SERIES: Jonah: God’s Heart for the City
TEXT: Jonah 3:6-4:4
MESSAGE: “When God Responds”
VISION: “To be a church for our city that seeks new life in Jesus.”
Q: Have you embraced where God has placed you?
Acts 17:26 — “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place…” — Think about that for a minute, you’re not here by accident.
“From any viewpoint it was a time of unusual grace. The circumstances that brought Jonah to the city, the unction that attended his preaching, the penitent faith of the citizens — all these are indications of the day of mercy that dawned in Nineveh. It was a story to which our Lord Jesus Christ could point back and say: ‘The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah’ (Matt 12:41; Luke 11:32).” — Sinclair Ferguson
We will look at three parts from today’s text: (1. A Repentant City 2. A Resistant Prophet 3. A Revealing Question)
1. A Repentant City (v. 6-10)
“The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” 10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.”
“I wish Jesus would come back in my lifetime…Because I would place my crown at his feet.” — Queen Victoria
“Rising from his throne and replacing his royal robes with sackcloth, the king sits on the ground amid dust or ashes. In so doing he symbolizes his human frailty and worthlessness.” — Desmond Alexander
“…yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” — 2 Corinthians 7:9-10
“Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?” — Ezekiel 33:11
2. A Resistant Prophet (v. 1-2)
“But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew, that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.”
“Feeling sorry for yourself has been developed into an art form. The whining and sniveling that wiser generations ridiculed with satire is given best-seller status among us.” — Eugene Peterson
3. A Revealing Question (v. 3-4)
“Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”
“Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” — Anonymous
TAKEAWAYS: God’s response…
* Reveals the trap of Self-Pity
* Uncovers Our Desperate Need For Grace
“The ultimate test of our spirituality is the measure of our amazement at the grace of God.”— Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” — John 3:14-15