been unfaithful to God because Jonah had been idolatrous.

No, I don’t think Jonah worshiped pagan gods.
• I think Jonah sought to distort the true God.
• Jonah wanted to make God someone who had no mercy.
• And a false view of God is idolatry.

Jonah is now confessing that mercy only comes from God
And He doesn’t deserve hatred for that mercy,
He deserves glory for it.

Jonah fled from God and that was wrong.
God deserves Jonah’s faithfulness.

And that is what he promises.
(9) “But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the LORD.”

I told you I question the legitimacy of Jonah’s salvation in chapter 1,
And if he was not saved, this is where salvation occurred.

Saved or not, JONAH HAS NOW REPENTED
And is once again committed to the LORD.

This is the necessary repentance for any of us
• Who have lost our sense of mercy
• And failed to obey God’s mandate to share the gospel with the world.

There is no other way to say it.
• If you are not obeying the Great Commission…
• If you are not sharing the gospel with anyone…
• You are in violation of the agreement you made at salvation.

When we are saved we confess Jesus as Lord.
We submit our lives to Him and commit to follow and obey Him.

If you said you would do that, but you have not done that
Then repentance is necessary.

You see that here in Jonah.
• God reminded Jonah of the value of mercy.
• And Jonah has determined that God should be glorified for such mercy.

God is the Savior and the world must know this.
That is Jonah’s new DEDICATION.

Jonah’s Education, Jonah’s Dedication
#3 JONAH’S RELOCATION
Jonah 2:10

What a great picture!
The whole time Jonah was in that fish pouring out his heart to God,
That fish was already swimming to Nineveh.

God never changed His mind about the mission to the Ninevites

When Jonah refused to go,
• God DIDN’T just say, “Oh well I guess the Ninevites will never hear the warning.”
• God determined that the Ninevites would hear it
• God determined that Jonah would share it.

And that is what is happening.
• And after Jonah went through a crash course on missionary training
• God recommissioned him
• And the fish “vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.”

YOU SEE NOW THE PROGRESSION OF THE STORY.
1. Jonah was a missionary who hated the lost, hated the gospel, and hated God. He was a missionary who lacked mercy.
2. God has now changed his tune by granting him the second chance that he did not deserve.

And Jonah is now ready to obey God.

This is important for us to grasp.
In Scripture, one’s propensity to offer mercy
Is directly related to one’s appreciation for having received mercy.

To put it another way.
Show me someone who has no mercy,
And I’ll show you a self-righteous person who has never cried out for it.

There is a link between having received mercy and then offering it.

Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

Matthew 6:12 “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”

We remember that story of the king who forgave his slave only to watch that slave refuse to extend mercy to his fellow slave.
Matthew 18:33 “‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’”

Luke 6:35-36 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

And we are forced to wonder:
If we don’t offer mercy, have we really ever received it?

SO THIS MORNING
As we seek to be the missionaries that God has called us to be,

We are going to remind ourselves of our tremendous need of mercy
That it may inspire us to offer it as well.

I would start with:
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

We are reminded there of a specific list of the types of sins
That God does not condone.

Sexual immorality – Idolatry – Adultery – Homosexuality – Theft – Coveting – Drunkenness – Reviling – Swindling

Do you find yourself on that list anywhere?
Are any of those sins indicative of your life?

I know we tend to read that list like homosexuality is the only one on there,
• But what about when you lusted for that women?
• What about when you saw an advertisement on the internet and you coveted something?
• What about when you got drunk?
• What about when you talked about that person behind their back?

Those are ALL sins of which God sends people to hell.

“Such were some of you…
“but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

You did not deserve mercy but God gave it to you.

Perhaps we read:
Romans 5:6-11 “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

The words there are:
“helpless” – “ungodly” – “sinners” – “enemies”

Do you know that is what we were?
We were very much like Jonah, helplessly sinking in our sin and not deserving of any mercy at all.
• We were antagonistic to the call of God.
• We were disobedient to Him.
• And we deserved judgment.

But He saved us.
He sent His Son to forgive us.

How about:
Titus 3:3-7 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

“foolish” – “disobedient” – “deceived” – “enslaved to various lusts and pleasures” – “malice” – “envy” – “hateful”

But God saved us.
God showed us mercy.

Do you recognize that in your life?
• Do you remember the weight of your guilt before God?
• Do you remember that fear of judgment?
• Do you remember the terrors of hell?
• Do you remember how disgusted you were with your filth?
• Do you remember how badly you wanted out?

And do you remember how Jesus rescued you?
• How He forgave you?
• How He delivered you out?
• How He set you free?

Do you remember the mercy you received?

Then your cry ought to be the same as Jonah’s
“Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness, But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the LORD.”

This morning we are going to partake in the Lord’s Supper
Because we need to be reminded of what Jesus Christ did for us.

We need to be reminded that
• He answered the call to leave the comfort and glory of Heaven to go to a
place of filth and sin where He would be hated, maligned, and killed.

SO WHERE WILL YOU NOT GO?

We need to be reminded that
• When He came He never stopped offering mercy, even to those who sought
to kill Him.

SO WHEN WILL YOU STOP OFFERING MERCY?

We need to be reminded that
• He fulfilled the requirement we had neglected and suffered the wrath that
we deserved so that He might save those who hated Him.

SO WHAT WILL YOU NOT DO FOR HIM?

We need to remember that He did this for us.

And may such a reminder motivate us
To share His mercy with the world like He has commanded us to.

As always, we’re going to have A Time Of Preparation to examine ourselves and then we’ll partake of the table of the Lord.