Coventry September 22th

Lord I do ask that you would speak to us now from your word. I thank you for the prophet Jonah from this this record that we have of his life of his ministry of of the work that you did in the Assyrian nation in the city of Nineveh in Lord. May we just marvel give you the glory and and learn from you here today? So we dedicate this time to you and thank you in Jesus name. Amen.

When Jesus began his public Ministry, the first thing he preached was repent for the kingdom of God is at hand and this was right after John the Baptist head come preaching repentance and then baptising people who had repented. So what does repentance mean if you were to Define repentance, how would you do it at anybody? Turn away turn away from sin.

Is the Els mark?

Okay, so stop ignoring. So repentance to listen. Stop ignoring start listening right now is the Greek word for it, but it's a change of mind that results in a change of behavior. So you changed your thinking and it results in a change of action. And that you cannot be saved without repentance taking place cuz you got to change your mind about who God really is and start acting accordingly. You got to change your mind about your own life and you in the sentence that exists there and turn away from them. It's kind of like doing a u-turn on the interstate. You are a skylight doing the u-turn on the road where you're headed in One Direction away from God and toward the person and you repent you turn around you moving away from sin and toward God that's repentance. We're going to talk about that today in the Book of Jonah but so far in the Book of Jonah today, we're going to talk about the preaching prophet Jonah chapter 3, but here's what we've already seen in the Book of Jonah to date the wrong way Prophet chapter one where God says to No, not go to Nineveh. And what does he do? He goes in the opposite direction starts for tarshish 2500 miles in the wrong direction. And then we saw this swallowed prophet in Jonah chapter one where Jonah experience the consequences of his Disobedience of a severe storm comes up on the Mediterranean Sea threatening the ship and the crew and they end up throwing him overboard and he swallowed by a giant fish. And then last week we saw the praying prophet in Jonah chapter to where Jonah is disciplined by God in the belly of the fish. Finally. He praised all of chapter one. You do not see Jonah prey chapter 2 he begins to pray. And then at the end of chapter 2 we see that Jonah is rescued from the belly of the fish chapter 2 verse 10, then the Lord commanded the fish and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land. And you suppose Jonah was a bit humbled at this point. Where you think little bit? I think that's pretty good picture of an artist depiction of Joltik being after you spit out of the fish. But you know one commentator wrote this in the terrifying Darkness inside the fish Jonah realize the Folly of fighting against God. That's why I think he cries out in prayer but you know A wise man once said your arms are too short to box with God he's going to win every time you really don't want to try to do that with God. So yes, Jonah is humbled. I believe he was however He is not totally broken and we we will see this in chapter 4. Okay, but he is changed in Jonah chapter 3 verses 1 to 10. We're going to bump into this concept of repentance a change of mine that produces different action from this text. We shall see three types of repentance half-hearted repentance wholehearted repentance God hearted repent and I'll go through the Sinclair for elbows. But today's lesson is is your repentance sincere. Or has it been insincere? Or is it like Christ? Okay, let's see what what I mean by that. So let's take a look at this outline today. The first kind of repentance is The Reluctant compliance up Jonah. Look at chapter 3 verse 1. Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time saying arise go to Nineveh the great City and Proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you the right here. God gives Jonah a second chance and he is actually assigned the same Mission or commission that he was before in a chapter 1 verse to God said to him is go to Nineveh the great City and cry against it. Their wickedness is great. Well here in chapter 3 verse to arise go to Nineveh the great City and Proclaim to it the proclamation which I'm going to give you. So those those commands imperatives are the same arise go and preach basically and then of all the great city is the same Target City in verse chapter 1 verse to cry against it because of their wickedness now and 3 to Proclaim what I'm going to tell you you're going to deliver my message to them Jonah. Now in Old Testament times, it was not God's method to send a missionary to a gentile nation. In fact, Jonah is the first and the only Old Testament Prophet ever to receive such a call. So this is what brand new stuff and it's highly unusual. And of course the first time he resisted what the other way this time it's going to be a little bit different. But the point is Jonah gets a second chance now listen, not everybody dies. Okay, so we just need to take a warning here because this is a rare thing why God expects obedience the first time? The first time you hear his command is when he expects you to obey that command now, it's amazing that God is very patient with us, right and some we're pretty hard-headed and sometimes it takes hearing the command 2 or 3 times for us to get it and start doing it, but he expects us. To obey the first time he speaks. So here's the point don't presume that if you disobey God now you will have another chance later. Don't don't just count on that that's going to be the case. For example, I don't need to receive Christ now, I'll wait till I'm old, you know, when I'm old getting your my time for death, then then I'll cry out to Jesus and you'll help me then why you know what you may not get old. You made your life could end today. So obey the gospel now today is the day of salvation now is the acceptable time come to Christ and believe in him today because God is a god of Second Chances only up to a point and judgment is right around the corner. Okay. Now enjoying his case God determined to work through him Jonah. I'm not sending anybody else. I'm sending you why. God loves this reluctant Wayward prophet and he wants to use him for whatever reason he wants you to just like he loves you and your waywardness and reluctance to follow him. He has a determination that he wants from us and you know, here's an interesting thing Jonah's Disobedience did not cancel God's call you didn't cancel his call and of God is determined to work through you. Don't fight it whatever his call is upon your life just comply with it. Obey submit to the will of the Lord in your life. So what does Jonah choose to do this time? Jonah goes to Nineveh the breach look at verse 3. So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city of three days walk this time Jonah does not hesitate and he heads in the right direction. He's on his way to this time. Now, none of us was a metropolis. It was one of the largest cities in the world at that time and exceedingly great City. We know from chapter 4 verse 11 more than a hundred and twenty thousand people resided there. That's a large city. The city of Samaria in Israel was 30000 and I was a large city in that day but a hundred twenty thousand, that's a metropolis. Now it says here it was a three days walk. Will what is that mean? Well a three days walk because it was 20 miles long 12 miles wide with a circumference of about 60 miles and if you walk 20 miles a day, it would take you three days to walk around the city of three days walk to get through the city. And that's a map of the archaeological reconstruction of the outer walls of Nineveh. Capital of the Assyrian Empire now here are some of the some Modern pictures of the ruins of Nineveh that are still in existence today and you can see the impressiveness of the of the construction here the walls that's a gate there is the backside of one of the walls and look how it's still in good shape. And I one of the another one of the city Gates Isis when they took control of this area blew up one of these Gates. I'm not sure if it was this one or another one, but they did damage to some of this but beautiful structures and it's recorded that three chariots could drive a breast on the top of its outer walls. They enclosed a good deal of pasture land besides the actual buildings which agrees with Jonah's words much cattle. In other words. There was a lot of animals able to live inside the city why it was such a big city, okay. So when Jonah arrives and looks at this city, it must have been somewhat intimidating you think. God told you I want you to go and preach the New York City.

Man, where do you start well for Jonah? I guess you'd walk through that first outer gate and start preaching so He goes, but his message was actually pretty simple. Look at verse 4. 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. So he begins to go through the city. Now. What does he see as he enters the city of Nineveh? He sees people bent on idolatry greediness Temple prostitution torture of captives. That's all embracing this picture by the way. Brutality War atrocities. Remember these guys were known for their their evil treatment of captives for Generations is Syria had been making Fierce raids on the land bordering the Mediterranean and the punishments which she inflicted upon her captives were cruel beyond measure even 2 skinning their victims alive. Can you imagine having an having that done to you? total evil do you think their conscience bothered them at all? What do you think? I speculate that it did that. They knew you know, we're doing this to other people man. I hope we never have this done to us. that kind of thinking I speculate that God could see what was happening in their conscience. He knew it and commissioned his Prophet to go that's speculation. But Jonah goes and he cries out this message yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown. Now. He only goes in the city one day's walk he gets about I don't know too if it's 20 miles in or what everybody gets one day and he preaches 5 Hebrew words. And you have to read a Hebrew right to laugh. So yet forty days Nineveh overthrown and the imperfect tense would be will be overthrown future. Okay, but the key word here is overthrown. That's the same verb used of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 1925 to be totally obliterated turned over upside-down destroyed Jonah wanted to see these people judged. That's really what was in his heart that comes out in chapter 4 and that's why he ran in chapter one. You know, what kind of repentance belongs to Jonah? Jonas change is due to God severe discipline God put him through the wringer and he obeys but he is still unenthused about I believe he goes and he's not really excited about preaching but he's going to go and preach because God has commanded him to do it and he's already been disciplined for not doing it, but he has an outer obedience but inner dissatisfaction that is clear from chapter 4. You know. I can change my mind and act differently, but I can do it in sincerely. And sometimes we just maybe play the part. But our heart really isn't into it. Is that the kind of repentance that you've experienced in your own life? I'm going to conform but I'm not still not excited about this Christianity stuff. Okay. You know out of Conformity with no energy o I call it a half-hearted repentance. Now the second kind of repentance is the sincere repentance of Nineveh. Look at verse 5. Then the people of Nineveh believe in God and they call they fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. So the people that heard Jonah believe the message the message from God and Jonah preached only one day's walk into the city but his message apparently spread like wildfire, you know, because the whole city is abuzz with this news 40 days and judgment will come And the people it's a remarkable the people respond with grief over their own sin, and they respond immediately to what they hear and they begin to engage in morning fasting Sackhoff whether you're rich or poor whether you're young or old the whole population is taken over with grief. Set a clock with a thick coarse cloth normally made from goat's hair and wearing it displayed the rejection of Earthly Comforts and Pleasures. It was a sign of sorrow and in this text. It evidences true repentance.

Listen genuine repentance begins with believe in God if you if you're going to really repent you got to start with face and what God says, I believe what he says and these people believed when true repentance occurs. Something will change beginning with what you think transforming what you do. It's God at work in your mind and heart. Eventually word gets to the king. Look at verse 6 when the word reach the king of Nineveh he arose from his throne late aside his robe from him covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes. Now. What's amazing here? I think the king took four steps of repentance as a good example for us. How do I repent what we can do the same thing. The first thing he does is he gets up off from his throne. So listen get off your throne. What are you doing in the driver's seat here? Anyway surrender control step down God is the higher authority get off. The throne. Second thing he does is lay aside is outer Rosso strip your heart there before the law. Be totally honest with God expose yourself to him you vulnerable and then he put on sackcloth. That's to indicate morning. Let us mourn over our sin grieve over any wrongdoing. You are aware of in your life. What are you feeling guilty about be sick about it? Okay. Hey and then the king sat on the ashes that's to wallow in in humiliation deepest humiliation is symbol symbolize by wallowing in the ashes. So humble yourself before the Lord. Staylo exalt God and fear the Lord with all your heart. Good steps, but if you want to know how to repent there's a good way to do it, okay. And a genuine repentance is being observed here and the King then issues or let me say it again genuine repentance begins with believing God. Alright the king. Issues a decree. Look at verse 7. And he issued a proclamation and it said in men over by the decree of a 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 in from the violence, which is in his hands for things are decreed here in verse 7. First of all Forza 7 and 8. I should say everyone must fast man. And animal is that interesting because there were a lot of animals with inside the city walls no food and no water. So fast second second thing everyone must mourn engage in sorrow for your sin Sackhoff on everything. Even the animals are to have it be wearing sackcloth and thirdly everyone must pray. You need to call on God earnestly cry out to God Almighty the one who is able to overthrow a metropolis like Nineveh and then everyone must repent in and they must repent in two areas. Not to mention Denver say each one must learn from his Wicked way. Every individual now needs to change changes thinking to change his action and each one was turn from his violence the atrocities and the hurtful acts if they've done the others famous stop doing each one must quit doing this no notice with his own hands.

And I think they were they knew they were guilty. They've seen people crying hurting in tremendous pain because of their what they inflicted upon them. They knew they were guilty violence was specified by the men of that City themselves in the hour of their repentance as their particular sin. The king knows his people. And this was their reputation violence. That's how the world saw the Assyrians and I think their conscience was smitten right here at the preaching of Jonah. And they knew they were in trouble. They knew they deserved God's rash. You know, that's a good place to be. To know I am deserving Wrath. indef Why did the king issue this Proclamation? Well, perhaps God will turn and relent look at verse 9 who knows God made turn and relent and withdraw his Burning Anger so that we shall not perish and I think he probably had that in the decree that he published throughout the city. Because that gives the reason for all this maybe God will remove his threat of punishment the largest city on earth overthrown. You know what Pride keeps us from thinking like this. Can you imagine the United States of America being overthrown by God?

It all out, you know, or are a big city like New York being destroyed by God. Is that even possible? You know, we can't even fathom that. But we who know our God believes that's the case. We know our God could do that. you say and they believed that the god Proclaim by Jonah could overthrow a city of a hundred twenty thousand and would do so if they didn't repent they just believe that you see repentance begins with believing What God Says Maybe God's Wrath will be appeased if we put on sackcloth perhaps Our Lives will be spared. If we truly repent. We know we deserve to die. We're feeling the guilt because we have been so mean to so many people throughout this area and and we're headed for trouble. You know, what kind of repentance is this? The ninevites change due to hearing God's word at the preaching of God's prophet and and you know what some heard from Jonah directly, but I think a lot of people in the city heard it by Way by word of mouth as it spread the same message but heard through fellow citizens and it had an effect. You know, what may we be preaching the gospel to the point that others are declaring it Beyond us and faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. It's not important that ice talk to everybody in the community, but it's important that everybody in the community hears the word of God so face can come to them. Genuine repentance where humility and turning from sin is evidence. That's what we see in in Nineveh so I can change my mind about my sin and genuine stop doing it. That is a sincere repentance. In fact, I would debit wholehearted repentance. A real turning from sin. I was a thief but I no longer steal. It doesn't happen anymore. I repented and just go down to the sinless. I was a liar, but I only tell the truth now. Because I've repented you say and so forth the Third Kind of repentance. The merciful relenting of the Lord look at verse 10 when God saw their deeds that they turn 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. So here's what we what we have God saw their genuine repentance. By the way. God would have been fooled if it was a fakie thing. It wouldn't have worked but he sees its genuine he couldn't read their hearts and he saw their deeds, right? That's our God omniscient all-knowing they turn from their evil ways of wickedness and Repented and because they repented God repents so I can use that word god changes God relented about his judgment that he predicted. He would bring you see God had declared that he would bring over throw to Nineveh in 40 days. He would destroy them all.

You know if we heard a prophet say that. In 40 days The Orleans County's going to be wiped off the face of the Earth. Would it have an effect? Well, we know why we haven't heard that prophecy, but we have heard this Jesus Christ is coming a tribulation will come upon this Earth and by the midpoint of the tribulation three and a half years into it one half of the Earth's population will be destroyed. And we never seen casualties like that. Have we seven seven billion people a three and a half billion gone within three and a half years that averages to a billion a year.

What did he say? Do We Believe What God Says? I like what Ray Pastor Ray Pritchard says here. He says the greatest Revival in history happened because of a one-sentence sermon preached by a prophet who didn't even want to be there who hated the people he was preaching to and it was hoping for their destruction. How in the world is Revival happen like this? What are the chances of a Revival like that happening without God the chances are zero. Why did it happen not because of Jonah? See Revival isn't going to happen because of you and me it's going to happen because of God but God intervenes and I really like that verse out of the fusions chapter 2 verse 4 after we read about we were dead in our trespasses and sins. We were children of Wrath as the rest. We were destined for destruction, but God being rich in Mercy because of his great love with which he loved us. Even when we were dead in our transgressions made us alive together with Christ by Grace you have been saved. Amen. But God had to step in there's no other way for this to happen for salvation to take place in for a Revival of a whole city. That's a work of God. It's not a work of any profit. And so God did not do it. He did not bring the Judgment upon this city. God restrained himself, you know one Rider said God always intended to show Mercy, once the people turn from their evil ways. He threatened judgment which they richly deserved knowing that he would gladly pardon them once they turned to him and listen, he will gladly pardon you once you turn to him. Because that's our God. You know, he actually talks about this. He revealed this to Jeremiah. God says to Jeremiah at one moment, I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot to pull down or to destroy it. If that Nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil. I will relent concerning the Calamity. I planned to bring upon it. That's our God by the way. Do you think America needs to wake up here? You know what calamity is God planning for us right now as we continue to stick our finger in God's eye with our immorality in foolishness, you know, may we return from our evil and run back to the savior? God's change, you see what kind of repentance do we have? Your Gods change is due to the change in the ninevites. God repented of the punishment he had warned them about and turned away from doing it. Why because God does have a deep compassion for free and Mortal men.

And shouldn't we? You see what's your compassion level for frail and Mortal men who are acting evil, but all of a sudden they repent. Wait, I have a I have bad thoughts about that person. Am I going to insist on hanging on to that garage or those evil thoughts, you know when someone truly repents may we be quick to drop our Judgment of B, we change our mind about another sin and treat them with mercy and compassion and that is God hearted repentance.

Can we function that way? Why is it when we see someone come to repent of a sin that we still hold it against them shouldn't we forgive? You know God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He does not Delight to see the Las Parish. He much prefers to see Sinners turn from their evil ways and live and so should we This is why God is patient with evil. It doesn't baffle us. Why is he so patient with so much evil in the world. He's waiting for the sinner to repent. That's why so let's go preach. So Sinners can repent. You know, let me in with this today is your repentance and whatever time whatever this is happen for you. Maybe it's needed today. But is your repentance half-hearted? Like Jonah is it wholehearted like the ninevites or is it God hearted like Jesus Christ who longs to see Sinners turn from their ways and will forgive them when they do. Lord I Thank You for Your word to us today but a challenge from Jonah the prophet from this small book, but Lord great lessons come from it so Lord, may we genuinely repent of any sin in our life right now? Lord truly convictus Transformers from the inside out help us to change our mind about what we were we are doing right now. What is confesarse in in and walk away from it and let us not be half-hearted about it at all? Not just do outer compliance with no inner Joy or enthusiasm. May it be genuine and when we see someone repent may we be quick to show them love and compassion as well? May we be like Jesus? We thank you Lord in Christ name. Amen. I challenge you to read chapter 4 in preparation for next week's message the last chapter out of the Book of Jonah, okay.

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