JONAH: Crossing The Line

 Crossing The Line Jonah 3:10 We’ve studied the book of Jonah now for 7 weeks - many of those weeks, I’ve mentioned something. I pray that today you’re here to consider who God is, what you have to do personally God, and that you’re open to something today, that something is crossing the line. That Jesus in Matthew 12:39 says the following: Matthew 12:39 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Why is this important? Sooooo many reasons, but lets trace a few key ones that capture me. 1 - This shows God’s command over time. 2 - God’s command over time shows Jesus’ importance in salvation. And this is where he crosses a line. Follow me here - Jesus would come some 800 years later after Jonah - but this, this moment we’ll look to today, will amplify Jesus’ salvation! Sometimes amplifying something so large and so booming - is to pull out an element of it that’s impactful. So here, amplifying God’s message is pulling out Jesus grace. So that we don't miss it, I want to pull our attention to it - then work our way through it, then again put our attention on it. Ready? Jesus is the center of all history - everything God did in all of scripture built up to Jesus Jesus fulfilled all that God set forth to make him so clear Everything in all history points back to Jesus - to make him more clear Can you see Jesus clearly? If you can he’ll cause you to cross the line. I pray you can - today we’ll see clearly God’s plan in Christ - God’s plan for Jesus - and it has everything to do with God’s command over time. Lets read one verse from Jonah… Jonah 3:10 (ESV) 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 want us to remember where we are, and be open to something. Jonah, is called by God as the only Jewish prophet to go after a gentile nation. In the only book of scripture that immediately starts with a command from God - then later that command is repeated by the God who commands time, with the same call, to the same man - go, and deliver my message… Why? Because He loves Jonah Because He Loves the People he is calling. Because He causes people to cross the line. I don't know you, and where you are this morning, where you are this morning, but God does… Maybe you’re a Christian - aren’t you so glad God knew where you were - and called you to where you are? Let me show you something about God - He is outside of time - and so, he must judge sin - He speaks to you as a sinner while knowing you as someone who will repent. And so in time, he speaks to you as a sinner - in eternity he knows you as repentant. So, when you make a transition from sinner to saint - He repents of his judgment of you. What happened before this event in Jonah 3:10 Jonah 3:3–6 (ESV) 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. Look at what drove this reaction in God towards the people, Jonah came with God’s message, to God’s future-people, and they responded and became His present people, they crossed a line. In Christ, we have THE line. Can I slow down here and ask; are you amazed by that? I wonder will it cause you to cross the line? Remember God knows what will happen - and He calls you to repentance, so that He can repent of judgment of you, because He loves you. Never have I diagramed from here - but I think this is so important. I want us to see where we are, where God is - and how he “repents” Don’t let this rush by as a simple, He knows you He loves you - does it blow your mind to think that the sovereign God of the universe not only loves you, but planned for you? Drove you to this point in your life that you’re in right now - is with you, is concerned with you, desires you to know Him increasingly more (2 Corinthians 3:18)- "How frequently you who are coming to Christ look to yourselves. "O!" You say, "I do not repent enough." That is looking to yourself. "I do not believe enough." That is looking to yourself. "I am too unworthy." That is looking to yourself. "I cannot discover," says another, "that I have any righteousness." It is quite right to say that you have not any righteousness; but it is quite wrong to look for any. It is, "Look unto me." ...From the cross of Calvary, where the bleeding hands of Jesus Drop mercy: from the garden of Gethsemane where the bleeding life of the Savior’s Sweat pardons, the cry comes, "Look unto me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth."... It is not a consideration to what you are, but a consideration to what God is, and what Christ is, that can save you! It is looking from yourself to Jesus. Do not think that righteousness qualifies you to come to Christ; whereas sin is the only qualification for a man to come to Jesus!" - Charles Spurgeon This is interesting, because - if you don't know God in Christ today, you can - and He’ll repent of the judgment of you. Does that give you pause? Jonah amplifies the grace of God in Christ - like Spurgeon did above amplifying NOT our response, but God’s coming to get us, Jesus willingness to cross a line, so that we’d know that it is finished and we too now can cross the line in the man Christ Jesus who is the way, the truth, and the life through whom all men and women exclusively come to God. That God knows He can drive you to repentance, that seeing yourself under the need for His consistent Holy character to be that of Judge would drive you to knowing that His son is good and sufficient for salvation, would bring you to Him - and that he didn't’ stop there - rather that he sent His son, to become perfect to drive your to Him (Hebrews 2:10) - and then He did that, he taught you. So, now what will you do with that? Jonah 3:10 (ESV) 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. God sent Jonah to the people of Nineveh, 800 years before Jesus would ever walk the earth - so that he could bring them a message of salvation that would illiterate Jesus message of salvation - which is finished. I pray you’ll see it and come to Him. You have a new pen today - we hope you’ll steal the one in front of you. But before you do - grab your visitor card, and if you've reached out to God for the first time today, and/or if you want to be baptized to show your death and resurrection because of God’s relenting of judging of you - I want you to check “baptize me” on the visitor card, and put it in the plate in about 2 minutes I pray you’ve been open to this today. Also, take that pen - and Church write down something that can change in you, because you’ve crossed the line. Maybe a tension with someone at work can be used to show Christ, maybe your free to confess weakness in addiction to God, maybe some area in your life where you’re struggling to be obedient can be opened up to God, lets not be just hearers of the word but doers too James 1:21 (ESV) 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. Remember Jesus 800 years after Jonah was God’s plan in eternity past before Jonah and now since Jonah - this message IS the sign that should cause you, me, and us to repent and God will relent of seeing you in judgment and see you in the light of His son and you too will now be free to walk in newness of life! Will you cross the line? JONAH: Crossing The Line Pastor John Weathersby Transcend Church 4 of 4 Sunday 10/22/2017